Has anyone every seen a hairless sugar glider? What causes a glider to be born hairless?

I have never heard of a hairless glider.

They can be born hairless if they are premature. But they will grow hair in as they mature if they survive. could that be what you mean?

Yep, lilangels is correct. If they are young enough gliders they don't have any hair on them yet. Our joeys are usually born with hair on their back, head and tails but that's it. Then they develop fur on their tummy and legs/feet as they mature OOP. Or if they are a albino/leu/cremino glider it seem as their fur takes a lil longer to appear after being OOP since it's so light colored.

But as a full-grown glider being hairless, I've never heard of.

Very young joeys do not have hair yet. It grows in as they mature.

Stressed gliders may overgroom. That's why you often see gliders with little patches over their eyes pulled out.

In an extreme case of malnutrition, an older glider may lose hair over their entire body. This is a very serious condition.

I have a standard grey joey that was born preemie, I really didn't think it had a chance at survival. I have never had a preemie or even seen one in 'real life' ~ There we're two. One vanished, Im sure died. I couldn't believe how small they we're.

They are on a good diet, BML, fruits, veggies nightly. Boiled eggs/chicken/yogurt/meal worms often. Usually one at a time.

The baby is small, never had hair and 4 Weeks OOP. I have tried not to mess with her as she seems so fragile. Last night I took her out for the first time.

She almost looks transparent on her belly?
She is very strong, but seems very sensitive to the touch. She is trying to glide away from me, jump, She RUNS up my hand/arm. She has a great grip and just seems to be all over the place. She does not like the touch or grab but doing really well if she can hold on to me. Could she be hypersensitive? She really appears strong.

Should I hold her normally/daily? She is so little and FIESTY. What should I do with her? I want to take her to the vet but I feel like I should wait until she is a little bigger, There seems to be nothing really wrong with her besides shes small with out hair.

If she lives, I think im going to let her live with her parents. I planned on neutering her dad soon anyway.

Can you please get pictures of this baby? It is not normal for a baby at 4 weeks old to have no fur. I think it's in the best interest of the entire family that they be seen by a vet.

Yes, PLEASE do get us some pictures up. Also, do you have the lineage on mom and dad? If so, would you mind sharing that as well please?

I, too, would love a picture.

I would love to see a picture too, I am am a wee bit obsessed with naked things.

Four weeks OOP with transparent belly and no hair - just doesn't sound quite right. Agree with everyone else - pictures would make it much easier for us to give you some thoughts, but it really seems to me as if everyone should have a quick wellness exam done.

Does the glider have whiskers?

Sorry, Here is a picture. The whole belly is pretty much transparent. You can see the bloode inside, the insides. The skin does not appear thin at all, normal. Just hairless and transparent.

Tomorrow I will set up a wellness exam check although I do feel like I should wait since it is so cold/rainy out and she is so tiny. I really feel like she is very 'breakable'. It must be the hairless part, or the clear part, or the little part. =D

Her skin folds like a hairless rats. The only hair she has had is the hair in the middle of her head.

See her eyes? You can see the sockets through the skin, Basically what her belly looks like, clear skin.

Her eyes are very big and bright, They are a bit squinted here and glossy. She really doesnt like the flash.

Whoa, I have never seen that o.O

She has whiskers, you can see in the pic.

She looks like a premie. Are you keeping her warm and is the mom taking care of her?

She is cute! She looks so fragile though! Let us know what the vet says. I would also like to know her lineage if you wouldn't mind sharing it also.

Have you weighed her yet? Has she gained any color at all since she came OOP? I honestly don't even have a clue what to think!

I have never seen this. There are illnesses in humans as well as critters where there body rejects hair. She may have a health prob like this. I would deff do what your going to do and take her to a vet for a check up. Mabey have your vet consuilt another vet if they do not know whats going on.

How are the parents with her? Is this there first set of babies?

Also if you have not messed with her for 4 weeks this could be why she runs. It may not be due to sensitivity(sp) to the skin but dont rule it out.

She is a doll even nakid. Id love to just scoop her up and kiss her!

I've never seen anything like this either.

