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krossia Posted - Sep 28 2015 : 07:16:05 PM
Hello! So I posted a while ago about this but I never really received a response, so I wanted to try again as I'm running out of ideas.
My gliders are avid chewers and it's difficult to find toys they won't destroy and possibly swallow. I've bought safe tree branches and things like that, and it's curbed some of the behavior, but I'd like to see what you guys may have done or suggest to help cut it off. I don't mind the chewing behavior, but they still have a significant portion of it spent on things they shouldn't chew and are breaking subsequently. I want to give them better, healthier, or safer alternatives if possible. |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
TJones09 Posted - Sep 29 2015 : 04:32:43 PM
Yes, some gliders are bigger chewers than some others. I have no idea what the reason behind this, just have read that there are ones chew a lot, ones that chew in moderation, or the ones that do not or rarely chew. |
krossia Posted - Sep 29 2015 : 01:37:54 PM
That's the thing though, I do have a variety of toys. I have the Stealth Wheel and the pit with plastic bangles, Easter eggs(a foraging toy), and straws, which they love to chew and play with. I weave straws through the holes of the cage so they can take it out to get a treat. I have the barrel of monkeys they they like to take apart and throw everywhere. I have 3 foraging toy set thingies they enjoy playing on. I change their set up of toys once a month so it's new enrichment. I do the same with their fleece furnishings.
I thought it was boredom also, so I amped up all the reset type toys that they like, but they still chew heavily(less than before, but still a lot). Not to the point that they're gonna completely demolish it, though. So would it be normal that your gliders chew a lot? Obviously they do the test bites, but mine have mangled some of their plastic toys, like a swing toy they use, pretty good.
Well, if you've never been concerned with them eating anything, then I'm content with that. Whether or not they would eat the plastic and hurt or impact themselves was my main concern with them chewing so much. |
TJones09 Posted - Sep 29 2015 : 01:18:27 PM
I have to agree with both replies. I'll share with you about my first pair of gliders. I homed them, both females, around 1yr old with a couple months difference in age. The original family who re-homed them had a decent cage for them and a glider safe wheel, but little else as accessories and toys go. They had no real decent sleeping pouch and not another fleece item for furnishings. The only other toys besides their wheel were three cat or bird jiggle balls, that's it. Needless to say, their wheel was fiercely chewed, to a point where safety issues were concerned because the gaskets was so destroyed, the wheel would eventually come apart. I gathered furnishing and toys for them as quickly as I could and replaced the wheel as soon as possible. Now their new wheels have test-chew marks, but they do not over-chew them to the point of destruction. Having other hard plastic items offered in hanging toys and bins has made a world of difference. They test-chew everything, lol.
Items mentioned above, and lots of choices of activities should help with the chewing issue. |
Candy Posted - Sep 29 2015 : 10:03:30 AM
Gliders are pretty good at chewing on toys and spitting out any bits of plastic they break off. I have never worried about them swallowing bit of toys the chew on.
Small toys like the monkeys (Barrel of Monkeys Game) or similar toys from the Dollar Store versions of the same game (elephants, dinosaurs and bunnies) can be hung around the cage to entertain your gliders. Even just putting them on the top of the cage for gliders to pull into the cage works.
Gliders also like plastic army men, drinking straws, plastic bracelets, small treasure chests (party favors or often given out by dentists for tooth boxes) are all glider favorites.
Put things around the cage so they have to explore to find them, or toss them in a container for the gliders to rummage around in. Experiment to see what entertains your glider the most.
The down side of lots of small toys is that they will also need to be retrieved from the floor around the cage and from the cage pan each day. You might also find them carried into your glider's pouch or tucked into favorite hiding spots. |
denparkin Posted - Sep 29 2015 : 09:45:18 AM
I'm answering this more from a dog training point of view, but it may be relevant to gliders as well...Typically chewing occurs when boredom sets in. Do you have things in the cage for them to be occupied with such as wheels, hammocks, tunnels, ball pits, braided vines and foraging toys? Just a thought...
My boys favorite thing to chew on is the barrel of monkeys. |
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