New owners

[kangarolf]

Hi all,

We've just taken on two sugar gliders, boy and girl about 10 months old. About to dive into the whole diet issue! Here they are in their cage, you can just make them out at the back.

Rolf and Beth

[Marie]

Hiya, welcome to suggie lumps, good luck with the diet thing, if you need a hand give us a shout

[kangarolf]

Hello there,

Right now we're using this one;
http://www.sugar-lumps.com/forum/index.php/topic,82.0.html

as it seems the simplest to understand until we get going. Also just realised that we have a branch from the 'may cause a reaction' list so that will have to come out! How do these guys ever manage in the Australian forest..I imagine them padding about with a notepad and pen jotting up their calcium and phosphor intake =)

So far they are pretty quiet, not too keen on coming out of the cage or being approached. I'm sure they'll come round given time.

The only thing that does concern us is that they both have baldish patches on their heads between the two black stripes, they dont appear to groom that spot at all..is it normal..?

Cheers
Rolf

[Amalthea]

Males grow a blad spot on their head... It sounds like you've got two males...  Have ya seen their bellies?  Do you know for a fact that one has a pouch?

And welcome to Suggie Lumps!!!

[kangarolf]

We havent really tried to pick them up..dont want to stress them unduly. The chapwe bought them off (who in turn got them as babies from Vine and Viper north manchester) seemed pretty certain they were a male and female. Probably for the best, we dont want joeys we dont know how to care for!

I'll start looking out for the pouch or lack of it when they get more confident.

Thanks
Rolf

[Amalthea]

When they come to the front of the cage, look for pompoms...  It's more obvious than a pouch, so easier Viper and Vine aren't known for handling the gliders they used to keep (it's only down the road from me)... Shame

[kangarolf]

PomPoms it is then!

At 10 months or so are they too old to become used to handling..? They arent too skittish, I can approach and they will come over and have a sniff and a little chew of my finger and even allow a little stroke of their heads. One is much more confident than the other.

I dont think they've been getting the best of diets either...the cage was full of peanuts and dried fruit and sweetcorn, all of which seem to be delitereous to the little chappies. Think they are going to be a little disappointed over the coming days with the 'recommended' diet.

Rolf and Beth.

[Amalthea]

10 months is deffinately not "too old" They'll be lovely cuddly bums in no time!!!

If they do turn out to be two males, you may wanna get them neutered, as males can and will fall out after a while unless they don't have any of that pesky testosterone running through their little bodies

Peanuts and sweetcorn???  Poor guys!!! Get them on the right track and things'll be great

[Marie]

Another example why not to buy from shops! How on earth do they get male and female mixed up?

As for the notepads - they do have them in the wild you know, they carry them around in little bum bags along with their pencil, spare pencil, eraser and pencil sharpner!  God ... didn't you know that!!?? 

They don't live for long in the wild, 6 years if they're lucky!  The wild diet is very different to what we feed them in captivity, and as with all animals it has been found that they thrive on a well balanced diet living up to 15 years.

The diet you've chosen is pretty similar to the diet many of us on here feed our suggies, there's a sample of it in the getting started section in the thread entitiled my care guide, it's right at the end

[tillie]

Sounds like 2 males...dontya love pet shops   You may find they can be a tad pongy, neutering them will stop a majority of the smell.

[kangarolf]

what sort of age should they be neutered at..?

Trying to carry them round with me most of the day...they wont actually come out of their pouch during the day to get into a pocket on my clothing yet.

Wont eat all the food thats put out but I'll keep an eye on them over the next week as they settle in.

Rolf

[loulou]

They can be neutered now, so whenever you are ready book them in with your vet to be neutered. If your vet has not neutered gliders before have a chat with Marie she has some very good information which has been an asset to many vets in the UK, either that or let us know where you are and we can see if any of us has a glider vet close to you 

[kangarolf]

We're in South Manchester, my girlfriend volunteers at a vets in north manchester close to where she works in Whitefield.

Thank
Rolf