I would first look at the lineages of the parents. This is NOT normal and could be an genetic problem and if so, those parents need to stop breeding. This isn't just simply a premature joey.

Wow wow wow. I have to say that normally/usually hairless animals (that are bred to be hairless that I have had experience with) have no or very curly whiskers, omg I would scoop up a hairless glider in a heart beat!

She looks the size of a week to 10 days oop actually. I know that you said she was a preemie, but from the pic she looks like she was actually VERY early.

I have a pair that has their joeys a week early and pretty naked for the first couple of weeks while they catch up but your little girl is just WOW!

How much does she weigh and how are mom and dad doing with her? Are they keeping her warm and well fed?

Can someone please knit this little girl a fleece sweater?

OMG I've never been into hairless cats, but a hairless glider? She's something else all right.

I wonder why she's like that, though. I hope the vet can figure it out.

Put her back in the oven to finish baking! I'm with Dancing on this one, I think something is amiss with this little one. Are you positively sure about her age??? It's not impossible for a mammal to be born without hair. I've seen this in both cats and believe it or not, we have a guy at work that doesn't have a single hair on him anywhere. It's a genetic defect with him.

TOTALLY agree with Teresa here.

Can you please post the lineage of her parents? If you do not have it PLEASE get dad neutered immediately as they should not be breeding.

What exactly this is, I am not sure, but I do recommend taking the whole family in for a wellness check and have a Glider Knowledgeable vet take a look at her.

For those of you who are comparing her to a hairless cat, please keep in mind, the hairless cats are a breed. This is completely abnormal for a sugar glider.

I know that everyone thinks she is cute, but there is definitely something wrong here and it really needs to be addressed.

SuggieAddict, Kudos to you for coming forward with this and questioning it.

Definitely something we would not like to see continued in the Sugar Glider world.

I have been working with a large number of vets recently in different areas of Gliders. Would you mind if I shared this picture with them?

Also, what vet do you have there locally that you can take this family into?

I also agree with Dancing and SRLB. Please allow Peggy to share those pics with the vets. Any amount of help can never be too much. I hope you get some answers for her.

[quote=

Her skin folds like a hairless rats. The only hair she has had is the hair in the middle of her head.



[/quote]

She may be a variation like the Skinny Pigs/Guinea pigs. I thought a few years ago there was a post on somebody else had one. Or maybe it was the other community I belong to. I would send photos to a vet also but would contact people that raise skinny pigs to see what they also think about your baby. The pigs have a little hair somewhere on them like a tuff or a collar around neck(the ones I saw).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_pig
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/guineapigs/ss/skinnypigs.htm

What ever she is or not I hope she will have a great and healthy life with lots of love and treats...
Could you e-mail this photo to my addy daddyglider@tampabay.rr.com
I can send it to a person that has experience with Skinny Pigs and ask his opinion on her.
Art

The skin looks shiney, like a scar. I had a joey come OOP with a little bit of fur missing once once his booty and that area looked just like your little girl's entire body looks.

Do you think it's possible that the parents have gone over-grooming crazy on this little one? If that's the case then once she's away from her parents she should eventually grow her fur back in.

I'll try and hunt up a picture of the little boy I had with the booty scar.

Here are some pics of my boy's scar:





See how it's shiney-looking, like your girl?

Hairless cats started out the same way, a random fluke in a barn cat in Canada.

She has a vet appointment friday, Hopefully we will know more then!

Her whiskers are very curly, I will try to get more pictures of her stomache/whiskers.

So glad to know you are taking her to the vet. I am assuming you are meaning next Friday (since today is Friday). Do you mind me asking which vet you are going to go see?

Do you mind if I share that picture with some of the vets I work with?

Do you have lineage on mom and dad?

Curly whiskers could be a sign of her being a truelly hairless glider and not just her having some type of illness.

In mice there is a variation called Fuzzy Hairless. They're basically hairless, but will sometimes have small amounts of hair on their face/head. They also have curly whiskers, like your joey.

