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Blindness in Gliders? #239508
03/20/07 10:47 PM
03/20/07 10:47 PM

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I am curious, Do gliders loose their sight with age like other animals? Like with dogs, when they get into the 16+ years, their sight and hearing starts to go.. is this the same with gliders.

Also, how do you know if your glider IS blind or has bad sight?

What are some causes of blindness in gliders.

I'm asking because i am a little worried that one of my rescue me be or be going blind.. My fiance pointed out to me that when he eats, he NEVER grabs with his hands like others, he snatches with his mouth as if to not know really where his food is, but he can smell it.. He also doesnt play alot during tent time because he doesnt seem to navigate the new surroundings too well. He doesnt seem to like anything new in his cage and doesnt move very fast.

There are other things too but before i go way into it, i would like to hear what you think the symptoms are.

THANKS

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: ] #239664
03/21/07 06:44 AM
03/21/07 06:44 AM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,788
Cleveland, Ohio
sugarglidersuz Offline
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sugarglidersuz  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,788
Cleveland, Ohio
When I first got my Pika 4+ years ago, she was already blind in her right eye due to a corneal scar from having been attacked by a cat in her previous home. A couple of years ago, she developed an old-age cataract in her left eye which left her completely blind in both eyes. When the cataract first developed, her eye became swollen with secondary glaucoma and we thought the eye might have to be removed. Fortunately, with veterinary care, we were able to save the eye even though it was completely blind. This picture shows the cloudiness of the cataract in her left eye quite clearly.

For a true diagnosis as to whether or not your glider is blind, you will need to have him examined by a veterinarian. The vet will use fluoroscein to stain the corneas and then use a retinoscope to examine the eyes under bright, pin-pointed light (this will not hurt your glider).
If you get a confirmation of blindness, there are many things you can do for your glider to help him adapt to his surroundings more easily. First, you should make some hammocks ( No Sew Shelf Hammocks work quite well)... I recommend one that is the full size of the cage and another that is at least half the width of the cage, plus another that is large enough to cover most of the cage floor. This will be protection for him in case he ever loses his grip on the cage bars - safety nets, if you will... as pictured here:

You should also move his nesting pouch to one of the bottom corners of the cage. This will enable him to climb in & out of it more easily - note the hammock covering the cage floor so that if he stumbles while getting in or out, he will have a soft landing:

Once you have the cage set up this way for him, you will need to make sure that he is familiar with the cage set-up... Help him to explore it. Make sure that at first you use a pouch that smells like him so that he can locate it within the cage. Once he gets used to the new set-up, don't rearrange things on him - consistency is important for a blind glider.
Tipping the feeding bowls will help him to find his food more easily than if the bowls are standing upright - otherwise, you can use shallow bowls for him...

If he has a wheel that he is comfortable using, make sure you always place it near the bottom of the cage and that there's a hammock outside of it to help catch him if he stumbles getting in or out. You will find that he will adapt quickly to these changes in his cage and will have an easier time navigating. He will stop often to lift his nose and smell his way around. Blind gliders do very well as long as the proper safety precautions are taken and they are given consistency.
HTH


Suz Enyedy
:bb: Carina & Coobah
Allira & Gizmo :grey:
:grey: Picasso, Trinity Joy & Luna
:rbridge: DaisyMae; Darwin; Mareki; Mambo; Pika; Cricky; Reggie & Bobo, Pepe & Bittah


Suz' Sugar Gliders
Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: sugarglidersuz] #239759
03/21/07 10:09 AM
03/21/07 10:09 AM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 16,087
Manitowoc, WI
BeckiT Offline
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BeckiT  Offline
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Posts: 16,087
Manitowoc, WI
My Willow is essentially blind (she only has 5% vision) in one eye due to a corneal scar from a scratch when she was 2 weeks old. Your vet may refer you to a veterinary opthamologist, which means more money for the visit, but, you'll also get a better look at their eyes wink

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: BeckiT] #239949
03/21/07 02:18 PM
03/21/07 02:18 PM

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i am willing to do anything for this guy and will get him to the vet asap... are his symptoms similar to that of a blind glider? He doesn't have any cloudiness in his eyes, but he is the one that would wake up and his eyes would kind be crusted shut a little but within minutes of him waking up they would open... (when i noticed this i asked here and everyone said it was normal) His eyes never seem swollen, but again, he is a rescue so anything is possible to have had a corneal abbrasion happen to him before i got him. Also, we were told that they are both about 1-2 years old, but thats not nessesarily right. I'm not quite sure exactly how old they are.

I have taken him to the vet for a wellness check when i got him, but never mentioned anything to the vet to make him want to check him eyesight.. I will definitely bring him back if you all think that he has symptoms of being blind.

