suger gliders

Question
ok i have 3 suger gliders.shugy,noisy,and stickers.i am trying to get shugy and stickers to mate but every time i put them together thay just fight.what do i do!

Answer
Hi Stephanie,

Goodness!  Where do I start?  Sugar gliders are social animals and live in colonies.  They recognize the members of the colony by scent.  All the gliders who live together are a "family," and any outsiders are thought of as enemies.  Have you ever seen Meercat Manor?  It is similar to that for gliders.  You can't just put the male in to breed.  He needs to be part of the family.  Are the other two females?  

You will need to spend some time introducing the male to the two females.  The idea is to get them used to each other's scent.  For a while, I suggest you switch pouches every day.  The male will sleep in the females' pouch, and the females sleep in the male's pouch.  After a week or so of that, put the male's cage right next to the females.  After a week of that, prepare for their first real meeting.  You need to find a neutral spot.  A tent would be good, or you could glider-proof he bathroom and introduce them there.  Be sure there are some places for them to hide.  Put some vanilla on the back of the neck of all the gliders.  Put both pouches near each other with the openings facing together.  You'll need to watch carefully.  If all goes well, they will sniff and lick one another.  If they fight, toss a small towel over them and separate them through the towel. You may have to back up and spend some more time with the previous steps.  Try all this and let me know how they react.  I might be able to give you more suggestions when I know the reaction.  

I hope this helps, good luck.  Please keep in touch.

Betty