Don't lose your nerve Nicki! Things kinda went nutso in their world with all that activity. Like Bourbon said, start back at square one, and I am willing to bet you will get back to where you were faster than ever. Gotta build that trust back up.

Well I guess I should start posting here...

I have two gliders, one boy and one girl. The girl will tolerate me, mostly...we are not close to being bonded but she will at least let me hold her during the day when she is too sleepy to care, and has no problem riding around in a bonding pouch. The boy, on the other hand...

He is a BIGTIME pouch protector. In the pouch, he would crab whenever someone walked by the cage. bonding pouches were out of the question. I would try to give him licky treats while in the bonding pouch to try to get him to calm down and learn that in the pouch he gets treats, but he would crab in between each swallow. He would not bite me while in the bonding pouch, but he would crab incessantly and attack the little window until I let him out.

I began speaking with Bourbon last night. She instructed that I take everything out of the cage (rept) that they could possibly hide behind, except my makeshift pouch protector pouch (a hammock). The cage looks so empty When I had finished taking everything out and zipped up the rept, my girl barked at me, like "Where did all of my toys go?" I was doing fine until then, but then I felt REALLY bad haha. Last night all I did was open the rept and talk to them, then zip it back up and leave. They REFUSE to sleep in the hammock...this morning I found my girl asleep on the floor and the boy clinging to the back of the rept.

I have been home most of the day and have not seen him sleep once. He was trying to tear up the fleece I have at the bottom of the rept to get underneath it...he seriously looked insane. Finally he got under it and instantly started crabbing, so I took the whole thing out and put it beneath the rept.

Today I was working with luring him onto my hand with licky treats and moving my hand to show him where the pouch is. He is easily bribed with food ( ) so he would get two feet on my hand, then eventually sit on it. He wanted NOTHING to do with that pouch though, as soon as I put my hand up to it he would jump off.

While working with Ranger, Nika got out (the obnoxious thing about repts). Per Bourbon's advice, I DID NOT chase her...I let her do her thing until she settled down, and then offered my hand to her. She walked away from it....right into her old cage, which is in the same room haha. So from inside her cage I was able to lure her onto my hand with a licky straw, get up and walk with her back to the rept, and let her off in the rept with NO crabbing, NO stress, NO bites, NO chasing. It was INCREDIBLE!

She did it again a bit later and went straight back to her old cage. Then as soon as I put my hand in there with her treat, she got on and rode back to the rept. I was shocked!!

The only problem is that now every time I open the rept Nika thinks she gets to come out...any ideas Bourbon?

I figured since they had been up all day trying to find somewhere to hide they would have to fall asleep sometime. Since Nika was asleep on the floor this morning I assumed that's where I would find them when they finally passed out from pure exhaustion. I was upstairs writing this message when Bourbon called me to see how they were doing. I told her last time I looked they were on the floor, so I walked downstairs to check on them.

I looked on the floor first. No gliders. I was confused...where could they be?? Sure enough...they were both in the pouch!! I'm sooo excited!!! I thought for sure they were so anti-hammock/pouch that they would NEVER sleep in it. Oooooh I'm so excited!

Tonight my job is to talk to them again...Everything is going to be okay



And to Nicki-You'll get back to where you were with them! Keep up all the work you're doing and I'm sure they'll make progress again soon enough

Yay Bourbon's helping me too now! Pogo didn't crab much today when I petted her, and when I gave her licky treats I let her lick 3 times then take it away. When I gave it back to her she didn't want it to leave so she held my finger with herl ittle hand...she thought she could outsmart me...she was mistaken. She may be cute but I'm not gonna fall for it.

Day 11: I was able to lure Donna onto my hand twice this evening with the licky treats!!! Once she even got nearly up to my elbow. I even got in a few pets before she turned to go back into the cage. Better every day!!!

OK I am sitting here happy for y'all for your successes and realizing that I too have two PP's.

I have three gliders in one cage.

Cici (single female) is my darling glider and my granddaughter who is five loves her and can play, feed and handle her and have playtime with her. She occasionally nips but not often and not hard. Most mornings I go in to remove food dishes in dressing gown and she now waits on the door jumps out and climbs in. Will stay with me for most of the morning sleeping.

Uck and Muck are the trouble makers crabby lunges from the bottom of the pouch to top i call her my viper (strikes like a snake) and they are dominating all the pouches in the cage.

In the mornings CiCi is quite often in the wheel as she has been "evicted" from her pouch by one or both of the other gliders and since all the pouches now smell like them CiCi will not get into any of them.

I have about six pouches and constantly washing them.

I have two cages - one that is bare bones and the regular cage.

I have been reading all the steps you are all talking about having done and I can see and understand why the method is working. I will order a (PPP) Perfect Pocket Pets as soon as I can through the website.

I do have a couple of questions and look forward to all help you can offer.

Do I separate the two "scared" gliders from my good one?

Will there be a problem re-introducing them later?

The good glider can still have her toys treats etc?

I too have blankets across the back of the cage for warmth and too protect my curtains do i remove that from the troubled gliders cages?

Sorry this is so long but trying to give all information you may need upfront. I really look forward to input from anyone here that has been there and done this. you can email or pm me too if it is easier.

Thanks......

I GOT TO PET THEM I GOT TO PET THEM!!!

Like I said, last night all I did was talk to them in the pouch. This morning I gave licky treats and tried to pet them while they were in the pouch...the first time I tried this, Ranger started crabbing. I opened the pouch up a little more and let them sit for a bit, then I went back to try again.