The hairlessness of the mouse if caused by the skin being slightly thicker and the fur being curly and, thus, somewhat thin and fragile. The hair isn't strong enough to push through the surface of the skin, thus resulting in an animal that appears hairless.

I have no idea if that's what's going on with your little girl, but thought it was worth mentioning since you said she has curly whiskers, which would indicate that her fur, too, is probably curly.

That is what I would lean towards as well.

Is it possible to see her from more angles? I'm curious about the top of her head and spine.. I've heard of a joey oop'ing with fur then the parents over grooming it all off but this ... It could be any number of things going on but based on how small she is I don't think its just a genetic thing that happened like the random occurrence of Albino. I would weigh her on a daily basis (same time everyday) make sure she is growing. If she's growing keep the family warm and happy and go ahead and follow through with your vet visit. And since you were planning to anyway go ahead with your neuter just in case this wasn't just a random fluke.

This is truely interesting and I'm looking forward to coming back and reading more about this little wonder. I hope it's nothing serious and not going to lie, I'm not not NOT a person that likes hairless things but this little girl is honestly to DIE for! Very cute even being nakid

My mind is completely frazzled on this! I've never seen any thing like this before. Then again, neither has anyone else.

I'm extremely curious as to what the vet has to say about this little one...

Her whiskers are very short. It looks like they just stated growing, or were recently all pulled out. If you can get a weight on her it would help a lot. It honestly looks like overgrooming to me. I've seen a 'hairless' glider before, and it turned out he was just overgrooming himself to the extreme. If this little one was out of pouch way too early, the mother might have felt she needed to clean her more often to keep her skin humid enough. Her new hair follicles are delicate and wouldn't hold up too well to that much cleaning. The spot on the forehead would be where daddy is marking her, so they wouldn't clean as well there maybe? I would guess she looks about 10-12 days old, unless her eyes have been open longer. The benchmark of the eyes opening is a good way to determine age.

I had a pair of rats that I bred for a few years. The female was completely hairless, with curly whiskers. The male was a super-short rex, basically the product of a hairless breeding to a non-hairless rat. Their babies were always covered with peach fuzz, never a completely hairless one. All with curly whiskers. I would think the hairless gene is connected to the rex gene, and we'd see curly hair before we saw a hairless. I believe it's similar in cats? Although I have no firsthand experience with hairless or rex cats.

This looks like a typical hairless mutation. It is not a healthy mutation, and is probably associated with the gene that controls keratinization of the skin, nails and hair. These usually do not live very long, as they have a whole host of organ and tissue developmental problems. If this is the mutation I think it is the glider will have very narrow and small nails, much smaller than normal.

This is the Fox-gene, same as for hairless rats. Here is a link with more information.

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/geneFamily/fox

A much milder form of mutation of this gene family results in the satin gene mutation.

More info on this gene and some of the known mutations:

http://www.informatics.jax.org/javawi2/s...mp;imageType=11

A similar mutation:
http://www.informatics.jax.org/javawi2/servlet/WIFetch?page=imageDetail&key=13579


It is most likely recessive.

My personal opinion here is that these should not be bred. The male should be neutered and the female retired.

Even if this joey lives these have so many problems, including reduced fertility and they should never be knowingly mixed with the other breeding lines that have been established.

Their lineage should be posted because with this being a recessive it could crop up at any time in any of the other gliders coming from either of the two parents' lines. And we need to be aware of it.

And one more link for anyone with a genetics background:

http://www.informatics.jax.org/searches/accession_report.cgi?id=MGI:102949

Even if the pair is not related, there could be some "quirk" with the pairing. I really wish we could see the lineage on this joey.

With you mentioning the very curly whiskers, I am definitely leaning toward this being a genetic anomaly... the first (known/documented) hairless glider. In rats, curly whiskers is a sure sign you are working with the rex gene. However in rats, IIRC, the rex gene isn't the same as the hairless gene (though true hairless rats also have the curly whiskers). Rex is a dominant gene and one copy yields a curly coat, while two copies yield a patchy-and-sparse-but-still-there coat (called a double rex). True hairless rats are visibly and genetically different than double rexes.

