New owners and many others often ask what to use in the bottom of the cages.
Depending on your cage, most have a wire grate with a drop pan. However, some cages do not have the grate. In the case your cage is one without a grate, you can use newspaper which is not highly recomended because the ink from the paper can cause a urinary tract infection. My suggestion would be to use a piece of fleece cut to the size of the cage. You may want to cut several pieces as it should be changed at minimum every two days to help prevent smells and again, urinary tract infections... we want these little guys healthy and clean. You can use newspaper under the fleece as well if you wish to do so.
As for cages with the bottom grate and drop pan, below is a list of things you are able to use.
1. Newspaper
2. Equestrian Bedding Pellets - make sure they are pine, not cedar
3. Fleece- either in the drop pan or to cover the grate in the bottom of the cage
4. Puppy Pads
5. Freezer Paper
6. Cozy N Frsh
Personally, I have cut fleece to fit over the grate in my cages. Please feel free to share your ideas and what works for you!
Happy Gliding!!
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Stains?
Just so we are clear, I am not talking about clothing stains or carpet stains. Although I have a good fix for those 😄
As I am standing at my cage this morning giving the usual yoggie treat or marshmallow to my fuzzbutts, I noticed Bam Bam is severely stained on his chest and part of his belly. Being that I am not at all an expert or "veteran" on sugar gliders, I reached out for help. My first step was to post on Facebook and start asking questions... why is he stained? What causes staining? Did I do something wrong? What do I do and how can I fix it? My second step, because I didn't get an immediate response on Facebook and I am the most impatient person on earth, I Googled it! Yes, I am addicted to Google.
Here are the answers I found to all my questions;
There are literally like 5 things that can causing yellowing, or staining as we suggie slaves call it.
1.) Poor diet - Yellowing of the fur could mean the glider is not on a good, healthy diet resulting in poor health. Changing the diet will result in an improvement but will take time. Considering all my gliders are on the TPG diet with vitamins, I pretty much ruled this one out.
2.) The living conditions are not clean - Living conditions must be improved and fur will reverse itself but, again, will take time. I deep clean my cages once a month and "spot clean" almost daily so this was also ruled out.
3.) The glider is ill - I haven't noticed anything else going on with Bam Bam or any pressing concerns with his attitude or mannerisms. This has not been completely ruled out and will more than likely result in a vet visit if the staining does not improve over the next few days or so.
4.) Scent gland/marking/grooming- If the yellowing is on the chest of a male glider, it can be from his scent gland. He could be marking, flossing or grooming. Considering he is an intact male, this could be the culprit.
5.) UTI (urinary tract infection) - this could very well be the cause of Bam Bam's staining. He has been making the hissing/spitting/sneezing sound but as we all know, that could just be from flossing or grooming.
At any rate, I don't have an exact answer to give as to why my sugar glider is stained, however this is a good guide to finding out why he is.
Please note that this is only possible causes of staining. This blog post in not in any way intended as a medical reference for your gliders. If you have concerns with your gliders and staining, please contact your vet for advice and/or care.
As always, thanks for visiting my blog!
~ Happy Gliding
Saturday, February 18, 2017
TOYS! TOYS! and MORE TOYS!!
TOYS!.... oh boy!! Aside from all the handmade toys you can find on Ebay, Amazon and Etsy, there is also Little Tikes, Playskool, etc. I personally have 3 houses, 2 buses, 2 shape sorters, 3 cars, an airplane, an elephant ball popper, a dinosaur ball popper, a barn, a treehouse and 2 other treehouse type things.... that's the things I can think of off the top of my head. you can seriously spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on this little guys! So where do you find all these things without spending a fortune at retail stores like Wal-Mart, Meijer, Target?? Let me tell you... Goodwill will be your best friend if you own a sugar glider.
I went to our local Goodwill last week and finally found the airplane I wanted. It was $4.00 but had all the little people with it that I didn't want, didn't need. So I asked to speak with the manager and got $2 off because I didn't want the people. Same with the big treehouse, I didn't want or need the people so they took $2 off the price.
Another good place to find toys?? Yardsales and flea markets. During the spring, summer and fall most people are cleaning out their homes and getting rid of stuff they don't need, things their kids have outgrown and just plain clutter. I bought my elephant ball popper for $5, they retail at $35. How? Yardsale.
My point to all of this... don't pay retail for toys! Get out to those yardsale's, go to Goodwill. They are everywhere once you start looking.
Happy Toy Hunting 😉
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
MOM!... I want a sugar glider!
