GliderCENTRAL

Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda

Posted By: Stef333

Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/04/16 06:30 PM

Greetings fellow glider lovers!

My two furry wonders have been with me for almost two months now, filling my world with the joy of their boundless exuberance and, lets face it, sheer irresistible cuteness. I figure it's time that I start sharing the love. smile

Yoda is my bold and brave adventurer. He was eager to start bonding from the first night at home, and is always the first to check out a new toy, or to go "off roading", which is what I call it when they jump off me to run around on the floor.

Jabberwinky is much more cautious, and is very vocal in her attempts to convince everyone around that she is a large and fearsome monster. She was very crabby in our first few weeks together, but has since broadened her expressions into a wide range of sounds including adorable little squeaks and puffs, as well and barking, chirping and crabbing at all levels of volume.

This morning I went to check on them at the usual time (6:30ish) and found both of them still awake and active in the dark. I put on my red head lamp so that I could see to remove and clean up their kitchen, and of course at least one of them had to storm the gates and escape the cage while I was at it.

Today it was Jabberwinky, while Yoda crawled into his pouch early for a change. She ran around on me for a while, before jumping onto the cage and climbing to the top, then climbing on top of the plastic containers I have stored up there, trying to get to the highest point she can.

Then she leapt up at the wall... which has no traction at all, and so she just slid down until she turned and grabbed hold of the cage. Then she made a second leap at the smooth wall, this time sliding down to the couch before I scooped her up.

I've been thinking of installing some floating shelves along the wall where their cage is, so that they could leap from shelf to shelf up high. (Then I'll probably have to start hanging things from the ceiling, and then the whole project will snowball into my entire home becoming a glider playground. I can feel the obsession approaching...)

Has anybody else tried this idea with high shelves as glider platforms against a wall outside the cage?


As for Yoda, he can't stand to be left out of the fun for long. By the time I had wrangled Jabber back into the cage and detached her clinging grip, Yoda was out of the pouch and the cage.

He ran around on me for maybe a minute before leaping to the floor to enjoy some off roading. I followed him all around the house at a distance to make sure he didn't get into mischief, waiting for him to come back and run up my leg. When he came back, I managed to capture him while he ran down my arm, and got him into a hammock in the cage before he managed a death-grip with his claws.

And so my day begins. My hands are covered in tiny scratches, but my heart is filled with joy. It's a fair trade. smile

Attached picture WP_20161121_21_04_01_Pro.jpg
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/04/16 09:55 PM

They are cute!

You could make a climbing net out of fleece for them and hang it on the wall for them to catch themselves when they jump at the wall.

Some people will give them a whole room in their home and fill it will all sorts of stuff hanging from the walls and ceilings.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/16/16 04:30 PM

As much as I would love to sleep in, I've discovered that mornings are best for play time - when they're not so ready to "potty" all over me and the house as they are just after waking.

And so I wake around 5:30am each day and go downstairs to greet the gliders, where they leap to the cage doors, eager to come out and play. As soon as the door is open, they leap onto me, then onto the floor to run off exploring.

Most of the time they stay out of too much mischief, but I have not completely glider-proofed my entire home yet and there are some areas that I was (foolishly) hoping to keep off limits. My tallest piece of furniture is an open-sided metal and glass display rack, where I arranged my collection of polished stone spheres and other items. Of course, the gliders can sense what's breakable and shouldn't be touched - and so that's exactly where they go.

Many futile attempts were made to keep them from the case, collecting them with a firm "no" each time they leaped onto it. Finally Yoda broke an item, and I had to surrender to the inevitable... that piece of furniture now belongs to the gliders.

I removed all my stones, and started putting glider-friendly stuff on each shelf of the case. Today I'm going to the craft store to buy materials to build a little bridge from the top of the case (almost touching the ceiling) to the top of their cage (ten feet across the room).

Yoda is the adventurous one, as always, fearlessly leaping and starting to stretch his "wings". Jabberwinky is acting with her customary caution, preferring to climb up and down me to the ground or the case, rather than leaping. But I think that they'll both love this high bridge that I'm envisioning, and hopefully keep them too occupied to explore other places I'd rather they keep out of. wink

Here's a photo of them checking out a shelf. There isn't much for then to play with there yet, but I'll be adding more as inspiration hits. smile

Attached picture Babens on Shelf.jpg
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/17/16 05:37 AM

Those are some very nice looking gliders!
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/17/16 04:41 PM

What a cute pair!

I too prefer early AM play, for the same reason, plus easier to get them back to the cage for beddie-bye.

I often dreamed of being able to designate a room for the gliders for play. I used to use my bathroom, but with my living arrangements for the past few years it's not convenient. So we settle mostly for short out-of-cage visits in my bedroom where their cage is.

My gliders loved climbing and exploring my space saver, both the one in my bedroom and the one I had in my bathroom.

In my old bathroom









In my bedroom (my old house)


Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/17/16 05:12 PM

Thanks for sharing your photos! Why is that I just can't get enough of these little critters? smile

The layout of my condo is one big room downstairs (kitchen, dining, living, entry), with my bedroom and bathroom upstairs. I want to keep my bedroom a glider-free zone, so I've avoided letting them go upstairs at all. It would be easier to keep them contained in my very small bathroom, but not much fun for them.

Their cage is in the living room, and they love getting out to roam. I can see that my best option is to go with it, and just glider-proof the whole space. Otherwise, I have to be vigilant in following them both around (often in opposite directions) to keep them out of trouble.

This morning I had plenty of time, and so just let them keep running around until I eventually turned a light on, which was their cue to come back to the cage and snuggle up in their pouch. So much easier than the usual routine of wrestling them into the cage one by one! smile
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/20/16 04:27 PM

I must be feeling poetic this morning, but I suspect a lot of you can relate to this... smile

I am the tree that walks in the night
I am the perch of fuzzy acrobats preparing to leap
I am the chew toy, my ears the sweetest spot of all
I am the toilet, bearing the funky stench of true bonding
I am the dispenser of sweet treats
I am the launching pad of furry projectile missiles
I am the mountain waiting to be climbed
I am the full heart, overflowing with cuteness and joy
I am the devotion paid daily to appease the tiny masters
I am the tree that walks in the night
I am all that my gliders ask me to be
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/20/16 08:33 PM

clap
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/21/16 10:58 AM

:lshower: clap :thumb2:

You did great!
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/21/16 03:32 PM

Thanks Feather! Thanks Lady!

This morning routine with the gliders is working really well. They've done all their peeing and pooping by the time I let them out of their cage around 5:30-6:00am, so there's no mess as I let them scamper and bounce all over the room. They explore more each day, letting me know what things I need to move or protect, or be ready to surrender them as property of the gliders.