I agree with Diane that hairlessness is not a trait that should be bred for. It carries other abnormalities that are not visible to the naked eye.

In hairless rats, shorter lifespans and inability to produce milk has been noted.

Please keep us posted! I am pulling for this little one! I hope she lives a long and happy life with you.

Sherri brought up a good point. This baby has no patagium and the hands look *off* so she started looking up babies and I got to looking at some...

This looks just like a hairless mongolian gerbil or some other type of hairless rodent.... and with this person not coming back, not sharing information, Im just wondering.... another *gotcha* by chance?

hairless mouse


Mongolian Gerbil

Ok, seems there was another case similar to this one back in 2008 posted on Glider Gossip. http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=16059&whichpage=1

OP posted and just like this one, never came back.... could it be something being passed along through breeding??

Normally I'd completely agree, Peggy - but this little one does have the fused toes of the back grooming claw?

Is a mystery - but I wouldn't be surprised by a "gotcha" of some sort. There's a world of speculation, and not many answers forth-coming!

It reminds me so much of hairless rats. They can be bald as a babies bottom or have hair in patches like that pic above. I deff think it is not norm. The link you posted peggy i wonder if it is not a skin fungus of sorts. From the hair it does have it looks to be on a poor diet.

I really wish we could find out if it is a condition like in humans where the body rejects hair. The person affected can go thru periods of time where they have some hair and then none at all. I wish i could think of the condition.

It could be some sort of fungus, mange, really bad ringworm...many skin fungi will make hair fall out. The joey may be more seceptible to it because of its age, which is why the parents aren't showing symptoms.

What has me thrown off is the patagium. This is one of my joeys before his eyes opened and there is clearly a difference between my patagium on my joey and the lack of patagium on the hairless joey.



Personally I am not sure what to think and unless the op comes back to give us more information I'm not sure if I'm going to believe this is a joey at all.

But with ringworm the owner would show signs. The other stuff no. I think the link above with the older glider its more likly. Im not sure what test can be done on such a little baby. Skin scraping is not a good idea in gliders which is how some stuff is found. A culture or tape test might work.

Here is a picture of the skinless, said to be 4 week OOP joey and a picture of one of Sherris joeys at just a day or two oop...

Typical same pattern. Someone hasn't replied in a "timely" manner and automatically it is jumped to that this is a scam.

Maybe it is or maybe this person has been busy????

Sherri, I can clearly see a patagium on this "naked" joey. I see the fused toes.

Perhaps with all the doubts being posted, the OP will choose not to come back to this thread.

I guess I'm naive, do you get a lot of gotcha's on the forum and what would be the point? I don't understand people if this is indeed true. There are so many other things to do, besides doing stuff like this.

By the way if it is a joey, it's still cute but I'd be scared of hurting her.

If people yell scam because this person doesn't post in what you think is a timely manner, they could just opt against coming back at all. It's not like she's not gotten the advice/ideas she was seeking.

I see the fused toes and I DEFINITELY see the patagium. And she said in the first post she was planning on having Daddy neutered before this came about, so I don't think insisting on neutering is all too necessary. She planned on doing so as it was.

She's already said that this joey has a vet appointment coming up on Friday. I'd give her some time to digest everything and not be so ready to jump to conclusions. If this is truly a detrimental mutation we should all be supportive of the breeder who is going through this. Put yourself in her shoes and think about what you would be going through if you found your prized gliders producing this kind of abnormal joey, and try to be a little more kind.

I know the last thing I would want to do is have to come back and defend that this is actually a joey, and that I'm not trying to scam anyone with a gotcha. Holy cow, I can't even believe I just read that.

I have a pm going with her and she just does not seem to be on as much as we are. Give her time to post im sure she will. She has not been on to read my pm back today.

If that was me going through what she is going through and came back and read all these posts, I would never come back again. I would be really hurt.

Is it possible for people to delte posts? I'll delete mine but I was just confused. Have you guys eperienced people pulling a gotcha? and why?

Alopecia areata -- patches of hair loss

Alopecia universalis -- total loss of all body hair

These are conditions in humans caused by the immune system attacking the hair follicles.

I have no idea if this has anything to do with this little one, I was just sharing for ssdreamsicles. My daughter has alopecia areata, so the condition you were thinking of came right to mind.

This little baby is in my prayers.

Ty fuzzypeach those were some of the things i was trying to think of!

I pray that she's not suffering. I wonder how you tell also? wow, I am on this roller coaster of trying to decide should I or shouldn't I have a joey. I keep thinking no but then I see one and I am just in love with it.

I have 2 intacked rescue males and two white face females all from different people, is it wrong to let them breed? With no pedigree known? I'm not sure I could ever afford to buy a joey.

I just don't understand, really I don't. I would be all over the place trying to figure this out. I'm not trying to say scam really I'm not. This whole thing is just really confusing to me.

Why would someone make a thread about it with pictures and then leave for days KNOWING what this would do to people reading it?

To me it makes no sense at all. And I never said I didnt see one Teresa, I just dont think it looks normal, but then again alot of things about this poor baby doesn't look normal.

Would be awesome if the op would come back and shed some light on this baby and give us rubber neckers some more information or maybe answered a few questions that were asked.

And yes this baby may have an appointment next friday, my question would also be why so long?

Do not breed just because you want a joey. And never breed without lineage on both parents. If later down the road after loads of research & the purchase of lineaged gliders you decide to breed, that the best route to go. Even if it was for one joey to keep.

I agree. I made the mistake of letting 2 unknown linage glider breed when i first got into gliders and all 3 sets were premies and i had to help supp feed. With not knowing the linage its a bad idea. Just love them and save up for a glider with a good linage later on.

Okay, thanks for reminding me. I really am going to have the rescues neutered. I just love all thes fuzz butts so much and keep thinking how much I would adore a baby so I have a few weak moments.

What would a lineage look like? Similiar to a dog? Does it have the parents on up?

Nobody is saying Scam... what was asked is:

Im just wondering.... another *gotcha* by chance?

It was a question, looking for others opinions and Alden was the only one to understand where I was coming from with that. Thank you Alden.

And why should that be so bad to ask? When someone comes along with a question or a concern or an obvious medical question/concern such as this one, and it is one we have never seen before, why would you want to stay inside the box? You always want to look outside the box for the answers.

questioning things or people, there is nothing wrong with it as long as you are not being mean and vengeful. Creating questions often leads to more answers. Having more than one possibility leads to more thinking.

If one thought it was a scam would they continue looking and later post a link to another glider that seemed to be in a similar situation in earlier years?




Seriously? A little more kind? You would be hurt? Why? Because others out there that are viewing the small amount of information that was given by the OP, had questions or questioned the validity to your post?

I will not apologize for looking at many different angles and trying to think of different things it could be.

And if it were me, and I got back on and seen this thread, I would understand why people would think outside the box and question things. I would then post more pictures of the joey by itself and with the parents just to show those who may question it.

Also, if the OP ever does come back on and reads this, please contact me if you are in need of assistance to do the proper testing on this joey to see whats wrong with it.

Neutering them would be best.

I see a patagium on this baby. Also, if anyone is doubting if it is really a sugar glider, look at the hands, with their five digits. No rodent that I've ever owned has four fingers and a thumb like gliders do. Rats, mice, gerbils... they all have only four front digits.

I really hope the OP comes back and elaborates, but even if she doesn't, we cannot assume that this was all a joke.

Also, as a general rule, rescued gliders are not ever supposed to be bred.

Back on topic: I hope the OP does come back and give updates. Maybe she is just waiting for the vet appointment to come back with responses to everyone. She could very well be reading this and taking notes to ask her vet. I'm sure if she had any more information to post she would. And maybe she isn't posting the lineage yet so she doesn't start a panic about those particular lines until she finds out whether this is genetic or happenstance. No need to panic everyone with these lines just yet... (I know some will disagree with that statement of mine, and that's ok!) She obviously cares enough to post this, lets just be patient and see what comes of it.

sorry Peggy, it wasn't directed at you just an observation. I didn't intend to hurt your feelings.

