Sugar Glider Community Calendar

Please click here to see larger view
Articles
More coming soon!!
Today's Birthdays
B1u3sky, StellaLuna
Member Spotlight
Feather
Feather
Wisconsin
Posts: 13,979
Joined: January 2008
Show All Member Profiles 
Last 10 Posts
Gliders of the Round Table 10
by Feather. 03/27/24 07:04 PM
Logging in Problem
by Feather. 03/26/24 06:07 PM
Cloaca swollen?
by Hutch. 03/16/24 11:51 PM
Wheels, Toys, Toy supplies, pouches and more.
by Ladymagyver. 03/07/24 11:16 PM
Gliders of the Round Table 9
by Hutch. 03/07/24 10:52 PM
Stewie:" It's MY Mouse!"
by Hutch. 03/04/24 12:12 AM
2024 Sugar Glider Calendar and Cafe Press Store
by theresaw. 02/29/24 08:55 PM
Custom Cage Liners Machine Wash & Dry
by gr8pots. 02/27/24 04:23 PM
Google+

Facebook
Join Us On Facebook
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Flop's Gone. #48593
06/12/05 03:22 PM
06/12/05 03:22 PM

A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A



Our poor little boy died last night, June 11th, around 11:00pm. He was never really well; he already had health problems when he and Flip came to live with us back in October, and to be perfectly honest I've worried about his health right from the start. It wasn't so much that he seemed horribly ill as it was that he just didn't seem well. He was always grumpy and moody, he always seemed to find discomfort in defication, and his poop was never of a cosistency that seemed right for a healthy little critter. One of the first things I did after Flip and Flop arrived was to have them checked by a vet, who gave gave us an antibiotic to give to them in order to clear up Flop's defication problems, but the medication never seemed to help any. I wondered if it was just my imagination that told me Flop was ill, or if Flop's problems just weren't something that could be helped by antibiotics, so instead of taking him back to the vet I concentrated on improving their diet and their environment to see if that would help. When Flip and Flop first came to live with us they didn't have much of anything in the way of toys, they slept in an old poopy shirt, they had a heat rock in their cage, they didn't have a wheel of any sort, and they had been fed fruit even if it had whithered and grown mold. I knew that they needed more than they had been given up to that point, so I spent weeks reading up on what it was that they did need. I made them new little fleece lined pouches to sleep in, I got rid of the heat rock, I bought and made them toys to play with, I got them a good wheel to run on, I got them a bonding tent so we could spend more time with them, and I changed their diet to BML and freshly frozen fruits and veggies. It all seemed to help; Flop especially loved running in the wheel, and they both seemed like they were healthier and happier then they had been when they first arrived. But something happened about a month ago, and I don't know what; the first indication that something was wrong was that Flop's nails had started to grow long, and that meant that he hadn't been running the wheel as often as he used to. I thought maybe there was somethig wrong with the wheel, so I cleaned and oiled it and then watched to see if it did any good, which it seemed to do. Then, about five days ago, I noticed that Flop seemed a bit thin and constipated. I'd been working with Sam to get him to feed the critters, so I thought that maybe it had somethig to do with the way that Sam had been feeding them, and I decided that I'd better start feeding them again myself. I gave Flop some yogurt to help get his system back into balance, but instead of his pooping going back to normal he got a horrible case of the runs and started pooping constantly and all over the place. That's when I really started to worry. The pooping didn't stop, and he was starting to loose his strength, so I made an appointment to take him to the vet. The vet said that it was probably an infection and that it just hadn't been taken care of back in October; he also said that Flop had lost 20 grams since we'd brought them in last. The vet gave us a new medication for Flop, and we went home. Despite the medicine, and our best efforts, Flop got worse. The pooping didn't stop; he became so weak that he couldn't vocalize even a crab, his penis just wouldn't retract, and he could hardly balance his own weight when he walked. We tried hand feeding him by syringe, but he wouldn't swollow and kept falling asleep while eating. I just kept hoping that once the medication kicked in he's start to improve, but somewhere deep in my heart I knew his chances weren't good. We kept an eye on him, but there wasn't much else that we could do, and when Sam went to give them their medication last night Flop was gone. Flip's heartbroken; she sits in the wheel and sobs - not crying really, but breathing like I do when I sob. We've been giving her extra extra attention last night and today, and will continue to do so - she needs that. Sam feels awful; they're really his critters, not mine. Sam's my 17 year old cousin. Flip and Flop are here because Sam's here, and Sam's here because he needed to not live at home anymore. Same never really wanted to have gliders - his parents got them for him when he was about 14 because they thought that the critters would be good for him, but they never even asked him if he wanted to have them before getting them, and none of them ever took the time to find out about what gliders need in order to be healthy and happy; that's why they came to us in such sad shape, and why I started taking over their care to begin with. I've been working on teaching Sam how to care for them properly, but it's a bit of an uphill battle for a young man who's still figuring out how to take care of himself and be in charge of his own life. I feel awful that I didn't take them back to the vet when the medication didn't work, and even though I know that I've done a lot for them I'm still kicking myself for not doing enough to stop this from happening. I know that if they'd stayed at Sam's house Flop definately would have died, and that even if I couldn't prevent Flop's death I have at least severd as a hospice to improve the end of his life, but I'm good at guilt and I feel just awful that he's gone - even if I do believe that he will ultimately be in a better place where he won't have to suffer anymore. My father says that we should find a new home for Flip instead of getting her a new companion, but I can't do that to her - especially not right now. To loose Flop and us all at the same time would simply be sentencing her to death from depression; on the other hand I'm not sure exactly what we should do in the long run. Sam will be graduating High School and moving on with his life this time next year, and I'm not sure that Flip should go with him when he leaves; but if she doesn't go with him then she'll be soley my responsibility, and I'm not sure that's fair to me. A lot can change in a year's time, and we have time yet to make up our minds about what to do. In the mean time all we can do is do our best by Flip and make sure that she survies this and continues to thrive; for her health has always been good, and her spirit has always been strong. I just with I could have said the same thing about Flop; poor little boy. I can only hope that his next stage of exsistance is kinder to him that this one was, and that in the end both he and Flip will be okay.