Suz.. i really appreciate all that help with the cage set ups and everything and will definitely be coming back to this post if he infact IS blind..
One other housing question, with a blind glider, can he live with 2 other gliders, (they have been together for months now and seem to be very happy)

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: ] #239991
03/21/07 02:49 PM
03/21/07 02:49 PM

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Goerge came here with HLP and is totally blind due to a terrilbe diet he was fed most of his life. He is with his cage mate Gracie and they have been together forever, so yes they can be with other gliders...if they will accept him.
We have another glider who had a chronic eye problem due to a injury he came here with. He has to have eye drops for that and it will probably never clear up completely.
Please let us know how he is doing and thank you for helping the gliders!
Angie

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: ] #240145
03/21/07 04:49 PM
03/21/07 04:49 PM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,788
Cleveland, Ohio
sugarglidersuz Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
sugarglidersuz  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14,788
Cleveland, Ohio
Lindsay,
The symptoms he's exhibiting could be caused by blindness, so yes, I would have him checked by a vet who is familiar with gliders.
Yes, he can safely be housed with the two gliders he is already with. They will just get used to the cage adaptations along with him and will actually help him learn the new cage set-up thumb IF he is blind dunno


Suz Enyedy
:bb: Carina & Coobah
Allira & Gizmo :grey:
:grey: Picasso, Trinity Joy & Luna
:rbridge: DaisyMae; Darwin; Mareki; Mambo; Pika; Cricky; Reggie & Bobo, Pepe & Bittah


Suz' Sugar Gliders
Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: sugarglidersuz] #240167
03/21/07 05:07 PM
03/21/07 05:07 PM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,667
Long Island, NY
Gossamer Offline
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,667
Long Island, NY
Crusted eyes is normal????


Jeannine

3 Cats (Spike, Kismet, Honeycat)
1 understanding Husband
1 WFB Neutered Glider boy - Grissom! (oop 8/7/06) :wfb:
1 BB Glider girl- Willows! (oop 1/7/07) :bb:
Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: Gossamer] #240190
03/21/07 05:19 PM
03/21/07 05:19 PM

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I hope he turns out to be ok!! My payers go out to you!!! Steph

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: sugarglidersuz] #240227
03/21/07 05:51 PM
03/21/07 05:51 PM

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I would honestly say get him to a vet. Please read my previous two posts about my suggie seeming dizzy and disoriented. He passed yesterday and at the vet he was completely blind, which happened progressively but also instintaneously. Like, now knowing what we know, we can look back and see that he did have some site problems that did get a little progressive - but they were minor enough at the time we didn't think anything of it. He was up playing with me the morning he went - seemingly fine. Then he went from this (OK to me at the time) to literally blind in a matter of hours - and even before the vet at me suspecting he couldn't see any more, he was still climbing around the sides and top of his cage so... ? - the vet said a lot of it has to do with calcium deficiency most often - and she said what I had fed mine in the month I had him (BML) wasn't enough to help/save him. The previous owners had done irreperable damage with his diet. She DID however say that their eyesite is linked to other problems and I would honestly (I'm not a vet or even a suggie expert lol) take him to the vet as soon as you can get him in. A "glider familiar" vet will know how bad the vision probs are AND a good vet (hopefully you've found one!) will tell you whether or not you need to see a specialist. Please keep us posted - best of luck to your guy!

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: ] #240238
03/21/07 06:00 PM
03/21/07 06:00 PM

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well, i have a GREAT vet around the corner from me who actually OWNS gliders himself. SO i have an appointment with him tomorrow to take a look at all three of my guys. (its better to be safe than sorry) and i definitely would not want to put any one of my babies at risk.. Brittney, i did read most the of post about your poor baby. It so sad, but it is good for me to learn from what happens with other people. Had that not happened to you, i might not have worried as much.. so your poor little baby is a hero in his way. Thanks sooo much for you help!!!

Gossamer - the eye thing I WAS TOLD was something that could happen if they were sleeping of the side of their face the wrong way, and although i was terrified when i saw him that way, when i came on here, people told me not to worry unless i see other signs.. and now i do.. So i guess i wouldnt say NOW that its nothing to worry about, i would say that its something to watch closely

I will update everyone tomorrow after the vet visit

Re: Blindness in Gliders? [Re: ] #343227
07/19/07 11:11 PM
07/19/07 11:11 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,801
SE Minnesota..
GliderLove Offline
Glider Addict
GliderLove  Offline
Glider Addict

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,801
SE Minnesota..
Lindsay, how did this glider ever turn out? I am having an issue with an older rehome glider as well, I'm just feeling that he is not seeing 100%. I'm curious what your visit was like now? Thanks!


Cindy
Mom to
Jae, Ashton, Briannah, Nevaeh & Addy

& all my fuzzies!
Breeder of Leu's, Mosaics, wfb, and standard grey's.
Owner of www.MySugarAddiction.com

:rtmo: :leu:


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