Hi, I'm a new Sugar Glider owner, I just bought my little girl from a pet store on Tuesday. Her out of pouch date was April 10th. When I got her she was quiet and let the pet store worker pick her up, ect. They didn't handle them there at all though. When I brought her home she was crabbing the whole way. I set up the cage and everything for her and she jumped right in it and started climbing around and exploring it. I opened the door to try and pick her up while she was in her pouch and she started crabbing a little and then lounged and bit me. She wouldn't let me get near her or anything. So I let her settle down the rest of the day and talk to her softly threw the cage thinking that might help or something. Today I thought she would be fine but every time I get near her she starts crabbing and trying to lounge and bite me. I tried offering her honey on the tip of my finger but she wasn't having it. I tried hand feeding her treats but she wanted nothing to do with them. If I get near the cage she runs the opposite way towards her pouch. I also have noticed once I turn the light on she will run back to her pouch, but if the lights off she will stay out and active as long as im not by the cage. How do I bond with my little girl? How can I get her away from biting fingers and hands? I ultimately want to be able to have fun and play with her, let her run around and have her come back ect. I need to know where to start though, and how I can get her to bond. Please help, if you can!
Pixiestixxx892010-04-15 00:39:36
I know the answer I hope. It takes time, my first one was pre owned but bringing her home she had to learn our smell! Put a teeshirt you wear in her cage to sleep on for like a week. They always run when you open the cage, it's their nature, once they smell you, not so afraid, and wont bite if you pick them up. I still have to catch mine in a 6 foot cage but they arnt scared they just like to run around, and get a pouch to put them in and wear it around ur neck to get ur scent. They will bond quickly, just dont be afraid.
I am in the process of bonding with my guys too.
It TOTALLY takes time and patience. READ READ AND READ some more about them.. It will help.
She probably needs a few days to relax.. then go SLOW. Dont try and pick her up.. until she will eat from you.
Have you thought about getting her a friend? They will get lonely and are happier in pairs. Also. if that OOP date is correct.. she is away from parents VERY young.
Go at her pace and be patient.
I know it is easier said than done... but it is working for us.
Also, once you settle in a little look up "tent time"
I've had suggies for a little over a year now. I bought one and had him for awhile, I was spending as much time as I could with him. He was so nippy and bit me just about everytime I had him out. I decided to get him a friend and when I put the two together, Casper settled right down and my little girl Bella wasn't even that nippy when I first got her. We've bonded a lot but their still kind of skittish, it takes a lot of time for them to get use to you. Every suggie is different! Some may take a few weeks to trust you some may take months or years.
Good luck with your sugars though and I hope everything works out. :]
Kat002010-04-22 17:45:51
I have two suggies, Casper and Bella. :] Also a white mosaic chinchilla!
I would definately recommend getting her a friend to play with, especially since she is incredibly young to be away from her parents, i would say too young honestly. Ive got a 7 month old girl and 10 month old boy that i got only a week and a half ago, and i quickly realized asking anything after even this amount of time is ridiculous. You really should take it slow especially since she will be incredibly pouch defensive since literally her only form of comfort in her life has been her mothers pouch. Put some clothes that youve recently worn a lot and have your scent on it in her cage and let her bond with you that way until shes more comfortable with you. Give it time as everyone has mentioned, and work at her pace, altho at such a young age you really should try and get her as used to you as possible and youll become her main form of comfort and security, and when that happens you'll have the best pet ever. I do really STRONGLY suggest you get her a young friend to play with, maybe in a week or two when she reaches the typical take home age, and get her a neutered male possibly, or another female. They are COLONY animals and while you may be able to provide amazing comfort for her most of the time, there will be times where our everyday lives interfere without our control, and when this happens she WILL get lonely, especially growing up into adulthood. The cost of maintaining two gliders compared to one is minimal as well, so don't let the idea of extra cost guide your decision on what is going to make your baby girl as happy, healthy, and loving of a glider as possible. I would recommend getting the next baby from a USDA approved breeder as well, so you can really see their background and ensure getting a tamed and healthy glider that has grown up in a positive environment to pair with your girl who having come from a pet store will typically be terrified of humans, and help comfort her with the best partner possible.
Hope everything works out! Good luck and keep us posted
I agree with Flynn on this one! I actually just got my 2 gliders on Thursday, they are about 3 months old.. Male & female bonded together. I read read read soooo much about these guys and did so much research. Mine crabbed on the way home... they were just so scared. I put them in their cage and left them alone until today about 930pm they were up and i attempted to get them in a pouch .. it was hard...the only reason was to do some rearranging in there cage.. but your suppose to make slow and small movements... when they crab stop what ur doing until there done... dont get scarred of there crabbing beacause then they know how to get you away. You have to move slow... you have to gain there trust.. tonite they are soooo much better then yesterday harldy crabbed and they let me touch there tails and we fed them grapes ...but we didnt try and play with them or anything ...we want them to get used to there surroundings and us... we both put t-shirts and a blanket in there cage to pick up our scents. They are nocturnal so thats why they want to play at night and jump around and in the day they sleep. Best thing to do would be to wait until yours is sleeping in her nesting pouch and then take out the pouch and turn it upside down and try and get her in your bonding pouch that way your not trying to hold her and pick her up right away. If you try and touch her to much and come at her she will get scarred you have to unfortunetly bond on her terms and wait until she is ready.
Great alternative to the extremely long process of bonding....Get a small pup tent and set it up in your home , get in it wth your glider in pouch and zipper shut. Let glider loose in tent with you to crawl and climb on you as they see fit. Do as often as you can and you can shorten bonding time.
I'm in the process of bonding with my two babies and they're doing really well. The process really does take time and you have to be patient. But once they bond to you it's really worth it.
I am also new to all of this. I have just gotten a little female about 8 weeks old and trying to go slow with her. She is crabbing at me a little bit less but still bites me if I hold her bare handed so I try to keep her in a pouch or a soft cloth. She will fall back to sleep in my hands and I can rub her softly that way. I am thinking, now that everyone seems to say this helps, about getting neutered boy to be her friend. I just want her to feel safe with me and STOP biting me.