Do gliders get depressed when their partner dies?

I'm curious here, because my last baby, Bella, has recently died, reasons unknown. (I have a theory that she was calcium defficant, because the girl I have now is a little piggie.)

She doesn't seem too depressed, but that's probably because I've been spoiling her like I've never spoiled anything before. (My dog is pretty upset with me right now. Haha.) But could she get upset?

I'm looking into getting another glider from a woman who no longer wants the one she has, so I thought she would be alright until then. Still haven't been contacted by the woman though.

Which also makes me ask the question, how does one introduce two gliders that have never met? I believe I had read you should swap their toys and pouches so they get used to each other's scent, and I think I also saw something about introducing them in an area neither have been before. Not sure how I can do that, considering the only glider-safe place I have is my tent, which this one has been.

More info on that would be greatly appreciated.

yes you do need to watch for depression. like not eating not grooming things like that.

She's still eatting and grooming like there's no tommorrow, so I guess that means she's fine right now?

Sometimes they do. A lot depends on how long they have been together. I'm sorry to hear about Bella.
Did you bring your other glider in for a check up to make sure that she is alright?
The first thing you will need to do is a 30 day quarantine with a new glider. This means separate cages, toys, pouches, etc. You will also need to have your new glide be given a wellness exam to make sure that he/she is alright.

Once your 30 day quarantine period is over, you can then start swaping pouches and toys to get each other used to their smell.
Here are a couple of links on introductions that will help.
Introducing Gliders- 1
Introducing Gliders-2

If your planning on getting a male, and do not want your gliders to breed, I strongly suggest that you have your male glider neutered.

Good Luck! and Keep us posted with pics....

Hey Kate! It looks like you are on the right track so far. You will need to do a 30 day quarantine<sp?> and a vet check may be helpful, as well, just to make sure that the glider your getting doesnt have anything that your suggie can catch! You are definitely right in the whole trading pouches and stuff so they can get eachother's scents. One good place to introduce them might be a bathtub. Just make sure the drain is plugged and its clean. The reason for this is so neither one has to feel territorial! I hope this helps. Someone with more experience will come along soon and help more, Im sure!

Good luck with everything!

Sorry about the repeat, Linda! I guess we were writing just about the same time!

over grooming needs to be watched for also.

sorry you lost your baby.

so sorry for your loss and our Bingo was very different after Jinxx died.....IMHO it was definitely depression......he perked back up after he got a new cage mate

Hope you find the right suggie for your home and your others companion soon.

I can't say that it makes them depressed, but I know that after Pickles died, Peanut known what happened.
I let her see him before we buried him, and she tried to take him from me. After that, she seemed sadder. Like she was waiting for him to come back.
Coincidental is a possibility, but a few days after that the whole incident with Peanut's cast falling off happened. She had chewed through in a matter of hours.
It could very well be a coincident that each incident happened a few days difference, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was depressed over the loss of her man and started taking it out on the cast.
But I don't have any real proof for either.
I'm so sorry about Bella.

if you can find a small toy that shouldn't be torn up immediately, you put it in her pouch for the time being. i did that with Misos when he started to overgroom and had a bald spot on his left shoulder. [before i got him he was in a cage with 4 others. he was a lone glider for a few months until i got Lacee.]

The first time I ever heard the sound of a glider crying was on Suz's video of Pika when Crikey died.

It is a horrible sound I never ever hope to hear again - although I've heard it since.

Yes - they are VERY lonely without their mates!

Edit: just writing that and thinking of her, I started crying again! That was the saddest thing I've ever seen and heard.

Alden- don't ever want to hear that sound...it sounds heart-breaking

When I got my first glider "George" ( who came with the house, but thats a whole different story) his mate had died almost a year earlier. After taking care of him for a couple of weeks (till the previous owner could figure out what to do with him) and doing some research, I realized he was lonely and time was of the essence to find him a friend. I sincerely believe with all my heart that he wasnt long from probably dying from severe depression. He wasnt eating real well and sleeping NON STOP! Luckily I met someone online that helped me to get him a friend. But he didnt get just one friend he got 2!!! And after all the intro's and swapping he did a total turn around! A completely different glider than when I first got him.

So I honestly do agree that they get lonely and depressed. And I also hope to never hear them cry. Just watching poor George was hard enough. BTW, the old owners gave George to me, since I had done and learned more in the 1st month of babysitting then they had in 3 years of ownership. Him and his mate were an impulse buy for them. Seen gliders at a flea market and found this "breeding" pair and thought it would be fun to breed. Luckily after they got them they never had joey's that they knew of and also never knew why Gracie died. Almost 2 years later....George is the best thing that I have ever found that a previous home owner could leave behind.

sorry about your baby

Is that video on her web site? I want to see if that's the same sound my Sara makes!! It sounds so sad, it breaks my heart! I had to separate her, her joey and the dad from the other two females they had been with since they were all joeys because I thought the other females would hurt the new joey.