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Curbing the Bite successfully

Posted By: MizzZombie

Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 09:01 PM

I had read a lot about how to keep my boy from biting, tried all of it, but he's older and the folks I got him from had done him a disservice.


Video #11
Vet Website

If you have an older glider I suggest using a curled finger, as I tried the thumb tip OMG it hurt like a curse word. If you curl your index like a candy cane and use the part in between your first two joints this will be much easier for you. I also use a command "NO BITES".

This video helped me curb his biting almost completly with in three days, and ongoing treatment has reduced it to small nibbles when he's startled or irritated and he's much more gentle.

My Glider was particularly stubborn and this technique did not work on it's own at first, he would bite as hard as he could when a finger got near his face, I purchased yucky spray before watching this video and it didn't seem to help on its own (I have also tasted it, it's bitter but in no way over powering). Putting the two together, I would spray my fingers let them dry and pet/play with him until he bit I would command "NO BITES" and if I was able to that first bite put my finger in his mouth and hold it. After that I would present a finger to him and if he bit, it would be held in his mouth for at least a minute. After three days I didn't have to use the spray and while casually playing if he nipped (at all hard soft or playful) "NO BITES" and would tuck his head down. When no punishment came in the later days he realized that only when he bites hard do I sit him down for therapy.

I can now Pet Heidar freely, and tickle under his chin. We continually use the command and if he nips a finger tip in pushes into his mouth and not pulled away, this way he learns biting isn't fun for any one. They are very intelligent, and just like a dog who bites pushing curbs the behavior completely with time.





Posted By: pumpkin

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 09:22 PM

I'm very curious to know the other behaviors of your glider after subjecting him to this, because at face value, this method seems rather harsh. Gliders typically don't respond well to discipline like this. When restrained and intentionally stressed, they will become more reserved.

Does he crab at all when your hands go near him? Does he willfully and curiously want to come to you when you walk near the cage, or does he display more interest in what he's doing at the time? Will he crawl up your arm when you present it or must you pick him up? Does he enthusiastically interact with you during playtime, or does he spend more time exploring?

I'm sorry for all the questions, I have not had the opportunity to converse with anyone who used this technique before, and am curious how it has affected his other behaviors.
Posted By: IslandGliders

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 09:57 PM

I personally have not and never will use force or bitter spray on my gliders. I got my gliders to stop biting by showing them unconditional love, and taking bonding at their pace (i.e. if they bit me, I knew I was pushing too much, too fast).

My preferred method does not work overnight, but it builds a relationship based on mutual trust, not on fear or force.

Just my two cents.
Posted By: JillMarie

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 10:22 PM

Also imitating the sound THEY make at another glider who is bugging them will help as you are imitating their language.

how to describe it? my hubby says PSSST with an attitude LOL
Posted By: suggiemom1980

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 10:36 PM

Thank you for coming to glidercentral and asking questions! It's great that you're so open to learning the best ways to care for your suggie.

This method of pushing your finger in his mouth, can break his teeth, tear facial muscles and break/dislocate his jaw. It would be the same as if someone pushed their fist into your mouth and held it for five minutes. Try it. You can immediately see how painful it is.

The bitter spray may not hurt him physically, but as with the pushing finger method, it will hurt him mentally and psychologically, engraving further lack of trust of you.

This will teach him you can and will hurt him, and are not to be trusted. He may eventually submit (give up) to you, but he will never form a bond of trust. He will always be afraid of you and will live his life in constant fear.

That video was put out by people associated with Perfect Pocket Pets, a glider broker who only cares about the money they make off gliders. They approve of this method, because it does stop a glider from biting, but for all the wrong reasons. If the glider bites, you won't buy more from them. They give you a (dangerous and cruel) method to stop biting, you're happy and buy more gliders from them.

Check out this article on bonding. It may open your eyes and show you gentle, loving ways to stop the biting with respect, patience and understanding.

Building a relationship with your glider

Check out this article on bonding. It may open your eyes and show you gentle, loving ways to stop the biting with respect, patience and understanding.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 11:09 PM

For me, it is very important to have a relationship of trust with my gliders. I want them to want to want to be with and play with me, not submit with broken spirit.
Posted By: angelic4296

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 11:34 PM

I have heard people using this method before, and to me, it's completely cruel and very painful for the glider.

I'm going to be very blunt here and say that the "bond" (and I use that term very loosely) that you now have with your gliders has nothing do to with trust and love and everything to do with fear and intimidation. Your hands now represent weapons to your gliders instead of a loving gentle place to be. This can hopefully be reversed if you stop the behavior immediately and never do it again.

I would definitely read up on the bonding articles listed above. The approaches in these articles are the complete opposite of the method you have been using. It would be wise to use these methods instead of inflicting physical pain and mental fear onto your gliders. Please re-consider what you're doing. I'm positive that you won't find one person on this forum that advocates or supports this type of behavior, as it is cruel and teaches fear.
Posted By: FuzzierThanMost

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/24/11 11:58 PM

if your glider is scared to bite you, and even more scared of you than before, i dont count that as success.
Posted By: aaronandamanda

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/25/11 02:08 AM

The best way we found to stop the biting was to show that hands will never hurt, only love. Nemo bit very hard, drawing blood, when we first got him. He was biting out of fear because he didn't know us. After giving him his space and speaking in low, loving voices, we began to put something yummy on our fingers for him to lick off. He has never bitten us since and is extremely careful when taking any food from our fingers to not even graze with his teeth. He is extremely loving to us, because we were first loving to him. That is how you build the bond and stop the biting.
Posted By: AgentR

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/27/11 10:36 AM

Originally Posted By: aaronandamanda
we began to put something yummy on our fingers for him to lick off. He has never bitten us since


I dont know if this is because my gliders dont fully trust me, but some of them still bite me when i give them treats like yogurt from my finger. is there a reason for this and a way for it to stop? I haven't had a problem like this with my other one.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/27/11 12:22 PM

I'm not one to sit there with a DUH look on my face while allowing any of my gliders to bite me.
When a glider has gone to bite me, I've quickly pulled away. I for one don't like being bitten. But I always go straight back to what I'm doing. This teaches them that no matter how big and bad they act, I'll continue doing what I want. Not only do I win because eventually they give up, but I also win because I walk away in one piece.

I will never use punishment like those videos. Even my mother, who regards animals as animals, and doesn't at all like my gliders, got sick to her stomach when she saw the videos. And, honestly, that's saying a lot because she doesn't get sick to her stomach over much.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/27/11 01:06 PM

Originally Posted By: AgentR
Originally Posted By: aaronandamanda
we began to put something yummy on our fingers for him to lick off. He has never bitten us since


I dont know if this is because my gliders dont fully trust me, but some of them still bite me when i give them treats like yogurt from my finger. is there a reason for this and a way for it to stop? I haven't had a problem like this with my other one.


Gliders are sap-suckers in the wild. When they lick yummy things on your fingers, they lick til it's gone, and then they treat your hand like they would tree bark - bite it to get more sap to flow. But our sap is blood!

I allow my gliders 3 licks of whatever the treat is, and then withdraw my hand and fingers. Then I give it back with a fresh set of licky treat. That way, they never get everything gone to dig into my finger.
Posted By: angelic4296

Re: Curbing the Bite successfully - 02/27/11 03:23 PM

I do the same thing as Jessica. I keep my finger full of licky treat. Gizmo is good about not biting, but the minute the licky treat is almost gone on my finger, she CHOMPS down, thinking she'll get my finger to "secrete" more...she always looks confused when nothing comes out...so I learned my lesson and made sure I always had plenty of licky treat on my finger....
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