Sugar Nips
Sugar glider question...please...?
I have had my sugar bears since late february. The girl, Cookie, was nice in the beginning. Then the boy, Aboo, became nice and Cookie got mean.
Aboo nips at your fingers but he knows if he bites down that he is going to have a thumb in his mouth. Cookie barks at us and bites hard. I don't know how Cookie became mean. I dont like the Cookie Monster. (thats what we call her if shes mean)
DO NOT put your thumb in their mouths! NO NO NO!!! Let me guess....you found out to do that from an internet video with a vet in a white coat that goes by the name of Dr. B----..... Right? Am I right? Yeah? Well, honey, I have to tell you, you've been duped. That guy is a vet for the largest sugar glider mill breeder in the country, and he has a habit of handing out the lies that they tell.
So, STOP putting your thumb in their mouth when they bite. Doing this will not stop them from biting you -- it will terrify them, and thus they will bite more. They will develop a fear of your hands. Beyond that, you could SERIOUSLY hurt them by doing this. Cookie is NOT mean, she is scared!!!
Now, onto other things..
What diet are you feeding them? Pelleted and pre-packaged foods are a NO NO. You might instead check out BML or HPW. Both are wonderful diets.
What size cage are they in? The absolute minimum size cage for two gliders is 3 feet high x 3 feet wide x 2 feet deep. The cage that the mill breeders sell is much much smaller so if you bought from them, you need to replace the cage ASAP.
Have they ever been to a vet? Cookie's "meanness" could have something to do with illness. Beyond that, they just flat out NEED a vet. When you take them, request a general exam AND a fecal smear AND fecal float AND urinalysis. If you bought from a mill breeder, the most important thing for BOTH gliders is going to be the fecals, as the mill breeder typically sells gliders that are infected with giardia, a parasite that WILL kill them if untreated.
How much time do you spend with them? You should be spending at least two hours a day with them. Let them out to play on you as well.. a good idea for a safe room to play in is a small pop up tent. It does wonders for bonding with them.
Do you have a heat rock in the cage? IF so, toss it. Now. It's very very dangerous. Rather than using a heatrock, you should use fleece sleeping pouches.
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