They've discovered a large tapestry hanging in the dining room, which they adore. The best part is the two hanging tassels on the bottom corners. Unfortunately, climbing the tapestry leads to an easy leap to the book case where I have my collection of antique teacups (delicate and breakable, naturally) from my grandmother. Those cups will be moving very very soon.

They continue enjoying the tall display case that is now theirs exclusively. I did build a little bridge from the case to their cage, and both of them have tested it out a little, but they seem to prefer using me as their main source of transportation from one leap point to another.

I left my large (18") drinking horn hanging from the case thinking that they couldn't damage it... not thinking how appealing another cozy hidey hole might be. Yoda now wants to curl up in the horn for a nap. See attachment. smile

Attached picture WP_20161220_06_29_46_Pro 1.jpg
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/23/16 03:39 PM

My gliders are learning to play fetch, but in their version of the game they are both the ball and the dog. First they leap/climb onto me from the cage. Then they launch themselves off to a point a few yards away, after which they come running back to climb up on me and start all over again.

I've been trying to encourage them to leap to me from high places, but they don't seem ready for that yet. We'll just keep practicing "fetch" for now. smile
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/23/16 08:49 PM

:roflmao2:
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 12/29/16 03:14 PM

On the morning of the 24th, Yoda drew first blood. He was playing among my house plants (mini palms) and just about to tip one over, so I tried to gently scoop him up. CHOMP on my thumb and broke the skin for the first time. So I grabbed a fleece blanket, bundled him up and deposited him and the blanket into their cage.

OK, lesson learned. Don't use bare hands to remove gliders from plants. Got it.

So a couple of days later, Jabberwinky is in the exact same position, about to tip over a plant. Using a fleece, I try to scoop her up. She manages to bite my finger anyway. And since I didn't move my hand away, she continues biting - chomping and chewing - on my bleeding fingertip. (Yeouch!!) This incident was accompanied by loud cursing on my part, leading to Jabber giving me a scared face once I got her back in the cage.

After I worked past the resentment of my now very sore finger, I went back to the cage to talk in a soft voice and try to make friends again. Been doing that ever since.

I decided that I need to spend more time in physical contact with them during their sleeping hours to re-introduce my hands as friendly. So now a couple of times each day, I put my hand in the pouch while they're sleeping. I cup them, pet them, talk to them, give them a few treats, then leave them to go back to sleep. I feel like we're making a little progress.

This morning we were having our usual out-of-cage play time, and Yoda was back among the plants. Very carefully, I used a fleece to encourage him to climb further up the plant until he had nothing but the fleece to climb on, then moved him (in the fleece) over to his favorite chair.

Then the sneaky little bugger reached his around the edge of the fleece to give my finger another good chomp, again drawing blood. [censored], Yoda??

After each bite, I have put the offending glider back in the cage and turned on the light to signal the end of play time, getting the other glider back into the cage shortly thereafter. They are now boycotting their usual sleeping/bonding pouch and have curled up together in a tiny "cave" that they've previously ignored in the cage.

What has gone wrong here? I felt like we were getting along so well before plantgate.

Do I need to remove the plants, stop the morning play time, wear chain mail gloves for handling the gliders...? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/02/17 03:14 PM

It's been just over a week and this biting thing seems to have become a trend. We're still having our morning play time, but most mornings end early with lights on after a bite.

By now, I'm feeling anxious. I avoid exposing my hands anywhere near them, wearing a big terry cloth robe with sleeves that cover my hands. They still happily jump to me (including to my covered hands) and from me constantly during play time.

And yet Yoda still curled himself into my sleeve to find an exposed finger this morning, and bit me again. That wasn't a response to any action on my part since I was just standing there at the time, but rather Yoda making the first (aggressive) move.

During the day, I cuddle their pouch and put my bare hand inside with them for a while. I feed them treats from my fingers with no problems. They come to the front of the cage whenever I'm near and appear happy to see me.

It doesn't seem like they're afraid of me, and so I don't understand what is inspiring all these play time bites.
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/02/17 04:16 PM

It may be their age as well, I am sorry but I don't remember how old they were when you got them.

I would continue with your out of cage play and your daytime "pouch time" with them. They should eventually stop that type of biting. My glider still bite from time to time, but for the most part it's a little warning bite that pinches when they don't like something, no blood drawn. My boy Ollie though does tend to be a little nipper and will nip at me for no apparent reason at times.
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/02/17 05:30 PM

All of mine went through a biting/nipping phase from about four months to seven months. Reminded me of infants who want to sample everything around them with thier mouths. Fingers & earlobes are at the highest risk since they can get thier tiny mouths around them.

Even still (14 months old), Merlin goes through bitey phases (often randomly) and Arthur likes to groom me... frequently agressivley. Both have drawn blood (Merlin just last night, the turd).

Try not to become afraid. It can hurt, but they can't do any real damage, just something I keep in mind. Tssk or hiss at them when they start, do a sharp "ow" or "stop" if they continue, or (gently) push them away. These are actions (minus the speech, they do short crabs instead) that I've seen my furballs do when they get irritated with each other.

Stay strong & consistent, don't let mouthy balls of dryer lint beat you, & realize it will get better if you show them it doesn't bother you. For example, when Merlin bit me yesterday, instead of pulling away I scratched his head then picked him up.
Posted By: TwoDog

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/03/17 03:51 PM

Sounds like they have drawn A negative association with your hand.

Best way to fix that is with some sleep-overs. If they try and bite your hand in the pouch, while attempting the sleep-over, make a tight fist.
The FIST is much harder to bite. Don't let them drive you out of the pouch.
Yogurt Fist if biting persists.

I find my guys are much more tolerant of my hands even after just one session of this.

If they keep resisting your attempt to join them in the pouch as they bed down, you can join them once they are already asleep....
"Huuuh...what? The hand again? It's three in the afternoon! Ahhh, screw it....zzzzzz..."
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/03/17 03:51 PM

Thanks for the feedback! It does help to know that everybody goes through this phase at one time or another. smile

I adopted these two on October 14, so I estimate their age to be 4-5 months at this point - right on track for the biting phase that Hutch described.

I'm also starting to mix up play time a little. I had been avoiding nighttime play since that always means more bio-cleanup. Yesterday morning I noticed that Yoda peed one drop on me, then went for a long drink of water. Perhaps by denying them the chance to pee on me during early night play time, I interrupted scent-bonding somehow?

So I let them out for night play last night, and they both happily peed on me at that time. There was no skin broken during that play time (yay!). We also got through this morning's play time with no blood shed.

