Hello all. I’ve been researching gliders for months (including lurking here lol) and have finally decided I could give them what they need - I’ve got a set of sisters arriving mid-January . The kids are grown and gone and our aged dog passed some time ago. For the first time in memory, we have no kids or animals and tons of time and love to give. I’m hoping we’ll make good suggie parents lol.

I think I’m ready. I’ve gotten a Congo cage from Exotic Nutrition, tons of toys, feeding stuff ready, etc. And I’ve got a vet all lined up. I’m nervous but excited - have I forgotten anything?

Thanks!

Hi! And

sounds like you've got a good start. What diet did you decide on?

Do you have a glider safe wheels, or sleeping pouches? Have looked at toys yet?

If you have any questions, please ask. So glad you're here!!!

Dawn missed one, what diet are you going to feed. I feed Critterlove Plus, rotating through the 5 salad mixtures. Dawn feeds Critterlove too.

Thanks for the welcome! And yes, the diet issue is a complete quagmire - at least from a research perspective. It's hard for a newbie to find a consensus lol. The breeder feeds the Pet Glider diet so I was going to start there, as that's at least one thing that doesn't have to change for them right away, given their world's fixing to be upended. Definitely correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like all the leading diets (BML, HPW, PP, PG, Critter, etc) have largely the same ingredients, they're just delivered in slightly different ways. I will say I am drawn to the PG diet - I like the regularity of fresh fruits/veggies, the ability to vary the protein source, and the fact that I can make it in one month supply if need be. (I plan on making it weekly so nothing's frozen for too long).

I have one 12" Silent Runner wheel from Exotic Nutrition - I got the sandy track to help with nail trimming as well. On my wish list is a big Raptor Wheel or something like it. Basically, it's a money thing. Set up for these little critters is an expensive production lol!

I've been busy on the sewing machine so my girls are looking pretty good in the pouch/vine department. No loose threads, all hidden seams. I also used thread that clashes with the sewn item so I can check for loose threads easily and head off any potential safety issues. Basically, I've been looking at stuff online and trying to recreate what I see.

I've kind-of approached their hard surface toys the same way. When I was shopping for toys, I was shocked at how expensive a pre-made hanging sandwich basket with dollar store trinkets cost. So I've been making them too. The rules for them that I know are: only open bells, only Rac Lac as the "string", no cat toys with catnip, only pony beads that aren't choking hazards, zipties need to filed so they aren't sharp. Lemme know if I missing anything!

I did opt to buy a couple of bonding pouches with zippers - for all my crafting/sewing/den mother/class mom experience, I'm still incapable of sewing the perfect zipper lol. So I'd rather not risk an escape or a tiny toe getting caught.

I'm gonna attempt to upload a few pics - please tell me if you see any problems.....

pouches....

Good point about the vitamins. I'll prioritize mixing well. And I know my toys are fairly rudimentary , but I'm still learning lol

Question - is there a diet that varies protein sources, is largely fresh but can also be made ahead and frozen, and has better vitamin distribution? Oh - and doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

I checked out your pics, and you have done a great job! My Dollar tree rarely has bracelets, but when they do, I buy them. I didn't see your toy pic until after I typed this out on my phone, so you are doing fine. I left it for anyone who may want a future reference. Although Admin may want this part edited/ copied and put in a separate topic so it can be found easier.

I don't see any foraging cups which encourage play on the toys. I've used anything from milk/juice lids, or plastic Easter eggs to plastic shot glasses. You can hide their favorite fruits and vegetables from their diet in them instead of typical treats too.


I always use white thread for the same reason. I'm not in to white anything for gliders, so Most of what I make is dark, so it shows up well.

Zippers are tricky, but practice makes perfect. Plus now you have something to touch and follow.

I will warn you, buying fleece can become an addiction...

You may be tempted to buy craft pompoms. It's safer to make them out of fleece.

Also if you have a chewer, you may want to use fleece to thread toys instead of rexlace. Cut the fleece into 1/2" strips from the 'non stretch' direction. I have bought bird toys (like a coconut with a ladder attached) and pulled the rope out and used fleece strips instead.

toys to buy online specifically for gliders are expensive. But as I have learned, to make them safe and spend time cleaning up plastic chain, charms, and any other plastics takes time. A lot of time... The charms get really expensive too. I don't buy mine in bulk, so 1 toy with about 30 - 50 charms on it can cost about $4 - $8 just for the charms. 3mm chain is about 32¢ a foot. Then there's the shipping cost.

Bracelets(2.25" diameter at minimum) are a must for any toy box along with army men, a barrel of monkeys, ping-pong balls or fleece pom-poms. Some of which can be found at the Dollar tree.

Zipties can be your best friend, or your nightmare. I've learned that cuticle scissors work the best to get a clean cut, and I use a lighter to burn off the burrs instead of filing them, although I still use a file when the zipties are in a risky spot to try to burn. Watch for gaps in the zipties when you snug them up. Use a toothpick in the gap to make sure a toe won't fit through the gap.


C-links: can be your friend too. If hanging a toy from a C-link, be sure to use a piece of a straw(about an 1" long) as a lock to ensure the toy won't come undone while they are playing on it. It works best if the straw is close to the same color as the link. Otherwise, it may be a fixation (Stewie loves straws and takes them off). If they become a fixation, clear tubing or a bead would be a backup plan.

Whew!!! Ok, I'm done.

I hope this was helpful.

Thank you thank you thank you for the great advice - I only have a few foraging cups in there, so I'll up that number!

I also have more diet questions so I'll try and make your life easier Karen - I'll ask my questions in the right forum....:)

Lol!!! I'm on my phone 99.99% of the time... That's why I can't do the fancy things you guys do. I do have a laptop now, but I find my keystrokes are too light and I haven't figured out the settings enough on Windows 10 to get spell check and capitalization at the beginning of a sentence... . For me it's a royal pain... I've been away from a real keyboard for about 4 years.... Maybe 5 years...

I could copy my parts and open a thread. Add what I can...

I'm sorry - one more question: is there a way to search for specific topics within the forum? I'd like to dive deeper into learning about the Critterlove diet but was gonna read everything I could before asking questions that have already been answered. I don't see where I can....

In the menu bar is a search engine called:

Active Search

Or click here:

http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/search

It has improved, but be sure to fill out the second field under 'date range'.