Suggies just arrived...our first problems.

[Karamalz]

Hy everyone!

The suggies just arrived! Me and my boyfriend bought two of them yesterday, both females and both six months old...and we already have our problems and difficulties  .
So I wanted to post immediately some questions, in order to make things clear:
First of all, both suggies are really "aggressive", in a certain way. It's obvious that they're just scared but here's an example of what happens:
my boyfriend putted his hand near one of them without touching her, in order to get some confidence. She starred at his hand for some seconds, than she jumped on it, trying to bite his finger and making a lot of noise. Similar things happen when we stick a finger in the cage: the curious thing is that they do not run away, they bash us. Each time making some real noises.
That's what happens when we try to interact.
What happens when we do NOT interact? Nothing! Really nothing. Each time we leave them alone, we find them in the same conditions/positions when we come back after hours (even 12 hours). Since yesterday they drank almost nothing and ate something.
Here is what they ate:
I followed literally your instructions ("recipes for you" thread) and gave them Papaya, Mango, Pear and Apple. But since I didn't know the quantities, I gave them 70g for each fruit, added a pinch of AKA and the calcium and vitamins supplement. I added 12 cat biccies too, 6 per suggie. They ate all of the biccies, but didn't touch the fruit (if they did, then it was really just a little). Now, I can't tell if each suggie ate 6 biccies. I left them with 12 biccies and this morning there wasn't any of them left. As far as I know one glider ate 12 of them  .
So, here are my questions:
1) Is this aggressivity normal, in the beginning? Will they be calm and cuddly, some day, as yours are?
2) Did they eat a right quantity of stuff for one night? Is it normal that they do not drink so much? How can I give them water? Actually I am using a drinking bottle for rodents. Is it better to put them some whater in a little cup?
3) Is it correct to leave them just with 12 cat biccies, without really knowing who eats what?

4) We are pretty sure that they are both coloured. Both of them have a really particular (no-grey) color. One is darker than the other and has a dark "mask" around her eyes, like black rings wich are in touch with her nosetip. I will post some pictures as soon as possible, so maybe you cann help me guessing which kind of suggies we have here  . The reason I do not already have some pictures are the same reasons I posted the question number 1 


Thank you all for any answer.

[Amalthea]

Just leave them alone to settle in. Don't try to start bonding with them for a few weeks til they know they are home And I wouldn't worry about how much they've eaten or drinken (mine don't drink much, anyways due to the high water content of their food).

[tillie]

What she said....leave them be to settle in, they are petrified and this behaviourn is normal as ou are new owners with different surroundings and smells.  You need patience, patience and more patience with gliders in the beginning.

[Marie]

Definately do nothing!  They're stressed and it sounds like they've probably not be socialised much.  You may not want to do this but just feed them and leave them be, don't approach them or try and pick them up.

Do you know what the previous owner fed them?

[roxyandboys]

echo what the others have said in my experience gliders sometimes dont take to well to change and can get stessed out easy.  leave them to settle.  They sould be fine with a water bottle to be fai but if you're worried pop in a small dish of water just in case.

[hday]

dont know if my original posts from october last year are still around
but to echo everyone elses!!


just my voice made them crab solidly for 2 weeks!!! and initially I never saw him eat as he wouldnt come out at all if I was around

I spent 2 weeks just talking to them and eventually was able to talk and sit by cage (as opposed to other side of room) with only the odd crab!

after about 3 weeks she would lick yogurt off my hand inside cage only (and my arm would go numb with so long waiting for her to come in the first place!)
was probably a month before she would come onto me (still inside cage) and about the same before he would even sniff my hand let alone climb aboard for treats!!!

it is hard work and soo sad when they seem to be afraid of you, but if you had an orphaned abused child you wouldnt expect love and recognition straight away
first they need to decide the place is safe
then learn you are safe
and then learn you might even be nice!
and then learn some manners if you are lucky! ie dont bite the hand that feeds you

aim for first month with very little then if they lick a treat or come onto you while you are in their cage so much the better!

all the best

[Karamalz]

Thank you everyone for the precious info.
We know that they only ate apple and mealworms  and they were kept in a cavy cage  :-S
We'll follow your words! Thank you!

[Don]

I'm no expert, but I do have two very wild Gliders
Get some glider aid (see Marie)
They will love it and it will get some much needed nutrients in their system
as well as giving them a balanced diet
They will soon associate you with the good food in their cage, after a couple of weeks just quietly sit by the cage with some treats in your hand.
Don't make any sudden moves and have the patience of a saint.

It's been almost a year for me now, but Blade and Ripley (they were given these names for very good reason)will now come out the moment I sit at the cage and click my tongue.

They used to just crab and/or hide, now I can put my hand in the cage and they will not hide, they'll just be interested in what I'm doing next

I haven't been bitten in ages 

They make happy little chirrup noises while lapping up their glider aid, it's magic stuff

[Karamalz]

Hello everybody,
here we are with some news

After almost a month, things are bettering!
The suggies are starting to get out of their "little house", even though we share the room with them. When they see us they don't crab anymore and if we try to put a hand in the cage they don't bush us.
One of the suggies is not scared and even allows us to touch her and interact a little; the other one is still not very keen on contact, but she doesn't crab when she see us, even though she still looks for protection in her house when we get too close to her.
So, what I wanted to ask is: is the time right to try to hold at least the first (more confident) suggie in my hand? I already tried to, but she is strongly attached to the cage and puling with force does't obviously seem to be the right thing to do to convince her that I am harmless. So, what can I do to make her move on my hand by her will? Is putting my hand gently between her and the cage a good solution? Sometimes, when I touch her, she starts moving slowly, ignoring my hand and trying to change place. In these cases, I managed to get her on my hand (just one time) by putting it in front of her and giving her no other choice than grapping my fingers in order to proceed. She stood a few minutes on my hand and the she jumped on the cage's ground. What is the right method to get her on my hand without forcing her too much? How do you pick them? Do you pull while they're attached to the cage? Or will they do it by their own will, one day?

Thanks a lot.

[Rhianna]

i dont pull. there is one of mine who hangs onto the bars, but i coax his feet off.

but then again, i trust mine not to nip.

i would try coaxing him/her with treats. non fattening treats though as you may take a few tries. i use cat biccies.

[roxyandboys]

treats is a good start, as they get used to you their curiosity will get the better of them and they'll want to check you out.  Have you read some of the bonding threads regarding tent time?  That seems to work well.