Knowledge Wanted!

[jlkovar]

I am interested in getting a sugar glider. I have been doing some research on them before I do. I just have some questions I was hoping someone could help me with. What does it mean when you say that your glider crabs?? Also, how much time do you feel is sufficient when bonding with your glider each day? What type of interaction do you do when bonding/playing with them? Also, I live in MN, does anyone out there know someone in my area? Thank you so much for your help!!!

[Denise in IL]

"Crabbing" means making a funny sound, something like an electric pencil sharpener. A glider crabs when it has been startled or bothered. The crabbing means something like, "Don't mess with me. I'm fierce!" One of our gliders crabs a lot, almost every time we open the cage, and the other one doesn't crab much at all. It's a personality thing. Both of them are friendly when we pick them up, so don't let the crabbing put you off.

For bonding, the more time, the better. If you have a safe room you can let them free in, that's great, or buy a small tent you can put up in the house. We like tent time, because it lets the gliders jump around and come to us at their own pace. We often take yogurt into the tent and let them lick it off our fingers. During the daytime, you can let the glider ride around inside your shirt, with or without a bonding pouch.

[danigirl1031]

Also...the more research you do the better...But you should always have atleast 2 gliders....they are very social animals and live in big groups in the wild. They can get very depressed if alone. I actually got my two girls last week. One craps at me all the time...while the other girl is just as sweet as pie. Never craps...unless my dog barks or something...lol

The one girl that always craps..Dutchess, she always tries to attack me...it does not hurt when they bite..just a little tiny pinch..then its over..but Dutchess wont let me anywhere near Pebbles....and so I tried to bond with them at separate times at first...and when one was gone..they other one would crap its head off...so now, i just use the bonding pouch for both of them...They are very close.

So..do your research...and plan on which diet you are going to feed them..there are lots of them out there!! Have your bonding pouch, sleeping pouch....and cage toys before you get your gliders...Wear the pouches around under your clothes for a day or two, and overnight to get your smell on them...

so when you bring home your new glider...you can leave them alone for a few days to get used to the new surroundings...and they will be bonding with your scent at the same time. Good luck.

dani
Autumn---a very spoiled boxer pup
Dutchess and Pebbles

[jlkovar]

Thank you for the information. Have a blast with your gliders, hopefully I will be a new glider parent soon! Thanks again!

[GlidinBy]

Ummm, Dani, Hon, I think you mean "crabs". Are you talking about the noise they make that sounds like an electric pencil sharpener? That is crabbing! ;)

[danigirl1031]

I know..I reread that a few minutes later....and I seen that I put craps instead of crabs...Crapping...Yeah, they do ALOT OF THAT TO!! by the time i caught it...I could not edit..said you can only edit within 5 minutes of post!!! ...lol...but thank you for pointing that out!! I actually had Pebbles out of the bonding pouch before I started typing..and she crapped in my hair..so it was on my mind!! (literally)

lol..sorry about that!!

[GlidinBy]

lol...lmao :D

[danigirl1031]

BOO..not funny! But it could have been worse...she could have peed in my hair..that smells worse!! hehehe

[ChristynLola]

you are crazy if you think that gliders can't bite hard!!! if provoked they can really friggin hurt! their teeth are for biting through the tough bark of trees so that they can get to the sap, so they do have the ability to bite hard if you push it too far before they are comfortable with you

[danigirl1031]

I've been bit alot...none of them ever hurt....only a few drew small dots of blood...and they didnt hurt..but then again, I have 4 larger tatoos, a belly ring and a tongue ring...

I have a very very high pain tolerance!!

My little brat Dutchess, she waits for me to give her and her sister some yogurt for a licky treat, then, she grabs my finger and bites like hell....sometimes, she will just put her teeth there to see what I will do...and as I slowly try to get her off me without scaring her, she bites harder and harder...

Its like, she is waiting for me to scream in pain or something...She does that everytime...and I can blow on her, because she is always next to her sister when she does it, and I dont want to correct Pebble for her sister mistake!

Dutchess is bad!! But, it still does not hurt in my opinion!!