Keeping Your Joey Warm
DaisyMae Sleeping (8 weeks out of pouch)
It is important to remember that your new joey is used to being with its mama and papa all the time. Sugar gliders are very social animals that need a lot of contact with either you or another glider. Your joey is still quite small and will chill easily. Make sure that you keep it warm enough. This is easily done by keeping it in a pouch next to your body and by providing a warm, fleece blanket or pouch in its nest. (Do not use terry cloth or towels for blankets since your joey's tiny nails can easily get caught in the loops.) Do not use heating pads nor heating rocks since they can "bake" and/or burn your joey. Keep your joey's cage away from vents and windows so that any breezes that may be generated will not affect it.
Bonding With Your Joey
Before bringing your new joey home, buy some fleece and cut it into 6" squares. These little blankies will be used to help your bonding process once the joey is home with you. Sleep with some of these blankies tucked into your shirt so that they will get your scent on them. In the morning, put the newly scented blankies into a ziploc bag to retain your scent. Do this with a few blankies each night until all of them are scented. Once you bring your joey home, place a fresh blankie into its pouch each evening, removing the "dirty" one, laundering it & then rescenting it. The joey will then be sleeping with your scent & this will help him/her to become acclimated to your scent. Since gliders are very scent-oriented, this is one of the best ways to get your joey used to you in a short amount of time.
Your joey will be stressed for the first 2-3 days after bringing it home. Allow your joey to simply be in its new cage for at least the first 24 hours without trying to touch it. I know it's hard, you've waited so long to bring him/her home & now you have to wait 24 hours, but it will be worth it because it will actually help with your bonding process. During that first 24 hours, you can sit in a chair near the cage & talk quietly to your new companion. This will help your joey get used to the sound of your voice. Say the joey's name multiple times during your "conversation" with him/her and this will help acclimate the joey to its new name.
After the first day, keep your joey with you during the daytime in its pouch as much as you can at first: at least 2-3 hours a day. This will help your joey get used to your smell and voice and will greatly aid you in bonding with it. I like to put my hand in my gliders' pouch and gently rub them while they are sleeping. This also gets them used to being handled by you. If your joey tries to nip you when you try to do this, don't be discouraged: just rub it from the outside of the pouch for a while until it gets used to the feeling, then gradually start putting your hand inside instead. Periodically, offer your joey a treat - some dried fruit, a grape, a lick of yogurt or applesauce from your fingertip. This will help the joey associate you with good things. Keep in mind that sugar gliders are naturally sap suckers, so you will want to "replenish" the supply of applesauce or yogurt before actually running out or your joey may nip you trying to get more "sap" out of your finger.
After a week or so, you will be ready to start tent-time with your joey. This is one of the best bonding techniques available to us. Go to WalMart or a similar store and buy an inexpensive pop-up dome tent - make sure it's large enough for you to sit comfortably in but not too large to pop open in a room in your home. Each evening, pop open the tent, lay a large piece of fleece in the bottom of it and place/hang some glider toys in it (including a wheel and a ferret's feather-teaser). Bring your glider (in its pouch) into the tent with you, along with something for you to do (such as a book to read - another option is to set the tent up so the window is directed towards the TV and turn on your favorite show at a quiet volume) and bring some treats in, too. Zip the tent up, place the pouch with the glider on the floor of the tent and get yourself comfortable. The glider will gradually come out of the pouch to explore its surroundings. This will be a gradual process, so be patient and allow the joey to take its own pace. In the meantime, read your book, watch TV or otherwise occupy yourself, basically ignoring the joey. The joey will start to explore and play. Gradually, the joey will start to explore you, too. When the joey comes to you, gently offer a treat to reward it for coming to you. Use the feather-teaser to distract the joey if it starts to nibble on you. The joey will learn that you are a positive thing & you will become the joey's personal "tree" or "jungle-gym". This process allows the joey to get used to you on its own terms.
What To Buy Before Your Joey Comes Home
Cage with bars @ 3/8" spacing (or less) & at least 18"dx24"wx36"h, although wider is better for more flying room! Another great option is a Reptarium - originally made for lizards, these are great cages for sugar gliders and are very easy to clean! For full-time use, a mininum 100 gallon size is recommended.
Oasis Water Bottle Available at PetSmart
Bonding Pouches make sure they are made with breathable fabric - fleece is the best! In my opinion, the best pouch maker is Karin at Glider Daydreams.
Glider Toys avoid all cat toys since they are often coated with catnip oil (even though it's not listed on the label) - catnip is highly toxic to sugar gliders. There are many vendors who make toys specifically for gliders, including:
Cage Liners: Buy inexpensive fleece and cut to fit the cage tray or bottom.
Disposable Condiment Cups & Lids: 1/2 oz. or 2 oz. size. Available at Gordon Foods.
Fleece Wall Protector to keep the wall behind the cage clean.
Glider Kitchen to keep your gliders from making a thorough mess of their cage!
Exercise Wheel 11" Wodent Wheel available here
4" Cable Ties to secure Wodent Wheel to prevent sliding around while glider is running. Available at Target, WalMart or Lowe's.
Hydrogen Peroxide best disinfectant for Glider-inflicted bites or scratches (hopefully you won't need it!)
Fresh fruits & sweet veggies (make sure you get the varieties recommended for the specific diet you will be feeding)
Ingredients for the Diet of your choice
Dried fruits & veggies available here
Gliderade available here
Crickets, meal worms and wax worms available here
Brisky's Booster Milk available here
