Ok, it may be 2am in the morning but I'm too tickled to go to sleep without making this post.

I have a rescued female glider who at best guess is close to three years of age. (to read more about her and her cagemates' stories along with a bunch of pictures of them, go to http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=24681  )

Luna came to me VERY fluffy. I don't have any pics of her from back then to show for comparison but believe me when I say she was a chunky little monkey. Her owner told me she had been like that since he had had her, and the owner before him had said the same thing to him. From what I could gather, Luna had been obese for probably at least two years. She was unable to glide and hadn't EVER glided in the memory of either of two of her previous owners which suggested to me that Luna probably hasn't glided since she was a youngster. And I guess that there is the possibility that she never has. I have no clue about what condition she was in those first six to eight months of her life. I just know that she changed hands three times and lost two cagemates prior to me. 

Prior to me and two owners back, Luna was fed a diet of bread, pancakes, marshmellows, nuts... Pretty much every no no in the book. The guy I had gotten her from did a little bit better by feeding her some fruit and chicken, but still stuck to a heavy pelleted diet and nuts. No veggies. He had had her for a year when I took her and had been unable to reduce her weight. (duh. Kinda hard if you are feeding nuts)

I've only had her for a few months but I put her on HPW and my fruit and veggie recipes with the proper ca:ph ratio that I have posted in the nutrition section under the resources tab at the top of this website. She's only been on this diet for a short time but the difference is amazing. 

Although not discolored, when I got her, her fur was very brittle and dry, not soft like I was used to, and it had a cracked appearance, like mud dried too quickly in the sun. The fur on her tail was thin and stubby, near nonexistent. And she was so fat that she just waddled and crawled. She couldn't really jump, let alone glide.

Now, her fur is silky and her tail is fluffing up. And she had lost enough weight that she was making some pretty good jumps in her cage this past week or so, getting more and more active as time has gone on. But tonight during playtime was the FIRST time my baby girl GLIDED!! Most likely for the first time in two years.

It was pretty cute, too. She normally just chills out in my arms or on my shoulder during playtime as she's never really been able to join in. So while LittleBit and Lilo are running around and gliding back and forth between me and the furniture or silk trees, Luna is like a little disabled kid sitting on the sidelines with mommy, watching the other children play and do what she can't.

Well, my shy little girl decided tonight that she had had enough of sitting on the sidelines with mommy! One minute she's on my shoulder, I turn away in order to catch LittleBit as he's jumping back to me from another location and then Luna is GONE! I turn back to figure out where she is and she's a good three to four feet away, SCRAMBLING desperately and clumsily to hang onto the branch of my silk tree that she landed on, and upside down to boot! :D

 Bless her little heart, she was determined not to miss out on the fun tonight! Lilo adores the silk tree and will spend almost all of her play time in it and Luna was DONE with watching her best friend get to play on something she couldn't! Even if that meant she was left hanging upside down, barely able to hang on to that stinkin' branch and about to get a lesson in gravity! Lol!

 I was so ridiculously proud of her, it's pathetic!! I was praising her and cooing at her as if she was a human baby who had just taken her first step. (I'm sure she thought I was nuts.) I rescued her from her precarious predicament, and let her crawl around on the tree for a few minutes before collecting her back up again. Then I took a few steps back and waited to see if she would do it again.

I could see the wheels turning in her little mind while she tried to pysch herself up enough to do it again. She'd crouch and tense and her tail would jerk and her little booty would twitch and she'd ALMOST take off before changing her mind. This happened a few times before she finally bit the bullet and leapt. This time nailing her landing beautifully!

I've been waiting for this day ever since I got her. I just had to stay up to share with those who would understand why I'm acting like such a proud mama. (my family and friends not involved with the fuzzbutts have the tendancy to just look at me funny.)

 Now I can go to bed... Lol!


   

how does one trust them to let them glide around the room mines not done that yet am afraid he will just run off.very cute story,oh yeah my boy loves the food.

Aww! Yay Luna!

That's great!

Most people use a glider safe room to let their gliders out and about in. It definitely makes it harder for them to run away in a confined area.

Good for Luna! I'm proud of her too. Now you know, just like a baby with her first steps, you won't be able to keep up with her! Ain't it grand!

I am happy for both of you. Thanks for taking the time to tell us the story.

Yea..Im so happy for her I could cry happy tears!

Yea Luna!!! That is wonderful news. I understand why you are so excited and proud of her.

Yay Luna!!
I can feel your excitement and how proud you are from your story!

I know exactly how you feel. Sugar is my chunky monkey, and he and Nibbles never had the chance to glide their whole life before I rescued them. We tried everything to coherse them to glider, and then one day, POOF! Isn't it just the GREATEST feeling?

Congratulations to you, and Luna!

congrats! I can totally understand your excitement..... You must be one proud momma!

Woo Hoo....That is so Awesome. Way to go Luna!!!

Thanks everyone! It is a pretty cool thing, isn't it? It's taken awhile to get her rehabilitated enough to get to this point. Especially since I wasn't sure if she would make it this long.

Bossladytaylor - I'm glad your baby likes the food! I was wondering how it was going. Glad I was able to help. And yeah, some people have a glider safe room or bathroom that they let their gliders loose in. I don't, but that's because my babies are pretty good about staying with me, and my apartment is pretty much pet proof anyway, there's really nothing they can hurt themselves on that I can't intercept them in time to keep them from. But regardless about how you do it, it is critical not only for your relationship but your glider's well being that he gets out of the cage playtime. It kind of like having a puppy but you never take it out of it's kennel. You'll never have a true relationship with the animal or experience all the joy that goes along with having one if it's never allowed out of the cage. Besides, if a glider is bonded to you it will usually stick close to you. My boy LittleBit might jump off of me and go play on something of explore for a minute or so, but then he'll come running back to me as he's very much a mama's boy and wants me to be a part of whatever he's doing.
You just need to take your boy out in a relatively safe room and see how things go. You might be surprised by how it turns out.


Snusie - no kidding! That's actually what happened after to made those two glides! She jumped off the tree and onto the floor and went running across the floor. I wasn't expecting that as she hadn't ever done that before and LittleBit has always wanted nothing to do with the floor. Not even the bottom of their cage. Luna however, apparently doesn't suffer from this particular stigma! Lol!

SariYappa - yeah, it really is a great feeling. Ever since I got her and heard she hadn't been able to glide for so long, it had really bothered me. To finally get to a point where she can run and jump and play in her wodent wheel and now glide is a pretty cool accomplishment, especially considering her rather sad history.

Very good story. Im glad you saved this poor baby! :)