I don't know. Maybe it's some sort of trade off. If I let them scent-mark me more often, then it's all good. But if not, then they behave more aggressive/defensive towards me. Hmmm... maybe. Something to keep an eye on.

The mouthy balls of dryer lint and I will just have to keep getting to know each other better. wink

Thanks again!
~Stef
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/03/17 04:03 PM

Thanks Comrade!

I haven't had any problems with biting while they're in the pouch. Yoda will nip at my fingertip if I put it in his face, but has never broken skin in that situation. Jabberwinky will give me a little quiet crabbing in the pouch sometimes, but she hasn't lunged at me since our very early days. All three of us are comfortable with my hand in the pouch during sleep time.

The hard biting seems limited to our morning play time so far. They do have a nice big cage with lots of fun stuff to explore and play with, but they just get SO EXCITED to come out of the cage. Maybe they get over-stressed from having too much fun gleefully bouncing around like rubber balls...?
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/06/17 04:26 PM

Morning play time has been less painful over the last few days, and I've been waking them for treats during the day more often as well to associate my hands with good things.

It must be working, because both of them curled up in my bra for a few hours the other day. They would have happily stayed longer, but I needed to leave the house and didn't want to go out packing furballs in my cleavage.

This morning when I turned on the lights to signal "back to the cage", Jabberwinky went in as usual, but Yoda headed for the drinking horn that he likes to hide in from time to time. I decided to let him chill in the horn while I surfed the web a few feet away.

It wasn't too long before I heard scrambling and squeaking from inside the horn, so I checked in on Yoda. He crawled out of the horn and began trying to find a nice hidey spot on me somewhere, ending up in the sleeve of my robe. He moved up to my chest for squirmy snuggles for a while, then made his way back into my sleeve to pee. (Oh joy)

I love that they're starting to bond closer and want to hang out on me for sleep time. But I think we're going to need to work out timing and location for potty breaks... wink
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/07/17 03:58 AM

Originally Posted By: Stef333
Morning play time has been less painful over the last few days, and I've been waking them for treats during the day more often as well to associate my hands with good things.
YAY, W00t-W00t! clap

Originally Posted By: Stef333
I love that they're starting to bond closer and want to hang out on me for sleep time. But I think we're going to need to work out timing and location for potty breaks... wink
Good luck this that, lol :elaugh:
Posted By: TwoDog

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/07/17 02:02 PM

Yeah...potty breaks will be an onging problem.
A this point I am just happy to keep the turds out of the coffee.

The best thing I have found for less free-range poop...and more in-the-cage poop--is just to not let them out of the cage for the first hour they are up.
Not fool proof though.
They have endless poop to go around.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/07/17 04:29 PM

LOL @ Hutch wink

Comrade, I use a big travel mug with a sealed lid for my tea. Turd free for every sip. smile

While Jabber slept soundly in the cage all morning yesterday, Yoda was hanging out with me. After curling up in my sleeve, then he crawled up through my fleece jacket, around my torso a few times, then settled down to nap between my shoulder blades (inside the jacket) for a couple more hours.

That's the first time we've had significant non-pouch cuddle time! I've never seen him stay awake so late into the morning before, but it was nice to have that time together.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/13/17 04:57 PM

This morning I came down for play time about 20 minutes later than usual, and they were excited to come out of the cage as always.

Jabber jumped right to me and then bounced off to go play as usual. Yoda crawled onto my hand and started nibbling on my finger. I gave him the "tsssk" a few times, and he started biting harder. I made a louder "ffssst" and a firm "no" and by then he had drawn blood and was practically gnawing on the side of my finger. (Ouch!!)

I had enough of that, so I gave a firm shake of my hand into the ball pit to dislodge him onto a soft landing and shut the cage door. Then he went wild - racing all over the inside of the cage, even faster and more energetic than usual. He really wanted to be out of the cage!

After treating my finger, I went to sit beside the cage while Yoda was still tearing it up inside like some sort of wild animal (*ahem*). I spoke softly to him, tried to make eye contact (as much as one can make contact with someone moving as fast as a glider at top speed), and pressed my hand against the cage for him to smell. He still tried to bite me (sigh).

I didn't let him out of the cage because I want to avoid rewarding bad behavior (biting), and because he really was running around like a little maniac and I didn't want to unleash that in my living room.

Jabber was sweet as pie. She scampered around the house a little, did some climbing, but generally stayed out of trouble and then curled up to sleep.

Once they were both settled, I took them out of the cage in their pouch for some snuggle time. They were still awake, and Yoda started sticking his nose out to explore.

Again, he went for biting when I offered my knuckles, but stopped when I gave him the "tsk". It was more of a sleepy little "hello" chew this time. It really seems more like a biting phase than an anger/aggression issue, but either way my finger still hurts!

Maybe I need to come up with a glider chew toy to get him through this phase...
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/23/17 03:47 PM

Biting issues aside, I really am proud of Yoda for being such a bold and brave little boy. He is such a good leaper and climber!

This morning he managed to climb the frame around my front door. First he got up to the door knob and started trying to work the lock. (I'm not kidding!) That wasn't working for him, so he kept climbing all the way to the top of the door jamb so that he could enjoy the view from up there.

Many years ago my sister gifted me with an Alaskan Native handcraft, which is this little mask carved out of bone and surrounded by feathers, meant to guard an entrance. It hangs a few inches away from my front door.

Bone and feathers? You guessed it. As soon as Yoda spotted that from his perch, he made a flying leap to tackle it. I watched the frenzied ball of fur and feathers for a moment before noticing that Jabberwinky's attention was also captivated from a few feet away.

Recognizing that Yoda had claimed a new toy and that I would be a fool to try and pry it away from him now, I invited Jabber to hop onto my arm and escorted her over to join her brother in their blissful destruction of the mask.

Posted By: KarenE

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/23/17 04:37 PM

So cute heart
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/23/17 11:15 PM

That is way too cute! Very nice pic!
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/24/17 04:17 PM

Thanks for fixing the photo, Karen! I'm still figuring out the best way to add a pic to a post. smile
Posted By: KarenE

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/24/17 06:17 PM

For photobucket (there are four options) simply click on the img link beside your photo (the last box). It automatically copies it. Then just paste it here :thumb2:
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/24/17 09:45 PM

They love feathers, is you get peacock feathers they will chase it just like a cat does.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/25/17 02:20 PM

This morning Jabberwinky started barking around 4:30am and Would. Not. Stop.

