Every glider owner wants their babies to trust them. But it can be hard to know if your glider trusts you or not. I’ve put together a list of signs that your babies trust/are bonded to you. Please remember that all gliders personalities are different and while some gliders may do all of these things, others may not. That doesn’t mean that they don’t trust you. It just means that their personalities are different. 🙂
No More Crabbing
The first sign that your glider trusts you is that they won’t crab when you get near them. I’ve had my gliders for almost a year now and I rarely hear crabbing (unless I accidently scare them when they are sleeping). Crabbing is a glider’s way of trying to defend themselves from the big scary monster (aka you), so when they stop, they are starting to realize that you aren’t going to eat them.
They Want You
Another good sign is when your gliders wants to come to you. When you walk in the room or get near the cage, they’ll run up to the bars. When you open the doors, they’ll jump out on you and climb around on your arms and shoulders.
They Groom You
If your glider grooms you, it’s a sign that they’ve accepted you into their colony. Both of my gliders do this, however they are on the rougher side, so I don’t encourage this a lot!
They Mark You
Gliders will pee on you. Period. BUT there is a difference between peeing and urine marking. If your gliders squeeze out a little drop off pee on you, they’re essentially marking you as their own. That’s a good sign. My male, Ink, also loves to rub his chest all over me, which is his way of marking me as his.
They Stay With You
If your gliders stay with you instead of running away from you, that’s an awesome sign! It means that they want to be with you and they trust you enough to be near you rather than wanting to hide from you. Again, personalities play into this. My baby, Ink, is my cuddly boy. He will sit in my lap and go to sleep. My girl, Dreamer, will come to me and hang out with me, but she typically doesn’t want to just be on me during playtime.
***Hattush is going into glider obsession mode where she talks about her gliders even though this is an informative post***
The last couple nights, both of my gliders have been really cuddly. Ink and Dreamer both climbed down my shirt and proceeded to curl up together and then go to sleep. *is in awe* DREAMER NEVER DOES THAT. Ink does, but not Dreamer!! Last night they were both being so adorable. They were curled up asleep against my stomach and I was petting them and THEY BOTH STARTED PURRING. I seriously could have melted from the cuteness.
***Hattush is finished sharing stories about her gliders***
They Purr
Sugar gliders purr when they are happy or content. It’s a really quiet, cute sound that is really hard to catch on video. It almost sounds like a gentle, popping noise (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE POPPING BREATHING WHEN GLIDERS HAVE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS). If your gliders are purring when they’re sleeping on you, it’s a really good sign that they trust you!
They Groom Themselves
Gliders love to groom. It’s one of their favorite pastimes. But it is also a vulnerable activity. If your glider grooms themselves while they are ON you, it means that they have a deep level of trust in you. Ink does this frequently and it melts my heart. But Dreamer, my less bonded, feisty girl, just started doing it as well! (Remember, this is after I’ve had her for months!) The first night that she groomed herself while sitting on my hand, I wanted to get up and tell someone because I was so excited. (Of course I didn’t because it was like 12 AM and the rest of the world was sleeping. XD)
Have an awesome day, my friends. Never give up on your gliders. Keep working with them and they will learn to trust you. Patience and time are your greatest allies.
~Hattush
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