Joey Growth
Return to the Joey Growth Guide
Use the main Joey Growth page to move between the growth overview and each stage of joey development.
Breeding Information
Sugar Glider Joey Rejection and Hand Feeding
Joey rejection, cannibalization, supplement feeding, pulling a joey, Baby BML, and joey emergency kit information.
Important
Joey Rejection and Cannibalization
There are many factors that can contribute to joey rejection and/or cannibalization. It is impossible to say exactly why this happens every time. Some reasons may be preventable, while others are not.
This page preserves the detailed information from the original Pet Sugar Gliders joey rejection page and organizes it into updated sections for easier reading.
Possible Causes of Joey Rejection or Cannibalization
Poor Diet or Diet Deficiency
Lactating parents require a special dietary balance with increased calcium and protein. Protein and calcium are directly related to the amount of milk the mother can produce. If the mother does not have enough milk production, she may reject or cannibalize her joeys.
It can be painful for a mother to have a suckling joey attached when milk production is low. She may bite at the joey, reject it, or cannibalize it. A sugar glider mother will put herself before her young. If she is lacking necessary vitamins or minerals, she may dispose of her babies for her own survival and health.
If a female was recently on an unhealthy diet, wait at least six months after getting her on a proven diet before allowing her to breed.
Inexperienced or Young Mothers
Sometimes a mother may breed too young and may not be prepared to raise joeys. Young mothers may not have developed the instincts needed to raise babies successfully. Her body is also still growing and may not be able to support proper lactation.
A female should be at least 9 to 12 months old before attempting to breed.
Physical or Medical Problem with the Joey
Even if joeys appear normal, there may be a problem that is not obvious. Sugar gliders are intuitive animals. Joeys that are sickly, genetically deformed, or otherwise unhealthy may draw predators or sickness to the nest in the wild. Parents may dispose of the joey as necessary.
Illness in the Mother
The female will not risk her own health to raise joeys. If she is ill, she may reject or cannibalize the young to save or maintain her own health. Before breeding, take the pair or colony to a knowledgeable exotic veterinarian to check for underlying health issues. Sugar gliders can hide illnesses until they are advanced.
Trio or Colony Settings
Females in colony settings may fight, steal babies, or attempt to kill each other's offspring. Some trios or colonies work well for a while, especially with twin sisters or females raised together from a very young age, but that does not guarantee future safety. Some trios have worked for years and then had severe problems later.
Stress Triggers That May Lead to Rejection
Stress can affect the mother, pair, or colony. A mother will not risk her own health for joeys. If her stress level is too high, she may reject or cannibalize the young.
Relocating or Changing the Cage
Avoid relocating the cage or making permanent housing changes while the female has joeys in pouch or out of pouch. New sights and smells may make the parents nervous until they establish their territory again.
Moving the Gliders to a New Home
Avoid moving sugar gliders to a new home while a female has joeys in pouch or out of pouch. New surroundings, smells, and people can make the gliders defensive and nervous. They may reject or dispose of young until they feel secure again.
Adding Gliders or Changing a Female's Mate
Introducing new sugar gliders to an established pair or colony is rarely recommended, especially when breeding. New males may kill another male's joeys in order to produce their own. Newly introduced females may kill or attempt to steal another female's young.
Introducing any sugar glider to an established pair or colony can create problems with pecking order, territory, jealousy, and dominance.
Removing the Male
Do not remove the male from the female when she has joeys. Males help raise the young. Mothers depend on males to babysit, keep joeys warm, and help teach the joeys what being a glider is all about.
Seeing or Smelling Other Gliders
Sugar gliders are territorial. If you have more than one pair or colony in the same room but in different cages, use a full cage cover over the breeding pair's cage. This can help keep their colony scent inside the cage and reduce visual stress.
Placing cages as far apart as possible or placing each cage in a different room can also help.
Handling Before the Parents Are Bonded
If the parents are not completely bonded to you, they may see you as a threat. If you are not fully bonded to the parents and have had rejection or cannibalization issues before, wait until the joey is 10 to 14 days out of pouch before holding it.
Start by handling the joey in the presence of the parents for short periods. Increase time gradually as the parents become accustomed to you handling the joey.
Why Do Sugar Gliders Cannibalize Their Young?
Sugar gliders are exotic animals that still maintain many wild instincts. To avoid drawing predators or sickness to the colony, sugar gliders may cannibalize young. If remains are left, they may move them as far away from the nest as possible.
Will They Reject or Cannibalize Again?
There is no way to know for sure. The best you can do is correct any situations that may have caused the loss of joeys in the past.
If the behavior continues, the male should be neutered to avoid further rejection, cannibalization, and heartbreak. The original guide used a three-strikes rule and noted that not all pairs or colonies are meant to be parents.
Hand Feeding
Joey Rejection and Hand Feeding
It is hard to know why a mother rejects a joey. She may not be able to produce enough milk, a diet deficiency may be involved, she may sense something wrong with the baby, or a yeast infection may make nursing painful.
Depending on the situation, you may be able to intervene by supplementing. In more serious cases, the joey may need to be pulled completely.
Where to Start
You may know a joey has been rejected if it is found on the cage floor or alone in the nesting area for long periods of time. Always try putting the joey back with the mother first. If the mother shows no interest, then you must decide whether to supplement or pull the joey.
Remain calm. Animals sense stress. Check whether the joey is warm. If not, wrap it in tissues or warm fleece scrap and place it under your shirt to warm slowly.
