I got a glider from a lady who couldn't care for him anymore. Hes older but I am not sure how old. Im thinking a year or 2 years. Im his 3rd owner. Ok I have had him for almost a month now. He will take treats from my fingers. I take him out in his pouch everyday. He used to only crab at me when I messed with his cage. Now he does it when he hears my voice. He nipps my fingers every now and than. When I take him out I put his pouch next to me sometimes on my chest and talk to him. He normally doesnt crab anymore at this point. My problem is I cant get him to leave his pouch. He will watch me than hide his face or try to borrow deeper into his pouch. How is supossed to bond if he never leaves his pouch? I have gotten him to play a couple times and he will start rolling around and around in his pouch. I try to spend several hours a day with him out. Than when I put him back in his cage he will leave his pouch. So I pet him than he runs right back into his pouch and starts to crab at me again. Hes really moody I think. Ive done a ton of reseach and Im trying to wait it out. Is there anything else I can do to help him bond? Or is it true that older gliders or harder to bond with? I really love Jasper and I want him to be healthy and happy.

How long have you had him?

I hace had him for 1 month.

how much light is there in the room when you try to interract with him?

I don't think older gliders are harder to bond with because they are OLDER, but because the other owners NEVER bonded with him.
We picked up two females, they were our 3 and 4th gliders. Big mama was older and scared and never really bonded with us, she just grew to tolerate us petting her, but her cagemate sophie is are most bonded and friendly glider of all. she loves to be with ANYONE! with sleep in your shirt for hours and if given the option to go back into cage she will stay with the person.

You have a glider that has never bonded. I think you will need to keep doing what your are doing. Also make sure you are putting your scent with your glider. I would put a new scenty piece of fleece in the SLEEPING pouch every day or 2. Sleeping with your scent all the time should help.
A trick my wife would do is put her fist in the sleeping pouch, so it was hard for the glider to bite her (but they did at first) and just sit on couch with the glider sleeping with her fist/hand.

Given the glider hasn't been bonded before, I think you will have to keep at it, and give your glider lots of time. We have some that are just very slow to bond.

Gmorning,

I tend to ask a lot of questions in my responses so please bear with me.

First let me say age has little to do with "bonding" Older gliders can bond easy or hard, Joey's can bond easy or hard. It all depends on THAT glider, not the age, not the gender.

I've gotten gliders from joeys 12 weeks oop to gliders 4 yrs old and ages in between, all from various pasts and histories. Every single one of them bond differently some as fast as the day I got them and some have taken 6 months and one I've had for about 2 yrs that is still a work in progress. Every single glider is an individual with individual needs of how to approach "bonding". I can't do the same method I did with Leela for Nicky and expect the same results, they aren't the same glider and don't have the same needs. Every glider I have is on a different level of "bonded" with me some are stronger bonds than others and that's ok with me. Some love to be on me all day some rather be in their cages.

The main thing I can't stress enough is to get to know the glider, get to know the gliders needs, habits, behaviors, reactions to things you do. If the glider has a negative reaction to something try a different way next time, until you find what works for that glider.

The second thing, is to understand what "bonding" means. It's just a term that means building trust with the glider. Your earning the gliders trust, and building a friendship, both take time and patience.

If he is constantly crabbing in the pouch in the cage, he might benefit from an Open Environment pouch. A lot of times crabbing in the pouch like this means they are scared of the unseen and unknown noises. An OE pouch allows them the security of a pouch with the ability to see out of the pouch when they hear noises or get scared of shadows. The Oe pouches are shallow and open rather than deep and closed.

A simple change in the type of sleep pouch can make a huge difference. I have an adolescent male that crabbed all the time in the pouch. I put an OE pouch in there and it stopped almost the same day. If I put a normal pouch in there on wash day he crabs in it, and stops once the OE pouch is back in. This is one style of OE pouches there are many different styles to chose from, as long as they are open and shallow it will do the job. If you would like a reference to a vendor that makes quality OE pouches let me know I will give you a recommendation to my fav vendor, her prices are reasonable and her products are safely sewn.


