Progress

I am very happy to report that after owning Henry for a year and almost 2 months, he finally let me hold him and even rubbed his belly. I am pretty sure this is not going to be an all the time thing but it is certainly a start.

I have done everything I can possibly think of to bond with this little guy and he has absolutely refused.... or so I thought. I knew he was starting to bond as far as coming to the door on the cage when he heard my voice and being the first one out the cage to have playtime.

I got him out of the cage yesterday and decided to spend some bonding time with him. I didn't put him in a pouch and thought I would just let him run around on me as I walked through the house picking things up and putting them away. After a few minutes, I decided he was too much fun and stopped doing everything else. I sat down on the couch, he climbed into my shirt front pocket and was trying to fall asleep. I happened to notice his nails were getting caught so of course I clipped them. Now here comes the big surprise.... I held him!! The bottom of my shirt was between him and my hand but i was able to cup my other hand over him, which has never happened. He eventually fell asleep, which has also never happened, I was then able to rub his belly. Usually he would bite me as soon as I reached for his belly... this time he just lay there and didn't even move.
I'm thinking maybe he was just overly tired and didn't even care.

Click below to watch the video and tell me what you think!

Progress with Henry

As always,
~ Happy Gliding

Random Love Bites

Does your glider baby randomly bite you for no apparent reason? Mine do, at least Henry anyway. I haven't quite figured out why he does it though. He seems bonded to me for the most part. I can take him out of the cage, fingers covered with the sleeve of my shirt, he crawls all over me, he is the first one to greet me when I open the cage, or even if I don't. He is the first one out of the cage for play time, lets me pet him and kiss him too. The problem is; every chance he gets, he bites. He seems to like fingers and especially toes during tent time, with or without socks, it doesn't matter to him. I guess toes are toes, covered or not!

Now I know the main reasons gliders bite is for grooming and that is usually a nibble, nibble, bite. But they also need to test us (or taste us). They can also bite because of the like or dislike of the shampoo, lotion, body spray, deodorant, etc we use. 
About 6 months after I got Henry, it was starting to get a bit chilly outside so I was wearing a jacket, I got Henry out of his pouch to let him crawl around on me for a bit. Well, Henry decided he didn't like the open space or whatever so he climbed inside my jacket which was fine until he decided to crawl into my sleeve. You see, that particular day I had worn coconut body spray... a body spray that is very coconut scented by the way. So he is in my sleeve crawling around and all of a sudden HE BIT! And this was not a nibble, nibble bite, let me tell ya! He bit really hard, then again and just kept doing it!! All I could do was cry and beg him to stop as I was trying to move him up and out of my sleeve. It was horrible. However, once I got him out, he just looked up at me with the sweetest little eyes and seemed to be saying... what's your problem 😂😂

So, all in all , the moral of this blog is that while I have no idea why he bites me... Henry is still and always be THE BEST SUGAR BABY EVER!! 

Hope you enjoyed my little story.

Until next time, 
~ Happy Gliding Everyone!!

Single or More

    Sugar gliders are highly sociable animals and live in the wild as colony animals. Although it may be okay to own just own glider, it is better and highly recommended to own at least a pair of gliders.

To my knowledge, it has not been 100% proven a single glider cannot survive. There are people who own only one and they seem to do just fine but since they can't talk, they can't tell us if they are depressed or lonely. Of course you can watch for behavior changes but what if you are a new owner and the glider has been alone its whole life? If they are already depressed or lonely, you wouldn't notice any change in their behavior and would more than likely think their behavior is normal. 

 Single gliders, if they become depressed and/or lonely can stop eating, over groom themselves and even self - mutilate. 

If you are a new owner and have a single glider, please do NOT flip out and think your glider is going to die! You should absolutely try to find a cage mate for him or her but in the meantime, it is important to spend as much time with your fuzz butt as possible. Talk to your glider, sing to them, walk around the house with them, put them in a bonding pouch, do tent time.... whatever you need to do in order to spend as much time with them as you can. Your lone baby could do perfectly fine for days, months and even years but would would you want to spend all that time alone? Would you want to be around others who only spoke foreign to you and couldn't understand you? Do you think your glider wants to? Probably not.

