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Sugar Gliders
Transitioning away from zippered bonding ppuch
Transitioning away from zippered bonding ppuch
Question
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Nov 12 2020
09:26:00 AM
I've got the sweetest girl, Ms. Willow. She is so accepting of us, and curious and brave. She lets me pet her, pick her up with my bare hands, takes treats. Typically our routine is to get her and her brother (he's not bonded like she is, but closer everyday) out of the cage when I get home from work for a few hours. Usually they just sleep, but sometimes they move around and want attention or snacks.

I have been using a zippered bonding pouch for all out of cage time because I'm worried about her adventuring too far, or getting somewhere she shouldn't be, or leaping off me. I don't want to always keep her zipped up. She deserves more freedom than that. How do I transition away from a zippered pouch in a safe manner?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Question
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Nov 12 2020
01:05:39 PM
BYK_Chainsaw Fuzzy Wuzzy Visit BYK_Chainsaw's Photo Album BYK_Chainsaw's Journal USA 1301 Posts
We started by making the bathroom glider safe and letting them run loose there, after that I built a room in basement we took them to and let them loose.
we can get an idea if they will come back, just run away, or if you need a good
treat to get them to come back. and the glider room is made safe so they can't
hurt themselves.
now I have 6 in a glider safe bedroom, they have pouches in the cage but I just
put up safety stuff and leave the cage doors open.

you can also try to just bring them out in the sleeping pouch, during the day
they tend to sleep and stay in the safety of the pouch, but at night they might
want to go exploring so you need to have a way to get them, my gus is very friendly but when exploring he doesn't always want to come back.

another trick, i put live mealworms, their favs, in an empty container they
come in, looks like old plastic butter container. I shake the container and the
mealworms make a perticular sound, after just alittle training, that sounds will make a hungry glider come running. of course once they eat alot they may
be more interested in exploring but will usually come back for a LIVE MEALWORM.
paradisepets fish sticks on amazon a super fav also.

Edited by - BYK_Chainsaw on Nov 12 2020 01:12:32 PM
Question
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Nov 17 2020
11:36:21 AM
GandKaidos Glider 55 Posts
Hello Dexlow!

Ms. Willow sounds very sweet, I'm so glad you're spending time with her and her brother!

I often wear a hoodie that I will put them to sleep in, one sugar glider likes to explore from pocket to hood and inside my hoodie when he is awake, the other will zip from one spot to sleep to the next. When I started trusting them more with out-of-zipped pouch things, I would start by letting them sleep with the pouch open, if they woke up and wandered I stopped what I was doing and watched them closely. I usually did this in my bathroom (with the toilet lid closed and all dangerous or potentially hazardous items put away!!) or a hammock with a mosquito net...that kind of thing. As they woke up and wandered I'd usually point them back to their pouch to sleep again. Sometimes this worked, sometimes they'd have to go back to their cage to sleep again because they got too riled up for what I was doing in the moment.
There's a point where they know you better than whatever strange room they are in, and you can let them play around in your hoodie. I've often sat with them wrapped up in my hoodie (between my shirt and hoodie so my stomach doesn't get scratched to shreds) till they stop running around on me and go to sleep. They then learn the smell of that hoodie and eventually will jump right out of the cage to crawl down your hood to curl up and sleep in their new favorite place! (treats often help)
Transitioning away from zippered bonding ppuch

GliderGossip GliderGossip
Sugar Gliders
Transitioning away from zippered bonding ppuch