You didnt hurt my feelings, no worries. :-)

The 1st thing I thought before I got to Peggy's picture post is that w/everyone asking for lineage, if she bred w/o it she may be embarrassed to come back. Then when the questions came up about it really being a glider I was relieved to see Melissa pm-ing her. I hope we can learn more about this little one's condition.

She looks very premature to me w/eyes open @ an amazingly early age. Could being out of pouch have triggered the eyes to open early? She could have any # of developmental issues making her look this way.

As far as why would she wait until next Friday ~ maybe she needs to wait to get paid or for a day off.

I do hope she comes back to share more of her baby w/us. And I also hope the joey grows into a healthy adult glider.

She may have a life outside of the computer. She may be married with a number of children, involved with the PTC, and the kids may have sports that she attends, even practices.

She may have limited computer access.

She may not have been able to get to the vet sooner than the appointment she scheduled. Could be money, could be the vet.

I adore my son's pediatrician and though he needs to see his doctor, it's not a dire emergency, so I accepted the earliest available appointment, which isn't until the 17th.

This joey, according to the OP, is doing fine thriving. This does not appear to be a dire emergency, so she accepted the earliest available appointment.

Without knowing a person's circumstances, it's unfair to lay judgement.

Honestly, I would not blame OP for not coming back. She posted this asking questions, not asking for flaming of any sort.

I've been in her shoes. See how often I post now? Bullying and harassing messages make you NOT care about the community so much. Hope that doesn't happen to her.

Here she is stating that this joey is 4 weeks oop AND has always been hairless. So regardless of what is going on with WHY she is waiting till friday, the fact is that she has known for 4 weeks that there is something wrong.

Also, she may have a life outside the computer (unheard of I know) BUT she doesn't seem to have a problem with coming here several times a day and reading this thread OR reading, responding to pm's here too. But the op can't respond to this thread? She hasn't been back since Thursday people. Oh wait, yes she has. She just hasn't said anything HERE since Thursday.

You all are thinking the same thing, I just happen to be the person to say something about it.

I pray that this baby will grow up to be a healthy happy little pet, I hope and pray also that she gets the help that she so desperately needs. There have been plenty of others that have offered to help in whatever way they can and I am no different than anyone else who is wanting nothing but the best for this baby and I extend an offer to help as well. But in efforts for ANYONE to help with this baby there has to be some kind of communication.

Don't get me started Megs, and there was no flaming going on and no one was being mean. I believe that a few questions were asked that anyone would have wanted answers too including yourself.

Sherri no flaming??? A member of this board took the picture off it posted it on FB as a red flag warning about this baby. I would bet a million dollars there is a post on LGG about this and less kind thoughts being said. And even if its not said in black and white people were being irrational towards the poster right off the bat. Whats the lineage neuter the dad today, so on and so on. I'm not saying some of this doesn't raise a lot of question marks to me but I really can't blame the poster for wanting to not come back.

I personally don't think this is a scam. I think the poster may not fully realize how dramatic this whole situation is but I personally would not be taking this vet straight to the vet. I would be taking home fecal and urinalysis samples of the parents and the joey if I could get in and call the vet and refuse to take them in. I think the poster got a bit freaked out at the reaction to the baby and felt like people were blaming the owner?

Sherri you asked why would someone post asking for help then disappear? Happens everyday on GC.. this one just got more attention.

How do u tell when someone last was on? She has not responded to the pm we have going since the 4th nore has she read the 2 iv sent.

We all need to take a step back. The forums aren't always our number one priority. If you guys really want your questions answered send her a PM, and wait patiently for a response. Her profile says she's a housekeeper. Which could be a number of things. It could mean she cleans houses, could mean she house sits, could mean she has children. Any of those things can cause a person to be tired and busy, and then to top that off she has suggies and I'm sure they occupy the remainder of her time.

Most of us would would want to stay posted and respond in a timely manner, but if we take a minute to look at how long this person has been a member and then look at how many posts she's made we would realize she doesn't post much. She has been a member for almost a year and a half and has only posted 128 times.

