Help please

[tillie]

I have twin girls that are 1 month oop tomorrow.  1 girl is REALLY crabby, has been from the start, even when mum and dad go back in the pouch.  She will sometimes lunge.  Anyway on getting them out tonight I noticed the really sweet quiet one has a cut approx an 8th of an inch by her right eye.  Now I dont know whether this is the other joey (she does lunge at her sister now and then) or mum and dad.  Should I just keep an eye or seperate?  I'd hate for anything to happen and wont forgive myself if something does happen and I didnt do anything.

[jungleflockmom]

Does the quiet one seem to have a good weight and is she getting enough to eat? Perhaps you could take the aggressive female out for a few little breaks and give the quiet one some time alone w/mom and dad while you pay attention and listen for a problem there. Handling the aggressive glider a bit more might be helpful to her, too.

A second pouch in the cage might be good.

Also make sure the aggressive glider is in good health and that the parents are treating her well.

You are right to carefully watch this situation and it may become necessary to pull one of the joeys. Marie may have different advice - watch for her comments - she is an enormous help in these issues.

[tillie]

They are both the same weight, 25 grams.  I do take them both out whilst mum and dad are playing every night. I have done this since day 1 oop and built up the time. I tend to give the aggresive one a little more time, for the 1st time she fell asleep in my hand last night which was good.  I know its quite common for 1 out of twins to have a bit of an attitude, and the other to be the opposite but Ive never had one that crabs and lunges at mum and dad and their sibling.  I can understand her being scared of me but not of her family.
I didnt want to put another pouch in the cage until they are 6 weeks and can generate their own body heat just incase mum and dad decide to leave the twins on their own.
The wound hasnt got any worse which is good and I will keep a close eye just incase the others groom it.
Things do seemed to have calmed down as usually I hear a lot of crabbing during the evening but today all has been calm.  Hopefully they will both be able to stay with mum and dad till at least 8 weeks as I know that is best for them, saying that if things change and I have to pull for the sake of the joeys I will, Im sure the wound was caused by the other joey though.

[Marie]

You know what?  My joey's are really crabby at the minute too - I don't think I've ever had such grumps!!

I'd keep an eye on their weights, weigh them every other day just to make sure they're BOTH gaining, and have a good look at the quieter one daily to check there's no more cuts or bites.  I'd put another pouch in TBH, and don't be too alarmed if you find the joey's in one pouch and the parents in the other.  The reason I hand reared Lily and Molly is because I found them in a different pouch on their own and crying, so I immediately thought they'd been thrown out, I since discovered that this is how that particular ffemale is, she left another pair of twins but I decided I was going to leave them for an hour or two and see what happened, half an hour later mum bundled them up and took them to the main pouch.  This is natural, rejected joey's are usually thrown out, not placed in another nest.  Wild suggies have around 5 different dens and they will sometimes use a different den as a creche while the others go out feeding, they usually leave an adult with them but bear in mind they're outside. 

Whatever you decide to do keep a close eye

[tillie]

Im checking them daily and all seems to be well, no more wounds and the wound Kiki has is healing fine which is good.  They were both 27 grams last night so they are both gaining. Bad news today though....I was off sick from work and at lunch time Miah came out of the pouch and gave birth, I gently moved the cage away from the wall so I could see as she had gone behind her stealth. I watched her but she kept turning round so I only saw the joey the once. All seemed to go fine and Miah went back in her pouch. But just now I noticed something on the bottom of the cage...it was the little joey, she must have fallen off Miah when she was making her way to the pouch and I didnt see. I feel really bad, if only I had seen this happen. If only I hadnt been off sick and moved the cage as now Im thinking this may have caused it even though I was gentle. It was so tiny and amazing, Ive just buried her/him in the garden.

[Marie]

Awwww, don't feel bad.  Even if you had seen the joey fall there's no way you'd have been able to hand rear it from that stage.  It's touch and go at 80% of pouch life, success is minimal.  There's no point with what if's, you'll drive yourself mad!

[tillie]

I know but Ive read before how someone had seen the joey fall and just put it back on the mum and it carried on crawling into the pouch.  Your right 'what ifs' are no good to anyone but I guess I can't help it.