Posted By: Anonymous
Too soon for tent time? - 01/26/05 06:11 AM
Hi, my name is Sommer and I just got my glider, Oscar, named after the grouch of course <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />, about a week and a half ago. I've been bringing him with me to work daily, so he spends about 5-8 hours with me in his bonding pouch.
Here is where we are in the bonding process... he crabs at me anytime I stick my hand in his pouch, unless he's dead-to-the-world asleep. He will accept licky treats and that generally shuts the crabbing up temporarily. I started trying tent time with him about 3 days after I got him. We would go in the tent around 10:30 or 11:00 pm. The first few times we did this, he was petrofied, so tent time didn't last all too long. I laid off the tent time for a few days because I thought it might be too traumatizing for him when I had to get him back in the pouch. I kind of had to force him into it, and he was none too thrilled.
We tried tent time again tonight and it went much better. He explored a lot more, instead of just cowering in the corner like he had done before. He came a bit closer to me this time to get the licky treats, but won't come all the way to me. He avoids me the whole time we're in the tent, if possible. I usually sit in the middle and then he will stick to the outside edges of the tent. My question is, is it a little too soon for us to be doing tent time? Should we be more bonded first? I know they're supposed to see you as their safe place and it concerns me that he wants to have nothing to do with me. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Here is where we are in the bonding process... he crabs at me anytime I stick my hand in his pouch, unless he's dead-to-the-world asleep. He will accept licky treats and that generally shuts the crabbing up temporarily. I started trying tent time with him about 3 days after I got him. We would go in the tent around 10:30 or 11:00 pm. The first few times we did this, he was petrofied, so tent time didn't last all too long. I laid off the tent time for a few days because I thought it might be too traumatizing for him when I had to get him back in the pouch. I kind of had to force him into it, and he was none too thrilled.
We tried tent time again tonight and it went much better. He explored a lot more, instead of just cowering in the corner like he had done before. He came a bit closer to me this time to get the licky treats, but won't come all the way to me. He avoids me the whole time we're in the tent, if possible. I usually sit in the middle and then he will stick to the outside edges of the tent. My question is, is it a little too soon for us to be doing tent time? Should we be more bonded first? I know they're supposed to see you as their safe place and it concerns me that he wants to have nothing to do with me. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />