Some Slow Progress

Time in the tent, in close proximity. seems to have been gradually improving the situation between Sprite and CB. Sprite no longer chases CB, and they will actually get relatively close to each before one of them, usually CB, jumps away.  I have also wrapped one or the other up some fleece and held one close to the other. Tonight I had CB wrapped up, and Sprite just sniffed him and then walked away. CB wasn't exactly thrilled, but there were no problems afterwards.

We are still having problems with Foehn an her chasing. She goes after Sprite, and sometimes CB. She and Sprite ball up at times, but Sprite has become pretty good at anticipating her moves and stays ahead of her, often ending up on my shoulder.

One of Sprite's favorite things now is running on the treadmill in the tent. She will run as fast as she can to get it spinning, then stop running and hang on. Her head will be at the center  and she will hold on until the treadmill stops spinning, her tail straight out over the edge. When it slows down, she starts running to get it spinning again. It's like watching a little kid playing on one of the merry-go-rounds on a playground.

Sprite hanging on for a spin on the glider treadmill.

Still Walking Down that Road

The last ten days have been interesting, to say the least. Time in the tent continues, and there have been a few positives. However, it seems that just when things seem to be progressing another monkey wrench is thrown into the works.

First, the positive news. The last two nights Sprite and CB have co-existed in the tent without any issues. There were a couple of chases last night, but tonight they spent a full hour and a half together, but apart. The generally keep out of each other's way, although every once in a while they will venture closer to each other.  The best part of this is that Sprite was not actively stalking him. This is promising, but I think there is a ways to go before CB is not scared of her and she is not afraid of him. Sprite is getting better, and I think a big part of it is the daily time with all of them and that fact that I am there to settle things down.

On the negative side, Foehn has been "after" Sprite the last few days. Foehn was in heat the last few days and that may have had something to do with it. When Foehn comes near Sprite she (Sprite) starts crabbing and complaining, Last night when they were out in the tent Foehn was chasing Sprite and they balled up twice, We are hoping this is just temporary since they have gotten along before.

Sprite and her stuffed animal friend.

Sprite is still sleeping in a cage by herself and she does miss Rossby. Fortunately they get to spend time together in the tent until Rossby decides to crawl under the tarp for a nap. M has been carrying Sprite around in a pouch after morning yogurt when she can. The other day M placed a small stuffed animal in the pouch with Sprite and she cuddled up with it. We now put it in her sleeping pouch each night.

Overall, we think they are making progress. If Foehn gets back on track and there are more nights like tonight with Sprite and CB maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A Long Road?

We are still working on getting the two pairs together.  After some consultation with another glider owner who has a lot of experience with intros, we tried some new tactics.  This first was to put them all in the same sleeping pouch during the day and let them work it out. M had made a large pouch for them, so when they were sleepy we put CB, Foehn, and Rossby in the pouch and then added Sprite. Yes, there was crabbing and fussing and jockeying for position, but for all of that they did settle down the rest of the day without incident. The pouch was zippered so they could not get out, and one of us had them at all times just in case. We were starting to get hopeful about the situation. They seemed to sleep OK, although most of the time CB was at one end of the pouch and Sprite at the other (yes, it was that big).

After a couple of days of this, we put them all into the large cage to see how they would get along.  CB was again the odd man out, and some of the chasing got rather loud at night. They were going full tilt and we were concerned one of them was going to get hurt flinging themselves across the cage. This couldn't continue so we removed Sprite and put her in a cage by herself.

CB keeping an eye out for Sprite from atop
the tree in the tent.

Our latest tactic was to go back to using a tent for play time for Sprite and CB. That has the advantages of a smaller space forcing them to be in proximity, and it allows me to easily intervene if something gets started. In the office they could be under the desk or bookcase and I would have a hard time getting to them without getting bit. The first two nights with Sprite and CB alone were as
expected. He tried to avoid her, and she would chase him if the opportunity was there. Most of the time it didn't end up as anything but crabbing. After two nights of this, we thought it might help if all four were in the tent. Sometimes Foehn goes after Sprite (but most of the time she does not), so we figured if Sprite was distracted watching for Foehn and enjoying time with Rossby things might settle down. They actually did for a couple of nights. In fact, on the second night of all four in the tent during mealworm handout, CB and Sprite actually sniffed each other (cautiously) without incident.  That didn't last, but each night seemed to be getting a little better. There is not quite as much chasing, and when they did it wasn't to the point they were balling up or anything.  The new complication is that now Rossby and Foehn are a "couple"! They end up crawling under a blanket or in one of the toys to sleep so they aren't the distraction we were hoping for.

