We have read a lot of things about they way to bond, but I can't seem to find specifics about time of day.

After having our 2 boys re-homed for a week and realizing Sox & Shu are getting accustomed to our schedule and such we are thinking about tent bonding but have a couple questions about time of day.

Both of these boys are over a year old and we were told Shu is a little shy, but Sox was the one who liked to go "places." Right now both seem to react the same way to all 3 of us. They are stand offish when they wake up at 9pm, but by midnight seem happy and playful. When we get up around 6:30 AM they happy and almost want to come out of the open cage doors to take treats from us...they come to the doors when they see us then. About 8 to 9 am they are ready for sleep again and if we try to take their pouch out to clean they will crab at us...then and only then do they do that.

So, our question is about what time of day do we begin trying to take the pouch out to bring in to the tent? A little before they wake up, or a few hours after they go back to sleep (2 or 3 pm -ish)? Or??

I can see getting them in a tent just before normal awake time, but I know they are stand offish then, and they will need to go to the bathroom too, and also I wonder if they will let us put them back in the pouch or cage easily enough either?

What are the negatives/positives for doing it during the middle of the day instead?

Thanks for your advice.

When I was first working in mind, I would get the out of the bage a couple hours before they'd want to wake up. I'd roll the pouch's top down until they were about falling out & set some treats nearby.

Doing it this way, they came out of their pouch. I would that pouch away until they started slowing down again (usually about an hour). Then, when I 'revealed' thier sleeping space, all four found the way inside in under 10 minutes to finish sleeping.

That sounds like a good plan. TY very much. We may try that tonight and see how it goes.

A lot of what time depends on two things mainly: 1. How your relationship is with your gliders. 2. Your daily routine/schedule which time works best with you.

The second is important because the most convenient time will help encourage regular outings.

I personally preferred early morning time when it fit with my schedule and after my gliders and I had built a relationship. My gliders will come out of cage and jump on me, and then I would transport them to the "play area" (which was usually a short trip) with them outside the pouch, and usually took them back the same way. At times, in the early stages I took the pouch for transport. I like early morning because the mess is less to clean up and they are ready to go back to cage for their days sleep afterward.

Early mornings do not work for me as easily now, so I do mid-late evening, also they're play area is restricted to a portion of the room their cage is in, so I just let them come and go from cage while I stand in front of it now.

So if you feel your gliders will stay on you for transport to and from play area, then you won't need the pouch and can do out of cage play either night or morning. Otherwise, I recommend doing it in the night time hours, before they come out of pouch.

Terry and Hutch have given you some good advice.

Unfortunately, for now anyway, the bonding time is not really play time as much as them getting to know us more intimately.

They are not ready to jump on us, and we would be leery of allowing that just yet as they may not come back to us or their cage, in a timely or safe manner...yet!

We will have to start with a method that entails them being in their pouch first and then the tent and back the same way...at least until they are very comfortable with us.

Well, tonight was the moment of truth...they began to stir about 8pm and we decided to try it.

We popped up our new Chair Tent ($50 on Amazon) with a fleece blanket and our son, Vincent, we unhooked their pouch and put it inside next to him. They only took a minute to poke out and then a minute more to start scampering about on the screen walls.

They initially took a yogi or two, but then it was really more investigation than anything else. After about 4 or 5 minutes one of them, and then finally both, decided it was OK to jump on or climb on Vincent too.

After 3 or 4 minutes of that they crabbed at each other once and then began looking for their pouch. So we decided to let them find it and climb in and we put it back in their cage.

All in all it was a good first event, even if less than 15 minutes. My son learned the hard way about their nails in a short sleeved shirt though...we read about it but forgot. Oh well, he loved them climbing all over him...one from the back and the other from the front.

So, thanks for the advice and encouragement.

That is great! Too much at one time is a bit overwhelming. You have to earn their trust. Since each glider is unique in personality, they may each bond at a different rate. But so far so good!