Hello everyone. I am new to gliders and had a few questions.

First: I am interested in building a PVC cage in the future and would like any possible ideas on how much this could run me and blue prints on good set ups.

Second: While looking for gliders I (obviously) came across The Pet Glider. I live in the mid-west so if I ever decided to purchase gliders from here I would have to have them shipped and wondered if this would be a good option for me or to do more research on different breeders and rescues in my area only.

Third: I did obtain two female gliders a week ago for a person on craigslist. They are 8 months OOP sisters.

My first question is diet, are supplements a must and if so what would be the best ones I should get? I do have them on a mix of fruits and veggies as well as eggs for protein; I've just been having a hard time deciding on a supplement route.

My next one is playtime. Hopefully I'm not moving to fast in doing tent time with my gliders but these guys were very social and warmed up to me pretty quickly. However, I have been dealing with one of them nipping at my hands and hair/face at times. None of it in an aggressive way, I think it is for other reasons. I would like to correct the biting part of the behavior in the best way I can. Do I just need to keep up with the "psst" noise as well as removing her when she is doing it?


I have looked in all over these forums and have found some answers but would like a more concrete answer before I go any further. Thank you for your time

Welcome to the forum You will likely get different opinions on some questions and the same opinions on others

Personally, I think you spend about as much on the materials to build your own cage as you would to just buy a cage. However, you can build as big of a cage you like with the materials... some find them very easy to make others think they are huge pain in the arse so really depends on who ya ask. I think pvc cages are harder to clean others don't have any issue with them.

I have no experience with having a glider shipped to me, I don't think I have the nerves for it I panic when shipping Non Living items as it is lol. But again, other folks have had great experiences with having them shipped, so likely it depends on the breeders and airlines process.

Supplements are a must, but which ones depend on which staple diet you chose. Each recipe may require different supplements so it's best to find one you can 1 afford, 2 feel comfortable making, and 3 one your gliders will like and eat the best. Some recipes you can find all the ingredients locally like BML, other recipes you need to order the supplements for online like the pet glider fresh diet. Each recipe needs to be followed precisely to maintain the ratio of calcium to phosphorous the diet provides. You can check out some of Candy's recipes here http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/Staple-Recipes.html I don't have the links to the most current BML or pet glider fresh one but I'm sure someone will post them for you.

As for play time, if they are being as social as you say they should be fine with tent time or bathroom time. Some of the nipping at your hair and such maybe grooming, and can feel like biting sometimes, they will scrape their teeth on you to try to remove a freckle or blemish or something they don't think belongs on you. If it is actual biting the psst sound can sometimes help, but not always. She might just be testing her boundaries or checking to see if a bite will bring a snack.

Are you using a bonding bag at all during the day??

Thank you for the information

I was pretty sure I should be getting supplements but a vet nearby said it wasn't a must as long as they got 50% protein 25% fruits and 25% veggies. I'll look more into what diet I would like to go with and buy those items as soon as possible.

I do use a bonding pouch in the evenings and lead up to doing some playtime around the time they are ready to get up. I didn't really think that she could be testing boundaries. Seems possible because she has a spunky personality. I kind of assumed it was a grooming/scent marking from what I had read, but that makes just as much sense.I think the jolting (reflex) and sounds as well as gently pushing her out of that area is helping for her to understand I don't like that. I have started giving her treats when she is on my shoulder and not messing with my head. I do wear a hoodie when I can as well to avoid it but I know that wont help her to understand not to do it.

The supplements are important to provide adequate calcium in their diet to prevent hind leg paralysis. Vet's are important allies but unfortunately they aren't nutritionist and usually are not very schooled in glider diets. A lot of times they only know what promoters from the companies that make pet food tell them.

For gliders 50% protein is a lot of protein, to much protein can cause a glider to take on a stronger smell. I think the vets proportions are a little off, I don't think it's recommended for any one part of the diet to be 50% of the entire meal. Protein ( meats in-particular ) are also usually loaded with iron which can be hard on a gliders organs like their liver and kidneys over time.

The protein is usually a smaller percentage that is mixed in the staple recipe so their is protein in every serving but not enough to make up half of the entire meal. Like BML for instance, it uses 2 jars of chicken baby food that are 2.5 oz a jar that's not that much when the recipe makes enough staple to last 2 gliders about a month.