For me to say it is a bad idea to buy a sugar glider for a child wouldn't be fair. Not all sugar gliders are the same and not all children are the same. Many people will tell you sugar gliders are not "kid-friendly" animals. My personal opinion is that you are the parent, you make the decision. Sugar gliders CAN BE good pets but there are things you should take into account before actually making the purchase.
Let's cover some basics; sugar gliders pee and poop wherever and whenever they feel the need, or even want for that matter. Little tiny nails have a tendency to scratch our skin and trust me, when they jump on your head it doesn't feel too pretty... and then there is the biting issue... yes they bite (I'm talking about the gliders but beware of the kids, they can bite too). Biting is not an all the time, everytime you hold them thing but it does happen and more often than not, it really hurts. They can nibble to say I love you or they can chomp down and draw blood.
Gliders are nocturnal animals, it is 12:39 a.m. where I am currently sitting and my 6 gliders are just waking up so time is an issue for children going to school and needing their 8 hours of sleep. For obvious reasons, children cannot stay up late at night to play with the little fuzzy creatures.
Diets are also sometimes an issue because gliders need a good healthy staple diet, which does not include buying a bag of food at the local grocery store, throwing it in a dish and being done. These diets are specific and while there are several different variations and types, they all involve prep work and measurements, etc... things younger children cannot be responsible for.
When I was a child, I loved giving my cat a bath. I bet I had the cleanest cat in the entire world considering his bath was usually twice a week and so we are clear... cats hate water! Sugar gliders can not get wet, not because they will turn into ugly little gremlins but because they can catch pneumonia very quickly and it can be fatal.
Cleaning, which most kids absolutely hate, is a must. I'm not talking about dumping some wood shavings and replacing them. The whole cage has to be cleaned, wiped down with vinegar and water or even taken outside and washed down. Everything in the cage must be cleaned on a regular basis; this means all the toys, all the fleece, all bedding.... anything and everything in the cage.
On top of everything else, gliders seem to be messy little things and some even like to throw their food... all over the cage, on the floor, on the wall.... it's crazy how such tiny little animals can be so messy!
Now, with everything I have said, please understand I am not saying gliders are the worst animal for kids. In the beginning I told you not all sugar gliders are the same and not all children are the same and that is true. If this is something you are considering, I will not advise against it however, I will strongly suggest you do a lot of research. Keep in mind, every child should be supervised with animals especially animals of this size. Educate your child about the animal and how to care for it and be there to guide them when they need help.
So that's it! I hope you have enjoyed this blog post!!
~ Happy Gliding
Let's cover some basics; sugar gliders pee and poop wherever and whenever they feel the need, or even want for that matter. Little tiny nails have a tendency to scratch our skin and trust me, when they jump on your head it doesn't feel too pretty... and then there is the biting issue... yes they bite (I'm talking about the gliders but beware of the kids, they can bite too). Biting is not an all the time, everytime you hold them thing but it does happen and more often than not, it really hurts. They can nibble to say I love you or they can chomp down and draw blood.
Gliders are nocturnal animals, it is 12:39 a.m. where I am currently sitting and my 6 gliders are just waking up so time is an issue for children going to school and needing their 8 hours of sleep. For obvious reasons, children cannot stay up late at night to play with the little fuzzy creatures.
Diets are also sometimes an issue because gliders need a good healthy staple diet, which does not include buying a bag of food at the local grocery store, throwing it in a dish and being done. These diets are specific and while there are several different variations and types, they all involve prep work and measurements, etc... things younger children cannot be responsible for.
When I was a child, I loved giving my cat a bath. I bet I had the cleanest cat in the entire world considering his bath was usually twice a week and so we are clear... cats hate water! Sugar gliders can not get wet, not because they will turn into ugly little gremlins but because they can catch pneumonia very quickly and it can be fatal.
Cleaning, which most kids absolutely hate, is a must. I'm not talking about dumping some wood shavings and replacing them. The whole cage has to be cleaned, wiped down with vinegar and water or even taken outside and washed down. Everything in the cage must be cleaned on a regular basis; this means all the toys, all the fleece, all bedding.... anything and everything in the cage.
On top of everything else, gliders seem to be messy little things and some even like to throw their food... all over the cage, on the floor, on the wall.... it's crazy how such tiny little animals can be so messy!
Now, with everything I have said, please understand I am not saying gliders are the worst animal for kids. In the beginning I told you not all sugar gliders are the same and not all children are the same and that is true. If this is something you are considering, I will not advise against it however, I will strongly suggest you do a lot of research. Keep in mind, every child should be supervised with animals especially animals of this size. Educate your child about the animal and how to care for it and be there to guide them when they need help.
So that's it! I hope you have enjoyed this blog post!!
