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Listed here are many
ailments and problems, symptoms, and real-life applications common
to captive gliders and owners. For a printer-friendly version
of The Sugar Glider Medical Reference, choose the format best for
you.
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Medical Reference Index:
Hind Leg
Paralysis
A common symptom of
nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, hind leg
paralysis (HLP) is not a disease in and of itself. Low calcium
levels result in calcium being leached from bone to compensate for
low calcium in the bloodstream. This condition is fatal if not
treated, but, in many cases, reversible.
Causes:
 |
Inadequate calcium
absorption due to poor diet (low calcium, high phosphate, low
Vitamin D) leads the glider's body to produce increased
parathyroid hormone, which removes calcium from the bones |
Prevention:
|
Always feed your
gliders a healthy, well-balanced diet |
|
Always know the
calcium to phosphorous ratio of anything you feed your gliders |
|
Maintain a
positive calcium to phosphorous ratio in the overall diet |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
|
Paralysis |
|
Lethargy |
|
Limping |
|
Fractured bones |
|
Tremors |
|
Weakness |
|
Loss of use of
hind legs or favoring one leg |
|
Poor gripping
ability |
Treatment:
|
If caught in time,
this disease is reversible |
|
Seek veterinary
care immediately. Only a veterinarian can do the necessary
testing and treatment plan, which may include calcium, vitamins,
hospitalization, and more. |
Intestinal Blockage
The partial or
complete mechanical blockage of the small or large intestine. The
bowel is physically blocked. This most often occurs in sugar
gliders when a foreign body is present in the intestines (such as
wood, seeds, or millet), blocking the bowel.
Causes:
|
A foreign body,
such as seed husks, seeds, millet, or wood, physically blocks
the intestines, allowing fecal matter to build up in the
intestines |
Prevention:
|
Always feed your
glider a healthy, well-balanced diet |
|
Never give gliders
inexpensive dry cat food |
|
Moisten dry foods
for easier digestion |
|
Steer clear of
seeds, nuts and other dry foods |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
|
Abdominal
fullness, bloating, or swelling |
|
Vomiting |
|
Diarrhea (if
blockage is not complete) |
|
Breath odor |
|
Absence of passage
of stool (when blockage is complete) |
Treatment:
|
Seek veterinary
care immediately! If blockage is complete, surgery will be
needed |
Lumpy
Jaw (Impacted Salivary Gland)
Lumpy jaw, or
actinomycosis is an infection primarily caused by the
bacterium Actinomyces israelii. Infection most often occurs
in the face and neck region and is characterized by the presence
of a slowly enlarging, hard lump. It produces abscesses and can
also infect the lungs and intestinal tract and other parts of the
body and can lead to gangrene and other complications. It is fatal
if left untreated.
Causes:
|
Bacteria are
introduced into the facial tissues by trauma, surgery, or
infection. The most common cause in gliders is dental abscess |
Prevention:
|
Moisten dry, hard
foods before feeding them to your gliders |
|
Do not feed low
quality cat food to your gliders |
|
Consider that
gliders were designed to eat primarily insects and gums |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
|
A swelling or hard
lump appears on face, neck or chest |
|
Weight Loss |
|
Discharge draining
out of the eye |
Treatment:
|
Seek veterinary
care immediately! To eradicate the bacteria, your glider will
have to get prescription medication |
Self-Mutilation
See the following
link:
Stress
Stress is defined as
an organism's total response to environmental demands or
pressures. When stress was first studied in the 1950s, the term
was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of
these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has
been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response. In
gliders, stress can be fatal.
Causes:
|
Actual danger |
|
Grief or loss of a
loved one (human or glider) |
|
Loneliness |
|
Illness |
|
Poor diet |
|
Thyroid problems |
|
Low blood sugar |
|
Sudden change in
environment, diet, or companionship |
|
Overhandling
during daylight hours when gliders should be sleeping |
Prevention:
|
Provide your
gliders with a healthy, well-balanced diet |
|
Keep gliders in at
least pairs |
|
Keep gliders in a
large enough cage |
|
Do not allow other
pets near your gliders |
|
Give your gliders
at least a few hours of playtime each night |
|
Keep your gliders
out of places that are very noisy or full of lots of people |
|
Do not allow your
glider to be overhandled, especially by strangers |
|
If you are bonding
during the day with your gliders, do not disturb them. Allow
them to sleep during the day |
|
When a glider has
experienced a change, give him extra attention and love, and
watch closely for any sign of illness |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
|
Diarrhea |
|
Vomiting |
|
Trembling or
tremors |
|
Change in sleeping
habits |
|
Loss of appetite |
|
Pacing, doing back
flips consecutively, self-mutilation |
Treatment:
|
If your glider is
experiencing any illness brought on by stress, seek veterinary
care immediately |
|
Spend lots of
extra quality time with your glider |
|
If the stress is
coming because the glider is new to your home, make sure the
glider has familiar surroundings (old pouch, same cage). Even
if the pouch/cage is old or dirty, keep at least one item that
is familiar and change slowly |
Toxicity Issues: Plants
See the following:
Prevention:
|
Do not expose your
glider to any toxic plants |
|
Do not give your
gliders live tree branches unless you know they are 1) glider
safe, and 2) uncontaminated from pesticides or chemicals |
Trichomoniasis
A bacterial disease
caused by a flagellate organism known as trichomonas. Trichomonads
are usually pear-shaped and posses anterior flagella with a
recurrent anterior fagellum which is attached to the body as an
undulating membrane. Trichonomas can infect birds, cattle, dogs,
carts, rodents, primates, and humans, among other species.
Causes:
|
Ingesting food or
water contaminated with the trichonomas organism |
Prevention:
|
Provide fresh,
filtered water at all times for your gliders |
|
Consider freezing
fresh fruits and vegetables before serving them to gliders |
|
Always wash your
hands before you prepare food for your gliders and before
handling your gliders |
|
Always wash raw
foods thoroughly before offering it to your gliders |
|
Consider freezing
your insects fully before offering them to your gliders |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
|
Weight loss |
|
Vomiting |
|
Diarrhea |
|
Change in fecal
matter: feces may be golden in color, undigested food may be
passed with feces, mucus may be present in feces |
|
Dehydration |
|
Loss of appetite |
Treatment:
|
Quarantine the
infected animal, and clean and wash the cage, toys, and anything
with which the glider may have come in contact |
|
Seek veterinary
care immediately. The vet will need to do a a direct fecal smear
to test for the presence of the trichonomas organism, and
prescription medication will probably be given to kill the
bacteria. |
|
Closely monitor
other gliders who may have also been exposed to the organism. To
be safe, get them all tested for the presence of trichonomas. |
The
information provided herein should not be used during any medical
emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical
condition. A licensed veterinarian should be consulted for
diagnosis and treatment of any and
all medical conditions.
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