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Sugar
Glider Medical Reference
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Listed here are many
ailments and problems, symptoms, and real-life applications common to
captive gliders and owners.
Medical Reference Index:
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 who have been fed contaminated corn,
or eating peanuts.
Causes:
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Ingesting contaminated
corn, peanuts, or insects who have ingested contaminated feed |
Prevention:
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Research insect
suppliers and find out what kind of feed is used |
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Ask other glider
owners knowledgeable about aflatoxicosis prevention where they get
their insects |
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Do not feed your
gliders peanuts |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Loss of appetite |
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Anemia |
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Jaundice |
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Lethargy |
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Gastrointestinal
dysfunction (bowel problems, diarrhea) |
Treatment:
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If caught in time,
aflatoxicosis is reversible |
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Change feed
immediately |
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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.
Prevention:
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Know the calcium to
phosphorous ratio of your glider diet. Phosphorous inhibits the
glider's absorption of calcium into the body |
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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 (see
the
The Sugar Glider Exotic Diet) |
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Feed a well-balanced,
nutritious diet |
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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:
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:
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NEVER
feed cat food |
Research:
Constipation:
Constipation is passage
of small amounts of hard, dry bowel movements. It may be difficult and
painful to have a bowel movement.
Causes:
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Not enough fiber in
diet |
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Not enough liquids |
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Use of pain
medications |
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Lack of exercise |
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Stress |
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Gastrointestinal
dysfunction |
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Poor diet overall |
Prevention:
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Provide a
well-balanced, nutritious diet |
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Provide fresh water at
all times for your gliders |
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Provide enough
exercise for your gliders |
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Monitor glider fecal
matter to insure that stools are healthy |
Signs and Symptoms:
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Straining or crying
when having a bowel movement |
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Decrease or lack of
bowel movements |
Treatment:
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Baby food prunes, and
orange juice may work as a temporary solution until veterinary
assistance can be obtained |
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Small amounts of
mineral oil have also been effective in treating glider constipation |
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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:
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A history of allergies |
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The severity can vary
with an individual over time |
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The skin reacts to the
gliders paws as allergens and triggers an immune response that
inflames the skin |
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Although there may be
no initial reaction, repeated exposure can develop sensitivity |
Prevention:
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Wear long sleeves when
handling your gliders if you suspect you have an allergy |
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Wash skin surfaces
thoroughly after handling your gliders |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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A red rash limited to
the area of skin that has come in contact with glider paws |
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Itching of the skin in
exposed areas |
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Swelling in the area
that had contact with the paws |
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Blisters or
pimple-like rash |
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Tenderness or warmth
in exposed area |
Treatment:
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Thoroughly wash
exposed area with water to remove irritants |
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Apply cool compresses
to relieve irritation |
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Apply Hydrocortisone
Cream to the affected area, being careful not to overrnedicate |
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:
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Fluid loss
(usually through vomiting or
diarrhea) |
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Fluid loss due to
excessive urination (as in diabetes or kidney disease) |
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Strenuous activity |
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Appetite loss
associated with acute illness |
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Inadequate water
supply |
Prevention:
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Always provide fresh
water for your gliders at all times |
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Provide your gliders a
healthy, well-balanced diet to avoid illness |
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Always thoroughly wash
food and check for safety before giving it to your gliders |
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At the first sign of
any problems with your glider, seek veterinary care |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Loss of fluid
through vomiting or
diarrhea |
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Sunken eyes |
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If the skin on the
back stands up when you pinch it, your glider is dehydrated |
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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) |
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Membranes lining mouth
and nose lose moisture |
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Decreased or absent
urine output |
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Constipation |
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Deep or rapid
breathing |
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Seizures |
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Lethargy |
Treatment:
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Immediately administer
water or Pedialyte using a needle-less syringe |
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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 use 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:
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Keeping a lone sugar
glider |
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Owner neglect |
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Prolonged illness |
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Loss of a companion |
Prevention:
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Keep more than one
sugar glider |
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Provide your gliders
with toys, a large enough cage, and play with them |
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Provide your glider
with a healthy, well-balanced diet |
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Provide your glider
with annual or bi-annual check ups at the vet to alleviate, treat,
and/or prevent illness |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Loss of interest in
playing |
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Decreased activity |
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Change in sleeping
patterns |
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Decreased
communications: no barking |
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Pacing or consecutive
back-flips (this is a sign of serious mental illness) |
Treatment:
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Lots of love, bonding
time, and attention |
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Provide a glider
companion for your glider |
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Ensure that the glider
has an enriching environment |
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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:
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Viral or bacterial
infection |
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Stress of moving to a
new home |
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Parasites |
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Malabsorption (lactose
intolerance, intolerance to specific foods, milk protein
intolerance) |
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Bowel disease |
Prevention:
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Provide your glider
with a healthy, well-balanced diet |
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Always thoroughly wash
your hands before preparing glider food or handling your glider |
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Keep cages
well-cleaned |
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Remove any uneaten
food as soon as possible from the cage |
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Carefully monitor
stools when offering gliders a new food item. Discontinue if watery
stools appear |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Loose bowel movements |
Treatment:
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Check to see if the
diarrhea is diet-related (citrus fruits, pumpkin, and milk products
are common culprits) |
