Glider enrichment

I think it's really important to keep pets active using different techniques and the more intelligent an animal is the more stimulation they need. Gliders are very intelligent animals.  I have read (don't remember where, I will try to find this) that they have the problem solving skill of a five year old child.

I am a new glider owner, but have been reading about them extensively for several months, and have found out a lot about their behaviors and needs.

This thread will contain my different enrichment ideas and how my gliders respond to them.

COMPANY!
THE most important enrichment for a glider is the company of another glider.  I firmly believe that it is cruel to keep a single glider as no amount of human company can make up for the interaction with one of it's own kind.  My gliders squabble A LOT but also really enjoy chasing each other and cuddling up to sleep.  They live in colonies in the wild and thrive on the company of others.

Housing:
It is important that the gliders have stimulation in their daily environment.
My gliders have a stealth wheel, a piece of cork bark and several areas to jump on.  There are also fleece plaits hanging for them to climb on. They love natural branches and both enjoy ripping off the leaves.

Exercise:
Gliders need out of cage time to exercise daily.  This should be at least an hour.  Ideally 2 or more.

Diet:
Food can also play an important part in enrichment for your gliders.  Giving different types of food is enrichment in itself.  I am using a different 'recipe' every week to give them variety.

You can also present food differently.  Wrapping food in leaves (such as spinach, that can be part of the recipe) or presenting it as a kebab can make mealtimes more interesting for your gliders.  Hiding food around the cage can also help, but be careful to check that they have actually been finding it!


I have recently tried them with a 'ball pool'.  They were very wary at first, but I left a few pom poms in the cage for them to get used to, and last night they were foraging in it happily.

Gliders are all individuals with different personalities, so what entertains one might not be interesting to another.  We've only had ours 3 weeks (today:) !) and already we have found that they like very different things.

There is nothing Plo likes better than running and jumping.  He spends hours in his stealth wheel and rarely sits still.  He is always jumping around the cage.  He has little interest in toys so far, but loved jumping in the ball pool.

Tera often sits in or on her cork bark tube and can be fairly inactive for long periods. She loves chewing and shredding the cork.  She also enjoyed ripping apart the pom poms. Tera also loves chasing cat toys and pulling out the feathers.

I think they will have very different  responses to any enrichment, but I'll keep track of them here.

More enrichment ideas can be found on the forum



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