Thank you Dawn. I am so pleased, they are already letting me pet them! what are the things that determine when you are bonded?
As far as knowing if you are
bonded, I've learned there are a few "layers" to that. Also gliders are unique individuals, so that may vary.
The best I can do to help you understand, is give you some examples of my experiences. They were/are all different.
My first glider Fiona,
bonded completely within 2 weeks. But I didn't realize that right away. She was a single glider during this time. When she was tired, she would allow me to tuck her into the hem of my t-shirt while she slept. But when full awake would rather perch on my shoulder or climb into my shirt than be held. She ordered to spend time with us alone over her cagemate most of the time.
Just so you know, most gliders don't care to be held down or in your hands...
Dot was the exact opposite. I won't get into the details, but it took about 9 months for her and I to acknowledge that she has boundaries. She would only tolerate being held for a very short time when she was tired. Nail clipping was a nightmare for 2 years. She was
bonded to her cage. She would tolerate being put into a
bonding pouch as long as Fiona was with her. That took about 6 months of work. Fiona knew Dot's boundaries and came to my rescue a few times protecting me from her bites in the first year. In the last two years of her time with us, she would rather sit with a pile of mealies to have her nails trimmed, than be held to accomplish the same thing. No bites...
Stewie was a handful when we brought him home. Super hyper doesn't even describe what he was like... But it didn't take long to learn that he watched me. My guess would be that he started trusting us at about 16wks oop (He just turned 3yrs old) That he was trying to learn what to do. That he had feelings. We didn't work real hard on
bonding due to the circumstances.(way long story) Fiona and Dot have since passed away, and he was a single for about 5 months. He grieved each of them passing. They died 5 months apart. He learned his name at about 3 months out of pouch, and I think he was learning to trust us about the same time. Today, he comes most of the time when called, we allow out of cage playtime and when we ask him to go back to the cage, he goes. He's still hyper, but can calm down. He still doesn't like to be held, even when he's tired. But will ride around in a
bonding pouch all day. He also sits like a good boy to have his nails trimmed... I do get lightly nipped once in awhile.
Gracie is still a work in progress... She's 7 months old and full of energy. She refuses to get in (or stay in) anything that zips up. She is not treat driven like the other three were. I'm guessing it's her age and hyperness. She has no fear of the unknown. Just jumps right to it. She likes to bite, but she's curious. The end of my thumb is her favorite target. She's smart, she's learning things from Stewie, and I've just started pulling their sleeping pouch out in the afternoons and watching TV while they sleep. Grace will not stay in a pouch by herself, Stewie has to be with her. As far as nail clipping, she has to go into a pouch made of pet screen and I clip her nail tips off as they stick through the pet screen. This has been a blessing for both of us... The other 3 gliders were too stressed to use that pouch.
My advice would be to keep up the tentime, accept what they are willing to offer for now, stay on a
bonding schedule.(Gliders do better with a schedule with all areas, dinnertime, cleaning,
bonding, and playtime).
Decide how
bonded you really want to be and devote your time accordingly. The more
bond you want, the more time you'll have to put in.
Oh, and last but not least: if your
vet allows you in to the office to be with your gliders, take advantage of that. Get a well check. Your gliders will appreciate you more when the doc is done. They learn you are their "safe place". That's what
bonding is all about...