For those of you that are pros to raising these little cuties, what are some tips and techniques you can offer when trying to bond with our babies. Since we are moving away from the PP literature we could sure use some guidance. Their new supplies and food will be here on Thursday and the new cage on Friday. We are looking forward to your replies and we are so greatful that we have found this forum.

You'll get different responses and approaches to this. IMO you need to kind of follow your gliders lead. Some need some alone time in the beginning with you only interacting with them thru the cage bars.

I personally don't do this, I have 7 and every single one of them gets kept on me from the second they enter my home.

I got Jasper & Zoey in the evening so they got tucked into their cage and fed but the very next morning Jasper was hanging on the cage door wanting out, so I took him out. I carried him & Zoe on me from the moment I woke up until it was time for them to be tucked into their cage at night for dinner and "cage time." They bonded so well that I have just kept it up. All of my others I got during the day and they all gone right down my shirt and slept their day away. I think it has helped with the bond. I don't allow them anywhere else but on me or in their cage for the first few weeks, that way they have learned that I am their safe place so by the time tent time is an option or free play in mamas' room, they are used to me and I don't have to go chasing them when it's time to be returned to their cage.

I only have two, but I've also had both of them down my shirt from day one. Luna is much more of a snuggler than Soleil though.

I'm also a big fan of scraps of fleece with your scent on them. Basically, wear a little square of fleece somewhere on you all day where it is against your skin and will get as sweaty and gross as possible. Then put that in the sleeping pouch in the cage. Get a new one dirty each day and put it in the sleeping pouch, taking out old ones. I really like having gliders in my shirt in the beginning, because it's a GREAT way for them to get to know your scent. But this fleece thing makes sure your scent is all over their cage, specifically in the safest part of their cage--where they sleep. So, in the cage or on you, they're getting your scent.

Treats are great too. There is nothing wrong with bribery. :] Things you can dip your finger in (applesauce, yogurt, honey) are especially nice. Then your babies can lick tasty things off you. But treats are nice in general, because they make your babies associate your hands with something pleasant. Oh, one thing to be prepared for with licky treats: some gliders will bite when the treat is gone. Apparently this has to do with an instinct to wound trees to make more sap come out (I know I read somewhere that was the reason). Anyway, you may want to re-dip your finger before all the goodies are gone to avoid this.

The only other thing I have to say is, pay attention to what your babies are telling you. If things are going well, then keep doing what you're doing, and spend more time with them. If they seem really scared and upset, give them space and let them come around in their own time. Luna bonded to me REALLY quickly, but with Soleil it's taking more time. We've definitely made a lot of progress, and Soleil was already used to being handled when I bought her. Sometimes she just really isn't into me, and I try to give her space during those times. But we actually just made some really awesome progress. A few minutes ago, she intensely rubbed her head ALL OVER my tummy. She does this to Luna a lot, and I'm pretty sure it's scent marking. So I guess she thinks I'm hers now. :]

I apologize ahead of time for the silly questions, but your posts prompt me to ask a few more questions. When you say you put them on you or in your shirt from the beginning.... Are you taking them while they are sleeping and doing this? Do they crab at you intensely? We have two that are real biters. They chew on everything in their cage and they like to bite us as well. Should we be carrying them around in their pouch we bought that you wear around your neck? We did for the first week but they seem really crabby doing this. The female is really shy I guess you could say. She hangs out in the top corner of the cage most of the time and is spooked so easily. We have also noticed, she mostly eats hanging upside down, lol. I know it could take a long time to get them to bond to us but at the same time we want to make sure they have plenty of opportunity for the bonding to happen. We currently sit at their cage in the evening and talk to them and my husband is opening the door and placing his hand inside so they can come and smell him. Fred does pretty good with this but Maggie not so much.

When is a good time to try the tent experience? Should we get them out while they are sleeping to do this? I am looking forward to this but at the same time I am a bit nervous due to their excessive biting.

For the fleece, are you talking about the same kind they use to make the children's blankets with? Do the edges need to be hemmed? We are still trying to figure out what is safe and not safe for them. We wouldn't want them to get sick by eating something they shouldn't that we placed in their cage.

The fleece shouldn't have frawed edges, but you can sew the ends, I guess.

As for scent blankets we like to use large ones that are 6 by 6 or 8 by 8 with our smell rubbed on them. When we change pouch or wash boxes we leave the cleanest of the dirty blankets in with the sugar gliders so the new(clean) nest has a familar smell and to make them feel more comfortable. You can add 1 or 2 more fleece blankets that have human smell on them to the nest also. Also a large sleeping pouch and deep so they are comfortable with extra room to nest build with blankets and can stretch out if they want to.

