Breeding & Neutering
Q: Can any glider breed?
A: If you do not have full lineage on your glider, if it is a re-home and you don't have the proper information, or if it is a rescue, then NO they should not be bred. For more information on breeding, please read my Breeding page.
Q: Should I get my male neutered?
A: If you are not breeding, and if he is going to be housed with a female, YES.
Q: How old should my joey be before he gets neutered?
A: That will depend on your veterinarian. Some have an age restriction while others have a weight restriction. In general, they can be neutered when they are 9-10 weeks OOP.
Q: When is a glider sexually mature?
A: The youngest known male to have bred was 3 months old; the youngest female was 4 months old. Keep in mind that these are not the recommended breeding ages. It is recommended that a female be between 8 months to 1 year old prior to breeding. Any younger, and their bodies have not grown to its full maturity. The glider should be both physically and mentally mature prior to breeding. A sugar glider reaches maturity (adult status) at 10 months to a year old.
Q: Is my male sexually mature after he develops his bald spot?
A: Although this "sign" is indicative of maturing, it is not a fool-proof method of knowing if your little guy is ready to reproduce or not. I have had several male joeys that have what appears to be a bald spot as early as 7 weeks old. I have also had a male breed a female before he ever had any sign of a bald spot. So please do not rely on the bald spot, use age as an indicator instead.
Q: Can a glider breed after he has been neutered?
A: No. When a glider is neutered, the testicles and the epididymis are removed. At that point, there is no sperm in their body.
Q: Can a female hold joeys in stasis?
A: Yes. We do know that a female can hold joeys in stasis for up to a year. However, this is not very common.
Q: How long/often can I hold the new joeys?
A: The amount of time you are going to be able to handle the joeys is going to depend on the bond you have with the parents. If you holding the joeys is causing undue stress to the parents, then you may need to slow down and wait until the parents are more comfortable with you. Every few days, you can gradually increase the amount of time spent. Remember that a newly OOP joey nurses quite often and should not be kept from the mom for a long period of time. The following chart is a general guideline that was created by Suz Enyedy with Suz' Sugar Gliders:
A: If you do not have full lineage on your glider, if it is a re-home and you don't have the proper information, or if it is a rescue, then NO they should not be bred. For more information on breeding, please read my Breeding page.
Q: Should I get my male neutered?
A: If you are not breeding, and if he is going to be housed with a female, YES.
Q: How old should my joey be before he gets neutered?
A: That will depend on your veterinarian. Some have an age restriction while others have a weight restriction. In general, they can be neutered when they are 9-10 weeks OOP.
Q: When is a glider sexually mature?
A: The youngest known male to have bred was 3 months old; the youngest female was 4 months old. Keep in mind that these are not the recommended breeding ages. It is recommended that a female be between 8 months to 1 year old prior to breeding. Any younger, and their bodies have not grown to its full maturity. The glider should be both physically and mentally mature prior to breeding. A sugar glider reaches maturity (adult status) at 10 months to a year old.
Q: Is my male sexually mature after he develops his bald spot?
A: Although this "sign" is indicative of maturing, it is not a fool-proof method of knowing if your little guy is ready to reproduce or not. I have had several male joeys that have what appears to be a bald spot as early as 7 weeks old. I have also had a male breed a female before he ever had any sign of a bald spot. So please do not rely on the bald spot, use age as an indicator instead.
Q: Can a glider breed after he has been neutered?
A: No. When a glider is neutered, the testicles and the epididymis are removed. At that point, there is no sperm in their body.
Q: Can a female hold joeys in stasis?
A: Yes. We do know that a female can hold joeys in stasis for up to a year. However, this is not very common.
Q: How long/often can I hold the new joeys?
A: The amount of time you are going to be able to handle the joeys is going to depend on the bond you have with the parents. If you holding the joeys is causing undue stress to the parents, then you may need to slow down and wait until the parents are more comfortable with you. Every few days, you can gradually increase the amount of time spent. Remember that a newly OOP joey nurses quite often and should not be kept from the mom for a long period of time. The following chart is a general guideline that was created by Suz Enyedy with Suz' Sugar Gliders:
Day 1 - 7 5 minutes, in sight of parents
Day 8 - 14 7-10 minutes, in sight of parents
Day 15-21 10-15 minutes, near parents
Day 22-28 15-20 minutes
Day 29-35 20-25 minutes
Day 36-42 25-30 minutes
Day 43-49 30-45 minutes
Day 50 - 56 45-60 minutes
Day 57 - 63 up to 3 hours
Day 64 + joey should be fully weaned
Day 8 - 14 7-10 minutes, in sight of parents
Day 15-21 10-15 minutes, near parents
Day 22-28 15-20 minutes
Day 29-35 20-25 minutes
Day 36-42 25-30 minutes
Day 43-49 30-45 minutes
Day 50 - 56 45-60 minutes
Day 57 - 63 up to 3 hours
Day 64 + joey should be fully weaned
Rejected Joeys
Q: Why do the parents cannibalize their joeys?
A: This question may never be truly answered; we simply do not know for sure. It is believed that the parents may be too young, the mom isn't ready to "be a mom", or by their natural instincts they know there is something wrong with the joey that is not visible to us. We have seen a rise in diagnosis of mastitis in the mother. Nursing is painful therefore they may "reject" the joey by not allowing it to nurse.
When a glider cannibalizes their joey(s), it is a difficult situation for the owner to deal with. If the gliders are on a healthy diet, and the gliders themselves are healthy, there is likely nothing you could have done to prevent this from occurring. Unfortunately, it is part of their natural instincts.
A: This question may never be truly answered; we simply do not know for sure. It is believed that the parents may be too young, the mom isn't ready to "be a mom", or by their natural instincts they know there is something wrong with the joey that is not visible to us. We have seen a rise in diagnosis of mastitis in the mother. Nursing is painful therefore they may "reject" the joey by not allowing it to nurse.
When a glider cannibalizes their joey(s), it is a difficult situation for the owner to deal with. If the gliders are on a healthy diet, and the gliders themselves are healthy, there is likely nothing you could have done to prevent this from occurring. Unfortunately, it is part of their natural instincts.
Lineage Database (TPG)
Q: How do I use The Pet Glider Database:
A: Go to The Pet Glider Database and click on "Online Pedigree Program"
Look up a Sugar Glider:
A: Go to The Pet Glider Database and click on "Online Pedigree Program"
Look up a Sugar Glider:
- View/Search Sugar Gliders
- Type in the exact name of the glider you want to look at, or
- Click on a letter, then scroll until you find the glider you're looking for
Register a glider: - Log In to the database (it's free to sign up)
- Register Your Sugar Glider
- Type in his/her name
- Select Gender
- Add Breeders name
- Add Owners name
- Add photo (if you have one)
- Add OOP date
- Select Color
- Add any Genetics comments (ex. % Het, Sterility, etc)
- Add any other remarks (ex. Pet Only)
- Add Father
- Add Mother
- Submit
Register a Joey - Log in to the database
- Add a Joey Litter
- Follow same instructions above
- Click on "e" to edit your joey
- "Click here to calculate the inbred percentage for this sugar glider." (This will provide the COI.)
- Click your back button to return to the pedigree
