Home Environment

ENVIRONMENT

The environment of your home will be a determining factor in how healthy your gliders are and the quality of your ownership experience when it comes to owning gliders. Here are some tips:

  • Gliders like moderate temperatures, and should be kept between 65 and 85 degrees F. However, the ideal temperature for them is between 70 and 80. Gliders will not tolerate temperatures outside of this range for very long. 
  • Gliders generally do not mix well with pets of other species. Because the gliders are so small, injuries caused by bites and scratches from other pets can be deadly for gliders. Being eaten, killed, or stepped on is one of the most common causes of death for gliders who are kept as pets. 
  • Gliders will drown or die of hypothermia if they are trapped in standing water. Keep all toilet lids in the house closed at all times when not in use. If they escape the cage and fall in the toilet, they cannot get out, and will become cold and exhausted quickly. This also applies to bathtubs, open juice or beverage containers, pools, sinks, etc. Standing water is dangerous for gliders. 
  • Smoking is believed to have adverse effects on glider health, as with any other creature and with humans.
  • Do not set mouse traps in your home. If gliders escape their cages, these can be deadly. 
  • Be very cautious when using any pest control in your home. Remove the gliders completely during the application and make sure that the pest control method is safe for small pets. Many gliders have died due to pest control implemented by owners. 
  • Use caution when allowing children to handle gliders. Make sure the children remain calm and still, and advise them not to put their hands near the glider’s mouth. All gliders bite sometimes. 
  • A calm and quiet home environment is ideal. Gliders will feel less stressed in this type of environment. If you can give them their own bedroom or area of the home, that is great! If this is not possible, try to keep them in a quiet part of the house away from the kitchen. 

TIPS FOR A LOST GLIDER INSIDE THE HOME

  • Don’t panic. It is very likely that you will find your glider.
  • They have likely curled up somewhere cozy to sleep, like in a pile of laundry, in a hooded sweatshirt, under the couch cushions, in a blanket, in the bed, in a shoe, under the refrigerator or another warm place, etc. 
  • Remove or close off any obvious hazards such as sticky traps, insect bait, poison, open windows, open vents, candles, wax warmers, standing water, etc. 
  • Check all toilets in the house and close all toilet lids and bathroom doors. 
  • Do not step on or sit on anything under which the glider could be hiding – clothes, blankets, couch, bed, pillow, etc. 
  • Do not do laundry! Gliders can curl up in laundry. 
  • Isolate other pets into a room where you know the glider is not. 
  • Put out a dish of their favorite food, and a small dish of water in an area where you think they may be. 
  • Make a lot of noise to see if you can scare them into coming out, such as rustling a plastic bag around the house. Sometimes this works. 
  • If your glider is missing into the evening, sprinkle flour around the floor. 
  • Turn off all lights and sit in the dark and wait for your glider to come out. Be still and listen carefully. 
  • When you hear movement, note its location. If you have waited for a while and there is no movement, you may have to wait several hours, turn on the lights, and check to see if there have been any footprints in the flour. 
  • When you know the glider is safe, try to figure out how they escaped, and remedy the issue.