We're going to keep up the tent sessions in the hope that consistency and continual "moderated" exposure to one another will help them settle down and get used to each other.

Odd Man Out

The second attempt at introduction on July 4 went a little better than earlier in the week. Sprite  finally overcame her apprehension with Foehn which was good to see. Unfortunately CB and Sprite were not getting along. They avoided each other while I had them in the in the bathroom and there was only one minor tussle. We decided to put them all in the large cage in hopes that this was a "pecking order" issue and that they would get worked it out. The first night was very active (we had a bavy monitor set up) and we could hear the chasing and crabbing. In the morning CB was sitting in a small toy at the bottom of the cage instead of a pouch. We are using a set of three open pouches in the cage instead of the typical pocket-type pouch. These allow the gliders to see their environment and keeps them from getting defensive about their sleeping area. However, apparently CB didn't feel secure in any of them. Foehn, Rossby, and Sprite were together in one of the pouches. CB looked pretty forlorn, and he certainly wasn't sleeping.  M decided that he needed some security and carried him around in a pouch all day so he could sleep without worrying.

The second night was a little better, but CB didn't settle down until after 8:00 a.m., again in a pouch by himself. As soon as he heard me come out into the room he was up and on the side of the cage. I took him out for a few minutes and then put him back in his pouch. Yesterday was cage cleaning day, and when the cage is cleaned we usually hang their pouch in the bathroom with the door closed. Yesterday we had CB join Foehn and Rossby in one pouch and kept Sprite in a separate one, so CB was able to relax and get some much needed sleep.

Last night were had them all in the office for play time, and CB made it a point to avoid Sprite. Unfortunately she was making it a point to look for him. There was chasing and some balling up, a lot of crabbing, but no damage. He spent a lot of time in M's shirt, one of his favorite napping spots. Once she went to bed, however, he was out in the room with the rest of them. He would climb to the top of the climbing tree to keep a lookout. If he saw her coming he would jump to my shoulder. Eventually they all settled down and I put them back in the cage. It was actually quiet as they all headed for their respective pouches, CB by himself again. That's where I found him this morning, sort of sleeping with one eye open. So, I took Foehn out of the pouch with Sprite and Rossby and placed her in the pouch with CB. He immediately jumped out. I picked him up and held him near Foehn, and as soon as he realized it was his sister they both snuggled down and slept soundly the rest of the day.

We are not quite use what to do at this point, and we are seeking some advice from more experienced glider owners we know.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

Overnight activity in the cages seemed to be going OK. The four of them were checking each other out, and there was some noise at times. So, we decided to try and introduce them yesterday. It was clear that it was Foehn and Sprite that had the "issues" - CB and Rossby seemed to be pretty matter-of-fact about it all. The strategy was to intro the two girls first, and then work in the boys.

CB and Foehn (left) and Rossby and Sprite (right)
checking each other out a few nights ago.

Off I went into the bathroom with Sprite in one pouch and Foehn in another. They eyed each other from opposite ends of the bathtub and cautiously approached. Within seconds they were balled up making a racket. I separated them and they seemed to be OK. After a period of time they would sniff each other, but at the slightest sound or movement Sprite would jump away. This lasted for about an hour, during which they generally avoided each other. The good news is that no one was going after the other.
Foehn was looking for a place to sleep, and Sprite was having a good time climbing and jumping.

After about 90 minutes of this I went out and talked to M and we decided to bring Rossby into the mix. Our feeling was that if Foehn and Rossby got along, Sprite would realize that and want to be with Rossby enough to get past her jitters with Foehn. We had some diazepam that we got to help Cirrus reduce her anxiety at one time, and gave a dose to Sprite in hopes it would calm her down. I brought Rossby into the bathroom and let him and the girls out in the bathtub. He paused for a second, and then walked right past Foehn into the pouch she was in. You could see the wheels turning in Sprite's head. She wanted to follow him in, and did make a couple of attempts before backing out.  It was probably another 30 minutes or so before the diazepam kicked in. You could tell she had mellowed out, and spent a lot of time just sitting and watching. I moved the pouch with Foehn and Rossby near her. She so wanted to join Rossby, and again made several attempts to go in but got spooked. After two and a half hours there was no more progress. Perhaps a change in tactic would help. CB has always been our laid back glider, and last time he and Sprite had no problems. I brought him in and let them see each other in the bathtub. Sprite immediately went after CB and there was much noise. I kept them separated, and at that point we thought it best to call it quits for the day.

