Two boys and no girls

Question
Hi Laurie,  My wife adopted me two male gliders (believed to be father and son), the first weekend with them I built a 6 foot high by 3 foot by 4 foot cage with a lot of toys.  I have tried everything to get them to adopt me back, but they are only just coming around after 9 months.  I really want them the be as happy as I can make them, and I was wondering if I got them two girls, would this help them be happier and more affectionate back?

Answer
Hi.  Thank you for contacting me and thank you for adopting the gliders.  It is not uncommon for bonding with adult gliders to take much longer that with babies.  Babies can be 6 weeks to 6 months, so 9 months is not so bad.  And congratulations, if they are starting to come around, then you are doing something right.  

Introducing females at this point could bring you more trouble than you asked for.  It could go fine, but introducing two gliders to a cage where there are already two gliders would make it a small colony.  Colonies do best when they are introduced early on.  You could have a situation where one or more of them does not get along with the others.  And if the males are not neutered, you would have babies and would not be able to tell who fathered which joeys.  So, I would stick with your two males.  

You did not mention whether these males are neutered.  If not I would neuter them regardless.  You also didn't mention age.  Age has a lot to do with the matter, but for the purpose of answering your question, I will assume they are young 1-3 years old.

You also didn't mention how it is you are attempting to go about bonding with them, so I will attach some of my favorite tips.  I used these in a different answer for a lady that had a biting glider, but many of the same principles apply.  

1.  Sleep in an old T-shirt for a couple of days and put that inside his cage (you can put his pouch right inside of the shirt).  Sugar gliders bond by scent, so as much of your scent as he can get the better.

2.  Bonding Pouch.  Use a zipper or drawstring bonding pouch (during the day only) as much as possible.  Eventually he will begin to fall asleep in the pouch.  3 to 4 hours a day would be optimum.  An easy way to get the glider into the pouch with a minimal chance of getting bit is to open the bonding pouch, take his sleeping pouch (with the glider in it) and put the open end of his sleeping pouch into the bonding pouch as if you were pouring him in.  He will likely stay in the sleeping pouch until you sort of squeeze the from the bottom down (like a tube of toothpaste), the glider should then move down into the bonding pouch.  When he has, pull out the sleeping pouch and zip him up in the bonding pouch.  When you are done, you can just put the bonding pouch back in his cage and open it, he will come out and go back into his cage/sleeping pouch when he is ready.  

3.  Play time.  Your glider should have a couple of hours of play time each night.  For a biting, unfriendly glider, I would suggest a "bonding tent."  This is just a two person tent like the one you can find at Walmart for about $25.  Don't use an old camping tent.  Bring the glider (in his pouch) into the tent with you along with a toy and a treat.  You can unzip the windows so family members can watch and you can hear and see what's going on in the room around you.  The whole point of this is to let the glider come to you in his own time without you trying to "hold" him.  Right now he is frightened of your hands, but they are curious animals, so don't be surprised if after a few times, he runs and jumps on you.  The tent helps keep him contained while removing the distractions he would find otherwise in a room.

4.  Treats.  Whenever you approach this glider for any reason at all, come bearing gifts.  You want him to learn that only good things come from your hands and fingers.  So  offer him mealworms (usually their favorite) always by hand.  You can also give him dried papaya or mango and Yogurt drops.  Once you determine his favorite food, you can give that to him by hand as well.  He may be hesitant at first, but don't give up.  

5.  Licky treats.  After he is comfortable taking treats from your fingers, try coating your fingers with blueberry  yogurt or applesauce and let him lick it off your fingers.    Licky treats are a great way to begin to insert your hand into his pouch.  Don't try this for a few weeks, but once he seems to respond and trust you a little more, use licky treats to get close and then slowly slide your hand into his pouch.  Eventually, you should aim for sliding your hand in  during mid day while he is sleeping and groggy and see if you can't get your hand underneath him.  Then just leave it there so he can get used to your hand being there.