🌿 Waiting, Watching, and Wondering: A Season of Surprises

As spring turned to summer at the Grove, we found ourselves in a rare moment of quiet anticipation. After months of planning, learning, and contacting clinics, we had finally found a vet we trusted for the next big step: neutering. But since we weren’t yet established clients, we had to wait for an open date—June 17, 2025.

That waiting period gave us something we rarely get around here: time to simply enjoy the growing joeys, spend quiet bonding hours with our colony, and watch closely for the subtle signs of change—especially in one very curious pouch.

🎁 The Mystery of Wendy’s Coloring

When Sue and David Kerr came to the Grove, Sue was already carrying a joey. She wasn’t due for her little one to emerge until late May, but we were so eager to see what kind of coloring this joey would have. Sue had never produced a standard before, so we were all guessing—and hoping—for something bold or unexpected.

So imagine our surprise when Wendy emerged on May 22... as a beautiful standard gray.

Sometimes nature reminds us that the most “common” can still be extraordinary. While Wendy’s coloring was a surprise, her personality quickly won us over—and became part of a much bigger decision.

👀 Eyes Open and Joeys Wiggle

Meanwhile, across the Grove, Meg and Junior’s twin boys were just beginning to wriggle and blink into the world. These two little bundles were nicknamed Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, born just days after Wendy came OOP. One had a telltale white tip on his tail, making him easy to tell apart from his standard sibling. They opened their eyes on different days—May 29 and May 31—which made it even easier to track their milestones.

Because we already knew the boys’ parents would eventually be retired from breeding (thanks to the upcoming neutering), we focused our energy on early socialization. We wanted to give these three joeys the best chance at becoming well-rounded companions, no matter what their future held.

We knew it was time to start their socialization when Meg began leaving the twins alone in the pouch for short periods, trusting One-Eyed Louis—who we affectionately call “Uncle Louis”—to babysit. Watching him gently snuggle in with the joeys (yes, we have video!) was one of those Grove moments that sticks with you: a quiet reminder that even gliders with one eye and a mysterious past can be nurturing, steady presences in a joey’s life.

👶 Three Babies, One Big Plan

Even before their eyes were open, we began introducing Wendy, Dee, and Dum to each other in short, supervised sessions. We wanted Wendy to experience interacting with other joeys outside of her family, and we wanted the boys to get comfortable with new scents and personalities. Sometimes we socialized them in pairs, sometimes all three together—each session full of snuggles, chirps, and (let’s be honest) a few pouch pileups.

It was during this time that we began to consider Wendy’s future more seriously. Would she be a good fit for our breeding program, or might she be better suited to a forever home of her own?

Time would tell. For now, we had three curious babies in the joey room, a vet appointment on the horizon, and more decisions to make as our Grove family continued to grow and change.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum curled up together on June 8th, about 1.5 weeks OOP

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With every birth, every pair, every joey, the Grove continues to evolve—and so does our understanding of what it means to be their keepers.

🖋️ —The Grove Keepers (with Fable Quillvine, Archivist of the Grove)

Wendy on July 15, at 9 weeks OOP