~ Happy Gliding Everyone 😙

PLAY TIME!!

It's been a while since I posted last and I have to apologize. Although this blog is very important to me, life sometimes gets in the way of things. I have been busy making toys and fleece items as well as staining my kitchen cabinets!

If you haven't already taken a look at my eBay store, please do so by following the link below.

http://www.ebay.com/usr/glidergoodies?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

I offer a range of toys, cage sets and bonding pouches. When you are ready to make a purchase, let me know!!

So... on to the important stuff.... SUGAR GLIDERS!!

You have your gliders, you have toys but now what?? We have already discussed the different ways for playtime (ie tent time, bathroom time, bonding pouches, etc.) If you are at all like me then you have discovered that maybe the bathroom isn't the safest place. While many, many people choose the bathroom as a great place to bond with their babies and allow playtime, I am one that doesn't believe it is safe. Even after closing the toilet seat lid, blocking all drains, and placing a towel under the door it still doesn't seem safe to me and I'm terribly afraid to let my little ones loose to free roam. You can only "glider proof" so much and what if you forget something? What if, while you are watching or playing with one baby, another baby opens a cabinet and gets into cleaners or shampoo or maybe even a medicine that you forgot to put the lid on? For me, there are way too many things they could get into and I am just not willing to take the chance. I have allowed my babies to play in the bathtub but it doesn't seem like too much fun for them. They wonder around the tub, slip and slide everywhere and stare at me like I am the craziest person on the planet.
I prefer tent time above all else. Yes, I know the "good" tents are expensive but you don't have to be left out. You can buy a two person tent at pretty much any department store for around $20 and for that money... your gliders will love you like there's no tomorrow! I don't always have time to get in the tent with my babies but they are happy being out of their cage and exploring all the bigger toys which won't fit in their cages.
I started with a 2 person tent from Meijer. The tent worked out pretty well but was a total pain to set up and take down every single time I got the babies out to play. I don't have enough space in my home to leave the tent up so it got to be more of a hassle than a joy. Being the incredible man he is, my husband purchased a Sansbug tent as a gift and it has been amazing! Although, I have two gliders who seem to enjoy biting the bottom canvas part of the tent so I would suggest laying a blanket in the bottom.

I am providing a few links for affordable tents for all of you in hopes of everyone finding a tent within their price range!

If you are looking for a Sansbug tent, stop looking on eBay, you will over pay. I found this one on Amazon for $59.95 which is about $20 less than eBay.

https://www.amazon.com/SansBug-Free-Standing-Pop-Up-Mosquito-Net-Floor/dp/B003BWF9WI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489587140&sr=8-1&keywords=sansbug+tent

Here is another good one, although it only has 3 mesh sides but again, seems to be cheaper on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Genji-Sports-Instant-Beach-Shelter/dp/B003UDW7EQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1489587316&sr=1-5&keywords=genji+tent

This one is about $30 and only has 2 mesh sides with a smaller mesh window but would work if you need something a bit cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/Genji-Sports-Instant-Beach-Shelter/dp/B003UDW7EQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1489587316&sr=1-5&keywords=genji+tent

This dome tent has 2 mesh sides and is very reasonably priced at $19.10 with free shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2Person-78-L-Double-Layer-Outdoor-Waterproof-Shelter-Canpoy-Dome-Tent-Carry-Bag/112328021994?_trksid=p2045573.c100508.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D41376%26meid%3D960eb0e15e644826ae1a1ed77ba5f697%26pid%3D100508%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26

Hope these links help anyone looking for a tent. Remember, the more mesh, the better but if you can only afford a tent with one or two mesh sides, IT'S OKAY! I started with one mesh side then went to two mesh sides before I got the sansbug so start where you can can and upgrade as your budget allows.

