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Sugar Gliders
First outside the cage playtime
First outside the cage playtime
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Oct 21 2010
09:39:52 PM
my possum & I had our first playtime :) my bf and I glider proofed the bathroom & lured her outta the sock. Well she explored, and I held my hand out to see if she'd climb up on me, but all she did was nip me.. should I try again tomorrow ? Or give it a day or what ?
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Oct 21 2010
09:53:44 PM
Vixie Face Hugger GliderMap Visit Vixie's Photo Album USA 707 Posts
Just sit in the room with her and let her explore. She needs to learn to trust you over time. Have some treats in hand and offer them to her. If she takes it from you that's a great start!
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Oct 21 2010
10:00:47 PM
sugarpossum Joey Visit sugarpossum's Photo Album GA, USA 36 Posts
That's what I did. But she still wouldn't come to me. I dont think she's ever been played with :( which is sad cause she seems like she has an amazing personality. My nephew gave her to me cause he didn't have time for her and she didn't like his wife or him, I heard. And they said they got her at 9 weeks. Idk if that was oop or what, but you can tell she's older than that. uhhh, I just wished she loved me.. :(
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Oct 21 2010
10:01:46 PM
angelmom Goofy Gorillatoes GliderMap Visit angelmom's Photo Album USA 2002 Posts
Sugarpossum- don't give up! you aren't giving her a chance. Patience is key!
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Oct 21 2010
10:07:03 PM
Jmekatzoe@yahoo.com Glider Visit Jmekatzoe@yahoo.com's Photo Album USA 52 Posts
sugarpossom don't give up! Before you know it she will recognize you from across the room. Puppy was the same way and now he is absolutely adorable at night time when he wants me to come see him and say hello and he means it right now. :o)
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Oct 21 2010
10:29:48 PM
virtual_diver Face Hugger Visit virtual_diver's Photo Album virtual_diver's Journal USA 574 Posts
I would take her out every night for bathromm play time. Have lots of toys for her. Talk quitely to her & try not to make sudden moves. Just let her play. Offer treats, if not from your hand, at least close to you. She will probably watch you while your watching her. As long as you don't try to pet her or grab her, she will learn to trust you. As they gain trust, they will be more likely to take treats from your hand. Take it slow & easy. She will come around.
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Oct 22 2010
07:14:27 AM
bholland7 Face Hugger Visit bholland7's Photo Album bholland7's Journal USA 650 Posts
Hang in there. When she trusts you more it will happen. Just sit guitely when in playtime and she will come and climb on you. Keep offering the treats that always works for me. This can take months so relax and enjoy watching her get to know you. You have to woo her with TLC.
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Oct 22 2010
08:51:23 AM
torilynn Face Hugger Visit torilynn's Photo Album 789 Posts
She is just tasting you in the wild they nibble on everything to see if they will get a tasty treat in return. Don't make the mistake I did and feed her the treats out of your hands use tongs LOL other wise she will be like moe and chase your fingers thinking they are treats. Just keep on trying she will get the hang of it and learn to trust you.
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Oct 23 2010
07:40:37 PM
Kiwi-Fox Glider Visit Kiwi-Fox's Photo Album 126 Posts
The first time I let my new baby girl play outside I set up a blanket on the floor of my living room.

What I did was cleared all the furnature and pushed it all aside so that I could lay a king size blanket on the floor. Then I took some blocking items like large pillows, paintings (I'm an artist), flattened cardboard, and other things to set up a barricade so she couldn't just run straight out of the way.

Then my mom and I sat down and let her sit in the middle. She was shy at first, but then she started to run every which way. She got somewhat hyper, I dunno whether it was a fight/flight feeling, but we had to calm her down with a grape after play time.

She doesn't much like the outside time, she prefers snuggle time with me, because it seems she gets scared when she's out in the open.
Maybe that's why Possum bit you?
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Oct 23 2010
10:51:41 PM
virtual_diver Face Hugger Visit virtual_diver's Photo Album virtual_diver's Journal USA 574 Posts
Hi Kiwi-Fox. I too am an artist!

Sugarpossum, I was just going to mention that my gliders love their bathroom time. Every eveing they are reluctant to come out of their pouch but once they are out, they have a ball! Then I can hardly get them back in their pouch to go back to the cage.

