New Sugar Glider says, "I dun like CHANGE!"

Boba got a pal!

(Boba peeping into Giga Byte's cage)

Boba has been living with my bf and I for almost a year. I would refresh her water/feed her tomatos once in a while. But I never really liked her... because whenever I hugged my man or stuck my hand into her cage, she would nip me and gave me a mean look. (Boba, u little brat).

For the past few months, Boba has started to bark and begged for attention. Whenever I walked near her, (coz she is kind of cute)... it is really hard to ignore her. So, I've started reading up on proper sugar glider care... I ran into a bunch of articles written by "experts" / "experienced owners".

Many of them claimed that if a sugar glider never has a pal to cuddle with, their life span shortens.

Though there is a vet on youtube from the Sugar Glider Association claiming as long as the glider can get 1-2 hrs of socializing with human, they will do just fine even without a glider pal. I figured getting Boba a pal won't hurt. Well, since school and other obligation has been increasingly hectic, and my bf has started to work graveyard shifts. A glider buddy should be a good idea!

*Drum Roll*

Meets GIGA BYTE!

She spent most of her daytime today sleeping in her bonding pouch... Bonding pouch? Why the weird name, right?

Wellz, this pouch thingie... is to get your animal used to your scent. Similar to dogs, sugar gliders communicate with body languages and body scents. They are sensitive to scent and bond by scent. That's why, it is recommended to wear your new glider around your neck in the day time while they are sleeping (yes, they are nocturnal). Because they are also marsupial, like kangaroos, they feel safest in a warm pouch that smells like Mommy. In domestic cases, the human owner = the mommy. So, Human, wear that stupid looking pouch under your sweater/hoodie/big scarf with your glider in it to have it feel comfortable with your scent before you stick your finger at her. My bf tried to rush this part and got his finger bitten bloodily, despite that sweet sweet honey drop he had with him. (tsk tsk tsk, men.)

It is going to take Giga Byte some time to get used to her new surrounding!

Let's hope that this transition will not be too rough on this little 2-yr-old girlie!

I know relocation can be stressful. I feel bad for giving her a new name... it is like denying all her past memories prior to this relocation... (sigh, I m totally projecting here. I fucking miss the bay area.)

So yes, I'm gonna read up more on sugar glider and hopefully I can help this little baby bond with Boba... and eventually with Puppy too!

*Peeked into Giga Byte's cage*

Poor thing, Giga Byte has been staying at the same spot for more than 30 minutes now! I hope she is not too scared... heh!

This may very well be what Giga Byte is having on her mind:

Check out Boba and Giga Byte's temporary cages:

They will need a good amount of time to get used to each other before they can be put together in the same cage. Since they are both a bit older (2yrs old) and glider's bonding age range is birth-1.5 years old. So, I guess it's still notttt too bad.

Just to be safe, I am gonna give them at least a month!

I have also placed some of Giga Byte's scented toys into Boba's cage (and vise versa) to introduce the gliders to each other's presence.

Boba: "Waaaat??? Why am I surrounded by all these new thingsssss???"

Bonus:

(Picture of Boba in her traveling pouch, taken in Pasadena. 2010 Thanksgiving Morning Brunch Outting with the family)