Barking - what's it all about?

[Marie]

I've seen loads of posts on other boards saying that suggies bark just to get attention!  But is that REALLY the case? 

I have no doubt that a person with a single or pair of suggies can train their glider to bark when they want attention, and by that I don't mean clicker train.  When a suggie barks, the owner usually gets up to go see what the matter is and quite often they talk to them and give them a treat, this is training, the glider learns that when s/he barks mum (or dad) comes running with love and treats.  So understandable that people would think they do it for attention.

But, in the wild who comes running when they bark?  Who feeds them their yoggie drops or locust?  No one, so those wild gliders haven't learnt to bark when they are peckish or starved of attention. 

Those with a couple of gliders won't have seen what effect the barking has on the others, I have a room full of suggies as most of you know and I have seen what happens... and it's weird!  Sometimes when someone is barking everyone will be stock still, and when the barking has stopped will resume play.  Sometimes one will bark once and someone else will reply and sometimes someone will bark and no one will pay a blind bit of notice!  So what's going on? 

I think there's different types of bark, maybe at a slightly different pitch or the frequency (no. of times) of the barking, or the time between the yips differs.  And why the heck do they do it more around the full moon?

If it's an alarm call (which I suspect the bark where they all stand stock still is) then why when there's nothing for them to worry about?  If the only thing in the room is them and the windows are covered (which mine are) -  why would they feel the need to alarm call?

The communication one (where one yips and is replied by another) is the worst in my opinion, it can go on alllllllllll night long!  They must be having a good old gossip!

So what are your suggie's patterns?  Who has serial yippers?  And what do you think about the different bark suggestion?

[jungleflockmom]

Gliders, like most birds and animals that find safety in colony living, probably have a sentinel that listens and watches for any change or variation that might mean impending danger. We know that prey animals survive by quickly learning patterns and any variation to the known pattern might cause a bark that says, "Hey, this is different. I'll keep an eye on it".

We tend to see "the big picture" whereas prey animals see each little detail rather than just the whole scene. There can be lots of differences in our homes from a small object that has been moved slightly to a full moon that illuminates everything differently.

Mine bark occasionally but always near the full moon. I don't necessarily get up and check on them unless the bark is coming from another room they should not be in and that does happen occasionally.

[sugarchin]

I look forward to reading all your responses as I posed this question to Marie a day or 2 ago
Sarah, the lady I got my gliders from, mentioned the barking, and 3 nights ago, I heard it for the first time..and they have barked every morning since at around 6am
Each time, one has barked, the others have gone into hiding and not another sound can be heard, apart from what sounds like puppy yapping lol
I counted no less than 40 yaps!
I am intrigued about this full moon business...why would that be..is it the werewolf in them LOL!!!

I've been keeping chinchillas for years, and occasionally, something might alarm one, which results in one making a distinctive alarm call type of bark...and the others either hide in their boxes, or take refuge in their cardboard tubes...and ALL is silent(apart from the barker)
Once I say "its okay babies" they immediately get on with what they're doing and everything returns to normal
Very interesting topic

[Marie]

See, the problem I have with that theory (Temple) Dee (lol) is that the door is shut, the windows are blacked out (black out blinds) at night - NOT during the day, and in the dead of night nothing is moved ... unless we have a ghost (which we do but not the kind that moves stuff around!).  I'm with you on the having one sentinel, even when they don't live in the same cage.  

I'm really interested in whether others think there's different barks for different reasons.

[jungleflockmom]

I definitely think they have a variety of barks - that's why I don't get up to check on them. And things are moved at my house all the time so my sugs get used to a certain amt of that. I also have no curtains on the upper windows so the night light comes in every night.

Yours may have such a secure environment that changes are not an issue but they can see a speck of dust that is floating through the air or a bit of light coming under a door, things that we don't even notice.

For carers, I think the most important thing is to get them used to the changes in their environments so that they can take them in stride. Maybe they are discussing our housekeeping! 

[Marie]

and they don't keep us awake all night!!!   

I'm glad you think there are different barks too!  Thought I was going slightly mad for a minute!  Maybe we should get one of then moon phase things and do a forum study.

[Critter Hill]

I totally agree with what you are saying. We have also noticed that we sometimes have a lot of barking before really windy, stormy tornado weather. I think even though they are inside they can sense it coming before it does.

Interestingly enough I have also noticed during some thunder and lightning storms sometimes we have a ton of barking going on and everyone is really still, but other times, nothing, they all go on about their business like nothing is going on outside!

[Marie]

Ok, anyone else have an incredibly noisy night last night (April 10th)?  Yap yap bloody yap alllllllllll night!  It was the kind of bark where the others still play - joy, bang, bang on the cage and we have a squeeky wheel at the minute as well as the yaps - lol!! 

[loulou]

Yes we did i was up and down for about 3 hours last night trying to convince them to be quiet to no avail! and i sleep like a log i normally sleep through the barking. plus it wasnt for other glider attention as all four were playing in my cupboard in the room together and it wasnt for me as everytime i picked them up they jumped off again so god knows what it was i thinkt hey were just feeling like causing me trouble lol

[Marie]

Hmmmm, the moon was in it's last quarter last night.  Anyone else have noisy suggies?

[jungleflockmom]

I did too over here on this side of the world - not incredibly noisy but barks that I normally only hear when the moon is almost full or full. I was so surprised to hear my normally not-that-vocal-boys making that joyful noise.

[Marie]

Hmmmmm.curiouser and curiouser!  My suggies rarely make that much noise!

[sugarchin]

I was thinking how quiet mine have been for the last 3 nights..but now that I am about to reply to this thread...I have probably spoken too soon!!