Need Bonding Advice

Hello fellow glider lovers,

A while ago I posted about my sugar glider losing her fur, and I'm worried it may be overgrooming and she needs interaction.

She is an older glider, I rescued her and am not sure what her past was like. I was told by the lady who took her in that her original owner would do something to her if no one took her. I can tell she wasn't socialized very much and prefers to have her space. She views her cage as a safe space and won't leave it willingly.

I have been trying different things. From just sitting with her and talking to her to see if she would get used to me, using toys, spoon-feeding her treats to help coax her out of her shell, to petting her whenever she has her head out. Nothing seems to be working, and I'm afraid of actually making her more stressed by trying to approach her.

She seems to groom more whenever I try to work with her, and she'll crab and bite if I let her smell my hand or pet her. I want to socialize her and see if that will help her, but I'm worried of making it worse.

Does anyone have advice on the best way to bond with an older glider that had almost no interaction? How can I minimize the stress while trying to bond with her?

Thank you so much.

I would back up and start reading to her while she is in her cage. Feed her treats through the cage bars.

Once she readily comes up to great you then you can open the door to feed her treats.

Just go slow, let her set the pace.

Seeing as she was bounced around she may have been abused also.

Keep us posted here on her progress so we can offer you more insight as she progresses.

I know this is a lot of info, but please read to the end, it's all important I promise!

My first gliders were an older female pair who have since passed away. They started out much like your girl and came out of their shells enough to play with and climb on me and enjoy my company but were never fully bonded to me. We lost them only about 3 and 5 months after bringing them home, so we did not have much time to establish the relationship.

Take a step back and don't challenge her quite so much. I wouldn't try to pet her or even offer her your hand just yet. Let her come to you. If anything you do starts her crabbing, take that as her way of saying "That scared me, please don't do that again." It will take time to gain her trust.

One of the first things I do with new gliders is introduce myself via smell. I cut out small squares of fleece, put them in my bra for the day until they have picked up my scent and then add them to the glider's pouch. I'll do this daily and switch out the fleece squares until we move on in the bonding process so the glider learns that my scent is normal and comforting.

Do you have a zippered bonding pouch? If so, you can hang it in the cage and remove other pouches so you don't have to force your her into it. Every day, work on dropping in treats and slowly zipping the pouch up, then taking it out of the cage. She may crab at first but she will get used to being handled while inside of the bonding pouch.

At first, just sit with her inside of the pouch, then you can begin to wear the pouch as you do various activities, talk to her and even gently touch her through the pouch. As marsupials, gliders are comforted by being in pouches and wearing a bonding pouch is a very passive way of getting them used to your scent, sounds and movements.

But more important than bonding with you, this little girl would really benefit from having a friend. You don't mention adopting another glider. Sugar gliders are social animals and no amount of interaction on your part will replace the cuddles, warmth, grooming and play of another glider companion.

Many lone gliders will overgroom, self-mutilate or fall into depression regardless of the amount of human interaction they receive. There are rare cases where gliders need to be kept solo, but the vast majority of gliders should be kept in pairs if not groups. Remember, she is a wild animal and it is your duty to offer a level of care that provides what she would receive in the wild. This means a diet that meets her nutritional needs, toys and foraging opportunities, a spacious cage, safe places to sleep and companionship.

Hello Feather and Pixel,

Thank you both so much for the advice. I’ve started reading to her whenever I get the chance, mostly my college textbooks. She’ll sometimes have her head out but most of the time she curls up whenever I sit by the cage to read or talk to her.

I’m very afraid if she and her former cage mate might have been in some sort of abusive situation. The male did miss some of his tail and neither were very friendly (the male, Banzai, was a big biter).

I’m very sorry your girls passed away, Pixel, I know it’s heartbreaking when a glider passes. I do have a bonding pouch and have tried hanging it before but she seems to avoid it completely. I will try it again though.

She did have a friend, however when I introduced them to my other female, I found that this girl, Cricket would hang out around the wheel in the cage more often. I realized she had a huge tear on the back of her neck and I suspect Banzai caused it (He had been fixed before I got them both but I think males still have their hormones). I had to separate her from him and my female for a while until they sadly passed away (both he and my other female Crystal passed a few years apart).

I know she needs a friend, sugar gliders are social animals, so much so their health depends on it. Trying to bond multiple times, change her diet to include all she needs, and using foraging toys and other toys don’t seem to be helping much. I don’t want her to suffer, but I am worried that I might not be able to adopt another glider at this time. As much as it breaks my heart, I’ve been thinking about giving her up to someone who can give her the much needed friends and give her everything she deserves. I’m at a loss on what to do and how to do it.

Please check your PMs.