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Posted by: tootlesMy husband set up a new glider forum for us to enjoy. We are trying to make it a fun happy place for all. Check us out sometime.


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Posted by: Knikole2010



OK everyone! This is my first picture of a Suggie! The first picture is of the original picture took from dpatter28 photo. The second picture is my freehand drawn picture.

I didn't add the cage he was standing on...>.> I get confused with all the lines and such. I am self taught so it is not a professional job.

Hope everyone likes it!!

Title Name: My Mealie

Posted by: TenshiWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

But guess what. NO BABY :( he is really active and flipping around though...

Posted by: KatFarrellLet's see if I can explain this fully.

I'm a strong believer in...
~ constantly keeping an open mind
~ constantly searching for more knowledge & experience
~ constantly sharing & examinging ideas/beliefs/etc from all viewpoints

I refuse to be 2D. I refuse to be only the tom-boy. I refuse to be only the pretty girl. Because none of these steriotypes (and others) cover EVERY aspect of me. And I'm constantly exploring myself through the exploration of the world around me. And it frustrates the hell out of me when it seems that I'm surrounded by people who are close minded, only think that their opinions are right, only think about themselves, only think one way, and allow themselves to be categorized into a steriotype!

To me, the best way to learn about different points of views is to discuss/debate in a peaceful/mature/intellegent manner someone who believes something completely different than you.

Sadly, it is near impossible to find someone who's capable of that high level of intelectual conversation. Most people get angry, don't listen, and only care about shoving their beliefs down your throat. Yet, how is that productive? How is that learning? How is that proactive? Sounds like a mindless lecture to me.

Guess what, there is absolutely no way that EVERYONE is going to agree 100% about EVERYTHING. It's impossible. We all think differently. We all have different experiences. We all have different bases of knowledge. We all had different mential/emotional/physical/spiritual capasities. We have all different needs & wants. And I could go on.

So why can't we handle these differences like curious, mature adults and learn more about the world around us & within us in the process?

How is it productive to continiously argue (which in this context is different then a debate)?

Did you ever wonder what the world would be like if we could just take a chill pill, take a step back, & be able to enter into a mature, intellegent, & open minded discussion about everything we disagreed about? Oh, wait, that won't happen because that would be the start of world peace!

Excuse the rant. Sometimes I get frustrated & need to let it out.

Posted by: KatFarrellOk, so I really enjoy being apart of this community & greatly respect the opinions and advice provided. I love the change to make an educated decision for myself.

So, with that said, I'm not sure how many of you will take my most recent blog post. http://katfarrell.blogspot.com/2011/01/ok-i-messed-up.html

Please don't take it as a personall offence to any of you. But I am a woman of my word & I did promise Virgil & Adam that if they were able to take care of my concerns to my satisfaction that I would post a public appology with a full explination.

So I'm asking that you don't get angry or offended. I'd rather not get shunned as I do greatly value what's achievable here.

And from now on I will avoid the topic of PPP, for the sake of peace. Though if any of you would like to discuss it with me, please send me a PM & I'll be happy to do so. But I'd rather avoid a huge public argument as I have a feeling that it could get ugly.

Posted by: bholland7Our joey is really here and OOP. I was amazed at how tiny it is. The first thing I saw was a tiny tail. Then a few moments later I saw the tiny hand grab Meeka's furry wing. Last night everyone came out of pouch to eat and left joey in the pouch. So I quickly removed took one picture and put the pouch back in the cage. I have to keep reminding myself to leave the family alone to enjoy their new arrival. We decided to name this one Bindi. Still do not know if we have a boy or girl. I'm also still trying to confirm if Meeka has released a second joey into her pouch.

Posted by: KatFarrellAs some of you may know, my local rep from PPP called me two night ago. I lost signal & the call was dropped just as we were getting to the meat of things. He called back & left a message that all but accused me of hanging up on him.

Then, yesterday afternoon I get an email from Virgil himself with a LONG letter attachment. This basically accused me of slandar & said that the ASGV was made up of over 700 vets & that the registration of the ASGV under PPP was a frodulent registration by one of the 'zealots' on the forum. He also made sure that I realized that he's not trying to call me a bad person just that my slanderous post is illegal.

