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Multiple Males Living Together?

Posted By: myangelbear77

Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/23/05 05:27 PM

I have 2 adult males that are about 2 years old that have lived together in harmony since I aquired them. Exact Ages unknown but they were very young joeys. I have now adopted two more adorable baby boys. They seem to get along fine at play time they have even slept together for a night(day) alll four in the same pouch... They eat together fine but on day 2 they started to squabble a bit so I seperated them again just to be safe. I was hoping to keep them all together once they adjusted to one another and the joeys got a bit bigger. All are intact males. Is there any possibility that I will be able to keep them together or will have to nueter to do so or what? Or is it just better to have 2 seperate cages and just let them play together?
Sorry but I searched and didnt come up with much on the subject. So much abliged for any input!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/23/05 05:32 PM

Considering they got along a first, I would try reintroducing them again before neutering them. It's not very common for intact adult males to accept other males, but it does happen. Considering they got along for one day, they might be able to get along perminantly... I'm going to guess that the squabling you saw was actually more them trying to sort out dominance, which is common in colonies. Even pairs of gliders will bicker to see who's boss.
Posted By: myangelbear77

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/23/05 10:32 PM

I have a friend that has a colony of seven males but they are all nutered...so I kno that has been done. I will definatly keep trying to work them in together. I am hoping all will go well. I just keep getting scared with people telling me they "could" fight or "tag team" one another. The last thing I want is an injured glider. My 2 older males still bicker (it's almost cute to me) but there was some difference in this bickering. And I could not get why all 4 would bunch up in one bag to sleep when there were several in the cage.
and this is off topic but.. If a male is nutered are they greyer? once my males matured and got their "bald spots" they have a reddish color now...
Thanks.
Posted By: Dancing

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/23/05 10:37 PM

That reddish color is scent stains. Once neutered, their bald spots (on their head and chest) will dry up. They should return to grey and their bellies will be quite a bit whiter. (Atleast that is what happened with mine).
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/24/05 10:55 AM

Intact males can live together too. I baby sat a colony of 13, 7 of which were intact males, all unrelated, except for a pair of 1/2 brothers. Also, my male Smegal, before he was neutered, used to live in a small colony with my other male Brodey... And Yo-E and Elliot lived together for about 2 months with 2 females after reaching sexual maturity. I ended up seperating them because of baby snatching on the females part, lol.
Posted By: myangelbear77

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/24/05 09:35 PM

I am glad to hear that there is hope for them. They are playing well together so far. I am concidering having the two younger ones nuetered but am not sure yet...
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/29/05 02:41 PM

Last year I aquired a large colony of 12 & a joey at the time. I seperated the joey even prior to bring home the 12. It was unclear from the previous owner how many males there were & how many females, but I was assured that w/exception of poss 1 of them that there had been no inbreeding. After getting them all home & giving them a wk or so to get used to their new surroundings I had my sister over for an "inventory of the sexes". Turns out that 8 of the 12 are males, all intact, with the exception of one of the males known as Hook. He was named Hook when prev owner arrived home to find one of his front hands broken & dangling, vet removed it & he is great, but also at another time she arrived home to find his manhood was falling off. Since I have had them I have come to the conclusion that nature does in deed take care of itself in respects to breeding & overpopulation (in some cases), mine being one. In my colony I have 3-4 alfa males which are the only ones allowed to breed w/the girls, in 3 of the other males cases for some reason their manhood has again sort-of dried up & fallen of (self neutered). When I noticed this happening to the first one I was very alarmed & held vigil cageside for sounds of self mutilating, pain, discomfort etc. There was none, simply just went away, & has happeded to a couple others since then.
They all still live together, but I do pull their joeys, certainly don't want growth in the colony, pairing them w/other non-related mates.

I've attached pic where you can see 3 intact males on top of pile & another pic to follow.

Hope this has been of some help to you.

Attached picture 416268-P1000385.JPG
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/29/05 02:43 PM

One more picture of the Dirty Dozen

Attached picture 416269-DirtyDozenforGC.JPG
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/30/05 02:58 PM

I have three intact males living together. They were all acquired when they were 6-8 months old. The oldest is 3-4 months older than the younger two (who are brothers). They occassionally crab at each other (mostly while in the pouch), but otherwise get along well. I assume that crabbing is something like "get off my tail/foot!". The oldest seems to be the alpha -- I have seen him scent mark the other two. They do sometimes get into scent marking contests it seems -- especially after I clean the cage. The biggest problem I have with intact males is the scent marking, well mostly it's my husband's problem! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: myangelbear77

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 06/30/05 03:22 PM

Thanks for the hope. I have gotten all four together and they seem to be doing great. THey do squabble but it's more of what I am used to hearing from my 2 older boys. I watch them and listen closely but no major traumas yet! They do all sleep together most of the time. I did find one older male by hisself the other day but that was odd... And they will steal food from the little guys so I be sure to give goodies to the older guys first so the little guys have a chance... They love thoes mealies and yogurt drops!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 07/01/05 03:46 AM

I have two adult intact males that are bonded to eachother. One is four and the other is three. After I had them for acouple years I got a new male glider that was one year old and he doesn't get along with any of the other two gliders. I am thinking of neutering but you are lucky that your three might get along.
Posted By: Judie

Re: Multiple Males Living Together? - 07/01/05 05:28 AM

Do not think I would be putting young baby males in with adult males.

First off... they will bully the tiny ones at the food dishes and the smaller ones will become stress from not being allowed to eat at the dinner table so to speak.

Also, when adult males have been together for a lenghy period of time... they often become bonded to each other and will not tolerate others into their domain.

My suggestion is to neuter the smaller boys and do not attempt to introduce them to the other two intact males till the little ones are equal in size. And even then... there is no guarantee that they can all live together in one cage.

As to the colony of multi males with their Poms just dropping off... the poms do not just dry up and then fall off... unless 1) the scrotum became tangled in thread and the circulation was cut off or 2) the Alpha male or Alpha female is castrating the sub ordinant males. Personally, I think it is #1 as to why the Poms have dried up and then fallen off.
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