HI!! i'm new to the site and own 2 gliders, one male (zeus) and one female (zoey). i got them about a week ago and they seem like they don't want to warm up. zeus is overweight and i dont know how to help him lose the extra weight. if anyone has any advice for me i would love to hear anything that can help!

its only been a week.
can't expect a glider trust
you that quickly. keep playing
with them and stuff. it also depends
on the gliders on how long it takes
for them to bond trust you.

What are you feeding them and have you taken them to the vet for a checkup and fecal? This is VERY important. Also, not just any vet will take them. Have you ever heard of a bonding tent? You can go to wal-mart and buy the Jr.Dome tent, it's about $15-$20.00 and you just set it up, throw some toys in there and play with your babies in the tent. It definately helps them to bond with you. Also, I like the zipper bonding pouches. I feel like that helps too. But, I have my Wednesday whom I've had a good 6 months or so and she still hasn't warmed up to me. They do it all on their own time.

Welcome! Do you have a wheel for them? A wheel will allow him to exercise while he's in the cage. Diet is extremely important as well. Do you have any idea what diet they were on before and what are they on now?

Maybe the person before was over feeding them too! Just try not to give them so many treats during the day and just more of his normal food and maybe he will drop some of that weight off.

thank you guys so much! ya i do have a wheel but he doesn't really like it. and i have no clue on what the previous ownwer was feeding him. i also have scheduled an appointment with the doc this week. as far as treats go i dont really give them too many because he is overweight and im really concerned.

WELCOME TO GLIDERGOSSIP!!!!!!
:D
their are so many new people latly!!!! its great!!
do you have a wodent wheel? if not you should get one of those! they work great for little furr butts!
and definatly (sorry for my spelling!) talk to the vet about the weight deal!
the vet should give you some information on what to do for him!

good luck!

Bree

Welcome to the site! I can relate to feeling a bit frustrated when I first got Lola. It took her a couple of weeks to warm up and some suggies take longer than others. Don't give up! They will come around. You could always put an old piece of cloth in thier home that has your scent.

Kourt, what kind and size of wheel is it? Feel free to upload a photo to your album here. If it is the right thing, most all sugars will get used to the wheel and use it. If I have two animals in a cage, I try to have two wheels so that they have a place to exercise as well as hide away if desired.

Your animals probably need a larger cage than you have them in. They need high places to roost and nest and other things to explore. You need to spark their curiosity and mind and then the interest in you will follow.

Exotic animals will take a bunch more time than you ever expected to tame up. You will need to display an unending amount of patience here for this. If you become impatient, the animal will know and will remember. If you get bit hard and slap the animal or throw it or scream, it will remember and will pretty much always be afraid of you. These are not easy to tame. They are worth it though. When a colony lets you into the group, it is truly neat. I have 17 sugars across three cages and I can almost identify each on by how they interact with the others. Each animal has a personality. One thing I have learned is that it is much easier to tame a colony than it is a single glider. When one animal warms up to you, the others see it and start getting curious or jealous for attention or treats. It's a useful effect. If I were a breeder, I'd be sure to bring litters into a colony cage so that the animals could learn as much as possible before leaving the cage.

I highly recommend a Stealth Wheel. They are so much cleaner than the other wheels available. They are more expensive, but well worth every penny. I have 3 gliders and have 2 wheels in their cage. And let me tell you, the only time those wheels arent in use are when the girls are sleeping.

rita where can i get a stealth wheel?