Hey all!! How's it going? So next weekend I'll become a new glider mom, completely brand spanking new to the whole thing,and wanted to ask a few questions to those of you who had done this before. I've done a ton of research starting back in like '09 when I first saw these real life Pokémon, but books can only say so much.

My (potential) glider is a single female who's only a yr old and hasn't had a cage mate since her original owner got her. I'm not too sure why, or what led to her not having cage mates, but when she gets here we'll shop for her new friend.
(I'm thinking she'll have a mate first week of January when I'm not so broke lol.)
Her current owner says she barks a lot looking for others so I'm guessing introductions won't be so hard, and she loves human affection (I'm guessing since she's so lonely). That being said, gimme advice you wished someone had given YOU before you brought your babies

First night home and what to expect? I know all the techniques with having stuff that smells like me in the cage for her, but should I completely leave her alone or can i talk to her through the cage? I don't want to stress her.

When should I begin handling? Apparently she loves her bonding pouches and has no issues climbing right in, which makes me happy to hear but I'll know more when she's actually here.

Tent time: got us a huge instant tent big enough to walk around and such bc I hate tight spaces lol
What do you put in the tent to make it super fun for them? Anything or just yourselves and a chair? (I over think everything so forgive me if my questions are crazy)

Happy cagemates: I've read a ton of the articles on intros and quarantine so I'm not too worried about that going awry, but is quarantine for a whole 30 days absolutely mandatory? Of course both will go to the vet to get looked at but just wondering if the 30 days a solid rule lol
As for her cagemates, do you think seeing as she's still only just a year old, would a Joey be OK to bring home? Because they're so effing cute I want to die and would love to have a Joey. (I know and read that males shouldn't be around Joey's bc the Joey's to small to defend itself, but has anyone had a female and introduced a Joey and have it WORK?)
Also "scout" as she's called, comes with a pretty beautifully decked out cage, can both sugar gliders live in there after quarantine? I don't want to have to vbuy yet another cage because I'll have a total of three then.

toys: anyone have great websites they go to for the fun stuff? I so far use etsy for the cage stuff. But if anyone has cheaper options, hook a girl up. Or if you yourself has great stuff you sell, I'll be happy to take a look and support your store!

I'm good on food and have that taken care of, just had very specific questions that I couldn't find a concise answer to.

Share your info, share your TIPS! I wanna hear it all, I know about the links on this sight I've read them, but I love hearing stories and getting tips given directly to me lol for you think I could benefit from it, let me hear it💞

But don't be negative or mean to me, we all start somewhere

**can't seem to add pictures of her or the cage HALP

Thank you for your Response! I like the critter love products along with fresh foods, Iso that a good one?

You got great answers already. Yes Critter Love is a very good diet.

You can also search for DIY toy making and if you sew, fleece furnishings as well as shop with vendors. I do a mix, usually I shop for fleece furnishings with vendors and a few toys here and there (because they make awesome toys), but I also enjoy making toys, and that as well as shopping for your glider(s) is also addictive, lol. I did get a sewing machine and tried to sew, but I don't really enjoy sewing as much as I hoped and I don't really feel happy with my product, lol, so I'll mostly use a vendor from now on for those.

Thank you all for the welcome! I'm counting down the days til she's here and we can get her a cage buddy

Hey there, Mama....welcome to the madness. There's a lot more experience out there than I have, but I will share what I have found helpful.

1) Make yourself a tinfoil hat. You can make it discreet, by say, just lining the inside of a baseball cap with Reynold's Wrap. This will give you some resistance to their mental domination--but not complete.
You may still find yourself compulsively ordering things online for them. Savor your last few days of free will.

2) Bravo on getting her a mate. (Castaway, vs. Blue Lagoon) And twice the fun too! They are so much happier in groups.

3) First night--have a selection of high value treats ready. Feast her like a princess through the bars as soon as she'll take food from you. Otherwise, try not to take her out of the cage--until you observe her show interest, and move toward you, as you approach the cage. Won't take long if you are laying on the treats.
Cut yogies into halves or quarters, and other treats likewise to conserve.
You want to avoid an escape/chase/grab situation. From personal experience, having to chase down a loose glider and grab them, hurts your relationship--especially early on.

4) No Chase, No Grab; however, Coax, Lure, Herd, Trick, Trap--all fair game. Gliders seem a bit like cats, in that they don't like to go anywhere unless they think it was their idea.
If you must grab them do it with a small fleece blanket, or a towel. This helps dis-associate your hands with the grabbing action.

5) ***Never*** call them "Rodents". A turd in your coffee is just the beginning...

6) Change your computer password frequently.

LOL THANK YOU!! your response was hilarious, but also very informative! It's an exciting tim in my household for sure.

OMG! Too Much!

As you can tell, we do like to have a little fun here, but please when it comes to your glider the first night and so on with bonding, like Mr Fluffy said, your new glider needs to set the pace for the bonding process. Our first one was fairly easy it only took a few weeks, compared to the second one which took 9 months (she had trust issues with everything).

Please keep us posted on your progress and we love pics!

I love this post. Thanks for the laughs, ComradeFluffy!

~Stef

I would love to post a pic of scout and her cage, maybe get some feedback back on what can change what can stay if necessary, but had issues loading pics I'll try again

Oops this is me lol

How to Add Pictures to Posts

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much but for some reason it keeps refreshing and totally not allowing me to post.

Here's her cage! Does that wheel look right???

If she can get into it then it is fine.

I was mainly concerned about the holes in the wheel and her feet. Seems she has a lot of space

Here she is!!

Awwwww such a sweet face!

Thank you for sharing!

She's adorable!

She's so pretty!

Thank you all so much! Will update everyone when she gets here!

Looks like the guy who I was adopting her from is no longer following through on the adoption. He hasn't answered me and renewed the craigslist ad. Super SUPER bummed as she's all alone and I was already looking to purchase her mate.
Part of me is almost glad bc now I can adopt a pair and not deal with quarantine but I had my heart set on her coming home tomorrow

That happened to me too at first. I chatted with someone about 2 boys and suddenly he stopped texting. It worked out in the end because I got my 2 girls.

That IS a bummer I'm surprised he renewed the ad as willing as you were to purchase. Makes me wonder if legit, but never know. Good luck on finding a pair

The Pet Glider has '"Rockin' Retirees" that come as a set & seem like pretty good deals for older gliders, if that's not out of your planned budget.