I try not to respond to middle of the night barking most of the time because I don't want her to train me that easily, but I was concerned that something could be wrong when it went on for so long. So I went down to the cage and she kept it up, then Yoda joined in for a minute, but mostly it was just Jabber and her endless barking. I got out my little head lamp and shined it around the cage to see if anything was amiss. Nothing looked odd, but the light did cause Jabber to crawl into a pouch (while still barking).

I tried singing to calm her, but I have a cold right now and no voice to speak of (or speak with). I took her pouch out of the cage and cuddled/pet her until the barking stopped. Then - quicker than my sleep-deprived wits could respond - she bolted out of the pouch and went to hide behind the couch. (There goes any hope I had of going back to bed.)

So on with the overhead lights, and I put out a couple more of her favorite pouches with treats on them to lure her out. Another hour and some later... I finally managed to scoop her up in a fleece and get her back into the cage. No more barking, but by now it's time for me to "wake up".

She's lucky she's so cute, y'know...? wink
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/25/17 07:12 PM

" Listen to the song of my people, I have a story I must tell..." Lol!

I'm glad you found her... Mine bark a lot... A LOT! So much in fact that hubby and I can sleep through it, kinda. They will wake me, but I can go back to sleep with the bark going on.

I used to get up, check the house. But no more. We travel with work and drag a 5th wheel RV sometimes. It takes them a bit to get used to new noises. Mine will bark at the wind blowing, rain dripping on the bathroom vent, shadows that move. They are a curious lot, and will even be your alarm clock if it goes off and you snooze it too many times...
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/25/17 07:32 PM

I can feel you pain, Gwyn gets on a rant too in the wee hours of the morn.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/26/17 04:40 PM

LOL Dawn! Yes, she was certainly determined to finish telling her story.

I've got one that barks, and one that bites. Nice to have a variety, I suppose. wink I can't even imagine how much more fun you have with four of these cute little monsters, Hutch!
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/26/17 05:35 PM

Cue Toby Keith:
"We've got biters...
We've got barkers...
Lazy Roy-als
& Spooked ones..."
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/27/17 09:50 PM

Originally Posted By: Hutch
Cue Toby Keith:
"We've got biters...
We've got barkers...
Lazy Roy-als
& Spooked ones..."


Ok, Hutch keep writing I want to read the rest of the lyrics.
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/28/17 12:36 AM

Originally Posted By: Feather
Ok, Hutch keep writing I want to read the rest of the lyrics.
Kimberley, Challenge Accepted

I didn't want to steer this thread too far off topic... my own, that's okay, lol
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/02/17 04:52 PM

Morning play time has been going very well, especially with that second big tapestry that I just hung beside their cage. They love scampering all over it, and take advantage of the height as a great launching pad.

This morning Yoda finally managed to tip over one of my houseplants, which went tumbling to the floor, glider and all. He quickly leaped onto a nearby chair and started barking. I've never heard him bark before! Yoda is truly the strong silent type, and I haven't heard anything more than a squeaky sniffle out of him since our first week together, so that was very surprising.

He didn't appear injured (and I've seen him take much harder falls before when he missed a landing), so I think maybe he just scared himself? I talked softly to him and encouraged him to jump to me, and he quieted down pretty quickly.

They have a new favorite sleeping spot, which is an old cat bed that my kitty never liked. It is closed at one end and basically serves as a really big plush pouch, which I have sitting on a very high shelf. When I turn on the lights to signal the end of morning play time each day, Yoda heads right for the mega pouch. Jabberwinky likes to take a few more laps around the room before she settles down, but then she happily joins her brother.

I'm currently looking for work and I get to spend a lot of time at home, so I just let them sleep outside of the cage in their mega pouch for most of the day. It's very accommodating for cuddle time, since my whole arm fits in there with them. And when I need to leave the house I just move them into a pouch in the cage, with no more fuss than a few blinky confused looks about the change of scenery. smile
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/06/17 04:43 PM

Jabberwinky gave me a wake-up call again this morning, and I went downstairs to check things out. She was hopping around the cage barking, while Yoda was sitting stock still on a shelf and staring straight forward. He didn't move or respond when I reached in to gently pet him. (Is that what a seizure looks like?)

I tried to give Winky a gentle pet as well, but she backed away (still barking) when I reached my hand out. I decided to just let her cry it out (the Fur-ber Method?) and I went back to bed, closing the latch on the cage after confirming two furry bodies contained inside.

I was quite surprised when I went back downstairs 90 minutes later to find Yoda jumping to me from outside of the still-locked cage! (And for the Amazing Yodini's next trick...)

I don't know if he managed to sneak out during my earlier visit, but I could have sworn they were both in there when I went back to bed, and the door was still latched when I came back. Maybe he finally discovered how to open one of the slide-up food doors that I have left unsecured until now.

Or maybe he was "playing possum" up on the shelf, just watching and waiting for his chance to make a break for it. I can totally see Winky collaborating with that plan, providing a distraction with her barking. Yes, I think that must be it. They've started strategizing against me...
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/06/17 06:17 PM

As far at the possible seizure, was he also drooling as he was staring ahead?

I had three gliders out last night, not good in this apartment.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/06/17 07:20 PM

I didn't notice any drool. He was just totally still, which is a very unusual condition at that time of night. He was as enthusiastic as always at play time, a short while later.
Posted By: Philwojo

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/06/17 08:12 PM

I have seen our gliders do that, one will be barking the other is just sitting there and doesn't move. They blink and such, but don't move until the other one that is barking stops.

I've never paid attention to drooling or anything like that though.
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/06/17 08:23 PM

Mine sometimes 'freeze' when another is barking, so it may not be a seizure. Worried me the first few times I saw it, too.

Melin has seizures. Some additional signs:
- Body locks up. Not just frozen, but rigid.
- Drool
- Uncontrollable/violent spasms. (Yes, it can happen with the rigidity)
- Strong, full body vibrations (stronger than "morning shakes")

Afterwards, the exhaustion leaves him so weak he can't even cling to me.

I hope that helps.
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 03:09 AM

Lol, sneaky, sneaky.

As for the freeze episode while jabberwinky was barking isn't so abnormal.

I do recommend securing those sliding doors though just in case.
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 04:39 AM

Hutch does have a point, gliders will freeze when one is barking. The one barking is warning the colony of something and they all freeze to protect themselves from a predator.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 03:51 PM

Thanks for all the feedback on the possible seizure. (Hutch, that sounds awful to witness and I'm so sorry that Merlin goes through it!) It does sound like Yoda displayed the natural freezing behavior more than anything I need to worry about.

For about an hour after they woke last night, I sat and just watched them playing in their cage. Everything was normal and nobody tried to make a break for it. I went to bed after assuring that both doors were closed and locked, but I did not yet secure the food doors. They had never shown any awareness that the food doors move, so I wasn't convinced that that was last night's escape route.

