Medical References

Sugar Gliders seem to be very healthy strong marsupials. We have included some known concerns, but we want

to emphasize that these are not common, but can occur. Listed here are some ailments and problems, symptoms,

and real-life applications common to captive gliders and owners. Hopefully you will not be in need of this list but we

have provided it for your information.



Aflatoxicosis

A hepatic (liver) disease caused by ingestion of aflatoxins, which are toxic metabolites produced by certain fungi in/on foods and feeds. At highest risk for contamination are corn, peanuts, and cottonseed Aflatoxins are also carcinogenic (cancer causing). Sugar gliders can contract aflatoxicosis by eating crickets that have been fed contaminated corn, or eating peanuts.


Causes

Ingesting contaminated corn, peanuts, or insects who have ingested contaminated feed

Prevention

Research insect suppliers and find out what kind of feed is used

Ask other glider owners knowledgeable about aflatoxicosis prevention where they get their insects

Do not feed your gliders peanuts


Research

Cornell University Animal Science Department


Signs and Symptoms

Loss of appetite

Anemia

Jaundice

Lethargy

Gastrointestinal dysfunction (bowel problems, diarrhea)


Treatment

If caught in time, aflatoxicosis is reversible

Change feed immediately

Seek veterinary care immediately. Once a sugar glider shows symptoms, death can occur within HOURS



Calcium Deficiency

Because many fruits, vegetables and proteins in a glider diet have low calcium to phosphorous ratios, many gliders experience calcium deficiency, which can lead to Hind Leg Paralysis, a potentially fatal disease.


Know the calcium to phosphorous ratio of your glider diet. Phosphorous inhibits the glider's absorption of calcium into the body

If you choose a fresh diet, be sure that you and your veterinarian develop a supplement that will create a calcium rich diet for your glider.

Feed a well-balanced, nutritious diet

Monitor food consumption. If your gliders don't like the food, they may not eat it. A starving glider is an unhealthy glider. Make changes to accommodate this

Research

USDA Nutrient Database: Find out calcium/phosphorous ratios



Cat Food
Complications

The two major and potentially fatal complications gliders experience from eating cat food are lumpy jaw and intestinal blockage. Diets that are high in cat food also lead to calcium deficiency, liver problems, and, in some cases, death.

Prevention

NEVER feed cat food

Research

Pawprint Online: Sugar Gliders 101




Constipation

Constipation is passage of small amounts of hard, dry bowel movements. It may be difficult and painful to have a bowel movement.


Causes

Not enough fiber in diet

Not enough liquids

Use of pain medication

Lack of exercise

Stress

Gastrointestinal dysfunction

Poor diet overall

Prevention

Provide a well-balanced, nutritious diet

Provide fresh water at all times for your gliders

Provide enough exercise for your gliders

Monitor glider fecal matter to insure that stools are healthy

Signs and Symptoms

Straining or crying when having a bowel movement

Decrease or lack of bowel movements

Treatment

Baby food prunes, and orange juice may work as a temporary solution until veterinary assistance can be obtained

Small amounts of mineral oil have also been effective in treating glider constipation

Seek veterinary care as soon as possible


Contact Dermatitis

A human condition, which is an inflammation of the skin caused by direct contact with a foreign substance. In this case, it would be the paws of your gliders.


Causes

A history of allergies

The severity can vary with an individual over time

The skin reacts to the gliders paws as allergens and triggers an immune response that inflames the skin

Although there may be no initial reaction, repeated exposure can develop sensitivity

Prevention

Wear long sleeves when handling your gliders if you suspect you have an allergy

Wash skin surfaces thoroughly after handling your gliders

Research

Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Contact Dermatitis

Signs and Symptoms

A red rash limited to the area of skin that has come in contact with glider paws

Itching of the skin in exposed areas

Swelling in the area that had contact with the paws

Blisters or pimple-like rash

Tenderness or warmth in exposed area

Treatment

Thoroughly wash exposed area with water to remove irritants

Apply cool compresses to relieve irritation

Apply Hydrocortisone Cream to the affected area, being careful not to over medicate



Dehydration


Occurs when the body does not have enough fluids to function at an optimal level. Any dehydration is a life-threatening situation and the condition is fatal, but reversible if caught in time.