I calmly wrote a reply email telling him that the post was a review based of my personal experiences with his company, which is a common practice among customers of numerous comapnies & therefore not slandar. And that I never actually accused PPP myself of being a bill breeder/broker & fraudulent. Just that they have been accused by others. I even mentioned in the post that I had yet to see conclusive proof (that would hold up in court). I also layed out the red flags that made me suspicious that I personally experienced with his company.

Then, I closed with 2 statements: 1) I would love to continue this discussion peacefully & intellegently with him, 2) if he convinces me that the claims of their fraudulence are false that I would write an appology post explaining my change of heart, & 3) that I was insulted that both he & my local rep accused me of rudely hanging up mid sentence the night previous.

Hm, now waiting on a reply or counter action from him/PPP. I would prefer this to be taken care of peacefully & without the need for a court. But if they truly want to fight it & attempt to sink their teath into me, can I count on the help of this community?

Alone we're easy prey. Together, however, is another story. If they want to make this into a fight, I'll give them a fight. But I cannot win alone. I just don't have the resources. Will I be able to create damage? Yes, but not enough.

Posted by: little_jennThis is my first journal entry... sorry ahead of time... I ramble.. I ramble off topic at times too >.<

I made my first bonding pouch last week! I was pretty impressed with myself... The finish product looks awesome.

So lately I've been taking the 2 that seem to be more bonded around with me. (Kris and Cindy) These are the two that I have with bad tails.... I need to find my camera so I can take pictures to post. My phone camera doesn't do them justice otherwise I'd have a few up.

back on topic... Today was the first day I brought them to work with me! I work as a receptionist at International Component Strategies we buy surplus car parts and sell Them. (gm factory's and such) We sell Globally, to individuals too and do a lot on ebay as well... ANYWAYS (I get side tracked a lot) I usually just get ready n go to work. But I figured I'd scoop em up and put them in the bathroom with me while I got ready and then took them to work with me. They are doing great!! I'm loving hearing their little squeaks occasionally when they are re-adjusting themselves or little sneezes/sniffs. I don't think anyone has even noticed... but then again everyone is doing the end of year inventory so no one is really around. Good timing!

The hubby even text me this morning asking " so how's, Kris and cindy doing? " He's usually says things calling them stupid.. but always comes up to see them when it's playtime/ dinner time. I think he's just upset I pay more attention to them now and it's not ALL on him >.< hehe... hey he has his RC cars, working on cars, cars in general... I can't have my own "hobby" and mine being my animals/ sugar gliders XD. He's a huge animal lover too... he just trys to pretend not to be so much. We have 7 animals and if we had room and 1 dog wasn't a huge puppy the other being really old with some health issues (she has ovarian cancer, due to having to many litters when she was younger. apparently she was a show dog. =/ )... we'd have more I'm sure. We had 8.. one being an indoor/ outdoor cat... but she decided to live with the neighbor man instead.

If it ever stops snowing we will be stopping by the vet in the town over to see what it's about as well, see who the exotic vets are there.

Posted by: KatFarrellI believe strongly in a free market. I believe that it will work best for everyone who strives in the long run. I believe I can run my life better than any governing body can (though they do serve their purpose).

I believe strongly that humanity (as a whole) is good at heart. Yes, I'm an optimist by nature. But I see proof almost everyday.

So what riles me is when there are unscrupulus people who take advantage. How is it possible to run a successful (in the long term) business by being unethical & taking the cheep way out?

My immediate family took over a small business. The orriginal owners liked to take the cheep way out: we don't. We've been able to grow that same business to where it is now over 5x the size that it was. How? 1) good business sence; 2) good marketing skills, & 3) honest business practices.

So as someone who considers herself a business woman who gew up surrounded by a healthy business, unethical/shoddy business practices feel like a personal insult.

Another thing that feels like a personal insult is when someone who THINKS they are in sales uses 'tricks' and 'lies' to build their commission. Those are not real sales people.

