🍽️ New Life in the Grove | The First Joeys and a Bittersweet Goodbye

After everything the Marsh Trio had been through, we never expected that new life would arrive in the middle of it all.

And yet—there it was.

Tucked gently into the pouches of Marsha and Mama were two tiny joeys, growing quietly while the Grove Keepers scrambled to care for their mamas.

👶 The First Grove-Born Gliders

We didn’t even realize they were carrying joeys at first. Mama was still recovering from her cheek surgery, and her strength came and went. We focused all our attention on her healing—on keeping her clean, warm, and comfortable.

Then one day, there was a little movement. The unmistakable sign of a joey in pouch. Two of them, in fact—one with Marsha, and one with Mama.

We were shocked and overjoyed.

Sugar glider joeys are so small at birth they’re practically invisible. After mating, they climb into the mother’s pouch and remain there, growing slowly over many weeks. These joeys would be the very first babies born in the Grove—the beginning of a new generation. We named them Mini and Junior.

Mama and Junior in the bonding pouch, both having a snack

📚 A Lesson in Glider Biology

We’d later learn that sugar gliders have a reproductive trick up their sleeves. They can actually delay implantation, meaning they can wait days—or even months—to begin developing a joey after mating. It’s a survival strategy in the wild, but in domestic gliders, it can catch even experienced keepers off guard.

Because we didn’t know the full background of the Marsh Trio, we weren’t certain of their lineage. And that raised questions about ethical breeding.

Sugar gliders were first brought to the U.S. in 1994 from a limited group in West Papua, Indonesia. That small founder population means inbreeding is a serious concern, and responsible breeding requires tracking lineage carefully. When a male’s lineage is unknown, neutering is highly recommended to avoid accidental or unhealthy pairings.

But neutering isn’t always easy—or affordable. At the time, we were quoted over $400 for the procedure, and local veterinarians with glider experience were few and far between.

The next best option is to house unneutered males separately from females… unless the females already have joeys. And in this case, well—the babies were already on their way.

🧹 Glider Dads Do Their Part

Another thing we learned through all of this? Sugar glider dads are hands-on parents.

When joeys are newly born and nursing, the male helps by providing protection and warmth. As the joeys grow and begin to venture out of the pouch, glider dads allow the mothers to leave them behind safely while they eat, drink, and stretch their legs. The joeys stay snuggled up with dad, warm and watched over.

So that raised a tough question for us: What’s the lesser evil—keeping an intact male with the mother to co-parent, or separating them, which risks isolating the female and putting more stress on her while she raises the baby alone?

Because Papa, Marsha, and Mama had successfully raised joeys together as a trio in the past, we made the choice to keep them together and allow Papa to help—especially since removing him could have introduced more instability at a delicate time.

Baby Mini in pouch with parents (we had been trying not to disturb these parents at all while baby was younger, we’ve learned better since then!)

🙏 A Bittersweet Ending

We were filled with joy watching these tiny lives emerge, grow, and take their first little hops into the world. We named them Mini and Junior—the very first joeys born in the Grove.

But this chapter isn’t just about beginnings.

Mama, as brave and sweet as she was, never fully recovered. She poured everything she had left into caring for Junior—nursing, grooming, and loving him until he was weaned. Because she had to raise him without the help of a cage mate, we believe it took more of a toll on her than it otherwise might have. She gave him everything she had.

And then… she was gone.

The loss was sharp. We had come to love her so deeply in such a short time, and her absence was felt everywhere. But Junior thrived—strong, healthy, and full of life—because of her love and sacrifice. She gave him all the strength she had left. And because of that, her legacy lives on.

Coming soon: Mini and Junior take their first steps into the Grove—and into glider history.
🌿 The Grove Keepers