I just got a new sugar glider 2 days ago. I am trying to get her to go into one of her pouches so I can begin to bond with her by carrying her around. She has never crabbed. In her cage she sleeps in a plush suggie house. I got her from another owner who could no longer keep her and they did not provide very much information unfortunately. I do not know how old she is nor how to tell. From the pictures I have seen online, she appears to be a young adult. She only comes out of her house late at night and early morning. I took the advice i read and decided not to attempt to hold her for 48 hours. It has been 48 hours. I want to cuddle her in her pouch so bad! This morning she seemed very interested in me, so I opened her cage and she took a peanut and a raisin from my hand. I opened one of her pouches and she did climb inside, but she didn't just settle in; she crawled around inside for about 5 seconds and then crawled right back out about 4-5 times in a row! I didn't think it would be a good idea to lock her inside the pouch so I let her crawl back out of it. I had to take my kids to school so by the time I got back she was already back in her house sleeping. She is in there sleeping now. She obviously doesn't want to wake up as I have tried making a little noise to get her attention as well as holding a freshly sliced grape by her and she sleeps through it. I have not gotten to pet her yet. Can someone tell me how to get her into her pouch so that I can bond with her as she sleeps? Should I attempt to pet her as she sleeps in her house? Please help as I am unsure what to do!!

Oh, and I didn't have any yogurt or applesauce but I went and bought some earlier and plan to feed her some off of my finger when she wakes up :)

You do know they are nocturnal right? Thus being why she doesn't really want to get up in the day. It's the middle of her night. What are you feeding her?

Omi is correct, they are nocturnal so you won't get much activity from her during the day.

This is the time you need to have her in a bonding pouch on your person so she gets used to your scent & your voice while she sleeps.

what diet are you feeding
as for the pouch i would put it in the cage so she can smell it and see that it will be ok bc you dont know if she ever been in one
good luck

I am feeding her Vita Exotics sugar glider formula as dry food in her cage at all times. I gave her Gliderade last night and plan to do so every 2-3 days. She always has fresh water. Every night before I go to bed I put fresh food in her cage and remove the uneaten food in the morning. So far I have given her sliced apple, broccoli bits, small amount of boiled egg, very small piece of bread. She liked the egg and apple but it didn't look like she ate any of the broccoli or bread. I have only had her since Monday evening. Today I went to the grocery store and bought some Gerber baby meat sticks (I made sure no onion powder was added), kiwi, watermelon, green and red grapes, applesauce, honey, applejuice, and yogurt. Oh, she likes peanuts and raisins. Although she took a peanut from my hand she dropped it shortly afterwards. And I left a peanut in her cage the evening I got her and she also dropped it. I have seen her eat 2 halves of raisins.

Are these foods okay/correct? Any suggestions?

Welcome to the Forum!! :)
Umm... grapes are one of those debatable menu items. Most people won't dare feed them to their suggies because grapes are known to cause renal failure in dogs. (Not everyone abides by this... but since Sugar Gliders have only been house pets in the US for less that 20 years we are all kinda learning together on these amazing little guys. With that being said, if it is known to harm another animal, we generally don't even take the chance with these guys.) So raisins, being a pruned grape... probably not a good idea either.
Could you post pictures of your baby? Maybe some of the other members could help guesstimate an age for you. Have you set an appointment for her to be seen by a vet yet? Do you need a number for a good exotic vet local to you?

Well, I do know that she has been in her pouch before because the person I got her from had her in the pouch when I first met her. A couple days later he asked me if I could adopt the sugar glider because he could no longer keep her. So, I did. I am aware they are nocturnal; and I don't expect her to get up and play during the day but I am trying to figure out how to get her into her pouch so I can just hold her/carry her in the pouch as she sleeps. I am not sure if reaching in her house and pulling her out and then placing her in her pouch is an option. I do not want to upset her! I did not know grapes and raisins weren't an approved suggie food so I will avoid feeding those to her (and thank you for the tip)!

**Edited to say: I will take a few pictures of her when she wakes up tonight and post them. I would love to know about how old she is!!

As far as a vet, that is something I will look into as well :)

If she's used to people she may not mind you reaching into her sleeping bag. You could put the bonding pouch on your hand like a glove, inside out...reach gently in and scoop her up then fold the pouch over her so she's inside of it.

I had the same fear with my first glider when I got him. (I was also scared to death that he may lunge at me and take a chunk out of my finger. lol) So I cut a fleece blanket up into a bunch of small 'suggie blankets'. (About 12in x 12in)
I use that to pick him up, since they don't seem to bite through fleece for whatever confusing and wonderfully convenient reason.
Today I use those same fleece blankets to tuck him in my shirt top and he snuggles right in - as this has now become his preferred 'pouch' to travel in. They are also amazingly easy to wash.

As for a vet, where are you located? I'm sure someone here can offer a personal recommendation. (While they may not need 'regular vet care' ie vaccinations and such... they SHOULD have a fecal done, and get a checkup at least once a year.) It will also be a good thing to have an emergency vet on call in case something happens. a 24 hr one preferably as nocturnal animals tend to have their emergencies at night.

I am located in Evansville, Indiana. I would appreciate any recommendations anyone may have! I love the fleece blanket idea! I will cut one up here in a little bit :)

I will have to go and pick up my kids from school soon but when I return I am going to try the suggestion of turning a pouch inside out and using it as a glove and then picking her up out of her house. I hope then I can tuck her in my shirt or shirt pocket and carry her with me for at least a few hours.