I personally would NOT do tent time until the gliders are a little more use to me and my hands. Get them to come and take treats through the cage bars. They feel safer approaching with the cage between you and them at first, then can feed treats with open cage door. Or at dinner time let them get a piece of food as you put dish in cage. Don't force them but offer the dish to them, if they back off then set dish down and let them eat. They have to be up before you feed but is a ritual and they will look forward to this at dinner time. Can offer with your fingers also if comfortable.
Art

It's easiest to put them on you while sleeping. I mean, it's easiest to do most things with a glider while they're all sleepy. If yours are still biting a lot, perhaps when they're in their sleeping pouch, just gently put the pouch in your shirt/bra. That way you don't have to go through the stress of getting them out, but if they wake up to poke their heads out and see what's up, hey they're already in your shirt.

The pouch you wear around your neck is called a bonding pouch. Carrying them around in that is a great way to get them used to you. I personally liked having bonding pouches under my shirt against my skin. That gets the gliders closer to you and if makes it darker for them. Ultimately, I prefer to have mine up against my skin without a pouch, but if yours are still biting, then by all means use a pouch.

Mine eat upside down all the time. They also drink from their water bottle while hanging upside down. That's totally normal. Don't be alarmed.

Talking to them is good too. It gets them used to your voice, and it lets them know you're around, but that having you around isn't a dangerous thing at all.

The biting should get better with time. It's hard to discipline gliders to not bite, but there are two things I do to mine to "discipline" them. Gliders, like most animals, don't like air being blown directly on them. So when mine bite hard for no reason, I'll either blow a little puff of air on them, or I'll make a loud "PSSST!" sound (like you might make to a cat who is doing something bad). I've also heard of some people loudly saying "NO," but I don't want my gliders to associate my voice with a startling sound, you know? Other than that, there's not a whole lot you can do about the biting, although it should ease off with time as the gliders bond to you.

And the bonding may not go at the same pace with each glider, and that's totally cool. You make friends with some people faster than others.

As far as playing with them in a tent or in any space other than the cage, I would wait until you know you can put them back in a pouch without too much hassle. You really don't ever want to chase your babies around; it's just going to scare them. So if you know you're going to have to chase them, maybe hold off a little while. But if you know you can pick them up and put them in a pouch fairly easily, then yeah, go ahead with tent time. It's a small space where they can't get into any trouble and will be forced to interact with you.

Fleece like you would make pj pants or a blanket out of, yes. Fleece doesn't have frayed ends when you cut it? Don't get the super soft baby fleece or whatever--just get regular fleece of whatever color or design. It's fine if they chew on it. LOTS of people use fleece things for gliders. It's great, because it's soft and the fuzzbutts love it, but it also doesn't fray or leave any loose strings for suggies to get their nails caught on.

You mentioned that y'all are still figuring out what's safe for them. As far as foods, you need to avoid at all costs: garlic, onions, chocolate, coffee, and any type of seasoning. Chocolate can kill your babies. I'm not sure if the other things on that list are deadly, but your babies should definitely never have them. There's some debate about whether or not grapes are bad. They've caused kidney failure or something in dogs and cats. I personally don't feed grapes or raisins for this reason, but make your own decision that one. Corn is really high in phosphorous and super low in calcium, so I avoid it. But it won't harm them to feed it occasionally. I also don't feed iceburg lettuce. It has like zero nutritional value and apparently can cause loose stools. But again, it's not deadly to feed or anything. And as far as any branches/leaves/flowers you want to give your babies, always check first that the plant you're offering isn't toxic to gliders.

Fleece doesn't need to be hemmed... it won't frey.
And yes, in my case, my babies go right into my shirt. Now the only one I was ever really worried about with the biting was Kodah....I got him at 5 mo. and he was vicious, but I wrapped him in a dish towel,(cotton and no freying) and then tucked him into my shirt.
Sorry for the bra baby shots but that's where they go...(the forum is used to all my pics by now...)

Zoey in my pocket a few days after coming home.


Zoey(hand)& Jasper(bra) their first full day at home.


Kodah-Bear. The red is my tank top...note he's in a towel!




Mala


Ariana


Ariana


The twins


And this is how I handle the gang. (this was while the twins were still in quarantine so they weren't in there. Now they all go in but it's hard to get a pic of all 7 at the same time.)



