GliderCENTRAL

Never been handled

Posted By: amelia

Never been handled - 11/21/11 11:58 PM

Navi was taken from a very protective mommy at four months. She went to live with a large and intimidating man (who honestly meant well imo) who spent 3 months chasing her in the cage and eventually got her to eat out of his hand. He forced her into a pouch every few days.

Navi moved in with me two days ago and has completely avoided direct contact with me. She's fine with me watching her but if I put my hand forward, she crabs and runs to the farthest corner. I'm not going to chase her.

I've offered food on my hand often throughout today (yesterday I left her alone) but she won't take it. I snuck a few soft pets but I feel like she won't trust me if I do that.


I'm just discouraged now. My other two weren't this persistant about not being touched. She's probabl never been held without a pouch. Someone give me advice PLEASE?
Posted By: sitkasmom

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 12:10 AM

Its only been two days hon, she still needs to get used to her environment and everything. I suggest putting a t-shirt you have worn on top of her cage, dont open her cage door for a few days. Shes scared. Whenever you go in there just talk to her. She will listen. Give her a comfort phrase. Mine was "everything is going to be okay". Every time I go in Nanuks room thats what I say. That was the only thing I said to him for the first week.

After she calms down and gets used to the house, when you go in the room, give her the comfort phrase, open the door to the cage, say the comfort phrase and close the cage door.

In order to bond with her you have to get her to trust you. Sneaking pets isnt a way to do that frown sorry to be so blunt. I know how tempting it is to just scoop them up the first second you have them. In order to form a bond with her you both have to trust each other.

Give her time. This has to be at her pace, not yours... I wish it was that easy smile
Posted By: GliderNursery

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 12:28 AM

You may need to take things a little slower with this one considering how she was handled by the previous owner. You need to build her trust in you first.

Have you read Building a Relationship with your Glider ? This may help you out in understanding the fears your little one is experiencing right now.

Remember to take things slow and go at her pace. Patience is the key. Good luck with her!
Posted By: sitkasmom

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 12:29 AM

I should have also said, being handled and being forceably handled are two totally different things....

Nanuk is a rescue, he wasnt handled at all because his prior owners kept getting bitten. The teen that had him just thought she could grab him and stuff him in her pocket or bra and everything would be hunky dory. When he bit her she became convinced he was evil and wanted nothing to do with him.

I have had him a month and he has come along very quickly. I just had to be patient and take my time. I know its reeeally hard because they are soooo cute, but you dont want to push it. Pushing it will get you the opposite results of what you want...
Posted By: amelia

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 12:53 AM

That's terrible to write a living creature off just for biting! My oldest one bit me today for no good reason but there's not exactly much I can do about it. I mean, when little kids puke on you, you can't just give them away.

So I need to leave her alone for more days? You mean just feeding and watering and changing the paper and not trying to get her to eat off of my hand or anything like that for a while? I can do that. Um, i think. Lol, it's so hard bonding with someone who won't let you touch them. She looks so soft and cuddly.

I did the comfort phrase with Trixie. I didn't even think about that. I guess I need to read the article again. Zane was SO easy, he had been handled all his life and had no problem being my best friend right away. I'll try the comfort phrase trick.
Posted By: midnight

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 01:02 AM

just let her see you when she is awake while you are doing things in the room and not staring at her. Sitting and staring could scare her at first because thats what predators do. This is what we did at first. Eventually let her see you opening the cage and putting food in. When she is comfortable with that you are making progress.
Eventually i would recommend a tent. One day we just said "why not" and i actually fell asleep in the tent. We woke up to a suggie climbing on my face.
Take things slowly and just work on letting the suggie know you are not a predator
Posted By: amelia

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 01:16 AM

Like reading or watching tv quietly near the cage? We did that with trixie too.

Maybe I need to treat her just like I did trixie. It worked for her :]
Posted By: sitkasmom

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 02:16 AM

sent ya a PM hon
Posted By: midnight

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 03:35 AM

if it works, try it. Just might take longer this time i would think but it depends on the suggie
Posted By: sitkasmom

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 04:47 AM

There are some tricks that might help once she gets adjusted to the house. You can try the licky treats on a straw. holding her through the pouch and talking to her. A Parachute pouch will also help. She can see out of the pouch and you can see in. I like this pouch because it makes Nanuk feel more comfortable because he can poke his head out to see whats going on instead of hiding in a pouch, scared, with his little imagination running...
Posted By: JillMarie

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 07:49 AM

Take it slow and easy. She was "taught" by her previous owner that human hands are big scary critters. You need to teach her differently.

I have been known to sit next to an animal for HOURS with my hand just sitting there. Doing nothing, sometimes with a treat, sometimes no treat, until the animal decides to come investigate. Or gets bored with me and I inch closer.

Since your little girl was chased so much by the previous owner, maybe you will just need to sit and hold a treat and wait for her to come to you. You can also try holding her food dish for her at dinnertime.
Posted By: amelia

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 04:57 PM

Thank you JillMarie :]
I can sit with her for a pretty long time if you think it will help.

