Message:

Subject: Re: Glider love Shack
Posted by Justice on July 13, 1998 at 23:47:02:

In Reply to: Glider love Shack posted by Diana on July 12, 1998 at 13:09:17:

: Last night I witnessed Griz Nd Lily making joeys. I was worried at first that Lily would be hurt but she seemed more bored than anything while Griz fumbled for position. I watched part in facination and part in the wonder of the knowledge that in a month there could be joeys. I really had no clue that they were old enough ( I thought that male s took a year to mature). Anyway, anyone have any advice on how to tell if your glider is pregnant and what to feed to help keep them healthy during the prenancy and after the joeys are born? Please write back I don't want to do anything wrong. Glider love and nibbles, Diana

Diana,

In a book I bought about two weeks ago are sections about just
that. The book is called SUGAR GLIDERS, A Compete Pet Owners
Manual. By Caroline MacPherson. This is the best book on sugar
gliders I have ever seen or heard of. If anyone knows a book
better please tell me and I'll get it as soon as possible.

The section that would interest you most right now probably
would be on diets for breeding. The author says "...special
care must be taken to ensure that she is eating a healthy
diet. You might notice that your female glider eats slighty
more when she has babies in her pouch and she may eat her
protein based foods such as pinky mice, insects, egg, and
tofu with much more relish than she did previously. It may be
necessary to provide supplementle calcium to compensate for
the demands of pregnacy and nursing."

A health concern for both your glider but mainly your female
during motherhood is calcium deficiency, on this author says
"While calcium deficiency occours in only a minority of sugar
glider it is thier most common health problem." Later in that
section after the author says that this problem and be anything
from diffculty moving around or paralsyis to death if left
untreated she says "The majority of sugar gliders that develope
this complaint are adults females that are in the process of
raising young. This is not really suprising when you consider
that prenacy, and especially lactation, makes extra demands
on the body for calcium. However, males are far from immune
to the deficiencies associated with poor nutrition."

The section on when to breed says gliders can be fully mature
in as little as 8 months or it could take up to 14 months of
age or more.

As far as how to tell if your female is pregnant it doesn't
say but I would think that if she was that they would stop
trying.

I myself have two pieces of advice: One, is to keep records
as in date of conseption and anything else you can think to
keep a record of, cocerning your gliders. Two, go find the
book called SUGAR GLIDERS by C. MacPherson and purchase it,
in fact that last piece of advice should be followed by anyone
owning a sugar glider.

I hope this info helps. Good Luck. GLN, Justice.

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