Just recently I adopted my first glider. I've wanted gliders for years so I've done a lot of reading on them and finally found one at a rescue that I was lucky enough to adopt.

She is 4 years old and the shelter described her as "very shy" and needing "a lot of work." They really couldn't tell me much about what her life was like with her old family.

She is completely unsocialized, skittish, and grouchy. I've coaxed her to lick applesauce off of my finger a few times, but usually after coming within a few inches of my hand, she just runs off and ignores me. Twice already she's jumped out of the enclosure while I've tried to spend time with her and both times she kept running and hiding all over the room. It was stressful for us both. I don't think she's used to being outside of a cage, or even held by people. The first few nights, she was really active exploring her new environment. Now she sleeps until nearly 10 PM and only gets up to eat and run around for a few hours before she goes back to bed.

With her crabbing at everything, barking all night, and sleeping all the time, she just seems so miserable. I feel awful. I want to give her a happy life but it's been challenging so far. I'm adopting a pair of young gliders so she'll have some friends, and I'm hoping that they might be the key to making her happy. But they won't be home for another couple of weeks. I don't want my baby to be unhappy all that time :(

Most pieces of advice I see are geared towards babies/young suggies. What can I do for an unsocialized adult? What is the best way to build up trust and make her comfortable in her new home?

Congrats

I've worked with a lot of rehomed/rescued gliders, it's very common to not get any history on them.

"He/She is completely unsocialized, skittish, etc..." She may have been social with her former owners. The fact that she isn't social and calm with you is because you are new to her, the environment is new to her, possibly the cage is new to her, what your feeding may be new to her everything she previously knew is different.

It isn't out of the ordinary for a glider to be different with a different human.

Example, A friend of mine gave me one of her gliders, she gave me the complete background on him, he wasn't getting along with her 2 females and he'd need some work, he never went up high and never glided. We brought him home, that day he was ontop of my head, gliding, climbing up high and gliding to me... totally different glider than my friend knew at her house. I took videos and pics to show her and she couldn't believe it was him.

I've gotten a 12 week old joey from my best friend who was such a sweetheart at her house, he'd cuddle up and go to sleep in her hand.... he was very socialized and held by everyone in the house. When he got to me he was a demon child. It took almost a year and a new cage mate before he became sweet and social with me.

I can reach in any cage of mine and get gliders out and handle them with no issues, but no other person I know could come into my house n do the same thing. My gliders are socialized with me and my boyfriend but no one else. I've had 3 joeys born here that are the mossssssssst sweetest babies on earth and I feel they are very socialized......right up until I hand them to someone else and the gliders realize it's not me holding them. Thats the only time these babies crab the first time it happened I was shocked as I never heard them crab before lol

Anyway my point is gliders behavior can and do change and thats at any age, she just needs to get to know you and vice versa.

Crabbing, barking, even sleeping/not coming out of the pouch is normal for new arrivals. Be patient and don't be to hard on yourself If you don't have one yet get a bonding bag and start doing bonding bag time with her if your not sure what that is we can explain it.

also tent time, is great for letting them explore you on their own terms while keeping them contained rather than chasing them all over. Sometimes thats unavoidable I had one of my newer boys leap out of the pouch onto me then off and running on my bed today... it happens lol just try to collect them calmly

I agree with the above response, all gliders are different but there are some tried and true ways of getting a glider to trust you. First off it just takes patience and time, don't expect her to be completely happy and loving you over night. Sometimes it takes years for a glider to completely bond with you and trust you so don't rush it just hang in there!

Getting her to lick things from your finger is an excellent start! This shows her that your not going to hurt her and your giving her yummy things, keep that up every day!

As said already tent time is an awesome way to bond in a safe and secure environment. Also if she does get out or you want to stop tent time don't chase her! She will be afraid very easily so you don't want to frighten her more. Simply hold open the pouch as close as you can to her, eventually she will go into it