Okay so I LOVE making things for my gliders cage and I want to make more because I will be getting 2-3 more soon and I want their cages to be nice; I have ideas already for Holiday themed things but I dont know what to do with the rest of the year! I have a few in mind already but I need alittle input:
-Jungle theme
*Crochet Snake-vines with toilet paper rolls inside for sturdyness
*Monkey cuddle case (bonding pouch/Sleeping pouch)
*a sleeping crochet lion around the food bowl
*a hippo rug near the water dripper

-Enchanted forest theme
*Mushroom rug with stuffed mushies around the food bowl
*Fairies around the water dripper
*"sleeping in the dragons belly" cuddle case

-Under the ocean theme
*bubbles around the edges
*Seashell under the water dripper
*Mermaids around the food bowl
*Puffer-fish Cuddle case

I'm also thinking of TV/Movie/Game themed ones such as Bambi, Mulan, Spyro, Pokemon, My Little Poney, Plants vs Zombies, you get the picture. I might post pictures if I ever get them all finished haha! pictures would probaby have to be in the travel cage though.

If you are making crochet items - keep in mind that YARN is not glider safe. It is made up of multiple strands that can snag glider nails or toes and cause severe injuries.

Many folks do crochet pouches but they use long cut strips of fleece to do so and still keep the items glider safe.

I would steer clear of yarn. It gets caught around their little toes and claws. Sounds like a good way to loose a toe/finger, rip off some toe nails or strangle a younger one. Not meaning to scare you but I've heard it happen. Fleece is real easy to work with. You can cut it into any shape you desire, it doesn't fray or unravel. Small strips can be cut, tied, and/or sewn together to create a lion's mane. Your possibilities are still endless with fleece and it'll be much safer I assure you. And this time of year is perfect to obtain it. You can get fleece in the craft sections of stores in the fabric department. Some stores are selling their fleece blankets real cheap now too. I've been known to be able to nab fleece blankets for as low as $3 in the past. They come in all colors and prints. You can really go crazy and have fun designing all sorts of different themed cage accessories with the fleece.

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Originally posted by Candy

If you are making crochet items - keep in mind that YARN is not glider safe. It is made up of multiple strands that can snag glider nails or toes and cause severe injuries.

Many folks do crochet pouches but they use long cut strips of fleece to do so and still keep the items glider safe.

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i plan on it; i was going to use these weird (leather?) like strings my mom has for support on all of the items they kind of feel like, erm, bath rugs? when crocheted or braided together. then sewing the fleece around it.

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Originally posted by sugargldr

I would steer clear of yarn. It gets caught around their little toes and claws. Sounds like a good way to loose a toe/finger, rip off some toe nails or strangle a younger one. Not meaning to scare you but I've heard it happen. Fleece is real easy to work with. You can cut it into any shape you desire, it doesn't fray or unravel. Small strips can be cut, tied, and/or sewn together to create a lion's mane. Your possibilities are still endless with fleece and it'll be much safer I assure you. And this time of year is perfect to obtain it. You can get fleece in the craft sections of stores in the fabric department. Some stores are selling their fleece blankets real cheap now too. I've been known to be able to nab fleece blankets for as low as $3 in the past. They come in all colors and prints. You can really go crazy and have fun designing all sorts of different themed cage accessories with the fleece.

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Yeah I have a discount card for our local Handcocks i plan on going there m aybe getting some fake-fur textures too for a woodland theme?

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weird (leather?) like strings

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If you do not know what the material is, I would not use it for gliders. Leather often contains chemicals and dyes that gliders should not injest. It is likely that they will chew on any leather.

Another reason FLEECE is recommended is that it is breatheable. Air passes through easily. A leather like material may not allow gliders to breath in their pouches - or they may become too hot because there would be less air circulation.

Be careful with the fake fur type fabrics - If you can SEE individual woven threads on the back of the fur - it is not glider safe.

also not all fleece is created equally. Some of the "cheap" $3 throw blankets can have edges that unravel and many times they have whip stitching around it that is also unsafe.

I ended using them cut up as cage pan liners for a while, until my gliders decided to try to pull them up thru the bottom grate.

When buying fleece the 2 kinds recommended by glider vendors as safe are the Blizzard fleece and the Anti-pill fleece.

The Polar fuzzy type fleece while cute and cozy for us, it unravels and is not safe for gliders.

Toilet paper rolls will absorb urine and have to be tossed regularly, especially if they chew on them. If you have aggressive chewers(like I do)I would not give any type of card board at all, the glue used can be toxic if ingested.

You can find some safe tree branches or apple wood sticks for them to chew/climb on.

I gave mine some eucalyptus branches and leaves and some crab apple branches off my trees.(no pesticides or any chemicals used on my trees).

I know it's fun to decorate the cages in themes but more so than decorations... your gliders need lots of toys to be active and stimulate their minds and keep them from getting bored. The toys get rotated in and out every few weeks and change the setups.

They are like small children that need to entertain themselves or they can get bored, depressed and take up over grooming.

They need a glider safe wheel for sure(or a tread mill like from fast track).

They like ball pits with pom poms or practice golf balls and ping pong balls in a basket to forage treats out of.

Vines and chain links hanging and as bridges to climb on, barrel of monkeys hung all over to carry and throw around.

Hanging foraging boats or bowls and baskets(like a toy box)for small floor toys.

I give them toddler bath squirters like rubber duckies and other critters, baby rattles and little girl plastic bracelets too. Weebles are a big hit too.

I have made some toys and cage name tags myself with rexlace/craft lace and pony beads and I have bought some from vendors too.

Is fleece the only safe material? I've seen flannel mentioned elsewhere but wasn't sure if that was safe or not. One of the things I don't like about the fleece is the limited patterns. They are usually so large that when you make tiny things or the gliders, you lose the pattern.

Flannel can be used but ONLY if all edges are hemmed with a very tight stitching, even if the edges will be hidden between layers of fabric for a double pouch. It must be checked daily because it is easy for 'diggers' like mine to make holes in that would produce edges that can unravel.

Flannel and polished cotton are often used for the OUTSIDE of a double layer pouch for the variety of designs the fabrics come in - with Fleece used for the inside of the pouch.

What exactly IS flannel anyway? (i always just thought of it being a thick plad longsleeve) my cousin has a shirt of it and im always seeing little fuzzies on it that bother me... would that harm the gliders?

Flannel is a thick woven fabric with the surface brushed some to bring up the fibers and make it a bit softer and thicker for warmth. It comes in many colors and designs but unless the edges are hemmed with the cut edge folded under and tightly stitched, it will allow threads to pull away from the cut edge which is dangerous for gliders.