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If diarrhea is bad,
administer Pedialyte to prevent dehydration |
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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:
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The parasite is passed
in the stool of an infected person or animal |
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Accidentally
swallowing something that has come in contact with the stool of a
person or animal infected with Giardia |
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Eating uncooked food
contaminated with Giardia (such as uncooked vegetables and fruits) |
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There is an increased
risk of contracting the disease from daycare workers, children who
attend daycare, international travelers, hikers, and swimmers |
Prevention:
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Always thoroughly wash
your hands |
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Always thoroughly wash
and/or peel fruits and vegetables before feeding them to gliders |
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Do not use or ingest
water that may be fecally contaminated |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Change in behavior |
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Lameness |
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Diarrhea |
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Vomiting |
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Yellow tint to belly
(Jaundice), indicating liver problems |
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Green color to stools |
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dehydration |
Treatment:
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Seek veterinary care
immediately. Only a vet can properly treat giardiasis |
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Have all gliders
tested for presence of giardia |
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Quarantine the animal
with symptoms. Giardiasis is HIGHLY contagious |
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Take special care with
other animals and yourself. Wash your hands thoroughly after
handling the infected glider and keep hands away from your mouth |
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Clean other glider
cages |
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Thoroughly clean the
cage and everything in it |
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Follow up with the vet
to insure the parasite is eradicated |
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Clean the cage and
items again after the follow up visit |
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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:
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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:
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Always feed your
gliders a healthy, well-balanced diet |
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Always know the
calcium to phosphorous ratio of anything you feed your gliders |
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Maintain a
positive calcium to phosphorous ratio in the overall diet |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Paralysis |
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Lethargy |
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Limping |
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Fractured bones |
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Tremors |
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Weakness |
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Loss of use of
hind legs or favoring one leg |
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Poor gripping
ability |
Treatment:
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If caught in time,
this disease is reversible |
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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:
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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:
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Always feed your
glider a healthy, well-balanced diet |
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Never give gliders
inexpensive dry cat food |
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Moisten dry foods
for easier digestion |
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Steer clear of
seeds, nuts and other dry foods |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Abdominal
fullness, bloating, or swelling |
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Vomiting |
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Diarrhea (if
blockage is not complete) |
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Breath odor |
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Absence of passage
of stool (when blockage is complete) |
Treatment:
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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:
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Bacteria are
introduced into the facial tissues by trauma, surgery, or
infection. The most common cause in gliders is dental abscess |
Prevention:
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Moisten dry, hard
foods before feeding them to your gliders |
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Do not feed low
quality cat food to your gliders |
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Consider that
gliders were designed to eat primarily insects and gums |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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A swelling or hard
lump appears on face, neck or chest |
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Weight Loss |
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Discharge draining
out of the eye |
Treatment:
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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:
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Actual danger |
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Grief or loss of a
loved one (human or glider) |
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Loneliness |
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Illness |
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Poor diet |
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Thyroid problems |
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Low blood sugar |
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Sudden change in
environment, diet, or companionship |
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Overhandling
during daylight hours when gliders should be sleeping |
Prevention:
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Provide your
gliders with a healthy, well-balanced diet |
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Keep gliders in at
least pairs |
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Keep gliders in a
large enough cage |
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Do not allow other
pets near your gliders |
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Give your gliders
at least a few hours of playtime each night |
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Keep your gliders
out of places that are very noisy or full of lots of people |
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Do not allow your
glider to be overhandled, especially by strangers |
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If you are bonding
during the day with your gliders, do not disturb them. Allow
them to sleep during the day |
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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:
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Diarrhea |
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Vomiting |
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Trembling or
tremors |
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Change in sleeping
habits |
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Loss of appetite |
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Pacing, doing back
flips consecutively, self-mutilation |
Treatment:
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If your glider is
experiencing any illness brought on by stress, seek veterinary
care immediately |
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Spend lots of
extra quality time with your glider |
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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:
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Do not expose your
glider to any toxic plants |
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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:
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Ingesting food or
water contaminated with the trichonomas organism |
Prevention:
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Provide fresh,
filtered water at all times for your gliders |
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Consider freezing
fresh fruits and vegetables before serving them to gliders |
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Always wash your
hands before you prepare food for your gliders and before
handling your gliders |
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Always wash raw
foods thoroughly before offering it to your gliders |
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Consider freezing
your insects fully before offering them to your gliders |
Research:
Signs and Symptoms:
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Weight loss |
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Vomiting |
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Diarrhea |
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Change in fecal
matter: feces may be golden in color, undigested food may be
passed with feces, mucus may be present in feces |
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Dehydration |
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Loss of appetite |
Treatment:
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Quarantine the
infected animal, and clean and wash the cage, toys, and anything
with which the glider may have come in contact |
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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. |
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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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This page has been compiled Thanks to the Sugar Glider University
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Medical Reference 
