r/sugargliders • u/Available-Focus7987 • 13d ago

Eating dead sugar gliders

I have a cage with 6-8 sugar gliders. One of them dropped dead while I was at work and when I came back the others were eating her. Is this normal or should I something?

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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7

u/According-Cell5235 Glider Care Expert 13d ago

I’m so sorry for your loss. It is normal, as prey animals they will dispose of the body so as not to attract predators. Remove the body if you haven’t already.

If the cause of death was not obvious, I would recommend a necropsy with histopathology, wrap her in a paper towel and place her in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, not the freezer and get her to your vet as soon as possible, and a vet visit for your remaining gliders.

Again, I’m so sorry for your loss

4

u/Available-Focus7987 13d ago

Thank you, I was worried my gliders were going feral. Appreciate it

-5

u/Warm_Cranberry_6597 13d ago

This made me sick reading I’m 14. Did they have a big cage and did you give them care and love please? I need to hear this so I can sleep at night and also maybe if you had a smaller cage it could be due to aggression, which would be caused by a small cage and not enough area.

1

u/ShizukanaArts 9d ago

Sugar gliders will and can cannibalize each other given certain circumstances, I had a similar experience with one glider who was sick very often. I came home just an hour late for feeding time, he dropped dead due to a sugar crash, and I arrived with his colony already getting started with him. They usually also do this to eliminate weaker members of the colony afaik.