Why do sugar gliders bite

It's important to note that sugar gliders really don't enjoy being held. However, as they become bonded to you and feel more comfortable in your presence, they'll gladly hold onto your body themselves.

Therefore, handling your sugar glider should be something that you slowly work up to as you prioritize their comfort. When a sugar glider is in your hands, you should mostly be prioritizing freedom of motion. Don't hold your sugar glider restrictively, as this will make them feel trapped and will cause them to lash out.

You should also not move them around quickly, as this will cause them to fear for their lives. Note that since you won't be holding your sugar glider tightly, you need to make sure that they're safe. Always handle your sugar glider either over soft surfaces or barely above the ground. If your sugar glider bites you and you react to it, you don't want them falling several feet to a hard surface and hurting themselves.

Sugar gliders bond to their owners, and will become much more trusting of them as time progresses. As this trust increases, fearful bites will decrease dramatically, and they may be replaced with some of the biting behaviors described above.

When you get a new sugar glider, it's recommended that you take things slow. Keep handling to a minimum, and let the sugar glider become comfortable in its surroundings and in your presence. Make brief contact with them during feeding periods and while playing, but don't jump into things too fast. Over time, you'll start to notice your sugar glider becoming more comfortable around you. They may even actively try and climb onto you!

If you go to handle your sugar glider and it bites you, simply put it down and wait a bit longer. All sugar gliders are different, so yours may become comfortable quicker or slower than others. You can also attempt to potty training your glider, though this mostly consists of working on routines and knowing when your glider needs to go.

Like many other animals, you can use clicker training to teach behaviors and tricks, though keep in mind that some will take to clicker training more readily than others. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Method 1. Let the glider have a few days to adjust to your home. Don't start training or handling your glider the first day you bring it home.

Let it have days to get used to its new surroundings. It'll be much calmer after a few days. You can even put baby food, applesauce, or plain yogurt on your finger. Offer it to the glider to lick, and let it come to you.

It may not come over in the first couple of days or even weeks. When offering the glider treats, move slowly and use a soft voice to talk to it.

Try not to startle it and definitely don't try to pick it up. Place something that smells like you in the cage. Wear a small piece of fleece or other non-shredding fabric near your body for a day. Place the piece of fabric in the cage where the glider sleeps. That way, it can get used to your scent. Sit with the glider in a glider-proofed room. Pick a small room, and block any escape routes, including stuffing a towel under the door. A bathroom is a good option, but block the drains and close the toilet lid.

Bring the bonding pouch with the glider in there, and encourage it to come out by placing treats near the pouch opening. Let it come over and explore you. If it comes toward you, give it a treat. Try to do this for an hour each night at the same time. Typically, all you need to do to get the glider back in the pouch is leave it open on the floor near them.

You might put a treat inside if the glider is hesitant. Wear the bonding pouch or put it in your lap the second week. The bonding pouch is a little pouch the glider will sleep in. Many come with lanyards or strings so you can wear them around your neck.

Wearing the bonding pouch with the glider in it helps it get used to being near you. You can wear it throughout the day. Avoid pulling away when the glider bites you. The glider may try biting when they're first getting to know you because they're scared of you.

For this type of biting, start by not pulling back if the sugar glider bites you. That tells it that its aggression worked--it got you to back off!

Be sure to wash the bite afterward. Distract teenage gliders from biting with a treat. Even if you bond well with your glider, it may try biting during adolescence. Think of it as teenage rebellion. Typically, they'll grow out of this behavior, but you can do a few things to discourage it. You can try offering a treat, for instance, to give it something else to do. Therefore, distraction is your best option. When it grooms you, it will bite lightly more like scraping its teeth on your skin and lick repetitively.

Sometimes gliders become very focused on grooming their human. Sugar gliders are sap suckers by nature, and frequently bite items in search of more food. Be aware of this when hand-feeding your glider, and offer more food before a bite occurs. Understanding and respecting why your sugar glider may bite is the first step to a long and wonderful relationship with your glider.

These are the exceptions however. Published: April 1, To be clear, the animal is not likely to be FULLY-bonded within a few weeks, but you should most likely begin to see significant signs of progress. As stated previously it can take up to a few months for a particularly stubborn little fuzzbut to fully bond, but usually only weeks depending on how much time you spend with it.

Now, technically there are only 2 times you CAN get bitten. Just go purchase a brand new glove meant for gardening, ideally one made of leather.

Now, just to be clear, this glove is NOT meant to be used later on to handle the animals. In fact, the only reason I even mention this option here is so that every possibility is covered.

This is very simple, and we can break this into 2 steps:. As a quick refresher, Step 1 simply details exactly how to take the baby out of the cage using your bonding pouch as an inside out glove. Step 2 then outlines how to carry the baby around in the pouch under your clothes with the window facing you. The most important thing though, is that your baby ies get to spend a bunch of time getting used to your smell through the pouch.

Again, the more time you can carry the baby around in the pouch with you the better. You can put it under your clothes and go to work, or run errands all day, as long as there is a slice of apple in the pouch as well. Most of the time, no one will ever even know you have a live animal on you. This is not like a tent for camping. Now, once you get one of these units, set it up in a convenient space in your home where you can spend time bonding with your baby ies.

Keep in mind, the idea of the tent is twofold.