?? any help would be greatly appreciated

[Mark_1985]

ok so iv two male gliders sam and gizmo. usually gizmos the hyper one but tonight he dosnt seem his self, hes lathargic and not eating properly. also hes head all juddery like hes got parkinsons?? im gonna take him to the vet first thing in the morning but any ideas would be appreciated?! it had been pretty cold the last few nights and iv tried to keep my room as warm as possible...could this be a cause?? hes also very cuddly almost like a few of my animals have been in the past before they die... i am very worried!

mark.

[Amalthea]

Does he feel cold to the touch??  What has he eaten today?

[Mark_1985]

hes not eating his biscuits properly so iv taken him to an emergency vet who seemed to know what they were taslking about but he recomended that i take him to a specialist as iv noticed hes dragging hes back legs ever so slightly but im going to travel to the specialist first thing tomorow... he wasnt cold to the touch but hes seemed to improve after a lil warm hot water bottle loving. hes also very grumpy and bitey but no noises just biting! ouccchhhh ill keep you posted. thanks for your quick reply.

mark. x

[Marie]

What are you feeding him, dragging of the back legs is often a sign of calcium deficiency.  A calcium deficiency IS reversible, and don't let the vet tell you otherwise.  The vet should give him a calcium shot and hopefully he should give you some liquid calcium to give him daily.  If he doesn't, don't worry, you can buy Zolcal D (usually from a reptile shop), but if not it's available online.  We have helped worse off gliders back to full health, but you MUST take him to the vets.

[Marie]

I should also say, obviously it's important to keep him warm as he can't move about much, Pad the bottom of the cage and also move everything to the bottom of the cage as his grip will not be good.  You don't want him falling and breaking a bone. In fact, if possible put him in a hamster cage or similar (the ONLY time I would ever say put a suggie in a hamster cage!) 

We'll also need to review the diet you're giving them.  How long have you had them?

[Mark_1985]

iv had them -8 months and there diet was poor before but they now have a diet of fresh fruit and veg and suppliments with some cat biscuits. basically they have had these two

PAPAYA 4.8 + HALF AGAIN 2.4
SUGARSNAP PEAS 0.8
APPLE 1.0
HONEYDEW MELON 0.6
CAT BICCIES 1.0

PEAR 1.0
APPLE 1.0
CARROT 0.6
BUTTERNUT 1.5
MANGO 0.9
FIG 2.5
CAT BICCIES 1.0

with half a tea spoon of nutri glider and calcium per pound and a pinch of bee polen . i placed mostly everything on the floor and put a special pouch ontop off a wrapped up hot water bottle which hes sitting in after eating a lil food. im taking him to a specialist tommorow morning in romford essex. the vet i saw today didnt want to take blood or give a calcium shot because he thought it was a bit much due to the back legs seeming fine but i can see a tiny drag and its not normal for him, i just know it so im gonna get a second opinion tommorw.

Mark . x

[Marie]

You know your suggies at the end of the day.  If you think there is something wrong then it's best to get him checked.   The diet now is fine, but if it was poor before then that could have had an effect.  OR, it might not be a calcium deficiency, he COULD be suffering from the cold and possibly dehydration.  Sometimes a glider gets too cold and if he's not been eating properly, or he's under the weather the blood sugars drop, you could have caught him just before he went in to the torporous state, in which case heat, fluid and food are what's needed.  Also, you said he was more cuddly than normal, he could be trying to steal your heat.  Keep an eye on him and see what happens.  Let us know how you get on .

[Mark_1985]

Thanks so much. hes also alot more bitey but i think hes jus grumpy and feeling a lil under the weather its more than likely the cold thing. i shall indeed! thanks a million for all the help!

[Mark_1985]

thank you all for your help you may now remove this thread from the emergency listing as iv taken him to see a specialist and hes now in expert care. unfortunatly he was dehydrated as i had to wait two days for the specialist to come back to work and hes back legs are showing signs of being splayed outwards and his back is slightly hunched up. not 100% sure whats wrong but possbility that his kidneys are the problem and as you said maire the diet was spot on and the vet congratulated me on having a very goood diet soo kudos to you and everyone thats help me on this site, i would of been lost without you. thankssss thankss thankss and with a bit of luck gizmo should recover

mark xx

[Marie]

Suggies are robust little animals, I've got everything crossed for Gizmo.

I'm glad your vet approved of my diet 

[Beki]

I have been following your thread since the beginning and I really feel for you. I will keep everything crossed too for little Gizmo to get better. I hope you have a positive update for us soon!   

[Mark_1985]

thanks beki, hes almost better well chuffed to have him back from the vets! although sadly he has had to be seperated from his brother for a while as his brother is eating all the food and theres some bullying going on.

[Marie]

Are the boys neutered?  If they're apart for too long you may have difficulty putting them back together, males are very territorial.  Do they have separate bowls for their food?

[Mark_1985]

there not apart per say theres jus a mesh divider between them, i havnt had a chance to get them nueterd yet but am planning to do it some time over the next month. its jus difficult to tell them apart and gizmos on anti biotics and i want to make sure he gets the whole course and then ill take down the divider. theyl be ok if its only for a week right?