I woke in the middle of the night and decided to check to make sure both critters were still in the cage. I opened my bedroom door and felt an odd movement at my foot. Turning on the light, I find Yoda scampering into my room! (He never managed to climb the stairs before, so I'm sure that was a new adventure.)

So Yoda jumps to me and we go back downstairs while I convince him to go back into the cage. Then I zip-tied all of the food doors and headed back upstairs to bed. It was less than a minute before I heard the telltale *plop* of a furry little body hitting the floor outside the cage again. (d'oh!)

Back downstairs I went to more closely examine the cage to find the Amazing Yodini's trap door. The cage is in a corner, and one of the wall-facing sides had a food door that I missed, which was hanging open by about an inch, giving Yoda the perfect exit.

OK, now ALL doors are secured and I finally went back to bed. They were both still contained when I went to let them out for playtime this morning. smile
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 04:18 PM

Poor guys can't come visit you at night anymore!
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 04:44 PM

It's awesome that he came to find you!

I didn't realize how good their tracking scent was untill Dot came in our room one morning, running around the edge of the bed as if saying " Hey! Wake up! I am unsupervised! And I am free!" Scared the bejesus out of me...
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 05:13 PM

When Arthur use to escape my first cage (never figured out how 100%), he came up my stairs to my bedroom a couple of times. Such a goober.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 06:19 PM

I did feel kinda warm and fuzzy that he came looking for me, and was then content to ride on my shoulder. (He usually just races around on me.)

LOL, Dawn! I had a similar thought, that I was happy that he hadn't crawled onto me while I was sleeping, because I would probably flail first and ask questions later with an unknown "something" waking me up...
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/07/17 09:19 PM

Oh there was quite a story...

It ends with hubby comando jumping out of bed looking for a shirt before he investigates what the heck it was... At 4am.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/08/17 04:43 PM

LOL For some reason it's always 4am, isn't it?
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/14/17 03:54 PM

No good thing lasts forever! Gone is their habit of curling up together in one big pouch as soon as I turn the lights on to conclude morning play time. It was nice while it lasted.

Yoda has become very attached (literally) to my coat tree. It is draped with all sorts of stuff that is easy to climb and smells like me. Not to mention all of the sleeves, hoods, and pockets to explore! Honestly, who wouldn't want to hang out in such a wonderland?

This morning I hadn't even turned on the light when I noticed Yoda crawl into his favorite coat pocket for the day. (Sadly, he won't stay in the pocket for long if I put the coat on, but we'll work on that.) But Winky was still ready to party, and she kept running around for another 30 minutes before settling into her favorite box in the cage. (She was not at all interested in joining Yoda in the pocket.)

Letting Yoda sleep in the pocket for the morning gives me the opportunity to interact when he's sleepy (no bites!), transferring him by bare hand from pocket to cage later in the day. The other evening he was sleeping so soundly when I moved him that I just sat with him cupped to my chest for about an hour. That was our first snuggle without a pouch. smile
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/20/17 03:30 PM

Over the last couple of weeks both of my gliders have developed an obsession with chewing on my terrycloth bathrobe. I usually wear the robe for our out-of-cage play time since it does so well at protecting against claw scratches, and provides a forgiving landing pad while they're still learning to target their leaps.

It started with the knot of the belt tie. As soon as they get out of their cage, both furry bodies park themselves at my waist and start gnawing on the belt knot as if their lives depend on it. No amount of "tsk", "fsst", or "no" of varying volumes can distract their attention. No other chew toy - not their favorite houseplant, not the tapestries, not eucalyptus leaves - can tempt them away from the terrycloth once they're fixated.

It doesn't seem to matter if the robe is freshly washed (unscented detergent) or liberally scented with "eau de glider", so I don't think it's the taste/smell that draws them. They don't obsessively chew like this when they're in the cage.

They aren't trying to bite ME as far as I can tell, but those wicked bottom teeth of theirs sometimes penetrate through the thick material to my skin. They haven't drawn blood this way, but I certainly do squeak and jump when I'm startled with the needle poke of sharp little teeth in my rear end.

I suppose I should just consider myself fortunate that they haven't broken my skin for a while, and wait for this new obsession to run it's course...
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/21/17 04:58 PM

Gliders like to untie knots. I am speaking from experience here, there have been many a toy with beads that I have had to restring.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 02/27/17 04:48 PM

I think maybe all this attention towards chewing the terrycloth has distracted Yoda from chomping on my fingers. It's been a couple of weeks since he's drawn blood, and I'm hoping that phase is well and truly passed now.

Yesterday I overslept a little and came down for morning play time about 40 minutes later than usual. They were already in their pouch, and when I went to peek inside Winky gave me such a talking to! She was crabbing, but just a low grumbling noise to let me know that I was not in her good graces. Her message was clearly more "where were you?" than "go away!", so I sat down with the pouch on my chest for a while to see if they would come out.

Of course, Yoda was first to stick his nose out, sniffling all the while. (I swear, he must have the lungs of a humming bird to keep up the pace of his constant sniffing.) Winky stopped grumbling and came out to play for a few minutes as well. They do love a strict daily routine, but it's nice to know that it doesn't take log to forgive me if I get off schedule. smile



And I figured out how to add video! Once I was actually able to capture these little maniacs in action. wink

http://vid44.photobucket.com/albums/f13/stefwarren/WP_20170227_06_56_26_Pro_zpsubbbgjwp.mp4

http://vid44.photobucket.com/albums/f13/stefwarren/WP_20170217_06_27_38_Pro_zpsavghs4ww.mp4



Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 03/01/17 04:38 PM

Most days Yoda and Winky curl up happily together to sleep. Yesterday, Yoda curled up in his favorite coat pocket outside of the cage, but Winky was determined to sleep in a cage pouch. OK, no problem.

Around 4pm I started to hear motion in the cage, and I found that Winky had climbed out of her pouch (unheard of for the middle of the day with no disturbance from me) and was clinging to the side of the cage in apparent terror. She was stock still and firmly attached to the bars. No amount of gentle encouragement would convince her to move or loosen her grip.

Then I offered a yoggie, which got her attention immediately. OK great, so she's not catatonic. But she was still staring at me with utter terror in her eyes, even as she chomped on the yoggie. I think she just woke up alone and confused, and felt like something wasn't right in her world with Yoda missing.

By this time, I had brought Yoda back to the cage to comfort her. But being the middle of the day, his only priority was going back into a pouch. Without even a glance at Winky, he crawled into the pouch that she had recently vacated and then settled down quickly.