Enjoy and as always Happy Gliding!!

Cages

If you think you can buy a sugar glider and stick them in a hamster cage.... you are sadly mistaken.

Believe it or not, even with as small as these little fuzz butts are, they require a lot of room. Yes, I said require; that means this is not optional or personal preference. 

Have you considered the size of the cage or cages you need? Do you have enough room in your own home? Do you have a safe place to put the cage? These are all questions you should be asking yourself BEFORE buying a sugar glider. Cage size is very important whether you already own and glider or are considering becoming a new owner. 

The minimum recommended cage for a single (or pair) of gliders is 30" x 18" x 36" or 24" x 24" x 36".  Sugar gliders prefer their food to be placed high up so height is important. Keep in mind they like to climb and jump also so the taller the cage, the better. 

Bar spacing on the cage should be no more than 1/2 inch apart. If the bars are any further apart, it is a pretty safe bet, they are going to escape. If they can fit their head through the bars, their little bodies will follow. 

Your cage should be in a draft free room and should not be placed near a vent. There should be plenty of natural light so they can tell day from night but should not be in direct sunlight. 

There are several cages to choose from and the price varies depending on the type you choose. Amazon is a great place to order a cage from and some pet stores have great cages as well. If you are on a budget, I suggest also searching Craigslist. Please be very cautious if you decide to shop on Craigslist and watch for any broken bars, sharp edges and rust. 

~ Happy Gliding ~

Chocolate and Gliders

The issue of sugar gliders and chocolate has become, from what I have seen, a huge debate. Most people, and especially the veterans of the sugar glider community, will tell you chocolate is completely and totally fatal to gliders while others may say "my glider ate chocolate and was just fine." While everyone is so eager to say chocolate is toxic, my questions becomes.... why? 

The truth is; chocolate CAN BE fatal to not just dogs, cats and other animals but to humans as well. I have spent the better part of my morning doing some research on why chocolate is toxic. I am, by no means an expert, a veterinarian or a scientist but this is what I have found;

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine. We are all pretty aware of what caffeine is and the effects it has but to make it more clear, I will explain in detail. 
Caffeine is a crystalline compound plant product and is defined as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system. 
Theobromine is a bitter, crystalline alkaloid extracted from the leaves and seeds of the cacao plant and is closely related to caffeine. In medicine, theobromine is used as a diuretic and nerve stimulant.
Chocolate poisoning is actually the overdose reaction to the theobromine contained in the chocolate. The amount of theobromine in highly refined chocolate is lower than the amounts in dark chocolate or unsweetened bakers chocolate. As a rule, the darker the chocolate, the higher the content of theobromine. 
Animals of all kinds process theobromine at a slower rate than humans which puts a greater strain on the nervous system and kidneys. 
If large amounts of chocolate, or theobromine, are consumed the danger is the high fat and sugar content. High fat and sugar content can sometimes cause life threatening pancreatitis and gastrointestinal illness. 

So, again, chocolate CAN BE toxic but let's clarify. The threat is not just the fact your glider, or other animal, has consumed chocolate but also how much they consumed and the type of chocolate, whether it was milk chocolate, dark chocolate, etc. These factors all play an extremely important role in the effect it will have on the animal. If your glider has gotten into your secret stash and ate one or two bites chances are he/she will be fine but if they ate a larger amount the chances of overdose are much greater. Should your glider have chocolate? Of course not but if accidental ingestion occurs, we should try to find out how much they consumed.

Here are some things to watch for and most commonly occur within 12 hours of ingestion;
* excitement, nervousness, trembling
* vomiting/diarrhea
* excessive thirst and/or excessive urination
*muscle spasms
* seizures
*coma (this is rare)
* death (this is also rare)

Obviously, if your glider has eaten chocolate, the first and most important step to take would be contacting your veterinarian immediately. Be prepared to advise the vet of approximately how much the glider ate and what type of chocolate it was.

Once again, thank you for reading my blog.

Happy Gliding to All!!