I'm sorry guys, I feel like I'm taking over the bonding forum as of late.

So I'm going on 1 week with the new girls. They are still very angry at me and crab all the time. I've started putting them into my bonding pouch to carry around with me. I take fleece that has already been in their sleeping pouch and use that to grab them out of the sleeping pouch so they don't see my hands etc., as I was advised before. One of them can bite right thru the fleece like its not even there - the nice thick blizzard fleece. Bloody bitten finger tips makes it crummy to type lol. (maybe that's their plan...).

Anyway, I know that bonding can take a long time, some longer than others and in some cases can take a year or more (maybe even never) so I know I potentially have a long road ahead of me. But my question is when do I know when its time to try letting them out in a tent? I have one on order from Amazon. Its one that should hopefully fit on top of my bed, if I read the dimensions correctly; and the reviews say that others have used it as a bonding tent as well. Anyway, they seem so fearful of me and so eager to bite that I'm not sure if I should try to let them out or not? (and if the answer is yes, do I just grab them with a towel to get them back in their pouch when we are done?)

Is there a moment when you say, yep, its time to move to tent time now? The girls are so different from my last girl. She bonded to me from like day one. These guys are waaaay opposite of her and I'm really out of my element. I feel like I'm back to training my African Grey...he was a real handful too...(a severed thumb tendon later). Any insight would be great...just feeling a bit sad at the moment. Every day my co-workers ask if there was any progress with the girls and every day I have to say no

Tell your co workers it takes time usually and no real progress is to be expected so soon, or you can tell them that they'll know because you'll throw a party, lol.

Hang in there. I homed my girls at the age of around 1 yr old. Skadoosh was always more easy going, but Lulu was more easily stressed and was a tough one to bond. It happened, slowly, but it happened.

I'm gonna say what I pretty much always say, gliders have their own time table, so when to start tent time will be when you feel confident enough to. That's the real "ticket". You have to have the confidence to do tent time.

Continue with down-time pouch time, daily if you can. You don't have to spend more than 10-20 minutes with them in the pouch, on your lap. Just hold and caress them through the pouch. Have a treat handy to offer when they pop heads out, then give finger scratches (gentle rubs really) while their mouths are busy enjoying treats. You will want to do this is in a secure area. You can start tent time out this way as well, when the time comes.

Thank you so much I'm going to stop grabbing them and putting them in the bonding pouch like I've been doing. I'll just use the sleeping pouch and carry them around in that. It just doesn't have a zipper or neck lanyard on it so I'll just have to hold the pouch in my hands while I have it out.

Thank you for the encouragement I'll just keep on it!

Let them get used to your voice, talk to them often.

Offer them small treats through the bar so they learn your hands are not bad things.

When they'll readily take treats through the safety of the bars I'd (personally) be willing to try tent/tiny-room time. That also would be a good time to carefully put your hand (in a fist) just inside the pouch. The fist makes it harder to give a solid bite.

Hi Hutch, thanks for your thoughts. I've been following your post in the other threads about the issues you've had during your bonding and giving meds and what not. They've helped me and given me ideas, so I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences.

I actually have made progress with them while they are in the cage. If they are in there I can reach in and they will lick honey off my finger and take yogurt treats from my hands and not run away. They will just sit by my hand and lick treats off it, and I just sit by their cage. I talk to them and they seem to listen, they don't freak out, they don't run away. I feel really good about that It's just trying to take the step to move them from the cage to a pouch, then it gets real. Mayhem happens, biting ensues. Its madness lol. The volume of their crabbing is impressive. I guess they just need more time at the level of trust we currently have and not push it at the moment. I don't want to ruin what we have so far.

Thank you, it makes me very happy to hear that



sounds like they're close to ready, actually. Mine hate being moved to a bonding pouch... to the point I ended up giving up on bonding pouches except when absolutely necessary. (Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure where their bonding pouches are... oops.) Virtually all my 'pouch time' is simply taking their whole sleeping pouch out & keeping that in my lap or on my chest as I watch a movie or read. The trick (early on, before they're past the "run away" stage) is to return them to the cage once they begin to stir. None of mine are rapid waker-uppers in the evening, plenty of wiggling, noises, & generally hitting the snooze button for '5 more minutes.' Much like me... hmmm...

Anyways... working up to tent/bathroom/closet time: I didn't, honestly. Early on, I took their whole pouch out, carried it to the smallest room in my house (a tiny bathroom), switch from the main lights to red Christmas lights (dim, but I could see), & set them nearby. Then I would place some treats & food to entice them out of the pouch. Once out, I took the pouch away, but otherwise let them do their own thing. Mind you, I had my share of nips, taste-tests, being peed on, being ignored, & crabbing in the process. Most of that stopped after a few sessions, but there were some nights... Once they started slowing down, I'd put the pouch where they could get at it & one at a time, they'd find their way to it. I'd end the night by drop[ing in some treats & return them to the cage with dinner ready.

Only do this if your comfortable & willing to accept it won't be perfect right off the bat. I think the first several of weeks I had to mainly (mostly) sit there quietly & let them do their own things as they worked up the courage to check me out. I also gave them breaks from bathroom time along the way where we went a week or more of just cage-only time.

Just more ideas & options to think about.

As an ending note... I still have whole evening where I'll just sit & talk to them or read to them... offer some treats or let them just stare at me sitting nearby. It never hurts to return to 'the basics' once in a while & let them make you part of their routine as much as you make them part of yours.

We had a bit of an adventure last night. I didn't get to the cage fast enough after pouch time last night. The grey one got out (I haven't named them yet). And good grief....she came flying out of the pouch, just as I was approaching the cage. Flew past my face and on my shoulder. Then off my shoulder and on the curtains...up the curtains and across the curtain rod. Over to my bed's headboard...across that and then BAM gone.

So here I am freaking out, I lost my little sugar baby. I'm listening as hard as I can but all I hear is silence. So I get out my flash light and am looking all over the room.

There she was, gripped on the BACK side of my headboard. I reach back there with a little honey stick and she takes a few licks so that is good news. I then sneeze which worked out super well because it flushed her out and on my bed. So I move to her opposite side and it forces her to scurry to her cage. I then move closer, opposite of her doors which then makes her move closer to the doors and then in she goes! I run over and shut the doors super quick and latch them down.

Goodness...that was so ridiculous lol. After that I got some wine watch a few reruns on netflix and went to bed. I was done lol

Wow! What an adventure! I'm sure glad that it worked out so well. I'd say that was cause for some wine, or a shot or two of Fireball, lol.

They can lead us on chases when they choose to do so. I know exactly what you are describing from a pair from the past! Glad it all worked out!

Look forward to these experiences, and learn from them.

We have experienced similar scenarios. When they vanish, they don't go far. They just go still... Very still...

With Fiona, it's a game of hide and seek. If we ignore her while she's hiding, she'll make a noise, and go quiet. Then she'll peek out. When decide to "find" her, she jumps straight to me for a ride to find her next hiding place. I don't recommend this game, unless you plan to stay up all night.

Maybe I should have warned you that a sugar glider's favorite game is hide & seek... followed by 'catch me if you can' LOL!

Do not worry, we've all been there. The best bet is to just keep an eye on them & let them learn you're not a threat. They'll turn it in to a game for them while we're just trying not to panic. This is why we say 'Welcome to the madness' hehehe

Glad everything worked out for you.