Glider Behavior

Gliders are vocal animals and have many noises! Here are a few of them: 

• Crabbing
• Hissing
• Barking
• Singing
• Popping
• Chirping
• Chattering
• Cursing

Gliders are colony animals and having friends is very important to their quality of life. However, tossing two gliders that are not familiar to each other into the same cage is a recipe for disaster. There several things you can do to give your gliders the best chance of getting along with their new friends. Here

• Before attempting to introduce gliders, make sure all glider are healthy. This should include a fecal exam checking for parasites such as giardiasis. A best practice to avoid transfer of parasitic infection is to get a fecal exam on all gliders, wait 30 days, and then get another fecal exam on all gliders. Once all gliders have two clean decals 30 days apart, intros can be started. While this may not be possible, at least one clean fecal is strongly advised. 
• When bringing a new glider home, allow the glider a few days to get used to the new environment before allowing them to get close to other gliders. 
• A few days before you want to start introducing the gliders to each other, place their cages about 1-2 feet apart, so they can see and smell each other. Do not place the cages closer than 1 foot apart. They should not be able to reach each other, even if tails stick out from the cage, as this can cause injury. 
• Start swapping their sleeping pouches every day. 

Step by step guide to intros: 

• Once the above list has been completed, you are ready to start introductions. 
• Trim all nails the day before you intend to introduce your gliders. 
• Introductions should happen mid day when the gliders are the most sleepy. 
• Introductions should happen in a neutral environment that does not smell like other gliders, such as a tent or bathtub.