Message:

Subject: Re: introducing newcomers to the cage
Posted by G. Koller on October 10, 1997 at 12:33:49:

In Reply to: introducing newcomers to the cage posted by Thresa on October 09, 1997 at 23:47:12:

: I have a pair of wonderful pets, "Precious" & "Tazzman" who
: are a mated pair. Recently I introduced a new mated pair,
: "Cozy" and "Meeko" to the cage. They stayed together for two
: nights and there was alot of squabbling. My original pair
: seemed to be worn out from all the action, so I separated
: them. I need to know if the couples will adapt to eachother
: or if they will always be so aggressive to eachother.
: They need to establish dominance, but how far does the
: squabbles go?

Sugar gliders are territorial and will be aggressive in defending
their territory. It is not a good idea to introduce newcomers
unless the cage you are using is sufficient to house more than
two gliders (we are talking big cages!) Plus, competition
for food -- even though these animals are domesticated, their instinct
is to fight for available food, perhaps you have witnessed a
heirarchical order between "Precious" and "Tazzman" as to who
eats first -- adds to the aggression. If not careful, you may end up with one or two
"dead" gliders as the territorial fight continues.

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