Hello everyone, I thought I would stop lurking and actually come in to start being a real-user.

I have been interested in gliders ever since 1999 when a friend of mine (who brought her glider to a game tournament) let me hold onto her glider for a while. I was wearing a kimono (as it was a Japanese game convention) and it crawled into my sleeve and fell asleep.

About a month ago my wife called me from the mall and told me to come down to see the sugar gliders there.

And it's about this time in my introduction people are probably yelling at the screen, groaning and saying "oh no" in their heads. DO NOT WORRY! We did not get one as we BOTH know that pets are not to be purchased like that (the only time we DID was when we went to the Humane Society to get our black pomeranian named 'Kitty').

So I started doing research, started comparing notes and what one group was saying over another group... and we are saving up to get two gliders next year from a breeder in Denver.

We researched the breeder and will be meeting with them as we get closer to getting our pets. We have decided on getting either two girls or a male and a female and neutering the male.

My job keeps me at home in the daytime and so there I will be home to take care of them and play.

I have contacted our own veterinary clinic to ask them about exotic vets in the area that they would trust and have gotten three reliable places.

I have already started to purchase the necessary items and we're making one purchase a month (with the cage being last) with the Wodent Wheel and fingernail filer already being our first buy. We're thinking maybe we will get the gliders in February or March (or the time closest to then that the Denver breeder has some.

We have decided against rescuing because we know that this is our first time with gliders and that babies bond better/faster than adults. We don't want to rescue and then have a bad experience and be put off when we could have had a much easier time. But, we both believe in rescue (as I said about our second pup 'Kitty') and it might be good if we needed to rescue to give them friends to play with.

So yeah. I have done a LOT of research, made a LOT of phone calls, and we both have done a LOT of thinking about if these are the pets for us (positive and negative stuff).

I have been looking through the forums here and have some questions that I will be posting and expect to get every answer under the sun, but it's always good to get too many answers than just one from an unreliable source.

Anyways, I hope you all find me a favorable addition to the group and will be probably more active on the forums before we get the gliders (or maybe after... who knows).

Thanks,
J-Dub

Welcome to GC!

So glad to hear that you're doing your research before getting your own gliders so that you know what you're getting into

When you say your're home during the daytime to play with them, remember that they're nocturnal. So, unfortunately they'll be mostly sleeping during the day and want to play late evening into the early hours of the morning. I do playtime with them after 8:00pm and before 6:00am.

Also, if you're trying to get gliders on a budget, it's always a nice idea to get rescued or rehomed gliders. Don't rule them out as an option. Some of their temperments can be just as mild as gliders that you get from a breeder. Check out the "Rescue Me" section here and you could find some in your area that may surprise you

Then, by saving money on the gliders, you could use the extra money to maybe invest in a better cage and accessories. For instance, the Wodent Wheel is the least expensive of wheels but it's been known to potentially cause injuries to gliders. For a bit more money you could invest in a Stealth, Fast Track, or Choice Custom Cruiser

And lastly, always make sure to have emergency vet money set aside that you keep solely for them. You never know when something can go wrong with them. Although it doesn't happen too often, if they're sick or injured, they decline rapidly and vet bills add up quickly.

Thank you. These are very good suggestions and will run them by my wife when I have done some research.

As for time, my wife works in the daytime and has an early bedtime (as she drives to Denver M-F) but I stay up late working on videos. I am home in the daytime and in the evening. Sometimes (heck, even like last night) I am up until 2:00am getting work done. And, doing video producing, sometimes a LOT of that time is spent waiting for footage to render to be uploaded. That be play/petting time I think.

But yeah, I do have a lot of time that I can give them. In fact she thinks it might even help my attitude. Here's hoping.

Hi and Welcome to Glider Central.

As to helping your attitude, I would say yes! The help my moods and definitely help my blood pressure and stress levels and I have the blood pressure test to confirm it.

Welcome to the forum

You will find so much useful information on here and I'm sure you can tell from lurking that everyone is very helpful and will answer any question you have!

Welcome! I would definitely save a little more and get the wheel recommendations, and if your handy, a pvc cage is more for the money. Good luck!

I had planned on getting all the items from S**C****, but what is this PVC cage you speak of? I am indeed handy and would like to make something for my future little ones... and I'm all for saving money that could go to getting them.

-JW

A picture is worth a thousand words

Just For Fuzzies PVC Cage Instructions

PVC cages are made out of PVC (plastic) water pipe and fittings for the frame and "Landware" (plastic hardware cloth, runs about $12 for a 3'x15' piece) for the walls. Zip ties to hold it all together. They make nice light weight cages and you can make them any size/shape you want. You can even make them with built in wheel stands and such. If you are wanting to make a monster walk in cage, they work out GREAT.

There are some down sides.
They are not good for gliders that like to chew.
They are not as secure as metal from other animals (like if a determined dog or cat wants to chew into the cage).
You have to get creative with making a drop tray for them. But if you make a monster walk-in cage, you can use vinyl flooring and just give it a quick mop every morning.

The drop pan is actually quite easy, should you decide to use one. In fact, the Just For Fuzzies site, I believe, has instructions for with and without a drop pan.

My cage is custom built and large. At the beginning, I did have a drop pan. I put legs on the bottom of the cage, then just made another pvc and hardware cloth panel that fit between the legs, covered it with material and used it as a drop pan. Worked really well for that. However...I've recently taken the bottom off my cage and as Dancing said above, put a piece of vinyl flooring down (cut a bit larger than the footprint of the cage) and set the cage on top. It's fantastic! Every morning, I wipe or vacuum up the crumbs from dinner, then wipe it down. Works like a charm. It cut down on cleaning AND smell.

GREAT link. Wow. That looks very doable. I will look into how much the PVC would cost at the store nearby. This is really a good idea. Thanks for suggesting it!

Cutting down on smell is a GOOD thing.

Oh Aimee! No pictures? You're denying him a visual of the type of manision he could make?? That's so unlike you!

LOL Sheesh...now I'm being held to standards?

Standards? yes...tough being admin huh?

TeeHeeHee

JDub - now you have a visual of how you can alter it to make it "your own" style

WELCOME!

No kidding! That looks really nice and it gives them PLENTY of room to run around and play!

Thanks so much, DCMuffin, for posting pictures and Yiyo for the link. I think that'll be right up our alley and a good project for both my wife and I to work on. This is a good thing to be excited about.

I'm a small rescue home and hobby breeder.

Right now, I have a cage of five gliders that would trust ANYONE to put their hands into their pouch and the only thing that is gonna happen, is they're gonna be grabbed by 10 little hands and groomed with 5 little tongues. VERY sweet gliders.

I have cages of pairs, where one might be crabby but the other is sweet.

I had one joey born here, who couldn't stand me from day one. As soon as I caught her off the nipple, I gave her a little kiss. She crabbed, lunged at me and bit my lip! My neighbor, on the other hand, could kiss and snuggle on her around the clock and have no problems at all!

While the rest of my joeys have been highly socialized and happy to go to anyone, there's not a guarantee of getting sweet tempered joeys.

Rescues and joeys alike, have different personalities and temperaments.

I've found I'm bonded a little more with my rescues, just because of what they and I have been thru. One rescue, Roo, is my absolute favorite glider, period. I've spent over $3000 on his health care (looooong story) but he's worth every single penny and more. I think because I had to go thru so much to get him healthy and keep him that way, we're bonded closer than normal.

I'm very proud of you for doing your homework!!! Kudos, big time!!!

Welcome to GC and happy forever learning. I've had gliders for 5 1/2 yrs and still learn new things all the time! This is one of the best sites to learn from!