After the yoggie, Winky made her way to the floor of the cage to hide under/behind the wheel. I gave her some alone time with the hopes that she'd relax and go join Yoda in the pouch on her own, but she was still cowering in the corner when I came back to check on her 30 minutes later.

I didn't want to scare her any worse by taking away the shelter of the wheel, but I also suspected that she wasn't going to calm down until she was curled up with Yoda. I took the chance and moved the wheel out of the cage, which caused her to start climbing upwards toward the pouch. She shied away when I offered my hand, but slowly made her own way into the pouch with Yoda, where she quietly slept until their usual wake time hours later.

This morning I wasn't taking any chances with them sleeping apart. I tried to convince Yoda to sleep in the cage, but he kept going back to the coat pocket. Winky kept going back to the cage, but I finally convinced her into the coat pocket with her brother, where they are now both content.

I think they might be a little spoiled. LOL wink

Ah, well. I won't be unemployed forever, so I might as well take advantage of all this free time to love on my furry babies while I can. smile
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 03/09/17 03:26 PM

We all know how much gliders love chewing on knots, but did you know that long hair is a close second when it comes to chewing preferences?

I have long curly hair, which the gliders LOVE to grab and chew on if I leave it down, so I always twist my hair up in a clip for play time. But now, they discovered the joy of clamping onto my head and chewing my up-do for all they're worth.

It was Winky that planted herself on my head this morning, and would not be persuaded to jump off for any reason. I wasn't really enjoying the sharp-toothed scalp massage and tried desperately to encourage her to focus her attentions on other favorite toys, but she wasn't having it. I have learned through experience that trying to move a glider away from a chewing obsession with my bare hands just results in getting my hands chewed, so all I could really do was hope she got bored quickly. wink

We don't see a lot of this in America, but have you ever noticed the extremely fancy and elaborate hats sometimes worn by women of the British monarchy? They're called "fascinators" and are often adorned with feathers, flowers, and at one point in history even included live birds caged in the hairdo.

I now have a sugar glider fascinator that I can wear to impress my friends. Sure, I may end up with lacerations all over my scalp, but it's the price we pay for high fashion, right? wink
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 03/10/17 07:06 PM

Just be careful that your long hair doesn't wrap around a little finger or foot and cut off the circulation.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 03/11/17 04:50 PM

Thanks, Kim! I honestly prefer to keep them off my head and out of my hair entirely, but I'll keep that danger in mind.
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 03/12/17 11:49 AM

My hair is really long too and I shed. I keep it in a tight ponytail bun most of the time. And I have to check their fingers and toes often. The girls have learned the trappings of my hair too and stay away from it.

Well until I changed shampoo. It was a gift from a friend, Well the girls love it! To me it doesn't smell fruity, but has a hint of vanilla...Hubby uses what I use and they were pulling his hair out by the roots (He doesn't have that much to begin with.) So we quit using it.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/13/17 05:17 AM

It was a dark and stormy night. The usually sluggish to awake gliders abandoned their sleep an hour earlier than usual, and so were rewarded with some early play time.

We haven't moved into the RV officially yet, but we are spending a few nights in it right now while renovating. The RV also isn't fully glider-proofed yet, but I've done my best to block off anything I see as a potential hazard (however inadequate my eyes have proved to be.)

All was well. Both gliders were leaping around as usual, having a great time exploring the new digs.

And then Winky was gone.

I wandered around looking for her. (The place isn't that big, so it didn't take long.) I looked in, around, under, through, on top of anything I could find... but no Winky. I was shaking the treat jar to entice her, singing her special song to invite her, and searching over and over again with increasing desperation. I couldn't hear her anywhere in the RV, and it didn't help that the lovely patter of rain on the roof (dark and stormy night, remember?) sounds like the scuttling of little claws when you're desperately listening for it.

So I sucked it up and accepted the obvious... she got outside somehow. I found an open tube under the dash that leads who knows where into the engine. I found an opening in the bedroom slide with a cold breeze blowing through (located suspiciously near some damp carpet.) So I went outside hoping to find my cold wet baby jumping to me immediately.

I searched all around the RV with a flashlight, looking into every crevice of the engine that I could reach, shining the light up under the chassis, looking high up into the nearby trees, calling softly to my little girl... but no Winky. My RV is parked at my parents' house, so my mom came out to look inside the RV while I walked around outside looking. Neither of us had any luck.

Trying not to panic, I went back in and turned off all the lights, and just sat quietly by the cage with Yoda. A few minutes later, I thought I heard something that wasn't a raindrop. A few more minutes, and I heard something else. A short time later, I look up to see Winky poking her nose over the couch!

Oh happy day! That little *bleep*.

Then she was acting all skittish and scared towards me, so I just let her run her energy out for a while, and found an opportunity to scoop her up in a fleece and deposit her in the cage with her brother.

At least now I know a few more areas in the RV where I need to make improvements...
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/13/17 10:05 AM

Yep, rolled blankets stuffed all around openings are a must. Especially if it is a jack knife or hideaway bed. They can crawl all the 1ay up in armrest.
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/13/17 10:06 AM

Recliners, swivels too...
Posted By: TwoDog

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/13/17 01:37 PM

Omg. I know how you feel, losing a glider when they may have gotten outside. Panic, guilt, despair, panic, guilt despair ANGER, panic guilt despair...
Like when your second grade kid packs up all their GI Joes and a jar of peanut butter, and runs away leaving only a scribbled crayon note.
You want to wring their necks, as soon as you are done hugging them to death.
That's why she was skittish of you at first, "Ohhh...mommy is sooo mad at me..."

So glad you got her back.
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/14/17 12:13 AM

I'm sure it was a nightmare! I'm so happy you found her!
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/14/17 04:24 AM

You did the right thing by shutting off the lights. They love dark corners and cubbies.

I am glad Winky is safe and well too!

We have a red lamp for those occasions. Ya know that clamp on and has a movable neck. We set it up to shine on ceiling when it is total dark. We have used an led lamp same kind with a red bandana covering the light when it's playtime to keep track of them too.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/14/17 02:23 PM

Thanks, Dawn! It was a war against my own instincts that wanted to turn on every light so that I could see to find her better, and the knowledge that SHE prefers the dark and would only come out once she's comfortable. I actually have a headlamp with a red light, which I used for play time with them in the beginning. I might have to keep that in a handy spot again, as my furries are exploring our new home.

Thanks, Terry! Yea, I was trying to stay calm, but scenarios of grief and needing to find a new companion for Yoda kept popping up in my mind. So glad that Winky didn't stay lost for long!

