YOUR NEW GLIDERS’ FIRST FEW DAYS OR WEEKS

(because it's up to your glider)

There are many different ways to go about gaining the trust of your glider.  The following suggestions are only a few.  If you are lucky enough to adopt gliders that want to be part of your colony from day one, you are a very lucky glider owner but if you are not one of those lucky new owners then read on...

For the first few days you should simply let your glider(s) get used to their new surroundings.  Don’t try to touch your glider(s) or pick them up.  Talk softly when near the cage and try to keep the lighting to a minimum.   During the day when they are sleeping, you can try sitting by the cage and reading a book out loud.  This allows the glider(s) to get used to your voice while they are still tucked safe and sound inside their pouch.  You can also take a t-shirt that you have slept in and drape it over the cage to allow them to get used to your smell.

Once your glider(s) starts coming out of the pouch and seems curious about you, then you can try giving them some treats such as yogurt bites, mealies or fruit pieces through the cage bars. You can also give them licky treats such as yogurt on your finger.  Just put your fingers through the bar and let them come to you.  Allow them to lick the yogurt off your fingers.  Be sure to take your finger away before all the yogurt is gone because it is their instinct to bite into trees and fruits to extract sap and juices.  When your finger goes dry, they will then try to extract more by biting into your finger.  They are not trying to be mean, only trying to get to more goodies!

 If they are in a reptarium, then just open the zipper big enough to get the treat in so they can grab it.   Talk softly, use short sentences with your glider(s), open their cage door often without trying to invade their space.  If they are out of the pouch, don’t try to touch them but speak to them, keeping your voice steady, sure and low... Watch their body language, learn it, try to put words, and feelings to the looks in their eyes.  

But keep your hands to yourself, close the door, and go about your business. If they are in the pouch, Open the door, tell them everything is going to be okay, close the door, and walk away. Keeping your hands on the outside of the cage, and your thoughts to yourself.

If they want to crab, let them, if they feel there is a need to defend themselves, let them, understand why they may feel that way.. look at it through their eyes, their feelings, their thoughts, not yours.

Remember the key to bonding successfully with your glider(s) is to look at life through THEIR eyes, working on THEIR time, on THEIR terms, not yours. 

Here is a good story to read to give you a better perspective on how a glider might see the world in the first few weeks!

So now you have made friends, so to speak.  Your glider will come up to you and look at you with that oh so cute and quizzical stare like "ok, so your big and you don't look so much like me or talk like me...but you have treats, so you can't be all that bad!"

Bribery (having loads of treats) will get you everywhere!!!

Now you can start taking your glider out of the cage and carrying them around in a bonding pouch, getting them used to being around you when they are out of the safe confines of their cage.  Again if they are still crabbing or trying to bite through the pouch, they are not ready to be handled. But if they are quiet then go ahead and give it a whirl.  I wouldn't try to put your hand in the pouch or pick them up yet but instead just talk to them, touch the outside of the pouch and talk re-assuringly to them.  If they crab just cup your hand around the outside of the pouch, say shhhhh... until they stop and settle down.  I would do this daily until they don't crab when you take them from the cage or touch the pouch. 

Moving on... now you can try and open the pouch and give them a treat... and so on.  Remember, you need to work at their pace.  If they are curious and interested in you on the first day of getting them...then yay!  You can speed up the process.  But it should always be at their pace. 

Think of it this way:

There are different techniques for training (bonding with) an animal.  For example: you can train a horse with trust and love or you can break a horse with fear and pain.  Would you rather have a glider that has surrendered to you because he has no choice or would you rather he come to you because he trusts you, feels safe with and wants to be with you?  It is always the latter that provides a more solid foundation for a long and healthy relationship with your animal companion.

TENT TIME 

to be continued...