Real Sales People are supposed to be truly knowledgable so they can help solve whatever 'problem' that brought you to them. This builds good business. This builds a healthy commission over time. This is something I thought was common sence because I grew up around it. And I get insulted whenever someone uses so-called 'sales tricks' or 'lies' on me.

And what's worse is that this time, when a life of another living creature was involved, I FELL FOR TRICKS & LIES! Even after all of the warning signs, all the red flags; I fell for the 'professionalism' & 'experience' of a company of con artists: Pocket Pets.

They are NOT sales people. They are NOT a business. They are a GANG of CON ARTISTS that prey on the uninformed. And I will do my best to make sure that they & others like them have to fight to keep their foothold in my area.

I will do so civily. I will do so by spreading the word to anyone I talk to about Sugar Gliders. I will do so by writing a stern, informative, & civil letter to my local malls, fairs, etc. If they try to scare me off like they have done in the past with others, that is when I'll bring out 'the big guns'.

That is when they'll realize that they conned the wrong sales woman, the wrong business woman, the wrong animal lover, the wrong friggin American-Irish Red Head! That is when my local government represenatives will be notified of vialated consumer rights. That is when I'll notify organizations that are good at causing a ruckus like PETA. That is when I'll use all of my skills and connections.

Ok, rant over. lol

P.S. to any PPP or other mill broker/breeder represenative that might read this: I hope you clean up your act and learn that an honest business does better than a 'business' based off of lies. Please share this with your boss's boss.

Posted by: kazkoA lot of people have been publicly flaming about this now infamous "wet method" for group introductions. The good news is that most of them are not long term keepers and they have no idea of what they are talking about. I don't mind if this discussion keeps on going. I think it is healthy if folks will stop flaming about it. Opinions don't matter, results do matter. I have found over my 14 years of keeping sugar gliders that they exhibit much more desirable behaviors in larger colonies. From what I have learned, this is as it should be in the wild. I believe that most American keepers probably have no experience with a large colony to be able to understand the nuances of what I am referring to.

I am not your typical impulse buy sugar glider keeper. I have never carried my gliders around in a pouch. I have never taken them outside to play or to show to others. I dont baby them like so many others do. I keep them fed, clean, cared for, I interact with them when I can and I strive to give them the best life inside of a cage that they can have and that absolutely always includes being in numbers over 3 when possible. I also keep learning, experimenting and sharing as nothing is gained by operating "status-quo".

Sugar gliders do not know what is best for them. If you are keeping them as pets, you are already changing their natural behaviors and are forcing things onto them without their will which absolutely includes interacting with you. Forcing a successful merging is no different than this. It is no different than daintily swapping pouches to force them to smell the other animals. It is no different than forcing them to be together to meet and pray that they choose not to fight. You know it is in their best interest to get along so why not use every tool or method that you can to make it actually happen the very first time and ease the stress of the entire procedure. This becomes a gain for them and for you.

If you have a single glider and you add one, you will be amazed at the difference you see in both animals. Add a third and it gets better. Add a fourth and it gets better. And it just keeps getting better. The healthy interactions you see in a larger colony are missing in smaller groups. It is easier to breed a group if you are so inclined, but you can merge the groups as well using techniques that are all devised by people doing the experimenting.

You cannot deny that every sugar glider will be happier with cage mates. Even the stubbornest of mean gliders can chill out and begin to have a happier caged life if you can manage a merging. Why not do everything you can for success? One of the only things that comes to mind right now that I have not tried is to use drugs to temporarily modify their behavior in order to force a successful merger. Why wouldn't you do that if it worked?

If you can take a homeless sugar glider off of the street and give him a family that makes them all happier, why wouldn't you drug them for a week or get them wet to do it?

