Some Big Steps

I intended to post this last night, but our Internet service was out for at least 8 hours.

The bonding process is moving slowly but steadily along. Foehn, in particular, is really making progress. I usually come out to get ready to leave for work between 6:45 and 7:00 a.m. One of the first things I do now is to check on the gliders. They are both usually still up and around, and after a few days of this I realized that they are waiting for me because I usually give them a treat before I leave. Foehn comes to the front of the cage when I open the door. She has been very good about not biting, and will grab my finger while she licks it clean of the treat. When I take my hand out to get some more, she will climb up the front of the cage to the door in anticipation of more. CB is not as interested. He will come and join Foehn licking my fingers, but really isn't interested putting in more effort than that. This morning I came out and stopped by the cage, as usual, to check on them. Both were out and climbing around. By the time I was back with the treat a minute or so later, CB had crawled into the blanket to sleep. Foehn was waiting for her treat. I tried to coax CB out, but he just crabbed at being disturbed, so he missed out. Two minutes after I closed the cage door after her treat, Foehn had turned in as well.

Yesterday M was able to coax Foehn out of her pouch on her lap. Foehn fell asleep on a fleece blanket while M petted her. She didn't crab or try to get away. That was a huge step for Foehn. Her bro' just snoozed away in the pouch, where I was able to pet him quite awhile. Of course, he could sleep through a tornado.

Today M went to put them in the pouch for the day, and was using a pouch I had yesterday. CB, who had spent much of Sunday afternoon and evening in that pouch, crawled right in. Foehn would not follow him, and instead tried to get him out, going in and crabbing at him, and actually moving the pouch around. Then she was running around the top of the cage where I had a shirt hanging so she would get used to my smell. It was a smell she recognized, as she should have with the pouch. She would not go in the pouch and leave CB alone. He finally got fed up and climbed into another pouch hanging in the cage! M did eventually get Foehn into the pouch where she spent the rest of the afternoon and so far this evening. She was really restless (not a deep sleeper like CB) and couldn't settle down. When M gave her to me to hold this evening, she crabbed up a storm. She did quiet down but didn't seem to want to sleep. On a hunch that maybe she missed CB, we put him in the pouch with her. There was about 10 minutes of little bodies maneuvering, a bit of noise, and then quiet. They have both been asleep ever since.