When your glider gets returned to the cage and comes out of the pouch, what does he do? for example, when I put my gliders back in the cage they do come out and go get a drink then return to the pouch. So If I have them out for long periods of time I offer them a drink a couple times throughout the day or a juicy fruit for a treat.

sjusovare asked about lighting, lights can make gliders tuck their head down and try to hide themselves. They are trying to make themselves less noticeable and small, less of a target. Try dimming the lights

Ok so I took him out today. I had Live mealworms for him which he loved. I turned off the bright light in my room. And he came right out of his pouch. He started playing with me and my husband. Chasing strings and xlimbing all over us. He had so much fun it was a completly diffrent side of him. I did offer him water cause he was out and playing for a couple hours. He did sneak up on me and nip my fingers a couple times. It did not hurt at all so I ignored it. Finally he wore himself out and went back into his pouch to sleep. I moved the pouch onto my chest and had my hand on the bottom of it. He than burrowed himself under my hand it was amazing. He did start crabbing for a little but when I put him back in his cage. He came out to eat and drink again. And I petted him and talked to him till he went back into his pouch sleep. But after I turned out the light in his room he started running around and playing again. Its amazing how somthing so simple as turning out the lights makes such a huge differance. Thank you everyone for you advice. Things have made a huge turn around. I so happy, I thought id have to wait a couple months for him to play like this. Im so glad that is not the case.

Leela could you send me the info on the pouch your friend makes. Thank you!

Amazing what one tiny change can do isn't it ?? I'm so happy for you, your "bonding" will be launched forward now

I have a trio that wouldn't quite griping at each other for no apparent reason just crabbing and verbal grouching no fighting....., I remember advising someone to move their cage a few inches when theirs were grouching at each other so I thought well lets see what that does here, I swear I moved the cage no more than 3 inches to the left and all the grouching stopped. Just crazy what 3 inches or turning off the light can change the gliders behavior and reactions.

https://www.facebook.com/lovelysugarstitches/?fref=ts This is my favorite sewing vendor. She makes two kinds of OE pouches One is the " I " pouch and the other is the " Dream catcher" The dream catcher has toys attached and is amazing the " I " pouch is what I use for my crabby guy and he loves it.

Just send her a pm and tell her Carla sent you and that you are in need of an OE pouch. She also makes amazing cage covers and cage sets as well if you are in need of those, she will work with you on your choice of fabrics and patterns and will make the pieces you want for a cage set instead of a having to buy the entire cage set. Cage sets usually consist of a couple pouches, corner pieces, bridge, vine, and honeycomb pouch. I personally don't use all that in my cages so I just tell her what I need and that's all I'm charged for.

The dream catcher pouch , I just love this one it's awesome for hoarders and tail carriers I'll get a picture of the I pouch and post it in a few min

Leela I have a another question When he was given to me, his past owner only had him. Im not sure if he ever been around other gliders. Ive come across sevral things during my research on gliders saying you have to have more than 1 glider otherwise they willdie lonliness. What is your idea on this? Thank you for the info on the bags. And Thank you for your advice. #128518;

I apologize in advance, this will be kind of long.

Ok my personal thoughts on this sort of conflict with what the main stream says. The main stream in the glider community in general, scream to get a cage mate immediately. I do not.

I don't do that for several reasons the first is, it's not a realistic expectation of already overwhelmed new owners that barely have a handle on the glider they already have.

I also feel it makes the new owner feel guilty for buying or receiving a single glider, when we shouldn't be making people feel guilty for a decision that is not ours to make.

There is more to it than simply going out and buying a second glider. There are far to many things that are not factored in when buying a second glider because people rush out and get the first one they find to be considered a GOOD new owner by the community they are asking help from.

New owners are quickly in over their head at this point and have very few people willing to spend the time to help them do introductions in a safe manner.

So then we have brand new owners buying a second glider they probably can't afford yet and don't have a second cage and enough supplies built up to house two gliders in separate cages until they can safely be introduced.