Causes

Fluid loss (usually through vomiting or diarrhea)

Fluid loss due to excessive urination (as in diabetes or kidney disease)

Strenuous activity

Appetite loss associated with acute illness

Inadequate water supply

Prevention

Always provide fresh water for your gliders at all times

Provide your gliders a healthy, well-balanced diet to avoid illness

Always thoroughly wash food and check for safety before giving it to your gliders

At the first sign of any problems with your glider, seek veterinary care

Research

Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Dehydration

Signs and Symptoms

Loss of fluid through vomiting or diarrhea

Sunken eyes

If the skin on the back stands up when you pinch it, your glider is dehydrated

Delayed capillary refill time (when you press on the gums of your glider with your finger, the spot remains white for an extended period of time)

Membranes lining mouth and nose lose moisture

Decreased or absent urine output

Constipation

Deep or rapid breathing

Seizures

Lethargy

Treatment

Immediately administer water or Pedialyte using a needle-less syringe

Seek medical attention immediately! This is an emergency situation. A glider can dehydrate completely and die in a matter of twelve hours



Depression

Depression is a term that people commonly used to refer to states involving sadness, dejection, lack of self-esteem, and lack of energy. In sugar gliders, depression can lead to mental illness, self-mutilation, and death. Severe, persistent depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities, accompanied by decreased energy, changes in sleep and appetite, and feelings of guilt or hopelessness are all signs of depression and/or mental illness.


Causes

Keeping a lone sugar glider

Owner neglect

Prolonged illness

Loss of a companion

Prevention

Keep more than one sugar glider

Provide your gliders with toys, a large enough cage, and play with them

Provide your glider with a healthy, well-balanced diet

Provide your glider with annual or bi-annual checkups at the vet to alleviate, treat, and/or prevent illness

Research

Medline Plus: Depression

Signs and Symptoms

Loss of interest in playing

Decreased activity

Change in sleeping patterns

Decreased communications: no barking

Pacing or consecutive back-flips (this is a sign of serious mental illness)

Lots of love, bonding time, and attention

Provide a glider companion for your glider

Ensure that the glider has an enriching environment

If things do not improve, or your glider is pacing excessively or doing consecutive back flips, seek veterinary care


Diarrhea

The passage of an increased amount of stool. Mild diarrhea is considered to be the passage of a few loose or mushy stools. Severe diarrhea is the passage of many watery or unformed stools.


Causes

Viral or bacterial infection

Stress of moving to a new home

Parasites

Malabsorption (lactose intolerance, intolerance to specific foods, milk protein intolerance)

Bowel disease

Prevention

Provide your glider with a healthy, well-balanced diet

Always thoroughly wash your hands before preparing glider food or handling your glider

Keep cages well-cleaned

Remove any uneaten food as soon as possible from the cage

Carefully monitor stools when offering gliders a new food item. Discontinue if watery stools appear

Research

Medline Plus: Diarrhea

Signs & Symptoms

Loose bowel movements

Treatment

Check to see if the diarrhea is diet-related (citrus fruits, pumpkin, and milk products are common culprits)

If diarrhea is bad, administer Pedialyte to prevent dehydration

Seek veterinary attention to rule out such causes as internal parasites or bacterial infection.


Giardiasis

A diarrheal illness caused by Giardia intestinalis (also known as Giardia lamblia), a one-celled, microscopic parasite that lives in the intestine of people and animals. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive in the environment for long periods of time. In sugar gliders, it can remain dormant for up to six months, and only manifest systems when the glider becomes stressed. If this happens, death can occur within hours.

