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Handling a very stressed Joey
Handling a very stressed Joey
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Mar 04 2020
02:20:42 PM
I have had Daisy for a little over a month now, and she is still very stressed and scared. She came from Craigslist and was about 8 weeks OOP. No matter what I do, she crabs at everything. I've tried putting toys in her cage, and when I did that, she would not go back in her pouch to sleep, and just constantly crabbed at them. I have tried introducing her to my other glider and all she does is stay as far back as she can from him and crab. She fights against being put in the bonding pouch, but once she's in there, she will calm down as long as I don't move too much. She won't take treats or anything from my hand. If I just hold my hand out in her cage, she will eventually crawl into in sniff, but even if I just twitch, she will run and hide. I understand that bonding takes time, that's not what I am worried about. I'm worried that her stress will lead her to hurting herself and I want her to be happy and healthy. All she does at night is pace around the top of her cage, which is a sign of stress. If anybody has any experience or knowledge regarding any of this please share. My male I have was never this stressed, so I do not know how to handle it.
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Mar 18 2020
01:14:10 AM
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needs to be tamed - the 'crabbing' (sic) is it growling which lets you know of it's displeasure - this is not some personality thing like a crabby human. When animals growl they are unstable - meaning they'll probably bite if pushed, and you need to 'push it'. Get yourself a pair of thick fleece gloves, put them in it's nest/bedding a couple of nights first, then use them to handle it. You must dominate the animal - let it know you are the 'pack leader' - animal psychology 101! Hold onto it and pet it / give it snacks with the gloves on - it'll think you are a fellow glider (from scent) and will be more accepting than your bare hand. Just needs to be handled more... it will become tame over time like the other glider. Probably never handled as a youngling. You must get it out of this feral state, which is stressful.
Handling a very stressed Joey

GliderGossip GliderGossip
Sugar Gliders
Handling a very stressed Joey