Running Hot and Cold

For the last two weeks the gliders' tent time at night has been pretty frenetic. All four of the gliders have spent the better part of an hour and a half running, jumping, and playing around. It's been fun to watch and be in there to interact with them. For the last several days, though, they have done a complete 180. They will be out long enough to get their yogurt drop treat, and then they have made their way to the hanging boat and spend most of the time in there, grooming and napping.  That makes for a long hour in the tent, so I've been cutting things short. CB has been the one exception the last couple of nights as he has stayed and played while the girls do their grooming thing in the boat, so we have had some good "buddy time". I may try and roll them out earlier and see if that makes any difference in their activity level.

The gang also got in on some Thanksgiving goodies this weekend. M boiled a turkey neck and they got a piece as part of their dinner. Last night it wasn't too long after I put them in their cage before they discovered the turkey. At one point, Cirrus, CB, and Foehn were working on the same piece while Virga was working on her vegetables (she loves her veggies). I tried to get a photo of the three of them eating the same piece, but before I could snap the photo CB decided to take a break and go for a run in the wheel.

Cirrus (l) and Foehn (r) enjoying some turkey neck

Goin' with the Flow

With the cage moved into the wide open spaces of the great room, M was determined to continue the morning yogurt routine in some fashion or another. She decided to try and bring them into our master bath, which in addition to be a little roomier also had a heated floor, The trick was to get the gliders after they had climbed into their sleeping pouch but before they had settled down to sleep. With the sun coming up earlier now that we were off Daylight Saving Time this worked pretty well as they typically turn in just before sunrise. The first morning was a success, and M was able to take them from the cage into the bathroom. Once there they got their licks of yogurt and had a chance to run around and play. These little guys caught on fast, and Foehn and CB continued to run to the pouch, followed by Virga, when they saw M come over to the cage. Lately, however, Cirrus has decided this is an excellent opportunity to check out the world outside of the cage. Luckily, she has let M take her off the cage and carry her safely to the bathroom. Normally they spent from 30 to 45 minutes running around the bathroom. The first day they discovered that the sleeve of M's heavy, warm robe is the perfect place to snuggle in for what they hope is their "nest" for the day. Instead. eventually M carefully puts them back into their sleeping pouch and safely carries them back to the cage.

Cirrus checks out what is going on from inside the sleeve of M's robe

This morning they got to run around my newly floored and painted office. Since not all the furniture has been returned, they had a great time running across the floor. When I came in to get my things for work, M told me she had lost track of one. After checking all the usual hiding places, I needed to leave for work and left it to M to find the missing glider. Some 15 minutes later, M was looking around the office for Virga and she heard a loud "plop" behind her. Virga had hunkered down in one of the cubby holes on my desk, only coming out when she figured it was time to turn in! The other three had already snuggled in M's sleeve, so Virga climbed up the robe and into the sleeve to join the others until M had to return them to their pouch.

New Arrangements

Finally, after a couple of years, I am getting my home office "done" - new floor, paint, and at some point, new furnishings. Last weekend we moved the gliders' cage out of the office and into the great room. It's now in the same spot it was originally when we acquired Foehn and CB. M has not been looking forward to this move, since it has a major impact on her morning routine with them. For the last several months she has been getting up in the morning to give them their yogurt treat. In the last two months or so they have looked forward to a free run of the office at that time. In fact, they now often bypass the yogurt initially to go off and explore - they are out of the cage as soon as M opens the door. With the office door closed they are contained, and once they have had their fun they come and get a few licks of yogurt and then climb into their pouch in the cage to sleep. With the cage in the great room we can't take the chance of them getting out into the rest of the house. Even when the office is finished this arrangement will be permanent, but for another reason. We have ordered a new cage for them, one that will be twice as wide as their current age, and it will not fit in the office. It will give them a lot more room to play and run around, perhaps even room to glide a bit.

The first morning the cage was in the great room M gave the yogurt thing a try hoping to keep them in the cage, but Foehn was out and exploring before M could stop her. Fortunately Foehn headed right for the office, where we corralled her into a pouch. M was hopeful the morning routine could continue as that is her time to bond with them, but not if they are intent on leaving the cage. However, things may work out in the long run. With the switch to Standard Time, we wake up an hour later in "sun time". Generally they turn in by 6:15 or 6:30 a.m. now because the sun is up and it is getting light. The last two mornings M has been able to take them from their cage in the pouch to the now almost empty office. They generally aren't quite asleep yet, and they have come out to get their yogurt and play. If we can keep this up for a few days we hope they will figure out that this is the routine, and M will still have her time with them.

The last two days M has carried them around in her outer shirt after their afternoon snack to get some more bonding time with them. They usually snuggle in to sleep - most of the time. Virga occasionally grooms M rather aggressively and M has a few marks to show for it. In general, though they are quiet and sleep until it's tent time sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.

Cirrus sleeping inside M's shirt

Decorating for Fall

M, being a talented "crafty" person, likes to decorate the gliders' cage depending on the month or season. In October she made a large witches hat pouch which the gliders enjoyed because it was roomy. There were also a couple of other Halloween themed items in the cage. The past week or so M was sewing new "leaf" pouches for a fall theme. She also made a hammock of sorts, which they can climb on and also crawl into a pouch on the top. The new cage set includes four leaf pouches - orange, yellow, gold, and burgundy. The two large puches near the front of the cage are new for this year. There is also the orange hammock, and fall colored pieces of fleece stuck in the cage openings for them to play with. Along the top of the cage there is a fall leaf garland for them to climb on and around. When we put them in with their new cage set last night for the first time, they were a little uncertain about the changes, but they quickly explored the new furnishings and gave it their approval. It adds a nice touch to the office as well.

A fall-themed cage for the gliders