I'm getting ready to adopt my first gliders. I've spent weeks reading about them and choosing/buying the things they will need. I have already met with one breeder (I bought a used wheel from her) and I'm also keeping an eye on the local classifieds ads because I've always tried to adopt pets rather than buy from breeders. Besides, the three local breeders I know of are all breeding for rare colours and most of their stock is way beyond my price range, like $900-1000 for one unaltered glider. I'm not fussy about colour, the standard grey is fine with me!

Unfortunately some of the ads seem to be selling gliders that have problems or have been neglected. One ad (two males) stated "their nails really need trimmed and they're not cuddly or friendly like hamsters". I know not to try to rescue these little guys since clearly they've been neglected and I have no experience yet with keeping gliders.

Tonight a new ad appeared, someone selling a lone female who's overgrooming herself. The owner isn't spending as much time with her either. I feel very sorry for this little one, she needs a glider buddy! I know that self mutilation can be a very stubborn habit to break, as my parrot had plucked himself bare when I first got him, it took years to break his habit. I'm home almost all the time, so I'm planning to spend a lot of time with my gliders.

Would it be an option to adopt this glider, and work with her myself until I get a second glider? It would take at most 2 months (probably 1 month) for me to find a second glider. I've read that gliders are similar to rabbits in that they don't "just get along", they have to be introduced to each other carefully and even then they may not bond. I do have a lot of experience bonding rabbits. Or, would it be better to forget about her and just find a pair of gliders to adopt?

One more question - what's a good age range to adopt a glider? I know they can live as long as a dog or cat (14 years) but at what age do they start getting health problems?

some of your questions posted seem like something that is just up to you.
are you willing to start with glider that could have problems?
do you want to do introductions or not?

My wife has done about 8 introductions with all kinds of glider numbers. we had one colony up to 10 at one time. In all the introductions it seems like the gliders
really wanted to have new friends, and after a few spats in the tub ("NOT FIGHTS) they gliders were ALWAYS happy to curl up in a clean pouch together. the more gliders you put together, then it seems like the more chance one doesn't like another. In the end, with our experience, putting gliders together is about getting
them used to the others scent, so it is a familiar accepted scent, not a strange
invader scent. if you follow instructions, I believe there will be a very high
chance of success. (I hear there are a few gliders that don't except another.)
we had one rejection, putting 8 and 3 together, one of the 3 was chased at night and after 3 nights had to be removed.

age is up to you. If you get an unfriendly older glider it could be more difficult to get this glider bonded as they have spent so many years scared of humans.
we have had a couple that refused to completely brake being scared of us, but they are friendly enough to take a treat (then usually leave to eat in peace) picking them up usually gets a mild little bite just to let me know they aren't happy about being picked up. but ALL of our gliders have shown improvement in temperament as we have them and work with them.

forget about overgrooming and self mutilation as a lonely problem, take the glider to a GOOD glider vet, find out if there is a medical problem. but yes
gliders are colony animals, and seem to do great in a colony.

Well, my decision was made for me, in a way. On Saturday the super of my building found two gliders in a blanket while they were cleaning out an apartment whose tenants had moved out. They know me as "the bird lady" because usually they find birds, which I catch, take off their hands and either keep or rehome. They thought the gliders were chipmunks or squirrels and were going to call an exterminator, luckily they asked me to look at them first. I was able to gather them in the blanket and bring them upstairs. The super told me that the tenant moved out last Friday so the gliders were alone for about 24 hours before I picked them up.

I had to put them in a small carry cage for a while because I wasn't quite finished building my big cage, but now they're settling in nicely. I'm pretty sure they're male and female because I could see her pouch at night when they were climbing around on the bars. She's quite the little fatty, I hope she's not carrying joeys! I don't know if he's neutered or how to tell. Can you tell by looking, like with a cat or dog? Of course I don't know how old they are, either.

Anyway, I scheduled a vet appointment for next week for a checkup. I've also ordered TPG powder for them because I can get it locally and the TPG diet in general is mostly food I can get from the grocery store. In Canada it's hard to get a lot of the ingredients for other diets.

I've also started the bonding process. A few times per day I offer them honey or yogurt on my finger tips, so they're losing their fear of me. Last night they were climbing on to my hand to take mealworms from my palm. At first the female crabbed and lunged any time I came near, yesterday she only crabbed once because I startled them. I drape freshly worn clothing over their cage so they can get used to my scent. Today I may try the bonding pouch, which I hung in their cage. They're sleeping in it right now.

sounds like your are getting under way fast.

Just remember, some gliders do take a long time to settle down and bond, just keep
up bonding and don't give up.

quote:

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Originally posted by BYK_Chainsaw

sounds like your are getting under way fast.

Just remember, some gliders do take a long time to settle down and bond, just keep
up bonding and don't give up.

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After reading about bonding pouches (the part that says to start them out slow, wear the pouch while not moving around much at first) I waited until I got back from running errands and put the pouch on when I got home. I went to the kitchen to get a treat for them, tried pieces of banana. NOT a hit! Miss Fatty crabbed angrily and lunged at it, then bit it while trying to bite me! I gave them a bit of yogurt on my finger as a consolation prize and they settled. Next, the Feline Inspection Crew arrived while I was wearing the pocket on the couch. Sniff, sniff sniff sniff.... CRAAAAAB!!! Two cats took off with eyes like saucers, looking around in all directions to see where that horrible noise came from!

Eventually The Crew came back, but they had learned their lessons and stayed away from the pouch. Now they're curled up sleeping, a few inches away from the pouch. They're pretty used to being exposed to strange animals, but I'd never let them near the gliders unless they're in a pouch that I'm wearing. The glider cage is in my closed bedroom for that reason. I have a bonding tent which I plan to use in the bedroom as well.

I just discovered the Journal feature on this site, so I'm going to post updates on how they're doing in the Journal and stick to questions etc on this part of the board.