Not a single one of my gliders likes a bonding pouch...they much prefer to be in my shirt. You can wear a tank top with a tshirt over it,...tuck them into your pants and let them be inbetween the layers. It saves your skin from scratches/bites but you are basically one big bonding pouch.

As far as tent time, I think many people do that early on as a way of allowing their gliders to explore and bond with them while having some freedom but they are in a confined space so mama doesn't have to chase when it's time to return to the cage.

I have glider proofed my bedroom so they have a larger space to explore and many more places to hide, so I wait until the bonding is going well and some has been established before I set them loose...it helps at the end of play time. I can walk into my bedroom and stand and within 30 seconds I have at least 3 of my gliders running up my leg. A few of the others I can walk up and hold my arm up to wherever they are purched (curtain rod, top of the wall mounted TV, ect.) and they will run down. Kodah & Mala like to hide when it's time to be put away so I have to trick them, but all in all, it goes fairly smoothly & I think that has to do with establishing a good bond before allowing them to attach to something else, other than you...such as getting in the habit of hiding behind a cabinet during bathroom time and mama having to search them out. The hiding spot begins to be their safe spot and they will seek it out.... I prefer to be my babies safe spot so when they get frightened or have been without me for too long during playtime, they seek me out. They will run out from under the bed just to touch my foot then they dash off for more playtime...they seem to just need that little bit of contact every few minutes to feel safe.

Jazz, I love when you post pictures. So much. I swear I've gone through all of your photo albums by this point. My favorite was the picture of the twins, but I'm a huge sucker for those white faces.

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Originally posted by som3randomp3rson

Jazz, I love when you post pictures. So much. I swear I've gone through all of your photo albums by this point. My favorite was the picture of the twins, but I'm a huge sucker for those white faces.

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LOL....thank you. You should see my computer and all of the files I have full of pics. At this point I just label a year and have Jan.-Dec. folders inside, and each month probably has a good thousand pics. If it were easier to load them on here, like be able to pick several at a time instead of one by one.... I'd have a whole slew more!

The pictures are awesome! I can't wait until we get them bonded. Thank you to everyone for such great feedback. Looking forward to posting with all of you.

Nothing like cleavage to say "I love you".

Clevage is all good here as long as there's a glider in there!

XD

trying some "bra" bonding. Only doing one at a time for now, they seem to like it, even though I'm not quite at "well endowed" as Jazz lol, just gives em more room lol

I just LOVE yer pics Jazz, they look so sweet!!!

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Originally posted by afwife4

Should we be carrying them around in their pouch we bought that you wear around your neck? We did for the first week but they seem really crabby doing this.

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This is where most people would advise you to leave them alone to get use to their new environment the first week. It is TOO overwhelming for most gliders to have to get use to a new cage, set up, scents, a new house, new sounds, possibly other glider smells, everything about their new owner, and maybe new food. It is a lot to ask of them and then to force them on you is not usually recommended, especially for biters, lungers, or gliders that crab tirelessly in bonding bags, forcing them on you can make the bonding process that much harder.


They want to sleep, I am not sure why some pretend like they want to be on you 24/7 while they are trying to rest, the tendency of keeping your gliders on you while you are being active and they are trying to sleep peeves a lot of gliders.

after the settling in period, try giving treats thru the bars while talking to them. my soon learned to poke their heads out of the pouch when they heard me and come running cos it meant a goodie. all 14 of mine hated the bonding pouch. I liked to take 2 or 3 at a time out of the pouch early in the evening before wakeup time while they were sleepy and tuck them in my shirt while i watched tv. after a coupla treats, they would snuggle and go back to sleep. i don't know if everyone would agree, but at first when i would reach in the pouch to get them, they would crab, some would lunge. after about a week, they understood what was going to happen (treats) and quit crabbing. i cured the lunger in 4 days: everytime he lunged i had a treat for his teeth to sink into. he quit lunging and willing came to me. if it's still too much to reach in and pluck them out, like someone else said, just put the whole pouch in your shirt. they will sleep and smell you, hear your body noises etc and get used to you

Just don't get discouraged if a few weeks go by and there is still crabbing or lunging or not coming to greet you yet - some gliders are easier than others especially if you are working with older critters or adults. I have six - one of my six I brought home at 4 months old, and she refused to have anything to do with me for over a month and at 5 weeks finally took a treat for the first time, from me handing her a mealworm on a spoon from outside the cage. And this was PROGRESS. I still can't hand her a treat if I go inside the cage but she no longer crabs every time she sees or hears me so she's getting better. My first two (of three) I could hand feed and handle within days, so they are all different. Food seems to be a motivator so keep with the yummy goodies. Chicken, watermelon, cherries, mealworms, or anything else you notice they love - keep it coming :)

