a happier night

The joeys didn't fuss and fight much at all last night!

Cro did some research over his lunch period and said he thought we had their habitat laid out incorrectly. He suggested that the one last shelf be removed and that we suspend two sleeping pouches high. Whatever it was, Fooks was much less fussy and I heard a few quick little barks and lots of psst! sounds throughout the night.

I'd love to know what they are talking about. The little barks sounded enthusiastic and happy. The psst! sounds were very numerous and sounded like they were commenting on something important they were working on.

They didn't seem to eat much of their HPW but did go all out on the fruit. Tonight's menu will include veggies and I am trying a new trick that I read on the glider forum on how to get them to eat it. I blended mixed veggies with a few pieces of fruit and baby yogurt (to make the veggies taste better). I also added a tsp of natural fig preserve, which is also sweet. I plan to offer this along with sliced veggies, their HPW and a few turkey strips (the stinky baby ones that they seem to love) tonight.

A future purchase will be a small ice cube tray (for small cubes) so I can freeze HPW mixture and the veggie mixture. I have a water/ice dispenser but that wouldn't be good for freezing glider food! lol

Oh, and it was Fooks again in the bonding pouch yesterday. She does seem to be the one who will bond with me more quickly than Jagerbar. Gerbar will bond with us in time I'm sure. Cro sat with a hand in their sleeping pouch for a good while after he got home from work.

Haha! Cro told me that the psst! sound was them spitting on their hands to wash their face. :D

toys!

toys!

toys!

toys!

Gerber rates dried mango A+ as a licky treat.

Today I woke to discover they had made a stinky mess of the bonding pouch exterior… but they were both inside sleeping! I'm so excited about them sharing the pouch:

Cro brought home lots of toys for their habitat in hopes that a big part of the aggression toward each other could be attributed to a big space with not much in it (boredom).

They woke to a home full of new toys to explore, their first meal of HPW, some fruit and veggie mix, and a few blueberries and dried mango pieces here and there. I placed identical small bowls of food in two separate corners and spaced the treats out, even hanging some from high in the cage and on the shelf.

They seemed very happy with everything and didn't fuss too much at first. Then the vocal fighting began. Fooks was exploring every inch of the new items, treats and food, water and all. Gerber seemed to be preoccupied inside the "treehouse" (the empty, hanging, covered food bowl).

I wasn't sure why Gerber wasn't exploring the toys and food until I saw her emerge, only to be fussed at aggressively and chased back into the treehouse.

Hmm. It seems that Fooks is claiming possession of everything and not wanting to share. This became very apparent regarding the bonding pouch were she has been sleeping. She would make a horrible fuss anytime Gerber would try to get near it.

Overall though, they didn't spat as much last night as the night prior and I found them both asleep in the coveted bonding pouch this morning. :)

First meal of HPW. Yum!

I'm not sure which one I've got, but I transferred one of them from that bonding pouch to a fresh one. The other glider would not be removed and I didn't want to force her. I placed the soiled bonding pouch (with baby) back in the habitat and am wearing the clean pouch with the other baby as I work today.

Cro said he is going to research the possessive aggression thing for ideas on what to do. I can just hear Fooks saying "MINE! IT'S ALL MINE!!!" when Gerber would try to enjoy something.


Maybe they just need time to work it out.

more fussing, more bonding pouch time

The babies argued and fussed again last night even though I had moved their food bowls far apart. Cro continues to reassure me that all is fine. I know they woke him up several times (me too, but I don't mind). I must say it's endearing to see him lift up their habitat cover and say "Hey. Quiet down."

The cat incited them to grumble this morning by sitting and staring in their cage. He slept on top of it yesterday as if to say to them "I am king of this house." Silly kitty. :)

I got up just before dawn and sat next to the habitat. When I offered a hand to Fooks I could tell that she must have been the one in the bonding pouch with me yesterday while I worked. She came right up to my hand and tested the situation by nibbling on my fingertips.

After a few minutes of that I moved my hand to rest just outside of the treehouse opening. Gerber was inside and immediately put on the GRRR stance (standing up with arms out wide) and crabbed at me a little. When I didn't move away she began nipping my fingers just to test me out. She wasn't nipping hard enough to hurt me but to discourage the habit I would make gentle little "oh" and "ow" sounds which made her stop for a moment. In the meantime, Fooks walked right up my hand and into the treehouse bowl.

They licked each other and made happy noises so all the fussing during the night can't mean they are rejecting each other. Gerber was sleeping alone in the treehouse and Fooks in the bonding pouch though. To them that's like having separate bedrooms I guess. :(

I am wearing Fooks in the bonding pouch again for a few hours while I work today. She didn't grumble at all when I picked up the pouch and she has been making sweet little clicking noises while I type.