So let's calm down. Even if some of you didn't mean to convey a negative tone, you did. Maybe reword things or take a deep breath before you post.

If you want to learn more about this baby and it's lineage having her feel unwelcome is DEFINITELY not the way to get the information you want. If anything you have deterred her from posting. Let's all calm down and wait until AFTER Friday to jump to any conclusions if she still remains MIA.

I hope she does come back and inform us of everything, because I would like to know more about what caused the lack of hair.

But the op can't respond to this thread? She hasn't been back since Thursday people. Oh wait, yes she has. She just hasn't said anything HERE since Thursday.

Maybe she feels bad enough about all of this and she (and some of us) perceived as flaming made her opt out of responding. It's not like she's obligated to respond. She didn't sign a contract saying she'd come back. She asked some questions, got the advice and thoughts necessary, and it's only because of others that this thread continues. Like I said, she's not obligated to come back for anybody.

You all are thinking the same thing, I just happen to be the person to say something about it.

Who are you to say what we're thinking? I happen to NOT be thinking the same things as you, so leave me out of it.


Don't get me started Megs, and there was no flaming going on and no one was being mean. I believe that a few questions were asked that anyone would have wanted answers too including yourself.

I beg to differ. If I were in her situation, I sure as heck wouldn't come back. The only thing you're correct about is that I asked questions. But if the OP chooses not to come back and answer, I'm not going to hold it against her. She doesn't have to answer to anybody except herself and her vet.

Sherri no flaming??? A member of this board took the picture off it posted it on FB as a red flag warning about this baby. I would bet a million dollars there is a post on LGG about this and less kind thoughts being said. And even if its not said in black and white people were being irrational towards the poster right off the bat. Whats the lineage neuter the dad today, so on and so on. I'm not saying some of this doesn't raise a lot of question marks to me but I really can't blame the poster for wanting to not come back.

Seeing as how all but 2 or 3 people in the glider community are no longer on my FB, I did not know this. But it's disgusting. If she wanted her pictures and accusations against her running rampant on FB, she would have posted there. How sad.

I agree. People have been irrational right off the bat. I know first hand the feeling of being pounced on for innocent questions/actions. Then I get PMs asking if I'm ok, where have I been, etc. Yeah.. I'm here (sorta). I'm fine. I choose not to post much because of crud like this.

Honestly, and I KNOW I'm not the first to say this (heck I just got a PM today from a 'newb' this evening about this)...
But GC is no longer the warm welcoming we're all here to help community.

Have one hair out of place and you're attacked and the world hates you. If a newb is thinking 'wow you all act sanctimonious', maybe it's true.

Or in this instance all hairs out of place

I should not have laughed, but I totally did.

Everyone seems to have simmered a bit here, but I'd like to remind everyone of rule 4 for a minute.

Personally, this thread feels a lot like a group of people talking about someone that is in the same room. I've always thought that a rude thing to do. I think our membership here is better than that.

I do hope that we find out what is going on with this little one, and that he or she develops into a happy, healthy adult glider.

Thank you Jessica! ever stop and think why some don't come back is cause they are getting the feeling they are being baited into a firing line?

Many have posted over they years that they are scared to post here and on other forums cause they are scared. This is because that huge spotlight gets pointed in their face and the interrogation squad starts after asking a question.

Its tiring to see that over the years the guilty until proven innocent matter of thinking keeps growing. Maybe its because some are bored and need to have something new to squawk about but this stops now or the firing line and self appointed interrogation squad not trying to help but are here trying fuel the squawking will be asked to leave.

I hope to see the OP come back and post, although after reading some of the replies from some here I wouldn't blame them if they didn't.

If they do and anyone continues to post in the manner of baiting and bullying, please help us and let us know by clicking the notify button

I've often wondered why so many people leave, and I don't think its because we are hard on them. I think all the "elders" with all the knowledge and experience feel that they cannot ask questions without being accused of badgering and baiting.

I'm starting a thread just for this reason. Sherri if ya don't mind I'll start it with your above quote. But title it "Where have all the ELDERS gone"?

I think a lot of people (newbs, and oldies) can get a bit impatient/irritated and cause threads to get heated.