Brilliant isn't it? So what happens is, the new owner gets home with new glider and has no where to put it so it goes right into the cage with the current glider. It might work out ok, it might end with one of the gliders dying. Bottom line it's a risk. The new glider may be carrying parasites or an illness that the other glider can get. The gliders may fight, one may be injured then we have vet bills the new owner can't afford. If one of the gliders are injured and need separated and there is no other cage to put the injured one in then what?

All the people screaming GET A CAGE MATE they neeeeeeed a cage mate! They will die without a cage mate they will self mutilate without a cage mate!!!!.... don't ever tell the new owners any of this, just go out and get a cage mate end of story. The new owner is not prepared for this and have no one to guide them through the process cause those same people screaming for you to go get another glider are to busy telling someone else the same thing to help you with the glider you bought because of them.


Myths
1 the glider will die if it doesn't have a cage mate. False

2 the glider will self mutilate if it doesn't have a cage mate. False

3 the glider will be depressed if it doesn't have a cage mate. Sometimes. But there are signs and behaviors that will give you signs that that is the case and it's not always the case at all.

4 the glider won't thrive if it's by itself. Depends on the glider some do some don't.

5 Every glider needs a cage mate. FALSE. Some gliders do not want a cage mate. Some gliders have killed every cage mate they have been introduced to, that is fact and I can produce owners that have dealt with that.

There will be people that will argue and disagree with me on all this and that's ok, but if I ask them for proof they can not produce any. All they can produce is the fact that gliders are colony animals and are known to do better in a colony environment.

Do I think that cage mates can be and are beneficial to most gliders? Yes, in general I do. However, every glider is an individual with individual needs. Some gliders don't need a cage mate. To determine if you should get a cage mate or not get to know the glider you already have. Get to know his "normal" and what it looks like so you will recognize when his behavior is NOT his normal.

If he shows signs, such as over grooming ( and if your not sure what this is or what it looks like please ask I will show you with pics ) If he develops habitual habits like back flips, circles, excessive grooming, running on the wheel more those are signs that a change is needed.

If you feel you will want to add another glider start preparing before you buy the second glider. Get a temp cage, keep in mind the glider should be in the temp cage for about a month possibly longer. Get a second wheel, more toys, extra pouches and accessories, a second bonding bag, water bottle... Buy things here and there so it's not so hard on your wallet. Save up for vet bills, a wellness exam and fecal test on the new glider to ensure it's healthy before introducing it to yours. Prepare in advance will make it much easier rather than scrambling to get what you need after the purchase.

Do I feel there is an age limit to introduce a new glider ? No, I don't, if that is what's best for that glider. Gliders as old as 9 10 11 yrs old that have always been alone have been successfully introduce to new gliders. Again it depends on the glider.

Choosing an appropriate cage mate is also important and many don't do that or don't know how to do that. The last glider I got was given to me. Danzig my adolescent male was paired with her by me telling Bourbon about Danzig about his behaviors and habits about his insecurities and crabbiness. She said Cocoa will be well suited for him. The minute he was introduced to her he became a whole new glider. She exudes confidence, she walked in and owned the cage like it had always been hers. She also acts like I raised her by hand from the first day she got here ( she's about 2 yrs old when she arrived here ) she won't leave my body since she won't leave my body now he won't either he used to not stay on me at all lol. Their dynamic is like nothing I've seen in my other cages and they are amazing to watch.

Now If I had just gone out and bought a glider would this be the case? not likely. If I had bought another insecure glider, I'd have two insecure gliders on my hands, two crabby babies, two gliders jumping off me. It really made a difference having the breeder be involved with who would go well with him. Not all breeders will do this with you though some are just out for the quick sale.

Once you make the choice to get a 2nd. Research different introduction methods and get familiar with more than one method. I have done several different kinds of introductions, some were successful some were not. One ended with injuries to a female. It's a risk no matter how well researched and planned out it is.