Last night I stayed up to watch a movie sitting right next to the cage, then I read for an hour. I didn't sleep until about 4:30 am.
I just woke up and came over to her and she kept right on playing in her wheel, drinking water, pulling straws out of her wiffle ball, totally unconcerned with me standing there and she didn't even flinch when I opened the cage door twice.

Maybe if I just keep doing what I'm doing it'll work.

I just never had to do it this slow before.
Posted By: Sugaree

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 05:10 PM

Firstly dont be discouraged.. Its been a couple of days smile If you wanna know, it took 8 months for my very first girl (a rescue glider) to be bonded to me LOL. She would bite me hard at times and blood is usually drawed smile Give the glider time smile Also taking her in a pouch wherever you go would be a good idea.

Also dont be scared.. a glider can sense if you are scared.. they will take advantage of this smile
Posted By: JillMarie

Re: Never been handled - 11/22/11 08:53 PM

Originally Posted By: amelia
Thank you JillMarie :]



:urwelcome:
anytime smile thats why I am here. Just keep it up and be patient. When she does finally make that decision to trust you, its a wonderful feeling and well worth the wait.
Posted By: amelia

Re: Never been handled - 11/23/11 04:11 AM

She let me pet her without running, crabbing, or even tensing up!!

But shortly after she made her opinion of feathers very clear and even the dog jumped at how loud she got lol

Man this process drags on but the progress is so worth the waiting!!
Posted By: Lisha

Re: Never been handled - 11/23/11 05:39 AM

I wouldn't be too discouraged... I got baby #1 like late july I think & she just recently decided I was ok to watch her play quietly on the side lines from time to time! And shes not a rescue! I got her from a breeder who lives close, came & held her every few weeks, gave her blankies w/ my scent, etc & I honestly have touched her a total of about 5-10x as of right now since bringing her home. I've carried her in a binding pouch every single day for hours & she rarely crabs in there but if I open it up to show her I've got a treat, theres no question about it...she yells at me lol. I've sat in the tent w/ her for hours, never will come out for more than a quick peek. I've read all the goods on here about bonding & trust & all that so I have never pushed anything w/ her, so when I got baby #2 about a month n a half later & she was running up to me crawling all over me etc. on day 2-i learned first hand that every single one of them has their own personality & will do things at their own pace & there really is nothing I can do about it besides making sure shes taken care of physically & if someday she decides we can be friends I'll be ecstatic!
Posted By: ciara_lynn

Re: Never been handled - 11/23/11 06:07 AM

Yep, they all have they own personalities and take whatever time they please. We've had one of our pairs for 2 years now and sadly they are just starting to come around after all the work I have done and tried with them. It gets exhausting, especially that long. I just don't know what the previous owners did to make them so cautious.

I've been able to feed them since I've got them and they will climb all over me and jump off of me during playtime... but if I close my hands around them or bring them up to give them a kiss... they're gone!
Posted By: EJB17

Re: Never been handled - 11/24/11 07:37 PM

Patience! It is a virtue after all laugh
Posted By: cke

Re: Never been handled - 11/24/11 08:07 PM

I have had my girls for 5 months now. Last night and this morning was a WOOHOO moment because both girls came out and ate the mealies. I had all 5 of my babies out at the same time eating them! It's awesome feeling. The two girls are very timid. One of them is a crabber and lunger the other is just timid and held back by the crabber.

Last night she came out and ate and after a few mealies the crabber came out and joined her. I am way stoked! Every glider has been different with me, a different schedule. I too want them all to just love me and cuddle but not so much. Oh and when I first got my couple pair, I was on here calling them mean. I since learned that gliders aren't mean they are just scared and the sweet thing is? The female of the pair will just hang out with me. She is awesome. I just had to start listening to what the glider's were telling me.
Posted By: amelia

Re: Never been handled - 11/27/11 06:07 AM

Today I went and pulled the blanket that I drape over it when I'm gone off of the cage and she had pulled a chunk in throwugh the slats and culred up inside of it kind of like a cacoon. I reached inside to help her untangle herself and when she found the opening out she sort of kissed my hand and looked up at me for a minute. She didn't even shake or yell!
Posted By: Taryn

Re: Never been handled - 11/27/11 07:48 PM

Originally Posted By: amelia
Today I went and pulled the blanket that I drape over it when I'm gone off of the cage and she had pulled a chunk in throwugh the slats and culred up inside of it kind of like a cacoon. I reached inside to help her untangle herself and when she found the opening out she sort of kissed my hand and looked up at me for a minute. She didn't even shake or yell!


awww, so cute! jump
Posted By: sitkasmom

Re: Never been handled - 11/27/11 07:54 PM

thats awesome smile Congrats jump
Posted By: amelia

Re: Never been handled - 11/28/11 09:56 PM

I think she's ready to be put in a pouch now. I'm going to try and do it in thirty minute to an hour intervals tonight and tomorrow and see what happens.
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