I feel like its great to ask questions and gather information, but we need to patiently wait for a response instead of people jumping to conclusions. Causing the OP or any other person in the thread to feel attacked will not get you the information you desire. It will usually cause them to argue, ignore the thread, or leave the forums. Which then leaves us with no new information, and prevents us from learning more about situations like this.

If we cannot be patient, then we should contact the person ourselves.

Guess what? I don't have the Internet at my house and I did not plan on coming back til Friday after my vet visit or even Saturday or Sunday or who knows.



I know this is not normal and as long as she seems healthy and, happy and alert I am not all too concerned. There is nothing more that I can humanly do besides bring her to the vet, keep her warm, keep her cage extra clean and wait.



Me rushing to the computer isn't going to help her grow. I know you guys want an explanation and seem to be digging as deep as possible to find one, But sometimes there might not be one and if there is, I'm sure you will all find it one way or another.



I have read some not so great face book postings about her with her picture and now I'm wandering if I should even post more pictures. I'm not looking to get tormented because she was born different.



Her lineage is good, I'm not sharing it because if she is *Ever* re homed I do NOT want her to be a breeding stock. This is ME caring for HER.



I do love her and I'm doing everything I can possibly, You all don't need to know every single step of my life.



I may not even post in here anymore to the public. I will continue messaging the nice pm's I got.

And.. Don't think so negatively!



Thank you to those who were kind and helpful.

I for one am watching for updates but I am not digging for anything so please dont shut those of us out that are interested in how her life plays out. Please

I'm with Cora. I have not posted on this thread yet but I'm very interested to see what the vet says about her and to see updates on how she is doing.

Ditto what Cora said. She is such a wonder I am very interested in learning what you learn about her.

As far as lineage, it is your choice to share or not. It could be beneficial though if someone is breeding gliders closely related to your little one though.

Thank you for coming back after all the repetitive questions & such.

As I said before, I hope she grows healthy & lives a long happy life I would love to see her as she grows.

Ditto!

I too have been following this thread, and am interested to know whats going on with your baby. I hope she's healthy and I hope for updates as I'd love to know how she is doing.

Ditto what she said.

I as well have been following this thread.

Alot of people choose to stay out of the heat. But are very interested in the OPs topic.

I say ignore any negative comments and keep us posted!

Theres always atleaste one or two in the crowd

I'm interested in knowing how old the parents are as of the time this baby was OOP.

Stay positive and do what you have to do to care for your baby. I do hope the vet visit goes well and he can answer your questions for you.

There are quite a few of us on here who have been quietly following this thread. Your baby is precious. She does look so very fragile though! You seem to be doing everything you can for her. Just focus on the positive and share what you feel comfortable with.

to you and your new joey, please don't blame us all for the actions of others. As has been said before many of us are following your baby's story and haven't posted as we didn't want to add to the discuss but we still would love to hear more about your baby. If there is anything you need and we are able to help you that is what we are here for.

I'm also one of the folks quietly watching this thread. I'm fascinated - and think she's adorable and that you are doing a great job with her - and would really like to hear how she is doing. Hopefully you'll stay in touch with us & try to ignore the negative things. We're really not all negative! Even if it's a PM, please stay in touch :o)

Just another thought to toss your way...

Most hairless animals have a much higher metabolism and require more fat in their diets because their bodies have to work 10 times harder to keep warm. That being said, perhaps the higher metabolism of your little girl is playing a part in her being so much smaller. Her body is using up it's resources faster then it can get them, so it is stunting her growth.

Since she was 4 weeks OOP when you started this thread, then she should start eating solid foods soon. I would recommend adding additional fat and protein to her diet to make up for her having a higher metabolism. Also, make sure to keep her living area warmer then you normally would. I would think that it would be best to try and keep her around 75-80 versus the normal 70-75. Also, give her winter pouches and extra blankies.

I hope she stays in good health and lives a long, wonderful life. She's a beautiful little girl!

I can understand you fustrations but please do let us know if the vet has any ideas. I too, have been following, "lurking" to see and learn...