~ Happy Gliding
Monday, February 6, 2017
The Life of Henry
It has been a week shy of one entire year since I first got Henry... sweet, little, adorable Henry.
Valentine's Day was the next day and I told my husband I wanted a squirrel. I started a search on Craiglist and actually found a breeder. I was told I would have to wait until May because of the breeding season so I went back to Craigslist and ran across an ad for a sugar glider rescue.
Now, before I get into that story, I owned a sugar glider several years before. At the time, I had absolutely no knowledge of gliders whatsoever. The little guy I had was SO mean, he wouldn't come out of his pouch except to eat, wouldn't come out of his cage and every time I tried to get him out he would bite. The few times I was able to get him out, he would crab the whole time and bite almost continuously until I finally gave up and sent him back to the lady I got him from.
So back to this rescue. I contacted them and was told they didn't usually adopt out any of their gliders but they had just gotten one about 6 weeks beforehand and being that they already had 9 gliders, they would sell the one they had just gotten. Mind you, this was Craigslist and we have all heard the horror stories of meeting random people from Craigslist. I was told this was a 16 year old girl who just had a deep love for gliders and rescued them from people who could no longer care for them. She sent me pictures of Henry, pictures of her with Henry and even had me check out her Facebook page. Henry originally came from a woman who just left him in the cage 24 hours a day, never took him to play or anything else for that matter. In other words, Henry had never bonded to anyone. I have no information on Henry at all. I don't know when he was born, how old he is and have no lineage. I was told he might be about 3-4 years old. After talking to my husband and deciding it was safe to meet this girl, I made an hour long trip (one way) to get Henry. I paid $95 for him. I got to the gas station where we had agreed to meet and as soon as I took the pouch, Henry started crabbing and would not stop. I got in the car, with Henry in his pouch around my neck and held my hand over his pouch until he calmed down and fell asleep. The drive back home was terrible. It had started to snow, which I knew there was a snow storm coming and decided to make the trip anyway figuring I would make it back before it started. The car was slipping and sliding all over the road and all I could think was that I was going to have an accident and kill the little guy before I even got him to his new home. It took almost 2 1/2 hours to make it back but we did it... just me and little Henry.
For the next 2 months, I played with Henry constantly, got him out of his cage, played with him, let him crawl all over me. I joined just about every sugar glider group on Facebook I ran across and even bought him a leash so I could have him out more without him getting lost. Of course, I found out not long after I got the leash they are completely unsafe and got rid of it.
Anyway, I had read several posts in the Facebook groups saying you should have more than one glider because of them being highly sociable animals and decided to get Henry a friend. That's when I found Yoda and Lucy and made another hour long drive to pick them up. Low and behold, I found out apparently sugar gliders are also highly sexual animals, lol. Henry would not leave Lucy alone. He was constantly on top of her, wouldn't let her out of the pouch and if she attempted to get out, he would pull her back in. One night while I was feeding them, I noticed Henry's penis was out and looked really red and was black on the tip. Yes, completely black!! I was terrified and contacted a glider friend on Facebook. She told me what to do for the night and to get him to the vet as soon as I possibly could.
The next day was Henry's first vet trip. The vet looked him over and told me there were two options. One, they amputate. Two, they put him to sleep and try to manipulate his penis back in. Obviously, I went with the second choice. So, although I didn't want to, I left Henry in the hands of the vet. I got a call later that afternoon telling me I could pick him up. When I got back to the office I was informed that everything went really well BUT.... as soon as Henry woke up, he grabbed his penis and pulled it back out!! The vet suggested I take him home and use a lubricant to see if it would go back in on it's own. I did this for 2 days over the weekend without any luck. Monday came around and he was back at the vet. Henry's penis was amputated and he was neutered.
Fast forward almost a year later, Henry still isn't completely bonded but seems to be very happy and healthy. If I go close to his cage he will come to me, he knows his name and will come when called, he will jump on my arm and climb up when I open the cage door, and absolutely loves tent time. When he is out of the cage and gets scared, he will run to me and hide. However, if there is any bare skin showing, he will bite and he loves toes, with or without socks, if he can get to them, he will bite them.
He seems to get a little better with each and every passing day and hopefully one day he will let me hold him in my hand. Although, I'm not sure that is very likely considering he doesn't like being still for any length of time but I will keep trying and working with him.
Henry was my first glider. I'm ashamed to admit it but... Henry is also my favorite (shhh, don't tell the others, they don't know).
So, that's it! The life of Henry. Again, I don't know his exact age or his birthday but I am considering Valentine's Day (February 14th) as his birthday and will consider this Valentine's Day as his first birthday.
So... here's to my baby boy Henry and a very long, happy life!!
