In Reply to: Where is everyone??? posted by Mary on March 09, 2000 at 23:02:41:

As you know.. it isn't cause I haven't been watching the board.. It has been a very trying time for me, however; we have lost quite a few people from a lot of the bases for many reasons.. hopefully they too will take their break and soon return..
We get tired of trying to help and contantly being told that we don't know what we are doing, that we sound like we are directly critizing, and that we shouldn't care about other peoples gliders.. that is who we are.. that is what we do.. we have been here..for the long haul.. we have been slammed, bashed.. and ridiculed, and we have always bounced back and continue to do what we do..YES, we are passionate about gliders.. YES, sometimes we are opinionated..

Yes it may sound sometimes as if we are trying to tell you what to do with your gliders.. We (veterns) have seen alot.. a lot more than many of you can imagine.. We have been around to watch the diets evolve, the care go from responsible to some are responsible, the buying, selling and breeding of gliders going from a few to hundreds.. and not always to or from responsible homes..Gliders, we have seen go from the unigue exotic pet to a fad pet.. that isn't something we all like to see. I have seen one board where the people are sugar coating issues, "sidestepping issues" to make sure the threads don't get closed. In my opinion, sugarcoating is to make the medicines taste good, sidestepping issues surely don't show how passionate you are about a subject. Maybe for some, but not for the general.. that is why so many issues are confusing.. Lets take the post collette made.. she was mentioning hamster balls, and she said.. "Bourbon, I know you hate them".. how did she know I hated them, and not just had reservations about them? Because, of the passion I write in my posts regarding them.. I could tell you what each and every vetern hates, and what it is that they will tolerate..There are some issues , some people won't bend on.. they have their reasons for being so animate about them.. If you take a group of 10 veterns.. ask them a question, and 8 of those veterns tell you the same thing.. chances are those 8 have had first hand experience with it. My suggestion is find out what the people think..all the people.. I have no problem with people asking the same questions over and over..but, when we do answer, don't ridicule us because we are giving an answer YOU don't WANT to hear..Gliders are for responsible people, and they are not for childlike minds, I will not ever answer my posts as if I was dealing with a child that gets their feeling hurt, by telling them NO.. The results will be many times dead gliders.. and That I will not ever stand for..especially if the deaths are avoidable ones.

I have read posts people saying they have to have a glider, and don't know the first thing about what they even are. I have seen others that tell me they have researched for months before getting their glider, and feeding it birdseed and catfood. Only to have the glider either sold, given away, (because they can't bond in a short time), or worse yet dead. I have seen people get 2 gliders right off the bat, and before even getting them on a decent diet, is popping out babies left and right..sending the new owners off with bad info. I get emails from people that tell me, I wished I had listened.. but I didn't.. by that time it was too late.. their glider had already died. Just because something works now, doesn't mean (if bad diet) that later on it won't catch up with them (if gliderproofing), that your luck won't hold out.. People who do rescues.. most of the time, the gliders we get are either from bad diets..or the owners can't bond or turn vicious due to abuse or neglect..

Someone once told me I was one of the most hated but yet one of the most respected.. Hated because of the delivery of my values and beliefs, one the most respected, because of the time, and knowledge that I give to owners and their gliders.. the same people that yell at me on my delivery, are the same ones that come to me for help later.. WHY?? because then they NEED me.. a dog can be the most loyal pet, even after it is abused, till it just takes too much.. then it turns cold, distant, and sometimes mean.. I have dedicated my life to gliders and their research.. Yes, I still research even still to this day.. So Yes, I do get angry when someone comes in that has had their glider for less than a year, and slams us for what we do.. when that happens.. I back off the boards.. I read, but don't post. I spoke with Shianne about this, hence the reason for her post..she had tried to convince me to still be here for each and everyone..but as a vetern had once told me.. Those who have learned from me can carry on, they have the knowledge, they have the passion, they will watch out for the best interest of the gliders.. But what really happened.. is they all tried to get us to stay.. I told them when I feel, less of what I am feeling now, I will return.. When it feels like a difference can not be made, there is no reason to stay..

I just want everyone to look at their gliders.. right smack dab in their eyes.. really look at them..don't take them for granted..pretend it is you in that little body..look at the eyes and see the love, or the fear that is there.. grasp it..hold on to it.. and think of them, not as a toy, not as a pet, but a reflection of how you want to be treated.. If they could speak, what would they be saying to you? Would they have chosen you as their person? You see a lot of my passion comes from just that.. I have a glider that loves me, not just trusts me, but LOVES me. She knows I am her safe zone, she KNOWS I will protect her at all costs..She KNOWS she is as important to me, as I am to her.. But wanna know what.. my daughters is the same with her, my hubby's the same with him, and many others here have that same love, whether they are AE or not, it all depends on how you PERCIEVE your relationship with your gliders. The same as how you percieve the information that comes from one of us.. You can look at it one of 2 ways.. either we are passionate about an issue, or we are critizing...taking a glass of milk that is only filled half way, a pessimist will say it is half empty, an optimist will say it is half full.. Look at our posts the same way.. We seldom get mad at people, we get madder about issues that may affect the life of a glider.. and even us veterns, agree to disagree on many issues.. but we still respect each person for their role in the Glider Community..

each person whether a newbie or a vetern has their place.. it is to help each other. If while walking with a young child, you notice he starts to walk in front of a moving car.. You scream and grab the child and jerk him back.. YOU know you were only protecting him, trying to help.. But the child only sees the worst, you, yelling grabbing, and pulling....would you change the way you did things? Probably not, why? because it was with the childs best interest in mind..As we post, we only have the gliders best interest in mind, as you try to make progress with your gliders, they can't see your intentions..they just see your reactions..
I will go down now and respond to the posts I can, but everyone please understand I only have the gliders best interest at heart..

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