Yea, TwoDog, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Kids... what can you do? wink
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/23/17 08:54 PM

My gliders may not respond to their names, but they sure as heck do pay attention when I shake the treat jar! I've been shaking it before giving them treats, and finally thought to use it as a glider-call this morning - with great success!

One little shake, and I had four ears perked up in my direction, with noses following closely behind. Of course, the shake was so effective that they were all over me (noses directly in the treat jar in my hand) before I had the chance to offer them each one little yoggi like usual. This trick may need some refining...
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/24/17 05:30 PM

Originally Posted By: Stef333
This trick may need some refining...
:lol: I know what you mean. I keep my fuzzies treats in a baggy, Now, anytime they hear a zip-locked bag open, I have their undivided (& hungry) attention.

*cue the song 'Hungry Eyes'*
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/24/17 07:41 PM

Do you keep that baggy in a locked box? My gliders would chew through a baggie in nothing flat to get to treats!
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 04/24/17 08:33 PM

Originally Posted By: Stef333
Do you keep that baggy in a locked box? My gliders would chew through a baggie in nothing flat to get to treats!
hehe, no, but I should. I usually catch them as they try to dive into the container holding their dry food & treats. Subtle, they are not!
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 05/28/17 04:12 PM

It seems that I'm past due on updating our Tales! (If you've read the recent thread posted by TwoDog, you'll understand my distraction lately.) wink

Now that we're sharing a smaller home in the RV, it feels like the gliders and I have bonded closer. We've also had to mix up the play time schedule due to me working some late shifts, but that just gives us more variety since they have different moods at different times of day. When I get home after 10pm, they've already been awake for at least an hour and so I can let them out of the cage without too much potty mess.

In morning play time, they first jump to me from the cage, and then ricochet like pin balls off every available surface. They do come back to me frequently as they bounce around, but their focus is on running and jumping until the moment they crawl into a pouch for the day.

In evening play time, they stick closer to me. They hang out on my back or shoulder, or sometimes even ride on the back of my hand for a short time. They happily jump or crawl to Dave as well. Eventually they hop off to explore and scamper around the carpeted ceiling. This RV interior really is like one big glider playground, with lots of high walkways around the perimeter, and plenty of cabinet handles that make great launch points.

I let them free roam until one of them enters the forbidden zone - the blanket-draped cockpit of my motorhome. First I try distraction, inviting them to take a ride on me while escorting them across the room. If that doesn't work, then I shake the treat jar. Sometimes it takes a minute to get the attention of both gliders, and by that time I already have one on my hand trying to open the treat jar, but then I get them both on board. I put a little dish with a few treats into a far corner of the cage, and once they've taken the bait... shut the cage doors! It really is a process to get these two back into the cage at night. wink
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 05/29/17 01:14 AM

It sounds like fun! I have limited out of cage play with my babies and also with "forbidden Zone" or I should say zones, lol.

I've read about how you us blanket draped to cover entry to cockpit. Although I'm not sure of your exact layout I thought I would ask about a suggestion that may help.

Can you use either velcro or magnetic, sticky back tape, placed strategically around the entry way and also on blanket to hold more securely? Maybe just for overhead and sides, then a weight on the floor to hold the blanket taught. This could be something easily placed and removed, but secure.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 07/30/17 07:36 PM

Yoda and Winky have had a few new experiences since my last update. You can see the post about introductions to the Sugar Squadron colony in the Bonding and Relations forum. In addition, my gliders have been in close proximity to TwoDog's two dogs several times.

We humans know with absolute certainty that the dogs are no threat. They are border collies who are deeply dedicated to the watching of their sugar glider herd at home and would never cause any glider harm. However, Winky is not yet entirely convinced of the dogs' benevolence.

In ordinary circumstances, it takes a crow bar to pry Winky out of the pouch during the day. But it's different once the dogs arrive. She can be sleeping peacefully in the pouch with Yoda, totally insulated from the outside world in a fleecy haven behind locked bars, but once those dogs enter the room and stand silently guard with their eyes glued to the pouch... Winky is out of the pouch and clinging to the back of the cage, returning those stares for all she's worth.

She only crabbed at the dogs the first time, so I'm not sure that she's really afraid... but her expression and body language is undeniably cautious every time. Yoda doesn't wake up when the dogs arrive during the day, but he gets extra-active if the dogs are around when he's awake in the cage.

But here's the thing... Winky's extra caution doesn't stop when the dogs aren't around. She doesn't want to leave her cage as often any more. It used to be that she'd jump right out as soon as I opened the door, but now I have to spend several minutes coaxing her out with treats or toys.

So I've been trying to keep the dogs out to give poor little Winky's nerves a rest. Sometimes they get in for just a minute while my door is open, but that doesn't disturb her enough to rouse from the pouch.

I'm also trying to spend more time with them on me in the bonding pouch during the day, and they've been cooperating by choosing the bonding pouch to sleep in each morning. Winky and I are getting back on track with our bonding. Thankfully, Yoda seems to have no issue with the dogs and just keeps happily sniffing everything to explore his world. smile
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 07/30/17 08:02 PM

Originally Posted By: Stef333
In ordinary circumstances, it takes a crow bar to pry Winky out of the pouch during the day. But it's different once the dogs arrive. She can be sleeping peacefully in the pouch with Yoda, totally insulated from the outside world in a fleecy haven behind locked bars, but once those dogs enter the room and stand silently guard with their eyes glued to the pouch... Winky is out of the pouch and clinging to the back of the cage, returning those stares for all she's worth.
When other pets are over or I have a large group of people at my house, my girls will do the same thing. I've taken to putting a beach towel over the cage, which helps Gwyn a little. Arthur & Merlin will just poke their heads out & Merlin may crab if things get too rowdy.
Posted By: TwoDog

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 07/31/17 12:05 PM

I'm tellin' ya baby...
All we have to do is put all the gliders in the big tent with the dogs for a few hours and leave a big pile of dog food in the center of the room.
When we come back they will all be best buddies.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 07/31/17 02:21 PM

Good point, Hutch! I do have a big fleece that I can drape over the cage to see if that reduces the disturbance.

But anyway... the dogs came over again last night. Winky was out of the pouch immediately and diligently staring at the two big furry monsters just outside her cage. But then... she decided it was play time. It was maybe two hours earlier than the usual wake up time, but she was jumping all over the cage, running in both wheels, and generally very active.

And then a bit later she was semi-comatose, crouched in a frozen position on the floor of the cage, completely unresponsive until I offered a treat. She still didn't move much until Yoda woke up and started playing.

So this morning I get up to let them out for play at the usual time and Winky is apparently back to her old self (pre-dog introduction)- jumping to me, running on the ceiling, crawling up the tapestries, having a grand old time.

