Day 2: New Toys and Pouch Training
We got Mocha and Tank some new toys for their cage today; a wooden perch (fashioned from the branch of a tree) and a parrot toy that rather reminds me of one of those dog ropes you can play tug of war with. I heard from the breeder that they like to be stimulated with a variety of things, so figured these would be a pretty good start. We went while they were sleeping and got everything set up before they woke. Both seemed very pleased with the additions.
The Gliders woke up around 8-8:30pm, our time.
The Gliders woke up around 8-8:30pm, our time.
It was decided that tonight would be the first evening of 'pouch training', a process in which you begin b
onding with the glider and developing a sense of familiarity as well as trust. It is very simple to do. All you need, is to get the glider into a bonding pouch, guide your hand in with the glider, then hold and pet the glider for an extended period of time, thus reinforcing your scent and making the animal used to being handled. I worked with Tank and Troy - with Mocha. 
Tank was fairly submissive (he actually crawled right into my hand!)... but Mocha was a little more resistant to the process.
Troy`s fingers were lunged at several times in the pouch (though she didn`t appear to be biting) and she crabbed ALOT, but within minutes, she settled in for a nice petting. We worked with both gliders this way for little over and hour. It was wonderful! I think we made excellent strides toward imprinting on the babies and was very pleased with the progress made. Tomorrow, I plan to try it again, only for longer.
On a side note, turns out Tank and Mocha love banana`s! Also, Mocha is something of a spaz when she fully wakes up at night! I`ll have to get footage of that the next time I catch her in action!
