so you think you got the time and patience?!

[Selinaguy]

Hello peeps, I have heard and read that suggies can self mutilate, but can someone please explain the causes of this?
Thanks guys x

[hday]

million and one ... sure the pros on here can probably show you to a stickie!
BORDEM is the biggest,
basically SM is sign something isnt right, can be boredom, health problem/pain, bullying, lack right nutrients etc...
be aware ie look for changes coat, fur, habit, over excess attention to an area... then look for causes, are they distressed coudl they have fallen and broken anything, are they moving well (be warned as gliders are very good at hiding stuff)
any other concerns - are they eating well, sleeping in normal place, interacting with others, are they playing or subdued etc....
try with tempting food and fun new toys and if there seems to be problem or if you are just worried speak to one these guys and get to vet!
dont hang around as unfortunatelyl they can go very quick from brief sm strip of hair to much worse!

personally (as only had one pair for 2 years only SM was when phils tail had a non union... we knew it had broken, had it checked and he ignored it for about 5 weeks then one day started with bald patch at break site by next it was raw and weeping.... he had it amputatted as x-ray showed the break hadnt healed despite him moving and eating normal!
he then had brief phase of SM at stump but settled with combination extra tlc and some disinfection and prayer!

[Selinaguy]

I am really sorry to hear about that, hope all is well now? So I need to keep my peepers open? Right got that, can SM be quite extreme then?
xx

[Amalthea]

Loss of a partner can lead to SM, as well. My Mama started to SM her tail after losing Rocky. And even though she wasn't alone for long, it took a long time (months) for her to stop and then even longer for the fur on the site to grow back.

[Selinaguy]

Is there nothing you can do to prevent this when they start to show SM signs ie a coller?
xx surely this is more humane than allowing the furries to hurt themselves, or would a coller cause more stress?
xx

[bubbles]

well im sure they actually use their hands as well to pull fur out

[Marie]

Overgrooming is a nightmare!  It doesn't always end up with the suggie hurting themself, but it is very hard to stop as it's habit forming, collars I wouldn't recommend for just overgrooming as they can cause stress and pain if not put on properly.  All you can do really is provide as much entertainment as possible and rectify the problem.  Often it will correct itself.  IF the suggie goes further and actually causes itself damage then an e collar is the best option. 

[Selinaguy]

Argh, I didnt realise they pull their fur out aswell! I thought it was biting I have once again learnt something.

So is it a common problem or does that just depend on the individual?

Dont know where all these q's are coming from, I do appologise lol
xx

[Marie]

Overgrooming is the lead up to SMing really unless there is an injury, they are bloody nightmares!  A suggie will remove a piece of damaged tail or a trapped toe/leg/hand, anything! 

It's all down to individuals, stress can cause the overgrooming, loneliness, boredom and something I've discovered recently, if a suggie in the cage is poorly the others tend to become stressed about it and the tail is usually the first thing to suffer!  It really is down to the individuals, one of my girls was diagnosed as suffering from anxiety due to a number of environmental changes bless her!    Sometimes her tail is wonderful sometimes it's a bit thin even if NOTHING has changed!  She's a little worry wort (like me!)

[Selinaguy]

Oh the poor lil thing, sounds just like people, some suffer with depression and anxiety and others are fine.

I must say that I am discovering the good the bad and the seemingly horrific side of being a sugar glider mum, but I am not put of at all, a little excited and cautious but not put off. Does that make me weird???

[Marie]

We like to inform people of the good and the bad, they need to know what they're letting themselves in for!  We've been 'told off' for being negative but to look after an animal properply you need to know!  Simple! 

[Selinaguy]

I agree totally, I would be well pissed off if I got something and been told they were all sweetness and light and they turned out to be quite the opposite, to be honest I find their complexity even more appealing, I am one twisted individual ha ha phear

[Rhianna]

in a way, SMing can also be a good way to indicate that something is wrong.

One of my gliders, Biscuit was acting strange around his foot once and it made me look closer. his hand was basically deskinned and gooey, and that when i dragged him out the cage to see why the hell he had done such a thing. thats when i noticed the thread around his neck and his arm. It had obviously gave him pins and needles or something in his hand, and he had decided to chew the problem area off. A quick rush to the vets, me crying like a banshee, and he was ok. he lost a toenail and still cannot climb or glide as well as he used to (his membrane was also badly damaged).

But if he hadnt done that to his foot, i might not have realised until i checked on them at nightitme, and it could have been alot worse.

Another good way to tell a problem glider is they will often be alone from the rest of the colony. Sick or injured gliders are often pushed out from the gorup as they will attract attention from predators. Again, a situation i get quite a bit with Onion, my eye absess friend. I would put her back int he pouch with the rest, and the others would just get out and move. It was awful. But as soon as the swelling went done, she was accepted back in and they all groomed her back in.

Something about gliders you will learn is...they are stupid. lol Clumsy as anything and will cimb somewhere they cannot get down from, try to jump anyway, miss what they are aiming for and crash to the floor. They also get freaked out at the most stupidest things e.g. the other night i heard a barking form the usual suspect (Gizamo) and went to check, all the gliders had fright mode on, and thats when i looked to see what they were looking at. And the offending object.....a teaspoon in their cage.

They are so much fun, but you will run around after them. they are like little kids.

[Selinaguy]

PMSL thats histerical, I am having the same problem with my chicks at the mo, they are all cosy in their cage but I have started to introduce a small piece of dowl as a roosting perch and anybody would think I had put a fox in there, my other half and I were up nearly all night last night trying to calm them down and coax them to the offending area with wax worms and other such goodies, I was in fits of laughter especially when it was Tom's turn to sort them out. Actually come to think about it they were probably making such a fuss so we would go feed then yummie goodies!!!!! Mmmm, maybe chickens aren't as stupid as i thought!!!!!!!!
xxx

[Marie]

Something about gliders you will learn is...they are stupid. lol Clumsy as anything and will cimb somewhere they cannot get down from, try to jump anyway, miss what they are aiming for and crash to the floor. They also get freaked out at the most stupidest things e.g. the other night i heard a barking form the usual suspect (Gizamo) and went to check, all the gliders had fright mode on, and thats when i looked to see what they were looking at. And the offending object.....a teaspoon in their cage.

They are so much fun, but you will run around after them. they are like little kids.

I completely disagree that suggies are stupid, lets not forget they have us running around after them!  They learn very quickly, especially noticable with the barking thing (they bark, we come running with goodies).