GliderCENTRAL

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Posted By: Anonymous

Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/05/05 09:44 AM

I got two new gliders today from a rescue. They weren't exactly rescues, they just needed a good home. When I got them home I let them out in their cage and come to find out, all they want to do is bite? I know this may be normal behavior at first, but these gliders seem to have been fairly neglected. Both (seem) to be over-weight compared to my other gliders, the 3 year old girl is balding on the top of her head, they don't seem to have been cared for properly. I know they didn't get much time to play with the gliders due to other responsibilities, so I am guessing this is going to be a challenge. Can anyone give me advice on how to remedy the biting? My other gliders are sweet and never even attempt to bite. Also, does anyone know if petstores inbreed? Im not sure what affect that has on a glider, but I was just curious because one of the girls is from a petstore, and then I also have her daughter. They are sweet gliders, they seem friendly and curious...but Im just not sure what the first step to handling this would be. Any advice is appreciated. I hope I can give them the loving home they deserve! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Just learning new things all along the way. Thanks everybody.

-Sara

also: they were fed cheese. Isn't that bad for them?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/05/05 10:05 AM

First off, I'd take your little balding girl in to see a vet pronto & find out why she's losing or pulling it out. Sometimes the missing hair can be a warning sign that something else is wrong. One of the Mods here on GC has a little boy who had more balding than he should have had & it turned out that he had an upper jaw infection & was pulling out the hair because he had a constant headache. Do a search for "Riker" to read about him. The next most important thing is to get them on a good diet, what are you feeding them? The cheese isn't so bad as a treat on occasion, but under no circumstances should be fed regularly due to fat content. As far as the biting, my little Zoe drew blood every day for the first month I had her & both her previous owner & her breeder told me that she was a sweetheart for them. She has gotten over the biting & I think it just had a lot to do with building trust. Try some tent time & carry them in a bonding pouch as much as possible so they can get used to your smell. If you can't carry them often, you can try sleeping with some small squares of fleece, then put them in their cage pouches before you leave in the morning. Licky treats are another way to teach them that licking is better than biting, just remember to take your finger away when the treat is gone or they may just bite you looking for more goodies! Good luck & welcome to GC!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/05/05 10:18 AM

Well, Monster seems to have said just about everything I could have possibly thought of to say- so I guess I'll just say welcome to GC, and please keep us updated on the progress of your little ones! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/05/05 11:32 AM

I got them today, but I am beginning to feed them zoo keepers secret, plus fruits, veggies, and other sources of protein (hard-hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt, mealies, etc). I feed quiet a variety of different foods, I'll be learning what they eat and what they won't eat within the next week or so. I didn't ask the owner why she was balding, she pretty much met me in a parking lot and handed them off to me in the span of 5 minutes, so I don't have all that much information. I just knew they needed to be cared for and they weren't getting the proper care they needed. That was enough for me. I do have her contact information, so I'll email her to find out how long the glider has been balding, etc. I've had my other 2 girls for over 2 months now, so I'm getting pretty used to what they like, and I have plenty of time to spend with them (thats why I got them!) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. These new girls are just going to take some time, i'm definately going to get them on a better diet...the condition that they came to me in definately isn't the best. Also the owner told me they hadn't been played with/let out in "a while". I think they will start to improve very soon, and i'll be sure to keep everyone up to date. I'm not too worried about the biting, I was just curious if anyone else had experienced a lot of biting. On a side note, can anyone tell me about introducing gliders? I let my babies out to meet the new gliders today (2 outside of the cage, 2 inside) and the new gliders crabbed at my girls. Maybe I will wait a few more days and do more research. Thanks again.

-Sara
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/05/05 12:58 PM

Some gliders will never get along. Seeing that these are new gliders I would quarentee the gliders for a month before introducing. I would take the gliders to the vet just to make sure they don't have anything that could be passed on to your gliders (especially since they've already had contact with each other). It wouldn't be good if your gliders became ill.

There's some great GC links for introducing gliders I would definately recommend reading. You need to introduce slowly. Start by switching the pouches (after the quarentee) so they can get used to each others scent. You also need to worry about whether the gliders will breed or not. How many females and how many males do you have? Even if they can breed, a colony situation is not the best breeding situation. I have heard that the females will steal/kill each others joeys.

When were they biting you? Did they bite you as soon as you put your hand in the cage? My gliders usually bite me if I'm doing something they don't like (i.e. clipping their toenails) but when I first got them little things would set them off. This is a very stressful transition for the gliders so it would be best to let them get settled into their new home for a few days. Hope I helped, Welcome to GC! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/05/05 04:47 PM

Ive had my Zayne since Tuesday (and today is Sat.). LAst night he started biting. I put my hand out in front of his pouch and he began to crawl on me to come out and play. Then he would lick me twice and bite. He did this several times and If ollowed with a strict "no" and he would stop but he kept on doing it!! He drew blood a couple of times! I later realized after chopping mango and sweeping it up with my had, he was smelling the mango and i thik was looking for more! Maybe if the biting isnt out of hatred, they smell soemthing good on your hands? I dont know...just wanted to share my story <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/06/05 01:31 AM

Since they've already had contact, the damage is done if there was something to be passed around. I would still quarantine for 30 days though. In an average home situation, you can never really reap the benefits of a full quarantine, but it does limit a little bit. Definately taake both your new kids to the vet though, it doesn't sound like they were cared for very well & you want to eliminate any possibility of illness, especially since you got 2 others already in your care.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/06/05 04:45 AM

Kryna - I found out the hard way - if you have any fruit juice on your fingers, even the most loving, docile glider will chomp into your finger - probably because they think it's fruit. I think their strong sense of smell overrides their sense of sight. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif" alt="" />

On the same note - fruit-scented lotions or hand-soap can cause the same thing. So, Sara, if you are using any of these, you may consider switching - even if you aren't, it's worth a try. (Mine would nibble - just tasting - for the first week or so because I have to put tons of lotion on after I shower in the morning, but that wasn't anything like the bite I got for having fruit on my fingers - I thought he drew blood at first)
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/06/05 04:07 PM

haha Misty!!! Thats funny! MINE DID DRAW BLOOD!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" /> My little devil... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/06/05 07:15 PM

thanks for all the advice guys. I will definately still have to work on the biting thing --because its none of the above. I dont wear hand lotions or anything. Infact, its more of like...an attack :-p for example, I was trying to give one a treat today, and she didnt even want the treat, she was just grabbing for my hands, which lead to quentin tarentino style blood spewing. anyway, they are kind of like....my pit bull suggies. :-p wee. I can tell this is going to be a lot of work -- no wonder I got them for free <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Any advice is greatly appreciated - 02/06/05 07:15 PM

o yeah, and they are all females to the question above. No boys yet.
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