Before intro's also get yourself a bottle of Vetericyn VF you can find it on amazon for about 20 bucks. It's amazing stuff that I feel every glider owner should have on hand.

It is safe to spray it anywhere on the glider including the eyes and face, it's safe if they ingest it from grooming as well. It heals scratches and cuts and bite wounds much faster than without it and is a antibacterial that will help keep the wound clean in case you can't get to the vet immediately at least you will have that to apply to the wound at home.

If you get a second cage and a second glider make sure the cages are at least 12 inches apart to prevent tail injuries from the other glider. Tails stick out about 7 o 8 inches a gliders reach with their arm is about 3 inches that's 10 inches right there.... so at least 12 inches apart or have a safe solid divider between the two cages.

Another thing to consider is, Is your male intact or neutered? If he is intact it would be wise to neuter before you introduce to another male and the new male should be neutered as well. If the 2nd is a female they will breed if he is intact and if you don't have his lineage you have no idea if you will be inbreeding or not. This is a whole other long topic and discussion ...

I think I have covered everything except in depth introduction methods, which I can do another post about if you'd like. I would advise you to get to know what is available to you where you are located. Are you thinking about a joey or an older glider in need of a new home? What breeders are local to you, is there a reputable rescue near you ? If you'd like to give me your lactation I can probably give you some recommendations. I know glider folks all over the country and if I don't know someone near you I can find someone near you.

Thank you, Leela. I appreciate your latest post about getting another glider, especially considering the fact that you have multiple ones. So many people are insistent about getting companions for their gliders and I dealt with so much guilt because I only had one. She seemed extremely happy and went everywhere with me. Sadly, she ran away a few months ago and some people have even suggested that she ran away because she was lonely. Whether it is true or not, this added insult to injury and made a devastating experience even worse. I still believe it's better to be devoted to one glider than to be pushed into getting another one when it's not necessarily in the best interest of the owner or glider.

Sorry to hear about your baby and that people made you feel guilty.
That is a ridiculous idea
That she ran away from loneliness. There are to many unknown
Variables to even suggest that was the reason. Sounds to me
That people just took the opportunity to be rude and judgemental.

I have several gliders now ,but I started out with one. I got to
Know her and her "normal" after about 4months time her behavior
changed enough that I felt she needed a cage mate. So we adopted
A 4yr old male from a rescue who had always been single. Lord did she
Love on him lol poor guy tolerated her and grew to love her to.

I've also experienced introducing 2 pairs that wasn't successful.
3 out of the 4 got along ,but I was left with an injured single.

Trying to decide what was best for her was difficult.
She was scared and broken down so far she had no self confidence.
Should we rehome her or try another glider... I went back n forth on this
And cried over it for a few days. Well another single
Gliger fell into my lap within two weeks of having her
She dove into Amy's pouch and Amy surprisingly accepted her.
But it could have been a disaster. Of course we kept them and both are
Thriving but are now part of separate trios.

My point is, all of us have different circumstances, environments, abilities
How can I tell anyone what they should do with their glider when I don't
Know the specifics of all of that? Realistically we can't and shouldn't.
Its intrusive, and not up to me what you decide is best for your glider in
Your unique situation.

do you need a second glider?

1. I have read from several long time expert glider owners that one glider is ok and one of them even said they had one glider that refused a cagemate many times before the owner gave up on trying to find them a mate.

2. gliders are social animals and like to interact. We have 7 gliders in one cage and they love to sleep apart sometimes and all together other times if we provide a large enough sleeping pouch.

3. We just got 3 more gliders, they were 2 in one cage and 1 in another cage. The single glider was energetic but did do some repetitive jumping, almost obsessive. The gliders did NOT have a wheel. We got them a bigger cage, wheels and since they had already had scent introductions and some time together we quickly reintroduced them. The lone glider did do some chasing of the other female and have small spats, so those nights we would separate them for awhile at night. After a few weeks all three are doing great, they love the wheels. The lone glider has settled down and has a much more relaxed personality. Maybe part of it was he could smell the other two and wanted in their cage.