They will probably be nervous at first & they may pick up on the fact that you are nervous. I would keep trying every night! If she likes snuggling, you may be ahead of the game. Mine don't have time for such!
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Oct 24 2010
10:22:15 AM
sugarpossum Joey Visit sugarpossum's Photo Album GA, USA 36 Posts
bathroom time is our playtime. Since its the smallest room & less hazardous. She is so cute and funny scampering around the floor. It makes me love her more. :) she trys to bite everything & she's always smelling stuff, but she don't get near me. I would love to snuggle with her but I don't wanna grab her and hurt her or scare her. I usually put a golf ball in there with us cause she loved it the first night & when its in her cage, but the past 2 nights she doesn't want it.. She's finally wanting to explore I think. I've been trying to find a barrel of monkeys for her, but theyre nowhere to be found around here. and I offer treats. Tonight is gonna be the 4th night for playtime :) I can't wait. Last night it was a quicker process for her to actually come outta the sock :) but shes still quick to go back in it when playtimes over.

( p.s. She's getting her first cage set soon. :) its been ordered, just waiting on it to get here. I hope she likes it ! )
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Oct 24 2010
12:57:53 PM
kazko Little Bunny FooFoo GliderMap Gliderpedia Editor Visit kazko's Photo Album kazko's Journal TX, USA 6747 Posts
Sugar gliders nip each other, especially young ones. It is part of their behavior. I cant say what it is all about but it might be a test of being alive, looking for food, could be part of the colony dynamics such as pecking order... I have watched parents nip at baby feet and I have seen babies learn to nip from the parents. Something that does not respond to a nip is always worth exploring further.

I know that my old momma who died a few months ago felt really bad the morning she died and all she did was sit there still, perhaps trying to stay alive or find comfort. Her offspring girl came up to her and started with a groom or a nip that went unanswered which turned into a bite and then turned into a huge gaping hole in her skin that was being ripped open by her own child. And this is the time that I found her of course and was able to remove her. She was still alive and able to attack me for messing with her, yet she let her own child eat on her skin.

Gliders almost never mean ill will, it is their nature to bite everything and see what comes of it. Now, what you do then is where the magic comes in. If you hit the animal, it will turn that nip-test into a bite next time because it will remember you attacking it. So dont do it. Remember that it is simply acting on instinct, not anger. There are various methods for responding, collecting, restraining or conditioning the animal and it does not involve roughness or anger on your part.

A nip can hurt but it doesnt break the skin. A second nip often will because they are continuing their exploration of the "thing" and advancing their response.

When a sugar glider receives a nip, they usually squeak, push back, nip back, fight or run away. This ends the nip/biting. This tells the nipper that what they were nipping at is alive and/or perhaps not going to fight back for dominance.

When you receive a nip, you can mimic a glider's behavior. Bump the nose, squeak or go "TSSSST", withdraw. Keep an active eye when working with a nipper. They will always come in for a nip so you will always preempt that with a nose bump or a sound. Nip them first instead. Work to establish dominance in a way they understand and after some time they will begin to remember the pattern. Present your tougher knuckles or wrist instead of your finger tips. Tease a nip/bite then respond in the sugar glider way.

My conditioned way of presenting myself to all of my gliders is by an immediate and light nose bump. This is how I say hello and they are used to it. This gives them a conditioned greeting, a second to process that it is me and safe and then I can pet them or grab at them. They never bite from nose bump hellos, even the few biters that I have. The ones that I can love on usually get a nose bump by my actual nose when I say hello. I will stick my head in the cage and bump noses just because I am stupid that way and have to get my cuddly-wuddly on. It's amazing how much wetness is on a glider nose.

I have worked with biters in the past that have gotten 'better' under various conditioning techniques. I have literally seen them come right close in for a bite with open mouth but then stop after either realizing it was me and/or also recalling the conditioning. That is a sweet moment. Reward it. Gliders respond to treating.

I have a blind boy who has never seen and he always bites at me when he smells me. I have recently gotten him to improve by feeding mealworms by hand. He has to smell me first to get a worm. Now when he smells me he thinks he is getting a treat and he looks for that over biting me. He gets a nose bump greeting, and then he will crawl up my hand looking for a bowl of mealies instead of biting at me. I have replaced his fixated fear of me with a positive memory of treats. It isnt the end result I want but it is an improvement that is worth reinforcing.

