In Reply to: 10 degrees isn't much considering posted by Bourbon on May 02, 1999 at 04:41:22:

There are other factors involved too. In an experiment, you need to duplicate everything unless you're isolating a cause. The gliders are believed to enter a state where they conserve energy, eat less, and will breed less. Their food selection changes, and the colonies are bigger.

Just remember, they are more susceptible to flucuations in temperature. With very little fat, they can't retain the heat as much, and with only two, they can't huddle together for warmth as well. Indoor cold of 60 degrees does not equal outdoor cold of 60 degrees. Hopefully there are no drafts, so that is a good thing. But radiation plays a big role in how warm the body feels. If the outside of the house is 20 degrees, 60 degrees inside the house will feel much colder than if the outside of the house is 100 degrees.

For anyone with experience with their gliders, you can play it by ear with what temperature is good. Just by watching them, you can tell whether they are cold or not. 60 degrees is a little on the cold side though. 65 is my absolute bare minimum, while 70-75 is normal in the winter.
My situation is that I have 5 gliders who huddle together.

On another note, pay alot of attention to what the glider's dietary needs are. If your glider is breeding, feed the female at least a 50% insectivore diet. Diet is the the most common cause of problems the DVM's see. I even give them a small mid-afternoon snack because smaller, more frequent meals are better.

-Thomas

ps. I'm not arguing with your techniques Bourbon, because I'm sure you would know what to look for on the temperatures being too cold. I just want to present the other considerations. A person who hasn't had a glider for a full year, might not know the differences in behavior to watch for. Also, they might not realize that what temperature might feel good to them, might be too low for the glider.

Follow Ups:

• No Problem Bourbon 16:44:03 5/02/99 (0)