Apologies for the delay. . . but here is the latest on Astrid and Tika, the glider sisters. 😊😊

Took Tika in to the vet and it turned out her poop is fine and everything is fine. Tika was running around on the vet, the vet’s assistant, me and Paul. Mostly on Paul, ended up sleeping in his pocket while we finished speaking with the vet. Astrid did not venture out of the carrying case.

But they are BOTH overweight. Not obese to where the vet is worried about their health in that way yet, but enough to put them on a diet.
Apparently we were giving them too much access to sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts. Also we were giving them too many mealies per tent time each night. I WAS getting a little worried because they were gaining pretty quick, especially Astrid. Tika is more active so that makes sense. We recently put the old wheel back in their house so now they have two and can each “drive” their own. In reviewing the videos (We have a glider cam now, it’s soo cool, I can see them while I’m at work!) I can see that one, or both, are on their own wheels for at least 80% of the night. So they are definitely getting exercise.

I am using the videos to learn their routine. They don’t even wake up until about 5:00 am now, play until about 10:00 am, and then get up and take naps all the way until about the time we get home, 5:00 – 6:00 pm. They knock out about then and we wake them up for tent time around 9:30-10:00 pm. After we put them back they are back asleep until about 5:00 am again.

I read once that someone’s glider did not particularly like the bonding pouch. I think that’s Tika. She will stay for a little while and then get antsy and start trying everything she can to get out. So at that point we let them out. Once when they were TSK-ing a lot we separated them, each in their own bonding pouch. They were both going crazy the whole time, so that didn’t last long. Would like to try again alone, but take them out of their house separately. They have been sleeping separate for the last two days, so they may not even realize. They will eventually I am sure as it seems they do keep very good track of each other as a rule. But I would like more time with them, other than just tent time. The other room we were going to glider proof is not ready yet. I don’t want to just let them out to roam free, so bonding pouch is my next best choice.

So that is the latest on our glider girls. We have a follow up appt for them both in January. That’s when mommy & daddy get graded on how well we helped the girls diet. 😲 I weight them about every other day and Tika is holding steady while Astrid is losing. . . so hopeful that they are on the right track. 😊

Thank you for reading. 😊

Good to hear! What did the girls weigh?

On the day of the vet visit Tika was 78 g and Astrid was 86 g. I've been weighing them pretty much every day since, without nuts. Tika went down to 77 g once since the vet visit and Astrid went down to 82 g, but last night they were back to Tika at 78 and Astrid at 85. They are 5 months old now. It's not easy keeping the yummy stuff from them but we know it's for their own good.

May need to cut out some of the kibble and the 2 mealies they get at tent time next if they don't start losing again???

Thank you again for reading.

I don't consider that to be over weight, even for their age.

At their age I would like to see them gaining a bit. I like mine to be around 100 grams or so shortly before they are adults. Also weights differ, Dawn has one of my joeys and he is heavy, but he is all muscle. He is very active.

Everything has to be considered, their activity, body condition, age. I would not give nuts for treats. Actually I give very few treats. But I do try to keep an eye on their activity level and how much they are eating. Specially if they are not active. But even my fluffy boys are active.

Question based on your post. Where or what kind of glider camera do you have? I was in the same room but they are now upstairs in the loft and our bedroom is downstairs. I would love to have that to view them during the evenings/nights. Thanks in advance.

Thanks Feather. . .

That does make me feel a little better. It's difficult when I get conflicting information on that. The vet thinks they are heavy, and both you and the breeder think they are ok.
We have cut out the nuts and only give the two mealies (not every day) during tent time. We still give the yogurt treats - one each - every tent time though, but not at any other time.
They are still eating the staple until it's completely gone. And I know they are eating some of the salad, especially the kale and some of the green beans.
They are still the same weight today, not gaining since the vet visit, but not really losing either. So we will continue on the path we are on and see what happens with their weight. I will continue to weight them about every other day as well to keep track.

P.S. I have learned that if I put them in the bonding pouch after 5:00 pm, they will stay in and sleep without trying to get out . . . even Tika. :-)


Hi Claralice,

We use the Kasa Spot Pan Tilt. It's awesome. Sometimes when I see they are up, I will literally stop working for a second and just enjoy the view.
You can tilt up and down and left and right. If the room is not bright enough it automatically switches to night vision. (Their little eyes glow...)
We bought it at Best Buy and after the Best Buy warranty added on it was $60.00. (www.tp-link.com) Once in the website: Home, Smart Home, Cameras...

They are still very young. They are still both growing.
Average weight they should be when full grown is up to 135 grams.
So they definitely are not overweight