Meals for them last night were:
Insectivore Fare
Gerber fruit and veggie puree (apple and spinach)
thawed mixed frozen veggies

They seemed to eat most of everything except the veggies, but did eat a few of those. Good!

They also get a perpetual supply of:
a bowl of fresh bottled water mixed with Pedialyte
a bowl of dry kibble (grain-free protein) just in case they want to munch during the day

I cleaned their habitat yesterday, wiping down all of the bars with baby wipes and changing the tray. We initially had the tray filled with CareFresh hamster litter but I replaced it with a paper towel lining. The floor of their habitat is a couple of inches suspended over the tray so what's in the tray only needs to catch waste, not be a floor for them to walk on.

Afternoon update:
Cro emailed to say he would be stopping by PetSmart after work to see what little enrichment toys he can find for their habitat. That maybe part of the squabbling is due to their cage being a big open space and they are bored. Toys! Fun!

I mixed up their first batch of HPW, which is going to become their main food. I've been giving them organic baby food fruit and veggie mixes and turkey sticks for babies along with baby yogurt, frozen veggies and slices of whole fruit. They will still get those things alternated in. Pampered babies!

I bought a couple of packs of dried apricot and dried mango today. I'm thinking they will be on the "sometimes treat" list since dried fruits are so sweet. I'll see what the people on Glider Central have to say but Cro will be able to answer when he gets home too. :) It's nice to be married to a zoology grad who specialized in exotics.

from fussing to fighting?

They were spatting last night. :( Fooks seemed to be aggressive toward Gerber and would make an ugly sound. They still sleep together and do still make sweet sounds at each other now and then. When Fooks was having this aggressive fit Gerber would try to stay high in a corner and out of the way. Cro said I shouldn't worry so much, that they will be fine. Maybe it started over possession of an apple slice, but I'm just guessing.

I'm going to browse the sugar glider forum that I discovered yesterday to see if this is normal and not necessarily an indication that one is rejecting the other. I would love the reassurance. I worry too much.

The ugly spatting sound starts at :09.

Afternoon Update: After browsing the forums on Glider Central I think this fussing may be food aggression. I will try spacing their bowls apart in the habitat rather than setting them together and see if that has a positive effect tonight.

In the meantime I have one of the babies in a bonding pouch around my neck as I work. She is making cute little clicking sounds as I softly sing and hum to her. I think this is a great step toward gaining her trust and hope to do this for a few hours every day with both of them.

food fight!

Oh my, what a mess they are with their food bowls. We woke this morning to what looked like the aftermath of a food fight. Maybe that's where the term "mess hall" started.

I cleaned their food area, which was made lots easier by the paper towel I set out before laying the food bowls on top. They ate very well again and Cro thinks it may be time to start using the "treehouse" for it's original purpose: an enclosed food dish. Maybe tomorrow. Tonight's menu doesn't have the potential for mess like Sunday night's did.

After cleaning their food area, I lifted them in their sleeping pouch and sat with it between the keyboard and me while I worked for about an hour today. They only grumbled when I picked it up the first time.

I put them (sleeping pouch and all) back into the habitat after about an hour. If I can get them to sleep in the bonding pouch it will be easier for me to work with the pouch around my neck for a few hours each day. The sleeping pouch isn't made for bonding (short string and no way to close the pouch … which was kind of sweet in that every time I looked down I would see a pair of little bright eyes checking me out).

Tonight's joey menu will be:
Bowl 1: Insectivore Fare
Bowl 2: mixed veggies along with a couple of thin apple slices

grapes! yum!

Sunday meals were 2 turkey sticks, slices into slim stripes. I arranged them in one of the small bowls and plopped a tbsp of baby banana-yogurt on top.

In the second bowl they got 4 seedless grapes, sliced into slim strips.

They showed great love for the grape slices last time, but this time Cro mentioned that they were all about the turkey sticks. He sat with them for a good while last night with one hand in their sleeping pouch. They did grumble in their cute way but eventually settled down.

It's very funny when he walks by and the sound of their crabbing starts up. They don't do that as much when I walk by, but maybe it's because Cro is so much taller.

Yay!

Yesterday I sliced two turkey sticks (ew, they were so stinky!) into slim pieces, dipped each into banana yogurt blend and presented it in one of the small bowls. A second little bowl was filled with the 4 seedless grapes cut into slim pieces. This morning both of the little bowls were nearly empty!


Before I went to sleep I saw Gerber drink both from the bowl of water/Pedialyte and from the hanging drip bottle. I also saw her poking around the bowl of dry protein but didn't see her give it a try. They learn quickly and investigate everything!

They were very active in the night and I heard them crab at each other several times. Siblings. :)