Well, I have a few inventions, and as promised Megz I'll pm them to you. I'm kind of selfish and I'm afraid people might steal the idea before I get around to perfecting my products, but I'll let you have the inside scoop, so I can test them out on your gliders, too, and you can let me know how your gliders like it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
Here's one of them (not really a product yet but I just need the parts, and perhaps it would be interesting to see how everyone's gliders like it, too):
What it's called:"MIKEY'S INVISIBLE PLAYMATE" originally invented to stimulate my single glider, Dante.
What you need:- electric handheld plug-in massager
- some ribbon (and anything you want attatched to it)
- an on/off plug-in timer
- a stand of some sort (I simply use a microphone stand)
What you do is you set your massager on
ON and on low setting and you plug it into the timer. You tie the ribbon with your decorations (it can be just ribbon with no decorations or you can use feathers, bells, fruitloops, leaves, more ribbon, whatever - but don't put too much stuff on it or the glider may be overwhelmed and if it's too noisey it may be afraid; also remember that the more stuff you put on the ribbon, the less jiggly it will be when it's activated, and be sure to use glider safe materials!) to the massager. You then attach the massager to the stand (I've simply hung it with wire, and position the contraption close to the cage but not touching it, and allow the ribbon to fall through the cage bars (on top, on the side, anywhere). Make sure to test the activation of the playmate to ensure that the position is correct and the rigorous vibrating doesn't cause the stand to fall over. If you could somehow have the massager to be fastened somewhere without the use of a stand (e.g. hanging from somewhere) that works, as well.
On the timer, set it so that it goes off for 15 minutes as frequently as you like. Just make sure it doesn't go off all night and there are times when it is off, so the gliders don't get stressed. lol.
Anyway, I find my gliders at first were startled by MIKEY'S INVISIBLE PLAYMATE but after awhile they loved it, and as soon as it would activate the gliders would drop whatever they were doing and ran to the ribbon to paw and grab at it. I found the thing to be most successful if I timed it so that it activated three or four times a night for a brief period of time (15 mins). It took the glider about a week to fully get accustomed to it.
My massager is broken right now so I need a new one, but if you get the really quiet ones that buzz really lightly, it allows you to sleep undisturbed. You can change the decorations on the ribbon as often as you like, and you can remove the playmate anytime and stick it in anytime. Just remember that after awhile the gliders forget and it will take time for them to get used to the contraption if it has been gone fromt heir cage for a long time. You can also change where the ribbon enters the cage. You can even attach more than one ribbon to the massager but having many ribbons is a real dizzy-maker in the cage, and may make your gliders uneasy, not to mention the dangers of strangling/tangling!
Hope this works for ya! I've got a tonne of others and I'll get back to you in PMland megz!
Mikey <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dance.gif" alt="" />