As far as the fleece suggie blankets, if I pick her up in one and tuck her in my shirt pocket, what will I do if she tries to crawl out? Will she glide away? My home is not sugar glider proof. I want her to be safe. Is that something she might attempt to do since she doesn't know me very well yet? I was thinking with the pouch she wouldn't have that option. Once we have bonded the blanket/pocket sleeping will probably work great :)

When I first got my baby (she's 5 months old now) she wouldn't let me touch her without crabbing. After about a month, I couldn't get her off of me. Your suggie will just have to get used to you and realize that you are not going to hurt her, but take care of her.

Licky treats are a really good way to gain trust. I used nectar on my fingers and my glider would slowly come out of her pouch. The more she came out, the further away I moved my finger til she was all the way out. And then I let her lick the nectar.

Listen to the others: grapes are probably not a good idea for suggies even though they love them. I recently heard this but before I was told not to give her grapes, Maya loved them. Grapes were her favorite. Oh well. Better safe than sorry.

Also, you need to get her on a regular staple diet along with fresh fruits and veggies every night. I'm feeding my baby Modified Leadbeater's diet. She gets a tablespoon of that, one tablespoon of fresh fruit (mango, papaya, apple, banana, peach, cantaloupe, honey due, etc.), and one tablespoon of fresh or frozen veggies (spinach, green beans, carrots, sweet potato, etc.) each night. Plus I keep a mix of dry Sugar Glider Vita pellets along with dried veggie medley in her cage at all times.

I have found this to be a really easy, cheap diet that's good for her and she loves it. I have also heard the HPW is really good. I may switch to that, not sure yet though. The biggest thing is to make sure she is getting adequate water (which comes mostly from her food), protein, and calcium plus other vitamins. And as little phosphorus as possible as it hinders the uptake of calcium. Also try to avoid high sugar and fatty foods.

If you want, you can private message me for more information. Also, we can exchange phone numbers for immediate questions/answers through talk or text. I love talking suggies :)

Hey, Suggie Love! I'm from Evansville, Indiana too!! What's your name? I might know you. haha

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by AwwSuggieLove</i>
<br />I am located in Evansville, Indiana. I would appreciate any recommendations anyone may have! I love the fleece blanket idea! I will cut one up here in a little bit :)

I will have to go and pick up my kids from school soon but when I return I am going to try the suggestion of turning a pouch inside out and using it as a glove and then picking her up out of her house. I hope then I can tuck her in my shirt or shirt pocket and carry her with me for at least a few hours.

As far as the fleece suggie blankets, if I pick her up in one and tuck her in my shirt pocket, what will I do if she tries to crawl out? Will she glide away? My home is not sugar glider proof. I want her to be safe. Is that something she might attempt to do since she doesn't know me very well yet? I was thinking with the pouch she wouldn't have that option. Once we have bonded the blanket/pocket sleeping will probably work great :)
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She may try and crawl out, but chances are she won't. the blanket becomes a pouch to her and she is more likely to feel like she is 'hiding' by being tucked in it. Tucking her in it on you though allows for a greater scent exchange than a traditional bonding pouch because it is just a thin layer of fleece vs a thicker barrier between you and her. This will get her used to your smell, the sound of your voice, and your movements (as fast movements make them skittish).

After a little while you can try and peek into the blanket 'pouch' and try to pet her slowly. If she rouses awake and crabs, KEEP your hand there and continue petting her slowly while talking very softly to her. It won't take long at all before she feels comfortable enough to sleep on you all day. My little guy doesn't even wake up most of the time when I pet him anymore. And if he does, it is only long enough to look up, see that it is me, and he will curl back up and close his eyes to sleep.

Don't worry about it, just pick her up, bites don't hurt and u can give her food or a treat to eat while doing it. Shell eventually get used to you. I got my baby when she was 4 months old and she literally wouldn't stop crabbing. If something touched her she crabbed, if something moved she crabbed. And don't be scared if she does it's bound to happen and don't feel bad because she's getting used to you. My baby(sniffles) is now 5 months old and sleeps on me, watches tv with me, sits on my shoulder, plays tag, peekaboo, and hides in my hair.

You don't want to just grab her. That will scare her. Yes the bites do hurt! I know because one of my boys got me the other day cause I grabed him plus you could get an infection from the bite. Treats are a great way to help the bonding process. Leave the bonding pouch in her cage as her only bed and then when she is asleep just zip it up and put her on. Pet her and talk to her during the day. Mine are not boned yet but I can still leave the pouch open and have access to pet them through out the day. But only when I am at home. I do not do it when I am out running around. I usally keep treat on me so If they wake up i can give them some. They like that.

Please do not feed the Gerber meat sticks - they are seasoned and contain more salt than gliders need

Feeding grapes is an on going debate. Many of us feed our gliders grapes - just not every day.

Look at the various recipes for glider staples and the feeding plans that go with each and choose a diet you are comfortable making for your glider. These recipes ensure that your glider will get the protein and calcium it needs. I have links on my web page to the original instructions for the feeding plans most often used by glider owners on the forums.

http://www.gliderkids.com/contact.html

1) I didn't say grab I said pick her up there is a big difference
2) they don't hurt
3) you said she is friendly and has had people do it before
There are many ways to do it pick the one you think will work best

Well, I would argue they don't hurt.. lol.. It really depends on how hard a biter you have, but the pain is quick

I might actually recommend changing her from her current bed to a more traditional pouch or an open pouch so that you can get to her easier. I can take the traditional pouch with my little girl out and carry it around. With my little boy (who bites) I use an open pouch and then I can easily scoop him up while he is nestled in and pop him into a bonding pouch without much fuss. Quick and simple.

I would also beg to differ about the bites. I've never been one to "just take it" unless they were little nips. They can cause infection if they bite deep enough to puncture skin:

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=26307