Such great advice. There isn't much more to add. Patience is the most important thing. If you try to rush the bonding, they may reject you. It really has to up to them to take the steps leading to trust. I have one that is really having a tough time due to the parents he had before me. They never handled him and fed him only cat food etc... At first he would bite everything he could get his teeth into. But the key I found was to let him do it! I know, it hurts and it isn't much fun. But I did not want him to feel as though I was scared of him. I let him know with a soft voice and a little puff of air to his face that it is not ok to bite Daddy! However always keeping in mind that he doesn't trust me and he is scared. Although he still nips me, after 3 weeks or so, he will cling to my chest under my shirt for as long as I allow him to. The same goes with my youngest one. (Gizzy and Grizzly respectively) He is a snuggler, he gives kisses, and he is with me all day every day, they both are. we settle down at night with their carefully prepared buffet. We spend at least an hour exploring the dinner table/tent. I even take food in with me to eat with them. Not a lot of table chatter. I pretty much have to dictate the whole conversation! lol...But it will come in time. Once you are bonded they become even more of an amazing family member and friend you ever could have imagined them to be. Mine are not my pets or trinkets. they are my boys!

Oh yeah - citrus can give them the runs so give sparingly or not at all. Watermelon and rasberries and red things can cause red poo so don't be alarmed about that if you see it. They also tend to "freeze" under bright light like they are catatonic so dim the lights and they will go back to normal.

I would also keep a fleece blanket around so that if you have an escapee you can throw it over the loose critter and get them back under control with minimal chasing. It also comes in handy if there is a fight you need to break up.

I don't used the bra but I made a tank top for my daughter to use instead. It is a piece of minky fleece with a zipper (because we take them out sometimes in the car...the zipper is handy).

I also have a shirt with a pocket...I just used old fleece pjs of my sons (age 3) that he didn't need. Cut square with the zipper and just sew it on the shirt or tank.

Bella2012... those are really cute. May I add a suggestion?

For outings, you could do exactly what you did but put the fleece pouch on the inside....


This is a shirt I had made for mine....

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Originally posted by JazzNZoeysmom

Bella2012... those are really cute. May I add a suggestion?

For outings, you could do exactly what you did but put the fleece pouch on the inside....


This is a shirt I had made for mine....

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Cute.... I like it!
Did you just make a slit in the shirt and attach the fleece on the inside?

I like that. Hmm, we'll have to make one of those.

I didn't make this... it was a gift. But yes, it basically appears that a slit was made in an existing tshirt then a pouch and zipper sewn in.

Check your PM in a minute....

I have bra babies too, will sleep there for hours. However, I'm a bit more modest when it comes to people wanting to see what that bulge is... so I have come up with an alternative that they like almost as much. I bought an infinity scarf from Wal-Mart (about $7.00). I wrapped it around my neck twice, and made sure that the front sat...near my heartbeat, their favorite place. I created a pocket with the layers of fabric there, and put Dobbie and Delilah in. They wriggled around, looked out at me a couple of times, and then went sound asleep, just as if they were snuggled up in my shirt. They stayed there for their "normal" four to six hours, snoring softly, holding on to the edge of the scarf. I could peek in on them, show people the sleeping babies, and pet them easily without looking (too) weird.

I haven't tried letting my girls ride in my bra yet, one mainly because I wear sports bra's and don't know if they would be comfy in there and two cause Menchi has a habit of biting. XD

I love the shirt ideas. I'm not very good at making things like that but I would totally buy some if they were out there.

hello
If you are interested I do make them my husband wears them all the time and wears them out.
here is a picture of one.
and here is one inside the pocket

One of my gliders is from pocket pets, but then I found him at a reptile store were, of no fault of their own, they did not handle him properly. If he got taken out he was squeezed real tight so he didn't run away, and bit as hard as he could and would struggle the entire time. For the first week we used gloves to handle him just so we didn't get jumpy when he bit and kept him in the bonding pouch from the time we woke up till we got home from work, about three weeks later we brought him back to the reptile store and know one could believe it was the same glider. He went on everyone, no biting no crabbing and no trying to run away. With out giving up he is completely different now and I love him to death!