I opened the zipper as quietly as I could (if you pull up on the rept zipper as you're unzipping it and move it slowly it's not as loud), had my licky straw in one hand in case someone woke up and didn't crab, and went in to pet them. Nika lifted her head up and looked at me, but didn't crab. Ranger didn't lift his head up, but I think he was awake because he was shaking the way he does when he is nervous. I pet them a bit, gave Nika a few licks, and left. Came back later, and did it again. And later, again!!

I'm so excited!!!!


And RedFoxy...I'm not really experienced in this stuff, that's why I'm still working with my suggies Maybe someone else will be able to help you out.

I've been reminded again that I'm trying to go too fast. They let me know when they jumped out of the pouch when I tried to touch them. Sigh. I'm slowing down, I'm slowing down! LOL!

We did NOT go back to square one tho! Still no crabbing or biting. And when I fed them last night, I put their dish 6 inches from the door and left my hand just inside the door. Rough ignored it but Tough came over and sniffed me a few times. That's all. Before, he would have bitten me. Then he went back to eating! Slow progress is still progress and I'll take it!

Note to self: Take it at THEIR pace!!!

Pogo lets me pet her without crabbing most of the day. The morning is still rough so Bourbon said to just open the door and talk to her. That is enough to make her crab and I have to put my hand in and calm her down. In the afternoon or evening she doesn't crab at all and if she gets frightened she calms down right away. The mornings are the otpposite end of the spectrum, she crabs if you talk to her, she crabs if you look at her, she crabs if you pet her. When she finally calms down and you move your hand...she crabs. Bourbon says were dong great though, so I'll believe her. I think we just need another day working on this morning crabbiness thing.

Day 12: Donna will get on my hand for a mealie, but NOT for a licky treat. I think she's getting tired of the yogurt. LOL I am going to buy some vanilla pudding when I get groceries Friday and try that.

I also tried to scoop her up and get her out of the pouch today and she got hold of the bars again. So I had to patiently try to herd her back into the cage without chasing her or grabbing her. It worked, and she didn't panic, so that's good. But if I get her too far away from the cage she gets this wild look in her eyes, like she used to when I would peek into the bonding pouch. So I am slowing down a bit so she doesn't get scared of me. I want this to be a good experience for her. I have all the time in the world to work with her. Like Bourbon says, she is already a completely different glider, and I am sooo HAPPY about that!

Bella is getting attention too. I got her out of the cage to play yesterday and she glided from my hand to Cindy about a dozen times! When she landed, I would let her climb onto my hand, then off she would glide again. She was having so much fun. And we were all cracking up watching her glide around the room. I want Donna to have that too... and she will... SOON! For right now Donna will just climb onto my back and stay there when I take her out to play. Before I know it she will be gliding around too though. When she is ready!

Day 13: WE GOT IN THE bonding POUCH FOLKS!!!

Okay, I had to scoop them out of the PP pouch, but nobody got upset or stressed out. Donna went right in the pouch when she saw it, while Bella climbed into my hair and proceeded to groom my skull first. LOL Well... I was able to pet Donna and talk to her without a single crab or bite! She gave me the "karate defense foot move" one time, but then she just sniffed my finger and looked around the room. She didn't get all wild eyed and scared looking like I expected her too. I gave them each a piece of dried mango to munch on, then after about 15 minutes I held the pouch up to the open cage door and one at a time they went back in the cage. I am astounded at the progress almost every day! Now... if I only had a tent...

http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/685328/I_need_YOUR_help#Post685328

No changes here but no backsliding either! I tried the "7" position with my hand and arm, like Bourbon said. You put your hand in the number 7 position while they're on the back of the cage, below and in front of them, to see if they'll walk onto your arm, then if they do, bring your hand around to cup them. Well, they looked at me like I was crazy for even thinking they'd do it, but, they didn't crab or freak out either!

Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps........

Last night after a long conversation with Bourbon setting the grounds rules and do's and don't I set to task pulling apart cages and relocating gliders for "assignment".

Maui and McKenna are in a hammock until we get the (PPP) Perfect Pocket Pets and bare bones cage lots of talking through the night and during the day. Then the licky treats off the end of a spoon.

Maui and McKenna have both stopped crabbing none since changing the cages out.

I went in today and started the licky treats and some more reassured talking and McKenna (viper) jumped onto me and climbed in the hamster ball and looked at me. After putting her back in the cage I have been offering the licky treats. ONLY licking no BITING.

We have already had some major changes and I hope the is the sign of the new Maui and McKenna. I know take it slow.

Maui did find some blueberry yoghurt on my finger and licked it off with no bite3s.

This is a great Start. THANK YOU!!

Today (day 4) mine were awake most of the day (weird!!). Therefore I was putting my hand in with them and trying to get them to walk on it, and then moving them to another place where they could get off. This afternoon they were sleeping on the floor again, so I closed the pouch back up a LITTLE to see if maybe they would get back in it. I am waiting to find out.

Tonight I did tent time with them, again getting them on my hands and then moving them to somewhere else and letting them get off. This was going REALLY WELL! Until Ranger crawled up my shirt sleeve and started crabbing ::sigh::. I squeezed him out and he soon found my pant leg and crawled up that, too...

Both of them wouldn't stop trying to find somewhere to hide, so I put them back so they could go to sleep. That didn't go as well as I had hoped, but that's okay...there's tomorrow. More petting if they sleep in the pouch tonight.

Read Part 2