Message:
Subject: Just went through this successfully
Posted by Erin on January 12, 1999 at 14:45:44:
In Reply to: Need advise on introducing a new glider posted by Justice on January 11, 1999 at 16:30:15:
First thing is you should keep them in seperate cages until the female bonds to you. If you put them in the same cage right away, then the female will most likely bond to your other glider and not you, which isn't what you probably want. That's also why I was told not to have a ton of toys in the cage when you first bring them home. You don't want them to bond to their cage instead of you, either.
Anyways, once she's bonded to you, then put their cages next to each other for 2-3 weeks. I would make sure that they both saw that there was another glider in the next cage (until I did that, Wink had no clue that Rocky was just next door). You also need to switch their bedding back and forth so that they get used to the other glider's scent.
Once you've done that, then it's time to introduce them. I used vanilla extract on my hands and held each of them before putting them together (it helped disguise the scents...Wink was very territorial of me, so I had to leave the room completely once I put them together or she would freak out and crab at Rocky and run to me). Anyways, the initial introduction didn't go so well for me. I put them together in the bathroom (sealed off the toilet, plugged the drains, etc) and there didn't seem to be much progress. Then I tried putting Wink in Rocky's cage (I was constantly watching to make sure no major fighting broke out) for a few hours every night. For many people, their gliders just seem to hit it off fairly easily. I wasn't so lucky. So, I kept their cages side-by-side and gave them a rest from each other for about 2 weeks. Then this past Friday night, I put Wink back in Rocky's cage and had a friend watch them so that I could leave the room and not upset Wink with my scent. Next thing I know, they are sniffing and cuddling with each other and they've been in one cage ever since. I actually have them in a little napsack with me at work right now.
Good luck and feel free to email me if you have any further questions. I highly recommend keeping them apart til the female bonds to you and just buying a second cage. I attached my two cages together once they bonded, so now they have an even larger space to run around.