But I think in the end a lone glider needs to interact with you alot to be happy. while a second glider gives your glider a buddy for those nights or times you are busy.

Thank you so much for your advise. I watched a you tube video on info about gliders and she went as far to say having a single glider was animal cruelity. So that really messed with me. I know the last person who had my glider had him for a 1 close to 2 years. He wasnt handled much. And she couldnt feed him properly. She couldnt even feed herself and her kids. Anyway. Im making up for that now. Im still trying to figure out what makes him play. I turned out the lights the day after he had a blast with us yet he stayed in his pouch so I moved the pouch under my jacket and we both took a nap. Last night I gave him live mealworns. Which he loves, and he would only eat them if I was petting him. Finally I gave him chicken he loves that too. And he went on anther play spree. He climbed on top of my bedpost so I went to help him down. He discides to glide from the post to the top of my head. I was not expecting that. He stayed near me. But he seems to like making me chase him. The cool thing is if I call him he comes right to me. So I think he starting to like me. He still crabs at me when I get him from his cage. He is quick to forgive me as long as he gets his treats. I thought he cane out of his pouch cause he heard I was home. Sadly he ran back into his pouch and started crabbing at me. I will keep trying. Though. Thank you leela for your advise. I wish I knew about his owner before the last one it would be helpful for sure. I cant even reach his past owner to ask questions. But im figuring it out He doesnt seem to be sad and he seems to prefer to be left alone. Most times.

That's ridiculous smh don't let others make you feel guilty. Your making improvements as you learn and that is all any of us can do. One thing I can tell you is, the gliders past is just that, The past.

Don't focus on how he was treated before he found his way to you. I have 4 rescues with various histories, 2 I know a little of their history and 2 I know they lived outside for a year and had no names and that is it. Knowing to much of the past makes us focus on that and feel sorry for them. There is no reason to feel sorry for them now, they have you and you love him. THAT is what is important and giving them a good future.

I used to feel sorry for some of mine until I realized they didn't need my sympathy, they need what I give them, time, understanding, love, patience, acceptance and respect. That is the path to their hearts and "bonding" not looking backwards I think your gonna do just fine. If you need help with diets or anything just ask. We have allll been there trust me.


The more you explore the glider community, find groups, different forums, local folks with gliders.... You will start to see that this community has some seriously high expectations of others.

There is a large number of people who feel things have to be up to their standards even though they aren't their gliders.

Some of us aren't like that, but there are many that are. My personal standards for how I do things for MY gliders is MY decision. You personal standards and how YOU do things for your gliders is YOUR decision. For the actual gliders there is no RIGHT WAY and WRONG WAY. MY way may not work for YOUR gliders, but it works for MINE. We all have our own routine, life style, habits etc I smoke, in my house... I'm sure someone here would say OMG YOU should smoke out side!! I live in Fla I am not going out side to smoke lol. But someone will be butthurt that I made a decision to smoke in my own house. That's not MY problem, it's theirs and their standards not mine.

Educate yourself, ask questions, try different methods and the advice you are given, but in the end figure out what works for you and your gliders.

You are my favorite person to ask questions to on this group. Again thak you for you addvise. Leela

I have seven gliders across three cages. Two cages each contain a trio. One is a family group: mom, neutered dad, and daughter. The other contains three unrelated males, two that are neutered, one that is intact. All of them are 1 1/2 years old or less. The final cage holds a single neutered male. He is nearly four years old, twice the age of the others, and had been a single his entire life before he came to me in late September. I wanted to integrate him into the family group, and put his cage close to theirs, started swapping the bedding between cages, doing everything everyone said to do in order to integrate them.

We're now in December, and we are no closer to integrating him. The family just doesn't seem open to the idea. And while he seems open to it, it also doesn't appear that he's unhappy alone. There's no self-mutilating behavior. He's always happy to play in the tent with me. I'm looking for a cagemate for him still, but I don't think he's unhappy as a single, and the other cages are nearby enough that he can see and hear them.