Colony Breeding?

I have 6 suggies in one cage, 2 unrelated males, 2 sisters and 1 male and 1 female joey from one of the females. I know in the wild colonies usually have up to 7 males, females and joeys in them...what about inbreeding? Will the fathers mate with the daughters and vice versa and if so will it make a difference? Is it safe to keep the joeys in with the four males and females(as far as breeding is concerned)and/or should I separate them since they are brother and sister? I didn't know if there's a problem with inbreeding, whether they'll come out deformed or with something wrong with them. Please help.

Hi there. First off, welcome to GC.. hopefully you will stick around and learn the ropes of gliders a little more.

Now.. on to your questions.


Yes, the fathers will mate with the daughters and vice versa. Any intact male and female will mate, related or not, that's just the way that anatomy works. And yes, it does make a difference. There really is no excuse to inbreed Sugar Gliders, the possible long term effects on their offspring may be harmful..


No. It is not safe or recommended. Not only is inbreeding something that shouldn't be done, but raising a breeding colony so large can also be very dangerous for any future joeys. With 3 intact males and 3 intact females, it would be easy for rejection and joey stealing to occur, along with cannibolization.. where the parents eat the joeys.

If you're keeping all the joeys, your best bet would be to neuter all the males and keep them together as a family unit or take the joeys out and neuter the brother so that you can him with his sister..

Even if you neutered 2 of the males and kept one intact, the colony wouldn't work because I'm guessing that you have no idea which male fathered the joeys.

In the wild, colonies usually consist of ONE male and the rest females. There is an alpha female to the male and the rest of are his "girls" so to speak.

Joeys are kicked out once they reach sexual maturity so there is NO inbreeding. In captivity, they are trapped in one area and thus inbreeding happens which is BAD. Many things can go wrong in this situation.

Your boys all need to be neutered so the family can stay together since they are all bonded. It wouldn't be fair to seperate them.

However, the little girl and boy should be seperated if they are 3 mos. or older from the others until all boys are neutered or the father, brother or another male can rape her. Same goes for all the gliders.

Inbreeding can and will occur in this situation and or fighting can break out. You can also end up with many joeys and no where to place them. Joey snatching is common among more than one female in the cage also. While it doesn't happen all of the time, it's not worth taking the chance.

PM if you need help or advice. We are all here to help if we can.

Good Luck.

Here is a strong example as to what could happen: Cannibals?

Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it! I guess the books I've read must be older ones and they have found out different things lately. The two males and females have gotten along well for a very long time so I think I'm going to try to leave them in together. I'll separate the joeys. Again, thanks for the info!

If you are looking for a good book that is up to date, check out Sugar Gliders: Living with and Caring For Sugar Gliders Is this the Right Pet for You? (Is This the Right Pet for You?) by Peggy Brewer. Its a wonderful book!