I don't know if the dog trauma knocked something loose in the fear-response center of Winky's brain or what, but I'm hoping that we're over the hump and looking forward to less fearful doggy play time in the future. smile
Posted By: Feather

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 08/01/17 12:30 AM

She was probably in sensory overload.
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 08/01/17 12:36 AM

I'm sure she'll adjust to the dogs, it sounds like it may even be the beginning of it. I agree with Kimberly, it's a lot of new things in short period of time.
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 08/23/17 02:22 PM

It seems like time spent in proximity to the dogs has helped Winky overcome some of her fear. Now when the dogs come over and sit quietly staring at the cage during the day, Winky is out of the pouch within minutes and either running on the wheel or scrambling around the cage at high speed. The dogs are entertained, and then she is more assertive the next day in coming out of the cage for morning playtime.

Yoda's biting habit has gotten much better over recent months, but he still has a tendency to chew obsessively on my sleeve. The problem, of course, is that his needle-like teeth pierce the material and scrape over my hand repeatedly during his chewing frenzies. My hand is covered in tiny scratches.

He was deeply engrossed in chewing yesterday morning during play time, and there was nothing I could do to get him to let go. I didn't want to offer him a treat, reinforcing the behavior that I want to stop. All of my "tsk!" and "fsst!" noises went unnoticed, as he continued gnawing his way around my wrist.

Finally it occurred to me to blow in his face - a quick little puff of air each time he set his teeth to my sleeve. It worked! (Kinda) With each puff of air, he would look up at me and away from his obsession. Then he'd go right back to chewing.

I had to puff at his face maybe 20 times until he finally stopped. My nose was mere inches from his teeth and I ran the definite risk of a nip, but he only stretched up to look closer at me every few puffs. "Why is she puffing at me? Oh well, back to the sleeve!"

So I guess that we're still working on some behavioral issues, but at least I've found an effective deterrent for now. smile
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 08/23/17 07:11 PM

Originally Posted By: Stef333
Finally it occurred to me to blow in his face - a quick little puff of air each time he set his teeth to my sleeve. It worked! (Kinda) With each puff of air, he would look up at me and away from his obsession. Then he'd go right back to chewing.

I had to puff at his face maybe 20 times until he finally stopped. My nose was mere inches from his teeth and I ran the definite risk of a nip, but he only stretched up to look closer at me every few puffs. "Why is she puffing at me? Oh well, back to the sleeve!"


I sometimes resort to this to discourage my little hyperactive turds when they get fixated. Once I have their attention (even for a moment), I'll relocate them so they're away from whatever captured their attention in the first place. Seems to help.
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 08/23/17 08:21 PM

My Skadoosh was fixated on a door knob once, it happened every playtime in the bathroom before we moved. She hasn't noticed the door knobs in any other location we lived so far dunno
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/16/17 03:18 PM

I finally got around to revamping my website, which now has a whole page dedicated to the uber-cuteness of Yoda and Winky!

Karen, I hope you don't mind that I included a link to Glider Central on my page, just in case anybody wants a good source for more info. smile

http://projectretreatforward.com/suggies
Posted By: KarenE

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/16/17 03:29 PM

Not at all, Stef. Beautiful site.
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/16/17 11:26 PM

Nicely done Steph!

I have to add, I really enjoyed the 7 Gliders in a tent, it was cute!
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/17/17 08:50 AM

Looks great!!! thumb

It's also a neat way to keep track of your video albums!
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/17/17 03:36 PM

Thanks, folks! Just wait until TwoDog gets his site up and running. The internet will overflow with cuteness. smile
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/18/17 03:16 PM

I just had to share this pic from play time this morning. Winky is trying the biker babe look! smile

Attached picture Winky Biker.jpg
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 09/18/17 03:59 PM

Awwwe how cool and cute!

:thumb2:
Posted By: Stef333

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/12/18 02:31 PM

Wow... I haven't written about my gliders since September? I guess we've been a little busy!

Yoda, Winky and I have been together for about 15 months now. We've definitely had our ups and downs of bonding along the way, but seem to have entered a lovely plateau of general contentedness with each other. We still enjoy out of cage play time every morning, and in the last few weeks, play time always ends with one or both of them curled up somewhere on my body.

My standard uniform for play time is layers under my big terry cloth robe. (I like to think of it as my amazing technicolor housecoat.) Both gliders love running through the sleeves of the robe like tunnels, and find it extra special cuddly to snuggle up in the crossed section of the front lapels. This morning they each took up residence in an armpit (Yoda on the right, Winky on the left).

Since I can't carry them with me all day, eventually I do have to scoop them up and deposit them in a pouch. Winky usually goes willingly enough, but Yoda doesn't want to let go. He clings to my hand, tries to run back up my arm, and generally refuses to be detached until I can distract him. (I think he loves me!)

I'm sure these morning snuggles are just another passing phase, but it's so incredibly sweet to have them so attached to me. smile
Posted By: Terry

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/13/18 03:25 AM

You are so lucky!!!

I miss morning play, I haven't been able to fit a routine into my schedule for morning time. I've been trying to get a few evenings a week of out of cage play, but it doesn't always work out. We did just have a wonderful play session, sometimes they really seem to enjoy being out, and other times they seem rather to stay in their cage. Either way, they cut it fairly short, if I'm lucky they'll want to stay our for a whole 20 minutes or so, lol.

Mine were never coddlers, but they weren't babies when I homed them. Anyway, my Lulu loved crawling up my sleeves, and always had an attachment to my bathrobes, lol. She would always jump to it if it was hung near by. Now sometimes Skadoosh will, but not like my Lulu did. However both Ollie and Skadoosh seem to enjoy the uptop playground and even extend their explorations to the two canvas bins full of suggie stuff that is stored on the top shelf of my desk. Tonight, and a rare few other times, one or the other will climb on or into the tunnel that hangs on the side of their cage.

Well, sorry for going on and on in your thread, just saying how lucky you get that cuddle in from your babies. Thanks for sharing the update, you've both been missed.
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Tales of Jabberwinky and Yoda - 01/13/18 07:56 PM

Originally Posted By: Stef333

I'm sure these morning snuggles are just another passing phase, but it's so incredibly sweet to have them so attached to me. smile


You never know. Mine have a favorite hoodie. Almost two years ago, I had to sacrifice the sleeves so I could wear it in the summer. They still love it. The stinkier the better. When I wash it, they mark it more than anything else. They hang out in the hood on my back. I only wear it inside. I do have a winter hoodie, I'll be putting a zippered pouch in the front soon. We will see how that goes...
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