The first time was very stressful and sad. Momma was young and clueless and the joeys didn't make it up into the pouch. They got tangled up and dried out in her tail fur. I was so upset. We had a little burial for them in the backyard.
The second time, and with a different momma, I couldn't figure out why she was up in the middle of the day, and more importantly why she was ignoring me. Then I realized! Stupid me! And I stopped bugging her and just stood a few feet away and watched. She was doubled over, lost in concentration, licking and licking and licking. And you could see the little pink joey make its way up in there. Long after it disappeared, she was still licking and messing around down there.
This particular momma sought some privacy outside of the sleeping pouch because she had twins at the time that were still nursing (about 5 weeks OOP) and between twins and Dad, maybe she thought the joey would get lost in the shuffle.
She is the only mom I've seen leave the pouch to give birth.
Some members here (Meg comes to mind) have really nice pictures of a glider giving birth!
I have to say, as "rare" as it supposedly is, it seems like most breeders I've talked to have seen it at least once.
Re: What Does Birth Look Like?
[Re: MoonFruit]
#1299260 10/21/1206:57 PM10/21/1206:57 PM
I think behaviors are going to depend on the glider. But I saw both of my girls give birth. I carried Kira every day and she would start to fuss and move around. I reached into her pouch and she climbed up into my hand (which was normal for her) but she was shaking. When I lifted her out, she was on her back and licking a trail and I watched the baby wiggle up to the pouch.
The second time Kira birthed, it was the same thing and the first baby made it to the pouch fine (she licked the baby a few times as it moved toward the pouch). The second joey came a little under 5 minutes after the first. He started heading down her tail. She licked him a few times and then he got stuck in her tail fur and just wiggled. She focused on the baby in the pouch and licked at the baby on her tail a couple of times, but then started to turn over and get up. I held her down, worked the baby out of her tail fur and then put him at the top of the pouch so he could continue the direction he was going. He went in, she stopped and opened her pouch and licked them both a few times and then got up and went about her business. (Both joeys came OOP 72 days later ).
The time I saw Lili birth was her last set of joeys. I heard some noises in the pouch and took it out and opened it up...I knocked her over, as she had been on her back. I quickly realized what was going on, so I put my hand in and helped her back over on her back. She had her head down the whole time, but held onto my hand with her back foot. She was trembling/shaking and fussing as well. The two joeys were born 2 1/2 minutes apart and both went up the trail to the pouch just fine, with mom licking them and her fur all the way. Once they were both in, she pulled her pouch open, stuck her head in and licked a few times, then got up...finished.
~Gretchen
If we never loved, then maybe we would never feel pain. Love anyway. It's worth it.
Re: What Does Birth Look Like?
[Re: MoonFruit]
#1302247 11/07/1212:20 AM11/07/1212:20 AM
Sugar glider birth is an amazing thing to witness! I've been lucky enough to experience this a few times!
Here's a pretty good photos of my girl, Sadie, giving birth:
This was the third time that I witnessed her giving birth. She almost always comes outside of her pouch to give birth, so I can easily catch her in the process. I never stick around too long, though. I'm always afraid I'll stress mama out. :O)