Bonding with your new sugar glider
Remember , your new sugar glider is scared. It is in a new environment, away from mom and dad, new smells, and new sounds.
TAKE IT SLOW. Give it 2-3 days in the cage to get used to the new environment. About three to four times a day, give a licky treat of honey or applesauce on your finger. I now use small mealworms. Mealworms seem to break the ice between me and the glider quicker. When you start to put your hand in the pouch, move slowly, talk calmly, and offer the treat. He/she may lunge at you with a crabbing sound, do not move your hand away. If you pull your hand away, it will learn " oh yeah , if I bite, that big thing will leave, so, I will keep doing it. " you have to take the bite. The bite is not that bad, it is the crabbing that goes with it, that makes it worse. I put my finger near the edge of the pouch, and when it crabs, I stop, talk low to it, and hold my finger still and let them smell the food. They will investigate it, and taste it. Offer the goodies each time you look in pouch. Your glider will learn that your hand is not so bad after all.
Eventually, the goal is to have the glider taking treat from the palm of your hand. I let them come to me, Do not chase your glider in cage, this will ruin, what you have worked for, so far
If your glider bites, DO NOT EVER HIT IT, TAP IT, OR LOCK IT UP FOR BEHAVIOR, THAT IS NORMAL FOR THEM.. This will teach it nothing. It is all about trust, in the world of the sugar glider. Once you have their trust, you'll have a friend for life. They taste with their mouths, so this is normal. Actually it really is not a bite, but, most people call it biting.
Most of the gliders that I have, bonded quickly, Except for one. Her name is Kiah, and I received her from a young couple, that had her for a few weeks. I drove to their house to pick your up, and the young man, hands a closed up box, and says" Here, she needs an exorcism " And, all I heard was that poor baby crabbing. I kept her in the box until I got home. I went into bathroom after making it glider proof. Had her new cage ready. when I opened the box, there was a woman's canvas purse, and inside of it, was Kiah. I was horrified. She was petrified. I took the purse, opened it up at cage entrance, and let her crawl out it herself. I did not want to cause her anymore stress, if I could help it.
It has taken me 2 months to get to the point where she will crawl on my hand, in the cage only. If I try to take her out , she freaks. So, right now, bonding and play are in the cage. But, it is a big cage, and I introduced her to Gizmo, her new cage mate.
Do not try to hold your glider down. They don't like it.
This page was last updated: February 22, 2010