So you can succeed or improve here but you need to think about the right way to do it and never lose it because the sugar glider will remember when you are mean to it and that ruins everything.

P.E.T.E.R: Patience. Effort. Training. Enforce. Repeat.

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Oct 24 2010
01:07:50 PM
Mollysmom Goofy Gorillatoes GliderMap Visit Mollysmom's Photo Album MI, USA 2011 Posts
Great post, Kazko!

I agree. I think the little nips are a glider's way of sometimes communicating with other gliders and us. They mean various things, depending on the severity and context of the nips. I know that sometimes Buddy will jump up on my shoulder during play time and slap and quickly nip at my ear. I think he's saying something like,"Come get me, I wanna play!" I know that I am "humanizing" a glider's communications, but coming from a background where I work with human beings that cannot, for the most part, communicate their needs with words--and instead, through their behaviors--I don't think this is at all a stretch.

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Oct 24 2010
01:15:25 PM
torilynn Face Hugger Visit torilynn's Photo Album 789 Posts
Wow Kazko thx it really puts biting into a new perspective.

I agree let her work her way up to you, the more you play with her the more she will learn to trust you. Before you know it you will be her own personal jungle gym.
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Oct 24 2010
08:40:35 PM
sugarpossum Joey Visit sugarpossum's Photo Album GA, USA 36 Posts
Okay so were having playtime as I'm writing this.. I'm using my phone. But she doesn't wanna come outta the corner for nothing ! Every other night she scampers around, but not tonight :( I can pet her though.. Does this sound good or bad ?
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Oct 25 2010
12:06:51 AM
sugarpossum Joey Visit sugarpossum's Photo Album GA, USA 36 Posts
So tonight everytime I walk in the room where her cage is at she hides & doesn't come out. I mean I sit there and talk to her for the longest time but she won't come out. :( I think she hates me more now :( I'm trying so hard to find her a friend but I can't even get her to like me :( I hope she warms up to me atleast a little so I know I'm doing something right.. & I know it takes patience but I feel like all the work I've put in since I've had her went down the drain :( I feel so dishearted right now :(
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Oct 25 2010
02:06:41 AM
KristyvanErven Glider Visit KristyvanErven's Photo Album KristyvanErven's Journal MO, USA 140 Posts
When I was working with my glider, I let him explore a bit and allowed him to come to me. And I would gently stroke his back a little. You could try something like that.
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Oct 25 2010
08:24:34 AM
virtual_diver Face Hugger Visit virtual_diver's Photo Album virtual_diver's Journal USA 574 Posts
Patients, patients. It takes time. You've only been doing this for 4 days.
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Oct 25 2010
01:32:55 PM
dparr Super Glider Visit dparr's Photo Album 264 Posts
sugarpossum-both walmarts around me carry the barrel of monkeys in the kid's games section. You can also buy them online:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BARREL-MONKEYS-GREEN-MB-2003-COMPLETE-EXC-COND-/160497925207?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255e6bfc57

(I think that one on ebay is even cheaper than the one I got from walmart!)
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Oct 25 2010
02:45:12 PM
JcH2290 Glider Visit JcH2290's Photo Album USA 181 Posts
Wow! Great post Kazko!

Everyone is right. Your doing fine! Keep up with it! Patience is key! She'll come around! Good luck!!

edited because i cant spell

Edited by - JcH2290 on Oct 25 2010 03:16:23 PM
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Oct 25 2010
09:34:06 PM
sugarpossum Joey Visit sugarpossum's Photo Album GA, USA 36 Posts
So tonight I can even get her out of the cage to take her for playtime :( I seriously think she's getting depressed & I'm worrying my butt off about it. She ain't eating and all she does is wanna lay in her hammock. I was told that she sleeps in a sock and so ever since I got her I've kept a sock in her hammock for her to crawl in & she's been living it. Then someone said they weren't safe for her, so I ordered her a cage set. But today/tonight she ain't been in it.. I think I scared her somehow. I'm trying so hard to find her a cagemate. And tomorrow ima make an appt for her to go to the vet, hopefully. ( where I live there barely is any & idk if they'll take an "exotic animal" ) I'm just so worried. :( I love her & I was just want her to be happy & healthy.
First outside the cage playtime

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Sugar Gliders
First outside the cage playtime