Random Rant #3 - Potty Time
Gliders pee and poop quite a lot for such light eaters. Here are some tips and tricks to make potty time easier.
Gliders are predictable poopers and have easy-to-spot signals. They will lift the base of their tail in an arch when pooping, which you may even be able to encourage by lifting their tail with your finger. Often, but not always, they will hold still and shiver while they are preparing a poop; especially if they have just been pulled out of a warm sleeping spot.
Gliders always go potty within 10 minutes of being taken out of their pouch or cage if they have it in them, and they always seem to save one for just such an occasion. They often have three or four poops when woken up.
I use alcohol wipes to clean up after them (70% isopropyl). Others use baby wipes, Kleenex, or wet naps.
If you have a floor roller/run-a-bout, you can put them in it on an easy-to-clean surface and give them 10 minutes to get it all out (picked up this tip from Guy Spaulding).
Gliders will pee as well, about enough to make a half dollar sized spot on your shirt, but after they have peed that large load, they aren’t done yet. Gliders pee on everything they walk on, and leave trails and dots of it everywhere to scent their path.
I highly recommend having a dedicated glider jacket or hoodie to wear over your regular shirt. Let them pee all over it and don’t wash it so that it retains their scent. Since its already scented, they won’t be quite as drawn to soaking you down every playtime. There are glider vendors that make super cute glider hoodies too.
Gliders also poop more when running on a wheel or runabout. You may notice more poop under their wheel than anywhere elsewhere in the drop pan. Don’t put food dishes below wheels.
Gliders do not normally poop in their sleeping pouches. If you commonly find poop in the pouch, it could indicate an issue. Some I’ve seen have been: other pets making the glider too nervous to leave the pouch; nails sticking so bad the glider has a hard time leaving the pouch; a barren and uncovered cage (that glider did not poop his pouch while in my decked out boarding cage); fear of an aggressive cage mate. It almost always boils down to fear of coming out of the pouch.
Gliders are predictable poopers and have easy-to-spot signals. They will lift the base of their tail in an arch when pooping, which you may even be able to encourage by lifting their tail with your finger. Often, but not always, they will hold still and shiver while they are preparing a poop; especially if they have just been pulled out of a warm sleeping spot.
Gliders always go potty within 10 minutes of being taken out of their pouch or cage if they have it in them, and they always seem to save one for just such an occasion. They often have three or four poops when woken up.
I use alcohol wipes to clean up after them (70% isopropyl). Others use baby wipes, Kleenex, or wet naps.
If you have a floor roller/run-a-bout, you can put them in it on an easy-to-clean surface and give them 10 minutes to get it all out (picked up this tip from Guy Spaulding).
Gliders will pee as well, about enough to make a half dollar sized spot on your shirt, but after they have peed that large load, they aren’t done yet. Gliders pee on everything they walk on, and leave trails and dots of it everywhere to scent their path.
I highly recommend having a dedicated glider jacket or hoodie to wear over your regular shirt. Let them pee all over it and don’t wash it so that it retains their scent. Since its already scented, they won’t be quite as drawn to soaking you down every playtime. There are glider vendors that make super cute glider hoodies too.
Gliders also poop more when running on a wheel or runabout. You may notice more poop under their wheel than anywhere elsewhere in the drop pan. Don’t put food dishes below wheels.
Gliders do not normally poop in their sleeping pouches. If you commonly find poop in the pouch, it could indicate an issue. Some I’ve seen have been: other pets making the glider too nervous to leave the pouch; nails sticking so bad the glider has a hard time leaving the pouch; a barren and uncovered cage (that glider did not poop his pouch while in my decked out boarding cage); fear of an aggressive cage mate. It almost always boils down to fear of coming out of the pouch.