Valentine's Day was the next day and I told my husband I wanted a squirrel. I started a search on Craiglist and actually found a breeder. I was told I would have to wait until May because of the breeding season so I went back to Craigslist and ran across an ad for a sugar glider rescue.
Now, before I get into that story, I owned a sugar glider several years before. At the time, I had absolutely no knowledge of gliders whatsoever. The little guy I had was SO mean, he wouldn't come out of his pouch except to eat, wouldn't come out of his cage and every time I tried to get him out he would bite. The few times I was able to get him out, he would crab the whole time and bite almost continuously until I finally gave up and sent him back to the lady I got him from.
So back to this rescue. I contacted them and was told they didn't usually adopt out any of their gliders but they had just gotten one about 6 weeks beforehand and being that they already had 9 gliders, they would sell the one they had just gotten. Mind you, this was Craigslist and we have all heard the horror stories of meeting random people from Craigslist. I was told this was a 16 year old girl who just had a deep love for gliders and rescued them from people who could no longer care for them. She sent me pictures of Henry, pictures of her with Henry and even had me check out her Facebook page. Henry originally came from a woman who just left him in the cage 24 hours a day, never took him to play or anything else for that matter. In other words, Henry had never bonded to anyone. I have no information on Henry at all. I don't know when he was born, how old he is and have no lineage. I was told he might be about 3-4 years old. After talking to my husband and deciding it was safe to meet this girl, I made an hour long trip (one way) to get Henry. I paid $95 for him. I got to the gas station where we had agreed to meet and as soon as I took the pouch, Henry started crabbing and would not stop. I got in the car, with Henry in his pouch around my neck and held my hand over his pouch until he calmed down and fell asleep. The drive back home was terrible. It had started to snow, which I knew there was a snow storm coming and decided to make the trip anyway figuring I would make it back before it started. The car was slipping and sliding all over the road and all I could think was that I was going to have an accident and kill the little guy before I even got him to his new home. It took almost 2 1/2 hours to make it back but we did it... just me and little Henry.
For the next 2 months, I played with Henry constantly, got him out of his cage, played with him, let him crawl all over me. I joined just about every sugar glider group on Facebook I ran across and even bought him a leash so I could have him out more without him getting lost. Of course, I found out not long after I got the leash they are completely unsafe and got rid of it.
Anyway, I had read several posts in the Facebook groups saying you should have more than one glider because of them being highly sociable animals and decided to get Henry a friend. That's when I found Yoda and Lucy and made another hour long drive to pick them up. Low and behold, I found out apparently sugar gliders are also highly sexual animals, lol. Henry would not leave Lucy alone. He was constantly on top of her, wouldn't let her out of the pouch and if she attempted to get out, he would pull her back in. One night while I was feeding them, I noticed Henry's penis was out and looked really red and was black on the tip. Yes, completely black!! I was terrified and contacted a glider friend on Facebook. She told me what to do for the night and to get him to the vet as soon as I possibly could.
The next day was Henry's first vet trip. The vet looked him over and told me there were two options. One, they amputate. Two, they put him to sleep and try to manipulate his penis back in. Obviously, I went with the second choice. So, although I didn't want to, I left Henry in the hands of the vet. I got a call later that afternoon telling me I could pick him up. When I got back to the office I was informed that everything went really well BUT.... as soon as Henry woke up, he grabbed his penis and pulled it back out!! The vet suggested I take him home and use a lubricant to see if it would go back in on it's own. I did this for 2 days over the weekend without any luck. Monday came around and he was back at the vet. Henry's penis was amputated and he was neutered.
Fast forward almost a year later, Henry still isn't completely bonded but seems to be very happy and healthy. If I go close to his cage he will come to me, he knows his name and will come when called, he will jump on my arm and climb up when I open the cage door, and absolutely loves tent time. When he is out of the cage and gets scared, he will run to me and hide. However, if there is any bare skin showing, he will bite and he loves toes, with or without socks, if he can get to them, he will bite them.
He seems to get a little better with each and every passing day and hopefully one day he will let me hold him in my hand. Although, I'm not sure that is very likely considering he doesn't like being still for any length of time but I will keep trying and working with him.
Henry was my first glider. I'm ashamed to admit it but... Henry is also my favorite (shhh, don't tell the others, they don't know).
So, that's it! The life of Henry. Again, I don't know his exact age or his birthday but I am considering Valentine's Day (February 14th) as his birthday and will consider this Valentine's Day as his first birthday.
So... here's to my baby boy Henry and a very long, happy life!!
Sunday, February 5, 2017
A Little Pouch Time
Been busy making bonding pouches. Sorry for the delay in a new blog post.... stay tuned for more blogging!
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