How could i know if Rilee really is pouch protective? Ive had her and Bandit for four weeks now. But shes still crabbing at me whenever im near her pouch or when shes in it. But shes completely fine if shes not in it and if i dont go near it. Is she just not bonded and thats why she crabs or is she actually pouch protective? and how can i help her with this?

Talk to her before you touch or open the pouch. That will let her know who/what is coming her way. Warning away intruders from the nest is a natural behavior. Once she learns to trust you it will become less of an issue when she knows that you are the one opening the pouch.

She has to learn to trust you first, then you will be welcomed into her space (pouch). Offering treats as a reward for letting you peek in the pouch may help as well.

It is probably too soon to tell whether it is her needing a longer bonding period or if she is pouch protective.

I have had Mr Jingles since March of 2009 and he still does that so I consider him pouch protective.

However, I am not certain what time frame would be appropriate to make that judgment. Maybe a year? But even then, only if you've made a continued effort to allow for the bonding process.

Glock is pouch protective too. The way I'm working around it is to talk to him as I approach the pouch and lay an open palm on the top so he can smell me and there isn't a good surface to bite if he's in a biting mood. Once he sniffs my hand he settles down on the crabbing and is better about it, then I can slip my hand in there for him to snuggle up next to and eventually scoop him out.

Tater and Pistol were never pouch protective, but I still make a note to say "Hi boys!" when I approach their cage and before I open their door. They usually stir in their pouches and Tater pops his head out to see if I'm bearing treats.

Take a look at Petluv's post on here. She is making open environment pouches with the direction of Bourbon for just that thing. I'm going to say that I began using open environment pouches for every rescue after talking to Bourbon and the difference is amazing! Bonding time is cut down so the gliders are able to go to new homes much quicker. I didn't use Petluv's because she wasn't making them when I started but they are really worth it.

petluvs post was what got me thinking about this. i wanted to use some of hers just in case, but i didnt know if Rilee isnt pouch protective if it would bother her? could i just try some anyway? see if she like them? you know what i mean?

i almost always talk to her when i walk into the room; i know i have to get better at it. I think if i was to put my hand over her pouch shed still find a place to bite ): but they started sleeping in a honeycomb type pouch that i got from viscousencounters. its got an open pouch on top and a closed one on the botton so i cant really reach into it, or even put my hand on top. if my phone worked id post a picture cause im really bad at describing it. but they love it.

It won't bother a non-pouch protective glider at all.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by xxashleighannxx</i>
<br />petluvs post was what got me thinking about this. i wanted to use some of hers just in case, but i didnt know if Rilee isnt pouch protective if it would bother her? could i just try some anyway? see if she like them? you know what i mean?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

From my experience, its not going to bother her if she's not pouch protective. After using them with my three gliders that were the worst offenders, I switched all my cages to it. That meant when Jane(now Krispie) was intro'd to Krackle and then Snap & Pop, their cage had to continue to use the open pouches. The gliders are LOVING them. I need to get some better pictures of it, but I thought I was bonded with (some) of them before, and I feel so much more bonded now. A simple change has made a huge difference.

They actually seem to prefer the more open style - I will hang their bonding pouch in there sometimes after an outing and when I come back later to check on everyone, they're back in one of the open ones even if i leave the pouch in over night.

maybe ill try an open environment set then. i know its going to take a while for her to bond to me, i just want to keep her comfortable.