Otherwise, everything your doing sounds like your on the right path for a great bond with your new furbabies When I wear my hoodie my male wraps himself around my hair clip and goes to sleep lol when my female joins him in there I'm really not sure what she does but it feels like she's trying to braid my hair I know she grooms me a ton but she tugs on my hair and almost kneeds my head like a cat

Well, as it so happens I do plan on going to a vet that is closer to my home because I'd be pretty nervous going to the other vet now! You would think they would have a healthier idea on a good diet for their patients and their owners to provide I also thought that was a lot of protein for these guys from all the other forums and websites I read. I have seen the staples you suggested before and will go ahead with trying them out


That sounds so adorable! Hopefully my girl stops being so rough and will want to do the same to me

Thank you so much!

No Problem Yeh, I understand how ya feel, it doesn't exactly leave ya feeling confident in the vets ability We just took both of our gliders to a vet near us who is "glider experienced" which I think only meant they see a few gliders a year and feel capable of handling them.

She started asking me what we feed them so I told her my staple and fruits and veg. Then she asked if we used any calcium powder I said yeh it's in my staple. She literally had no idea what I was talking about and stopped asking me questions about diet when I explained to her that my staple has a 2.05:1 ratio

When we left the office I was not feeling so confident in her knowledge and felt like writing them up a pamphlet about glider diets But, the vets job isn't to know what food they "should" be eating, their job is to know the anatomy and health issues and medical procedures pertaining to that specific species. So really can't be to hard on them for not knowing every detail about them unless it's a glider specialist then they should know more.

True. There probably isn't many glider owners out here for the vets to see very many. I totally forgot about the fact that I ran into someone who interned at the vet I plan to go to that asked me about how I could handle their smell. I stared at her blankly because I had no idea what she was talking about the first thing my friend said when we picked them up was how they smelled so good (which I agree with)

It helps having so many internet sources and especially this forum to help newbies like me give their new babies the best they can. I would have never felt so prepared for these guys without these resources.

I was lucky with my glider's vet out here in MD. When she asked what I fed them, i told her OHPW, and she says "oh good, that's my favorite ". So I knew she was familiar with the recognized diets. There were other things that impressed me too. But now having moved back to MD, I live a lot farther away from that animal clinic, it would be worth the drive through. I've head there is a good one closer to me though, so I'm going to check them out, doesn't hurt to have two vets you can trust their care with.

The other topics have been discussed well. ^
I agree...getting a good staple diet is of utmost importance. Higher protein is also attributed to males having liver problems, as well as the stronger scent (mentioned). Breeding females are the only ones who need the extra protein. There is a database of vets that will accept calls for consultation on gliders, but will only accept calls from vets. If you have a shortage of true glider experienced vets, they could consult and will have any meds on hand for the run of the mill issues that you may run into. They just need to know the right dosage amounts, etc.

I can answer your questions about The Pet Glider and Priscilla Price. My current trio are from her and all were shipped from TX to FL. They are true pro's in breeding healthy thriving gliders and in the shipping process. They ship overseas from what I understand. Was I nervous? Absolutely on the edge of my seat both times. But, the gliders did much better than what I anticipated...they probably fared better than I did!!! I have a sister pair of platinums and a mosaic male from her. Highly recommend and they are very available for future contact, questions, etc.

Welcome to the forum! As for the PVC cage...I am building one now. If you search this site using the search button in upper right corner, do a search for pvc cage. This is the one I built. It gives you everything you need and where you can get the items. I have built mine for about $65 and it is huge. It is very lightweight so I can pick it up by myself and take it outside to be be cleaned. The one I have currently is heavy so I need another person. I will say that you have to modify the measurements some. Whomever created the lengths of the cuts of poles, didn't account for the connecting couplers. So if you make it according to the instructions, the area for the doors is too big and would allow for escape. We just had to trim down 4 poles a little over an inch and then the doors fit great!

I know what you are saying about the grooming/biting. Now, keep in mind I have only had my girls for a couple of weeks...but Zadie (my fiesty one) runs up to my shoulder and starts licking me. Ok fine...then she starts scraping her bottom teeth which at first was fine but when she kept going in the same spot, it got a little painful. So, I pick her up to move her and she bites me. (*&^%^%**^!!! Not hard but just enough to let me know she didn't appreciate it. Well, she nipped a few more times that night. I am wondering if she wasn't in heat because she hasn't been like that since.

I guess my whole point to this was see if she does it every time you have her out to play or if it is just a day or two because it may be related to a heat cycle.

Welcome again!