Last night CB, Foehn, and Rossby spent the night in the big cage and Sprite was by herself in the other. They will have the same arrangement tonight. Right now Sprite is in the office with me for play time, and she has been very active as usual. I'm sure she has been looking for signs of Rossby, as he was her earlier. We are going to make another attempt  to get them all together on Thursday.

Moving Closer to Introductions

We have continued the process of familiarizing the CB and Foehn with Rossby and Sprite. So far we have been switching cages (and pouches) every other day. Last weekend I moved the small cage about 5 inches closer to the large cage. This week we will start switching cages every night. That will be sort of a pain, only because the pouches stay with the cage, not with the gliders. So, each night I'll have to do the glider shuffle, placing CB and Foehn in a separate zipped up pouch while I get the other two up and out for their mealworms. Once that's done, I put that pouch back in the cage and turn CB and Foehn out.

Normally CB and Foehn are sleeping when I bring Rossby and Sprite back. They head for their kitchen right away for some dinner. In the few times both pairs have been out and about in their respective cages, there seems to be a lot of checking each other out but not much more than that. Nobody seems to be freaking out. So, assuming the familiarization process continues smoothly we may be able to try introductions again soon.

An update on the false alarm on CB the other night. The next day M had Rossby and Sprite in the room for yogurt and Rossby disappeared. She could not find him anywhere. That is, until she heard some rustling and scratching over by the computer desk.  M went over to look for the noise and found it was coming from the printer tray on one of our printers. It turns out Rossby had found a nice little spot to hide. She pulled out the tray and there he was, a little scared because of the noise and sudden movement of the tray. From the looks of the chewed paper it appeared that CB had also found this spot. It was sort of confirmed when CB headed that way the next time he was in the room

False Alarm

Last night we had CB and Foehn in for playtime. As has been the case lately, they spent most of their time in the pouch, finally emerging and hour or so after we brought them in the office and gave them mealworms. Last night they emerged about 10:30 or so and spent some time running around. Things got quiet after awhile and I figured it was time to get them back to the cage and bring Rossby and Sprite in. Foehn was settled into a plastic container that they like to climb in and out of. Normally CB is in there with her, but not this time. I looked around for him a bit, then decided to put Foehn in the cage and come back to fetch CB.

Usually CB will come out when I shake the pouch (the zipper rattles), but last night there was no response. I got the flashlight and thoroughly checked out the room, looking behind, in, and underneath anything he could climb into. No CB. I looked everywhere one more time and he was nowhere to be found.  The only time he could have escaped is when M cracked open  the door to let me know their food was in the cage. They are fast and on more than one occasion have gotten by us without being noticed. I went and told M (she was just getting ready to turn in), and she came out to help with the search. Unfortunately doors were open to all rooms, including our outdoor screen room.

With flashlights in hand we checked his usual haunts and neither saw or heard him. M checked the office again. We decided to lay out pouches in each room hoping he would climb in if he came across it. We set a live trap in the basement with food on the chance he went down there (he would not be able to climb up the stairs). I told M to go to bed. I still had to take Rossby and Sprite out and give them their mealworms and some play time.I figured I would stay up as long as possible and make "rounds" of the rooms periodically to see if CB had found one of the pouches. He would be easier to find once he was up and active as opposed to sleeping in some corner.

M went out to the screen room one last time to look around and I fetched Rossby and Sprite. They jumped to their tree once we were in the office and I started to give them their mealworms. There was a scratching sound over by the computer, but since Sprite likes to take a few runs around the room before her mealworms I didn't think much of it until I noticed they were both on the tree.  There was movement underneath a pouch I had dropped there to the right of the computer, and a moment later there was CB! I gave Rossby and Sprite each a mealworm to keep them occupied, then gathered up CB and took him to the cage.

We don't know where he was hiding for sure, but M thinks he may have crawled into a pencil cup on the computer table which neither of us bothered to check. We were just glad he wasn't running around the house. It could have been a very,very long night.