GliderCENTRAL

Still biting

Posted By: suggie_mom2

Still biting - 12/12/10 04:02 AM

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone had advice on how to curb biting. I have tried scent patches, and scenting their bonding pouch. She and her buddy are with me a lot during the day around my neck or in between shirts. We play every night for at least 2 hours or so. Letting her bite me and not pulling away, not grabbing her and letting her come to me. I haven't tried the lick technique (will tonight) but other than that is there anything I missed??

A little background on her, she's almost 2 years old, I rescued her from another owner 6 months ago. She was a surprise baby as her previous owners bought a male and female glider and got a surprise baby in pouch. She was an after thought to them and spent more time with her parents and she became very unsocialized and also food aggressive. They told me they were not capable of handling the three of them especially one like Gidget, so they left her alone. When I picked her up from them she lunged constantly, crabbed, and bit unprovoked. I've been working with her and she is much friendlier, doesn't lunge, but she still crabs and bites (though not as frequently).

If anyone has any other tips to try with her I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks everyone!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 05:36 AM

New to this myself as mine I have only had for like a week... but no matter what the age. from what I have read... If she was left alone your basically doing a binding process from scratch anyway I think. So probably take just as long... well maybe longer with an adult. But at least as long as it would normally take for bonding I would think.

But I imagine some of the expert owners here will chime in soon.

Good luck!
Posted By: xSwtxSugaX

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 06:38 AM

We have had our glider since July and she bit us constantly. We did all the steps in bonding and she came around. altho she still goes through spats where she bites us. Some gliders take longer than others. especially if they werent handled alot or loved. try the licky treats! it helps make a difference. It associates your hands with good things. You can also slide your hand in the pouch while they are sleeping and lightly pet them. You might get bit but you never know they may love it. Just keep up the good work!! She will eventually come around! BTW do you offer her mealies?
Posted By: suggie_mom2

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 03:40 PM

Thanks everyone for the advice! I do the petting in the pouch thing as well she sometimes crabs at me (for turning the light on lol) but she lets me touch her without biting. I do offer her mealies, when I got her she looked like she had no clue what they were she would ignore them and bite me instead. She learned from Gizmo that they were a treat and she hasn't looked back since. =) I hand feed her a few mealies every couple nights.

The licking thing seemed to work pretty well last night. I got nipped a couple times but nothing like normal. I used some plain non-fat yogurt that I mixed with a little honey and a tad of applesauce. Im going to keep that up and see if it helps any.

Thanks guys and if anyone else has any advice or pointers I'd love to hear them!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 03:49 PM

It sounds like you are making some excellent progress with her!
Posted By: DCMuffin

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 03:53 PM

Continue to do the licky treats often so that she can associate your fingers with something good. It sounds to me as if she's just still very leery of your fingers, it comes from not having the socialization and my guess is that as time goes on, it'll get better and better. But, it WILL take time and patience and it sounds to me like you have just that. thumb
Posted By: Gizmogirl

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 04:00 PM

Sounds to me like you are on the right track, now for the time to tick tick tick, and before you know it, you will have a wonderful bond with your baby. You are doing great. thumb
Posted By: xSwtxSugaX

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 08:22 PM

Sounds great. Keep up with the licky treats like everyone said. I did it so much I was afraid I was going to spoil her dinner lol.
Posted By: Meg_n_Von

Re: Still biting - 12/12/10 09:58 PM

Sounds like you're doing great! smile
Posted By: BenC

Re: Still biting - 12/13/10 01:20 AM

Originally Posted By: xSwtxSugaX
Sounds great. Keep up with the licky treats like everyone said. I did it so much I was afraid I was going to spoil her dinner lol.


I was concerned about the same thing, spoiling my glider with too many treats. I was lucky enough to be reading some thread and saw a great tip (sorry forget who and what thread). Someone said she used their glider's dinner as the licky treat. Pretty obvious, but never occurred to me to do that. So now I start with something sweet like a fruit. Then I use her main dinner as something for her to lick from my fingers. I throw treats in when I feel she's eaten a good portion of the dinner.
Posted By: xSwtxSugaX

Re: Still biting - 12/13/10 04:31 AM

Ya thats a great Idea!! She loves her hpw so much I just dip my fingers in that and she loves it!!!
Posted By: suggie_mom2

Re: Still biting - 12/13/10 07:22 PM

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement and tips! It can be a little disheartening every once in a while that she still bites and doesn't fully trust me yet but I always remember where she came from and how she use to be and it gives me hope. =) I'm very excited to have found GC, so many wonderful people and information!

I tried the licky fingers again last night and she was more interested in running around and playing. Gizmo took over since she wasn't interested haha. I'm going to keep trying though! Thanks again everyone!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Still biting - 12/13/10 09:12 PM

Mine actually lets me pet him in the cage without biting or yelling at me... but he is a viscous little [censored] in his pouch sometimes when you try to pet him. I have a lot of pin holes in my finger tips from biting the bullet and refusing to let him control the situation. Not backing down does work... even though it can be painful lol.

A tiny bit of jelly on my fingertips worked wonders for in the cage petting though.
Posted By: aaronandamanda

Re: Still biting - 12/13/10 09:38 PM

Hi there smile
Sounds like you're doing all great things for your little Gidget (love the name by the way) We too have a rescue and had the very same problems with Nemo. For us, the thing that helped the most was the licky treats - and I had to find something he really liked too. So I blended some fruits and veggies together and he went nuts lol. Something else that helped us with him was when I went to put the food in the cage, I would take outa piece of egg or chicken and have him come up to me to get that first piece. Having him approach me was where I saw a lot of progress. We've gotten into a routine with that which helped a lot too. He now knows I will have that piece waiting for him. We still have a way to go but patience and love are what we are sure to give. Best of luck with your little girl. She is so very lucky to have been rescued by you smile
Keep us posted!
Posted By: aaronandamanda

Re: Still biting - 12/15/10 01:27 PM

Any updates?
Posted By: Gizmogirl

Re: Still biting - 12/15/10 01:30 PM

Yeah, updates would be nice. smile
Posted By: suggie_mom2

Re: Still biting - 12/17/10 02:38 AM

Sorry I've been a little slow with updates! She's definitely getting better with the licky treats! She still is a crabby little girl but she isn't biting AS much and she's improving on her temperament! I've noticed she's not as anxious when she's on me (she use to be very skittish and jerky now she kind of just chills unless theres a loud or sudden object) I think she's really starting to trust me! I'm going to keep on with the licky treats and wearing her till she comes around. But I think we're continuing in the right direction! I added a picture I took of her when we first brought her home just for fun =) Thank you all for your help!

Attached picture gidget.jpg
Posted By: DCMuffin

Re: Still biting - 12/17/10 03:11 AM

Awwww, such a cute picture! Glad to hear that bonding is progressing. We tell everyone...patience is key when it comes to bonding with your glider(s). Take it at THEIR pace, not yours...in the end, the payoff will be great! smile
Posted By: Gizmogirl

Re: Still biting - 12/23/10 03:26 PM

What a cute picture! I am glad that she is coming around. clap
Posted By: IslandGliders

Re: Still biting - 12/24/10 06:45 PM

She is adorable! It's amazing to see the progress you've made, isn't it?
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