my sugarglider cisco

Question
QUESTION: my sugarglider cisco lost his wife china yesterday we took them to the emergency room because they were down and very very weak in the morning. we've been feeding them as we have been the last 10 year cisco survived and is up n well china unfortunately did not make it. my question is will cisco now that he is alone die of loneliness, or should i look 4 a breeder who can take care of him, my wife took the lose hard i don't know what to do with him or to buy another glider to keep him company but know i don't feel confident taking care of him i feel i will lose him also please send me an answer to my e-mail i don't want to lose my glider cisco i want him happy

ANSWER: Dear William:

I am sorry for the loss of your glider, China.  

You have several questions packed into one here.  First of all, I would not look for a breeder to take your remaining glider.  I would give him extra love and attention.  The average life span for a sugar glider is 10-12 years (that is an average so there are some that live a lot less and some that live a lot longer).  

Since he's 10 years old, you must have been doing something right, so you should not lose your confidence to take care of him.  Sugar gliders can suffer severe stress reactions to a move, so I would make him comfortable right where he is and spend as much time with him as you can.  If you want to know what is best for Cisco, it is to stay with those that love and care for him.  It may not be easy to introduce him to another glider, but you can try to introduce him to an older female.  You might look for a rescue organization in your area.  If not, being that Cisco is 10, I would keep him right where he is and not move him and possibly put further stress on his broken heart by losing you as well.  

Since you did not mention what you have been feeding them for the past 10 years, I cannot advise you on how to feed him.  Did your vet tell you what went wrong?

My advice would be to keep him close and love him.  If you have an opportunity to introduce him to an older single female, you might try and see how they get along.  Otherwise, just watch him for signs of stress due to the loss (losing his hair, self-mutiliation, etc.).  

Again, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your little girl.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you for the quick response truth is it seems he has lost wieght since his loss n is not really hungry anything you would recommend to open his appetite

Answer
Okay.  Have you had your vet check him out as well?  Do you know why the female died?

I need a little bit more information from you on Cisco. How much did he lose?  Do you have an accurate weight in grams before and now?  How are you weighing him?  What diet do you currently feed him (I know it's the same for 10 years, but I'm curious what he eats when he's doing well?  I currently have 26 gliders - some rescues, some my own.  Every glider eats the same diet and I never have a problem with picky eaters, even during times of stress like new rescues coming in.  You can check it out if you like.  It is The Pet Glider Diet at:

http://www.thepetglider.com/index/content/view/13/27/

Does he like mealworms?  I have yet to meet an adult glider that didn't -- try hand-feeding him live mealworms and licky treats.  Good licky treats are things like applesauce and nonfat blueberry yogurt.  

You can e-mail me directly at contact @ affinitysugargliders . com (make sure to take the spaces out.

Laurie