Today my glider Lucifer (luci) passed away. This was my first set of gliders. His Housemate Lilith is still alive and I'm having a hard time. I got them from a breeder and they're a little older when I got them. I am having a hard time thinking of the next step. What do I do? What should I do? Why? Any help is appreciated. I'm just lost.

First I just want to say how terribly sorry I am for your lost. I have 9 babies and could imagine losing any of them.

By your post I'm guessing you don't know what happened. With gliders it could have been a variety of things. Gliders in captivity usually live to be 15 to 20 years if cared for properly. I hope you don't take offense to that, I'm not saying you didn't care for them properly, but maybe you do not know all the facts when it comes to these little guys. There is so much misguided information out there when you research on how to care them, and most of it wrong. And then there are times gliders just pass even when cared for properly. Gliders are very good hiding when they are sick, so you have to know what to watch for.

So I'd like to help you figure out what could have possibly happened with your baby. First thing I'd like to ask, how long did you have them?

One of the main reasons gliders pass unexpectedly is dehydration. Gliders can become dehydrated very very fast, and once they are, it only takes hours for them die if not rehydrate right away. Check their water sources. What kind of water source do to use? And you should always have 2 water sources available incase something happens to the one.

What do you keep in their cage? What kind of toys and bedding do you use?

Do you see visible injuries? If so what, what kind? And what kind of wheel do you have?

What diet do you feed them?

And, what kind of Cage do you keep them in?

Posting a pictures of their cage would a huge help as well.

If you don't mind answering those questions, it will help narrow down what may have cause this, and help keep your other glider Alive.

Also, you want to spend a lot of time with your other glider. It will probably become very depressed now that her cage mate is gone. And if she does become depressed she could start to over groom, starve herself, or even self mutilated. Also your going to want to take everything out of the cage and clean everything just incase there is some kind of bacteria that could have possibly killed the other one and also to get rid of the other gliders scent in the cage. Keeping the deceased glider scent in the cage will only at to her depression and make her miss her cage mate more. You will definitely need to get her a friend as soon as possible, but need to do introductions the right way. Gliders are colony animals, so they don't do well by themselves. You might notice your gliders attitude towards you might even change while she is by herself. Spending as much time as possible with her is vital to her health right now. Even if she is just sleeping in a bonding pouch and carrying her around with you. This will help with depression, but eventually she will definitely need another friend asap.

I'm not here to help you. I'm not her to critize, judge, or bash you. My only intention is to help. I hope to hear back from you. If you prefer to send me a private message, please feel free to.

I welcome the help. I reached out for help and know everyone here is so helpful. I am new to this and I hope to get help as to what happened. So since posting this is what has been done:
A. I have cleaned their cage and placed my other glider lilith into a temp cage till it dried.
B. Lucifer (rip) was brought to the vet so he could be examined.
C. I checked my filtration system for their water because I didn't trust tap water. Afraid that had failed I threw it away and bought new water and a filter.
D. I got information back that lucifer was much older than I had been told. I bought them from a breeder who no longer wanted them and was told they where around 5 or 6. Where I live there are only 2 or 3 exotic vets so I went to the same one my breeder went to and he said that lucifer(used to be named lollipop) was closer to 7 to 8.
To your questions:

1. I have had them for around a year and a half. I bought them from a breeder.
2. They have 3. 2 water bottles as well as a dish that has water in it. When it's really hot I will add another waterbottle on the ground level cuz I'm paranoid.
3. Their cage has fleece stuff. Like ropes and their pouches. I have a few dangle toys and some rings. I try to switch everything out every three months or so. I worry about them getting board so I keep lots of puzzle toys. I got from exotic nutrition but I've heard those are not the best so I will be switching to something else.i read bedding and I don't keep bedding (like rabbits or hamsters?) In the cage. I use fleece to keep the bottom clean.
4. I didn't notice anything which is honestly killing me. He was not the friendliest glider. I still have scars from when I had to trim his nails but I still tried to be friends with him. As *ty as it sounds, I knew something wasn't right when I managed to pick him up without him biting me.
5. The person I got them from had them on the HPW diet. I make if for them and they love it. No problems eating ever.
6. The cage I got from the breeder. I think its 24x35x52. I can't find it on Amazon anymore but I want to get a bigger one.
I appreciate you trying to help. I got lily more friends the other day. She has two more friends Harley and Quinn. I got in contact with a rescue who has been helping me out with alot.
I work nights so lily and I spend lots of time together. We will cuddle and watch TV while she naps in my hoodie till lily goes to her cage.in the evenings she will be back in the hood while i make her dinner and then she eats dinner and plays till i come home( i have a camera that watches my house and i can usually see her playing in a window reflection)Lily has another check up in a few days just to make sure. Tbh I'm pretty sure the vet is sick of me at this point. I am still new at owning sugar gliders. I may get responses that hurt or make me feel like a bad owner but on the other hand I might get advise that can prolong my babies lives. So I'll take either.
Sorry for all the extra info.