Sugar glider mating and birth
Gestation will occur for approximately sixteen days. Most sugar gliders will give birth during daylight hours.
The mother will begin by licking a wet path from her cloaca to her pouch. By matting down the fur, she makes it easier
for the joey to find its way to her pouch and avoid becoming entangled in her fur. One or two joeys are most common,
but they can have up to four joeys at a time. Once in her pouch, the newborn joey will find and attach to one of her
four nipples. Once the joey has attached to the nipple, it will begin to swell inside the baby's mouth. Its jaw will
remain locked on the nipple for the next eight to nine weeks. Should the joey come off prematurely, it will likely die.
The baby's jaw is not developed enough to open and latch back on the nipple. The entire birthing process will take
about five minutes. Very few are lucky enough to see a sugar glider give birth.
If you did not see the birth, there are a few signs that she has a joey on the way, such as:
You may see the trail she licked from the cloaca to her pouch (sometimes called a "licky trail")
The female may clean her pouch more than usual
She may become a bit more "pouch protective" of her nest or sleeping quarters
She may become grumpy or irritable
Her pouch could be a little puffy or fuller looking