These animals are not that fragile. They don't simply die when you move them to a new home as other people would have you believe. They can have health issues due to stress but only from long term issues, not from a moment of scare or from being cold or force held in order to trim their nails. In my experience with possums, opossums and learning about other marsupials, I think that sugar gliders are the most durable of the infraclass. They can survive the hottest of summers and the coldest of winters by using their natural colony skills. In Australia you hear about larger marsupials dropping out of the trees from heat stroke but you dont get much of that from sugar gliders because they are simply survivors. If you keep your animals healthy, forcing a merging on them is nothing but a joy in the end as they get to have more interactions in their dismal cage life.

I have not yet been an advocate for this method but community upheaval at the idea of a few poor sugar gliders getting wet is absolutely ridiculous. So then yeah, I did it, I have been doing it for years, and I will always do it this way over other wasteful methods, because in my much more experienced opinion, it is easy for me, it is much easier for them, and it has been amazingly successful for me over the years and that is something you are just going to have to understand.

I currently have 19 sugar gliders that were all given to me and they are in 3 cages. I have had so many more in the past and have found them new homes. I have stopped accepting "rescues" as it is too mentally draining on me. I have used this procedure on so many and the only thing that has ever resulted in it is happy and healthy cages of sugar gliders.

So far in my sugar glider keeping career I have had one death here at my house and that was from an 8 year old obese female that I was given from a couple down in Louisiana who fed her mostly shrimp and apple and nuts. 25 days ago I merged 7 unrelated boys and they are doing so much better together than they were doing apart. There is no disputing that. No biting, no fussing, no wounds. Just try to show me something better, and you will find it is at the expense of your animals and probably of your own self.

I think I'm doing a good job. What are you doing?

Posted by: KatFarrellI just ordered the Bee Pollen & High Protein Wombaroo powder (SP?) today. So while I'm waiting on that, I'm going to start the gradual transition from PPP's Glide R Chow for Fritz.

Step 1: Introduction of Fruit Smoothie - http://www.sweet-sugar-gliders.com/sugar-glider-fruit-smoothie-recipe.html

He's tasted it & seemed to like it. I'll also give him some tonight in his kitchen.

Tonight I'm mixing Step 1 & Step 2:

Step 2: Introduction of Veggie/Fruit Mix - http://www.sweet-sugar-gliders.com/ssg-fruit-veggie-mix-recipe-for-sugar-gliders-2.html

I'll also leave him some Glide R Chow, an apple slice w/Glide R Mins, & a bit of boiled egg so he has his choice. I want to keep this gradual so he doesn't stress too much and actually eats.

Next Step: Removal of Dry Glide R Chow - This is when I'll remove the apple, Glide R Chow, egg, & Glide R Mins from the cage entirely. This is for night #2. In it's place, I'll provide PPP's Emergency Rescue Mix (Glide R Mins, Boiled Egg with Shell, Honey, Glide R Chow, & warm water) in addition to the Fruit Smoothie and Fruit Veggie Mix). He's already had the Emergency Mix before, so this should be a good transition.

This step is the one I'll keep him on until the supplies for the actual HPW mix arrive. Then, that will be provided along with the Emergency Mix, Fruit Smoothie, & the Fruit/Veggie Mix. This step will last for a few days before I remove the Emergency Mix & all trace of Glide R Chow.

Once I know he's completely transfered over, I'll provide a small amount of Glide R Chow plus a slice of apple and a bit of boiled egg during the day in case he get's hungry.

What do you think? Do you think this is a good plan for a smooth transition to a new diet?

Posted by: KatFarrell1: a few new pouches for various uses
~ in a purse
~ variation of a bonding pouch
~ a bra pouch
~ a sleeping pouch/hammock/etc

2: a new custom cage (larger, warmer, more interactive...we'll see how creative I can get)

3: felt coverings for the new cage plus his travel cage(also, I need to get a small space heater)

4: find where I can get a large & collapsible mesh travel cage I once saw for reptiles that would be a great addition to travel accessories (esp. when backpacking)

5: get everything I need & make a large batch of HPW (sp?) & fruit/veggie/yogurt smoothies to act as frozen treats in straws

This should make Fritz a spoiled & happy Glider :D plus any additions to the family that come along.

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Pics will be collected in my main album until its time for an update post! :D

 

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