When my tiny Dewdrop came to me, she was still fairly young and scared.  Although she was incredibly beautiful, she was rarely ever seen for long.  Her cage mate was so lovable and quick to bond with me; I couldn’t understand Dewdrop’s fear.  I continued to work with her cage mate in an effort to ease my frustration. 

I was at a loss on what to do with Dewdrop and did not wish to upset her further than she already was.  I still put scent patches in their sleeping pack daily to no avail.  I could not get her to take mealies or papaya bites from me.  I started staying up very late at night, sitting quietly in the dimly lit hallway, in order to be sure that she came out to eat at all.  Dewdrop was very active at night.  It seemed to be me she was afraid of and this made me feel worse. 

Each night I moved closer to the cage, until I could reach it with a feather wand.  Dewdrop with play with the wand as long as she didn’t notice me.  After a few nights she became used to my presence and, though she would move toward the back of the cage when she saw me, Dewdrop no longer hid.  By this time, I had realized that since the sleeping sack was her “safe spot” she was most defensive in it.  I discovered that by using a small fleece blanket I could provide her the same sense of security and still be able to hold Dewdrop without upsetting her.

However, I was still unable to touch her with my hand.  Bracing for the bites was not bearable. Dewdrop would continue to bite relentlessly, harder and harder each time.  Then, an idea came to me. What if I used honey on my finger?  I coated my finger and braced for the bite that came as predicted.  Dewdrop peered up at me with a look of surprise, but the next time her head extended it was to lick, not bite. 

Dewdrops’ trust in me grew quickly and we progressed to papaya and mealies.  As time went on, she grew curious about where her cage mate would disappear to after scaling my arm.  Soon Dewdrop was joining her glider friend and I on our daily expeditions around the house.  I owe a mountain of thanks to her cage mate for showing Dewdrop so much trust in me.

Six months later, I can happily say that Dewdrop now looks for me everyday and is usually the first one in her colony to glide to my shoulder when I open the door.  Although, she is still timid around strangers, Dewdrop comes when I call and I can pick her up without fear of her running or biting.  With plenty of patience, Dewdrop has grown up to put the sweetness in “sugar” glider. 

Hopefully, my experience will provide encouragement to others, that otherwise may feel like giving up on their misunderstood suggies, to have patience even though we may not always understand.  It is true that “the best things come to those who wait!”

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