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GliderGossip GliderGossip
Sugar Gliders
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Behavior
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Jan 13 2020
09:21:39 PM
We got a little girl from someone else and we can tell she was handled a lot cause she's really sweet and doesn't hesitate to run up to us and climb all over us.

But she does this thing I call fun biting where she will run up behind us, bite the crap out of our heel or a toe and then run away. Sometimes when she's climbing on us she'll just bite the hell out of our back or our neck and then just run away.

So this isn't the typical type of biting where they don't like to be handled. She's really fearless with us.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to get her to stop this? And btw, these are really hard bites. She's never broken skin, but it really hurts.
Behavior
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Jan 13 2020
11:46:26 PM
BYK_Chainsaw Fuzzy Wuzzy Visit BYK_Chainsaw's Photo Album BYK_Chainsaw's Journal USA 1301 Posts
My gliders love to groom, lick, bite my feet, so I usually wear socks, this
works.
they will sometimes start to soft groom my arm hair then start to hard groom,
pulling really hard, then slowly breaking skin and starting a boo boo. so now I
usually gently push them away as soon as they groom to hard.

for you the best I can say is try to discourage this behavior the best you can.
removing her from you, you say "us" so have the other one of you ready to remove
her as soon as she bites. another thought, just let her on your hand and arm, if
she goes for more block her access, so she is in easy removal if she bites.
like my socks, maybe for awhile you need to wear clothes she can't bite threw.

gliders are hard to train, so this may really take time to fix, or she may just
get used to you and stop. I put mealworms in a plastic container and shake it,
the noise it makes will have the gliders out and on me in seconds. that is the best
training I have.
Behavior
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Jan 14 2020
04:07:14 PM
MidnightDBA Starting Member 3 Posts
Yeah I have 3 others and they all love to groom my feet and they only ever soft groom. They never bite. And this one never grooms. She just bites. And I do shoo her away and I do take her off when she does it. But she always does it again and again. And sometimes she sneaks up on us and bites our feet.

And yeah, they love it when I shake the worm can.
OK, thanks for answering.
Behavior
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Jan 20 2020
10:55:07 AM
Tveit_Momma Glider Visit Tveit_Momma's Photo Album 197 Posts
My glider used to just lick, lick lick lick....
All of a sudden, after 5 years of owning him (he's now 10 years old), he decides he prefers to bite when he's grooming me (ow?!). No matter what I do, he won't stop the grooming biting. So when he slips from licks to bites, I just stop him and remove my hand. He'll probably never learn I don't like it *shrug*
Behavior
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Jan 23 2020
11:37:08 PM
Scoria Glider Visit Scoria's Photo Album Scoria's Journal 135 Posts
Mine will give me play nips when playing with my hands. If they get too hard I stop playing. They are very gentle now, just setting their teeth on most of the time. I'm trying to describe how I taught them that and it was a combination of not giving them the opportunity, praising them for gentleness and saying ow and stopping when they were too hard.
Behavior
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Jan 26 2020
02:40:09 PM
BatGirl Glider Visit BatGirl's Photo Album BatGirl's Journal USA 50 Posts
I have multiple sclerosis and both my hands are numb (and I've lost dexterity) so when I don't 'react' to a bite, they seem puzzled.

However I do 'bleed' which is annoying... so, got these fleece gloves I've put in their nest for a day or so to get their scent, then wear them when handling my 'mom' (Piper) who growls and bites a lot <protectiveness, plus I guess when she had her Joy (ie female Joey), she probably became a bit feral and over-protective of the nest during the Joy's pouch days and nursing times... and old habits are hard to give-up>, and her growling occasionally gets dad started growling along <for support?> but he is less prone to biting... I call his bluff and he backs down.

FYI: My first introduction to the family (got mom, dad, and daughter from previous owner who was moving overseas and figured they'd never survive quarantine...), I put a drop of honey on the tip of my finger - Starling licked it off, did same to 'dad', Aerrow who also licked it off... got to Piper who also licked it off ~ then she bit me (so charming!).

Piper's gotten much more laid back as time has passed, and I take every opportunity to touch and pet her (bit skiddish compared to neutered dad and daughter) and it's been awhile since she tried to bite. BUT, have noticed the darling Starling occasionally will just put her mouth around my finger tip, but won't actually bite... she's just being playful - she likes me to pet her head and cheeks or stroke her back. I can handle her without the gloves, but the other two I'm still working on. Only had them all a few months so far. I use a tent zipped-up tight to 'play' with them in by letting them loose in it
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