Causes

The parasite is passed in the stool of an infected person or animal

Accidentally swallowing something that has come in contact with the stool of a person or animal infected with Giardia

Eating uncooked food contaminated with Giardia (such as uncooked vegetables and fruits)

There is an increased risk of contracting the disease from daycare workers, children who attend daycare, international travelers, hikers, and swimmers

Prevention

Always thoroughly wash your hands

Always thoroughly wash and/or peel fruits and vegetables before feeding them to gliders

Do not use or ingest water that may be fecally contaminated

Research

Medline Plus: Giardiasis

CDC Giardiasis Fact Sheet

Signs and Symptoms

Change in behavior

Lameness

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Yellow tint to belly (Jaundice), indicating liver problems

Green color to stools

Dehydration

Treatment

Seek veterinary care immediately. Only a vet can properly treat giardiasis

Have all gliders tested for presence of giardia

Quarantine the animal with symptoms. Giardiasis is HIGHLY contagious

Take special care with other animals and yourself.

Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the infected glider and

keep hands away from your mouth

Clean other glider cages

Thoroughly clean the cage and everything in it

Follow up with the vet to insure the parasite is eradicated

Clean the cage and items again after the follow up visit


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

The Pet Place: Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism

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 food

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

Pawprint Online: Sugar Gliders 101

Medline Plus: Actinomycosis

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:

Glider Health Website: Self-Mutilation


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

Over handling 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

Pawprint Online: Lonely Glider's Club

Signs & 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:

Toxic Plants

Ackee Fruit, Acorn, Amaryllis, Anemone, Angel Trumpet, Apple Seeds, Apricot Pit, Arrowhead, Autumn, Autumn Crocus, Avocado Leaves, Azaleas, Baneberry, Belladonna, Betel Nut Palm, Bird of Paradise, Bittersweet, Black Locust, Bleeding Heart, Boston, Boxwood, Bracken Fern, Buckeye, Burning Bush, Buttercups, Caladium, Calla Lily, Cedar, Century Plant, Cherries (PITS), Chinaberry, Chinese Lantern, Choke Cherry, Christmas Rose, Chrysanthemums, Climbing Night Shade, Cocklebur, Columbine, Cowbane, Creeping Charlie, Crocus, Cyclmen, Daffodil, Daphne, Deadly Night Shade, Delphinium, Desert Potato, Devil’s Ivy (Pothos), Dogwood, Dumbcane, Elderberry, Elephant Ear, English Ivy, Euonymus, Fava Bean, Four O’clock, Foxglove, Golden Chain, Hemlock Poision, Holly Berries, Horse Chestnut, Horsetail Reed , Huckleberry, Hyacinth(bulbs), Hydrangea, Impatiens Plant (NOT FLOWER), Indian Turnip, Inkberry, Iris, Ivy, Jack in the Pulpit, Japanese Yew, Jasmine, Jerusalem Cherry, Jimson Weed, Jimson Weed Seeds, Johnson Grass, Jonquil, Lantana Camara, Larkspur, Laurels, Ligustrum, Lily of the Valley, Lobelia, Locoweed, Lucky Nut, Marijuana, Marsh Marigold, Mayapple, Mescal (Peyote), Milkweeds, Mistletoe, Mock Orange, Monkshood, Moonseed, Morning Glory, Mother-in-law tongue, Mountain Laurel Snow Drop, Mushroom, Narcissus, Nephthytis, Nightshade, Oak Tree, Oleander, Peach Seeds, Peach Seeds, Pencil Tree, Periwinkle, Peyote, Philodendron, Pigeon Berry, Poinsettia, Poison Hemlock, Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Pokeweed, Poppy, Potato Sprouts, Primrose, Rhododendron, Rosary Pea, Sorrel, Star of Bethlehem, Sweet Pea, Swiss Cheese Plant, Thorn Apple, Thread Leaf, Toadstools, Tobacco, Tomato-vines, Tulip, Virginia Creeper, Water Hemlock, Wild Black Cherry, Wild Mustard, Wisteria, Yaupon Tree, Yellow Jessamine, Yew


Prevention

Do not expose your glider to any of these 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 possess 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

Trichonomads Tutorial

University of Missouri College of Veternary Medicine: Trichonomas

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 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.

This page has been compiled Thanks to the Sugar Glider University

The information provided here 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.