Check Hydration
Check the skin to see if the joey appears hydrated. If the skin is slightly shriveled, offer approximately .20 ml of water or Pedialyte with a supplemental feeding within a half hour of the feeding. If the joey is severely dehydrated, get to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
How to Mix the Formula
Mix puppy milk, marsupial milk, or Wombaroo according to the directions on the container. Then make the Baby BML mixture listed below. Mix one part milk to one part Baby BML.
Warm a small amount of the mixture in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Stir and test it with your finger. The mixture should be warm to the touch, not hot. Fill a 1 cc syringe with the warmed mixture.
Cover and store the remaining mixture in the refrigerator for later use. If the joey develops diarrhea, mix Pedialyte in with the powder every other feeding.
Recipe
Joey Baby BML Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 boiled egg, shell removed
- 4 oz bottle premixed Gerber Fruit Juice with Yogurt, banana or mixed fruit
- If you cannot find this, use 2 oz fruit juice and 2 oz plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Rep-Cal Herptivite Vitamin Supplement
- 2 teaspoons Rep-Cal Calcium Supplement with Vitamin D3, phosphorus free
- 4 oz chicken baby food, no garlic or onion
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup dry Heinz or Gerber baby cereal, mixed, oatmeal, or rice with fruit bits
Directions
Put the egg, honey, and apple juice in an electric blender and blend. Add the yogurt with juice and the Rep-Cal Herptivite Vitamin Supplement and blend. Add the calcium supplement, chicken baby food, and dry baby cereal and blend again.
Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. This recipe has a consistency similar to ice cream. One cube is about two tablespoons.
How to Feed a Rejected Joey
Attach a size 5 catheter or feeding tube to the syringe. Cut the catheter to about two to four inches in length. Make sure your hands and the joey are warm. Warm the joey by wrapping it in tissues or warm fleece scrap and placing it under your shirt.
The joey must be warm before feeding. If the joey is not warm, it will have trouble digesting food.
Once warm, use tissues or warm fleece to hold the joey in a slightly forward position. This helps prevent the mixture from going up the joey's nose.
Feed one small drop at a time by placing the feeding tube at the joey's mouth. Do not squirt any mixture into the nostrils or directly down the throat. If the joey is stubborn, try adding light pressure between the side of the mouth until the baby opens its mouth.
Make sure the catheter is over the tongue so you do not cause the joey to aspirate. Feed slowly. A new joey may eat between .40 ml and .60 ml of the mixture. In the first day of feeding, each feeding may take 30 to 45 minutes. After several feedings, the joey may get the idea and feedings may shorten to about 15 to 20 minutes.
Overfeeding a joey can be very harmful and may ultimately kill the joey.
Checking the Stomach
If the joey's stomach appears bloated or round, skip a feeding. To see whether the joey is full, hold the joey up to a bright light. In the center of the abdomen, usually slightly off to the left, you should see a white patch under the translucent skin if the stomach is filled with milk. If you cannot find a white patch, the stomach is empty.
When to Feed
Supplement Feeding
When supplement feeding, feed the joey every three to four hours. Allow the mother to keep the joey warm, handle bathroom breaks, and provide the in-between feedings.
When supplementing, make sure you see that the mother or father is cleaning the baby and helping it go to the bathroom. If they are not, gently stroke the area between the base of the tail and the cloaca with a warm, wet Q-tip.
Sometimes supplementing is only needed for a couple of weeks until the mother's milk supply catches up. Supplement feeding is usually better than pulling the joey completely because it is less stressful for the caregiver and gives the joey a better chance to survive and grow into a healthy adult.
Continue watching for more signs of rejection. If the joey appears dehydrated or cold between feedings, consider pulling the joey or feeding more often.
Pulling a Joey
When pulling a joey, you must feed on demand or every two hours around the clock. Joeys tire quickly when feeding. Place the baby in the warm aquarium until it begins to cry again, then resume feeding.
You must also stimulate the joey to go to the bathroom at least twice a day by gently stroking the area between the base of the tail and the cloaca with a warm, wet Q-tip.
Keeping a Pulled Joey Warm
For a pulled joey, set up a small aquarium or critter keeper with a vented top. Attach a heating pad to the underside of the tank. Set the heating pad to the lowest setting and adjust as needed.
Fill the tank with about three to four inches of aspen bedding. Check the setup temperature often to make sure the joey is not too cold and that the setup is not too hot. This process must continue for at least three weeks.
Feeding as the Joey Grows
At about three weeks, you should be able to feed the joey every four hours. As the joey grows, slowly offer fruits and vegetables. Once the joey is five weeks out of pouch, encourage it to go to the feeding dishes, as feeding should only take place during the day. At six weeks out of pouch, the joey should be able to eat and go to the bathroom on its own.
Emergency Kit
Joey Rejection Kit
When dealing with exotic animals, it is best to be prepared for emergencies. Always follow up with a knowledgeable veterinarian. Keep the joey rejection kit in a sealed, marked container in an easy-to-reach location.
- Puppy milk replacer, powdered or premixed, or Wombaroo Supplement
- Do not use kitten milk replacer because the fat content is very high and may cause diarrhea
- 1 French catheter size #5 cut to 2 inches in length
- 6 to 10 sterile 1 ml / 1 cc syringes without needles
- Pedialyte
- Q-tips
- Critter keeper or empty 10-gallon aquarium with vented top
- Small heating pad
- Small bag of aspen litter
- Box of tissues
Related