Ivy Covered Walls - A New Cage Set

If you have followed this blog you know that M has made a number of pouches and cage sets for the gliders. The cage sets are usually seasonal, such as on for autumn, the holidays, winter, etc.  Recently she completed a cage set for the summer, a Cubs baseball cage set. We bleed Cubbie blue here and M has been planning this for some time. I thought this would be a good time to introduce it, a day after the Cubs won their first three-game series of the season. (Sad, I know.)  The cage set consists of three sleeping pouches, the "diamond", a "press box", and a vine covered wall. There is also a baseball ball pit, and M is working on an idea for a hanging baseball themed toy for the cage.

There is also a large lightweight sleeping pouch (not shown), which they have been using a lot in the recent hot weather.

Top:  the diamond, small lightweight sleeping pouch.
Bottom: Small sleeping pouch, the press box

Baseballs in the ivy covered wall.

The "press box" and the sleeping pouch.

A baseball on the diamond.

Foehn enjoying the friendly confines of the press box!

I'll post updated photos when the baseball toy is complete

Checkup for the Youngsters

Yesterday was a scheduled wellness checkup for Foehn and CB. This was our second visit with Dr. Whitington at the U of I Small Animal Clinic - she saw Virga and Cirrus in February. The bottom line is that both gliders are healthy and doing well. Foehn behaved herself for the most part during the examination, which was a little surprising since she is the skittish one. CB was less than happy about the whole thing, probably because it was interfering with his sleep (and he does like his sleep). When his exam was finished and I tried to put him back in the pouch, he wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else apparently. He sunk his teeth into my thumb, and not one of those gentle "don't bother me" bites. He did go into the pouch with some coaxing, and it took about 20 minutes for both of them to settle down. M took them home while I stopped up to pick up some fresh vegetables for their dinner. They joined Cirrus and Virga in their pouch once back in the cage.

Big Snack Attack

M has cut back on the gliders' afternoon snack time for a number of reasons, including her schedule. Mostly, though, they tend to wake up earlier in the evening because they have had a full day of uninterrupted sleep. So, we have taken to giving them their mealworm snack after they are up and have been active for a bit. M usually brings in the mealworms, and Virga and Cirrus run to the door to greet her because they know she has their snack! When it's time to hand them out, all four gliders are beside themselves with excitement, especially Virga and Cirrus. It's a challenge sometimes to make sure they all get their fair allotment. The first round is always the toughest because they all want one at the same time. Most of the time they are good about waiting their turn. The last couple of nights we have split handout duties, each of us taking two gliders. That  works a little better for them. Once in a while one glider will grab another's mealworm if they don't get theirs fast enough. They all relish their mealworms, holding the big ones in their hand eating it like a french fry.

Here are the four of them on my leg waiting for the next round of mealworms.

M passing out their mealworm snack. CB was on the tree waiting for his.

CB stretches from his post on the tree to get his mealworm.

Early Riser

Recently there was a little change in our evening routine initiated by the gliders. Normally I take the gliders into the office for their play time around 9:30 p.m., usually when they started to stir in the pouch. It was a bit before 9:00 p.m. and were watching TV when we heard a noise from the cage.  It was Virga running in the wheel.  She stopped running when we came up to the cage, looked at us as if to say "What are you waiting for?" and resumed running in the wheel. A few minutes later, Cirrus joined her sister in the cage We figured at that point it was time for the office. Virga readily climbs on our arms for the short trip to the office. Cirrus does sometimes, but usually we have to gather her up to bring her in. CB and Foehn like the old fashioned (and more comfortable) mode of transport - the pouch. Since that night, Virga is usually out of the pouch and ready for playtime any time between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Once in a while Cirrus is out first, but if not, she is not too far behind Virga. For a number of reasons M hasn't been giving them their afternoon snack, so uninterrupted sleep may have something to do with their earlier waking. One they are up and out I take a few minutes to get the room ready and get them some water. By that time they are all ready for 60 to 90 minutes of fun in the office.