Re: Flop's Gone. [Re: ] #48594
06/12/05 03:35 PM
06/12/05 03:35 PM
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,113
Michigan
S
sugeebaby Offline
Glider Slave
sugeebaby  Offline
Glider Slave
S

Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,113
Michigan
Sorry for your lose. You have to believe Flop is in a better place.It wasn't your fault he died. You did the best you could. Think of it this way you made the last part of his life better. If you feel you or your cousin can't take care of Flip you should think of finding a home for her. She definatly needs extra love and attention now. If you can't give her up then you need to find a friend for her.You don't want to lose her to depression cause by the death of her mate.My prayers and thoughts are with you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frostyangel.gif" alt="" />


Karen
President of The Glider Initiative
:bb: The Glider Crue :grey:

The Pampered Glider

The Glider Initiative
Have you educated someone today?


Re: Flop's Gone. [Re: ] #48595
06/12/05 04:02 PM
06/12/05 04:02 PM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 247
Meriden, CT
Erin_Loves_Gliders Offline
Glider Explorer
Erin_Loves_Gliders  Offline
Glider Explorer

Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 247
Meriden, CT
I totally agree with sugeebaby, you did everything you could, and you have my prayers to Flop, even if I didn't know him.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cloud9.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cloud9.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cloud9.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frostyangel.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cloud9.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cloud9.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cloud9.gif" alt="" />


[:"green"] *~ Erin K. ~*
[/]
[/] <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" /> [:"hotpink"] "Herman the Bam-Bam R.I.P August 10, 2005, and Ellie!!, Soon to be Max and Ellie" [/] <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" />
Feel free to private message me
Re: Flop's Gone. [Re: ] #48596
06/12/05 10:35 PM
06/12/05 10:35 PM
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,356
Austin, TX
USMom Offline
Serious Glideritis
USMom  Offline
Serious Glideritis

Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,356
Austin, TX
I agree that you did what you could for that sweet baby. His mate will need a lot of extra love and attention, and eventually a new friend. Like was said above, she will get depressed and ill. I wish you luck and hope that your girl does well.


Shawna
Who are you networked with? Networking could save your gliders life. Create one now.

Re: Flop's Gone. [Re: ] #48597
06/13/05 04:08 AM
06/13/05 04:08 AM

A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A



We sat Sam down tonight to discuss this situation. We told him that, because Flip is his pet and not ours, he must be the one who decides whether he will get a new mate for her or whether he will find her a new home. He has also been told that, while we are willing to give him whatever advice or assistance he might ask for, from this point on he will be the one responsible for her care. So far he seems to understand and be willing to accept this responsibility, so I have offered to guide him as he figures out what all of these new responsibilities will entail. I have great hope that he will be up to this challange in a way that he wasn't back in October when Flip and Flop first arrived; he has grown much in that time, and has learned a lot about what responsibility really requires. In some ways the timing for all of this is good; Sam is out of school for the summer, and as such he will now have plenty of time to dedicate to learning how to properly take care of Flip. We've told him that he doesn't have to make the decision immediately as to whether on not he wants to keep her, but that he needs to really look at the situation, and that he needs to put Flip's needs before his own in this matter. Right now I think he's leaning towards keeping her and finding her a new companion, however I want him to to be certain that he is both willing up to this challange before he commits to it; I also want to make sure that he'll still be comitted to taking proper care of Flip a month from now instead of flaking between now and then. I've told him that, among other things, he should start looking into what he would need to do in order to get Flip a new mate so that he will know what this might require of him. At this point I think that, no matter what Sam ultimately decides, Flip will live a better life for this turning point, and so will Sam. And, if something is learned and taken away from this experience, then Flop's death wasn't completely in vain, which is good.

Re: Flop's Gone. [Re: ] #48598
06/13/05 04:53 AM
06/13/05 04:53 AM

A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A



im sorry, dont feel like its your fault tho, everyone has their time:(

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frostyangel.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug2.gif" alt="" />

Re: Flop's Gone. [Re: ] #48599
06/14/05 10:46 AM
06/14/05 10:46 AM

A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A



You are such a good person for taking care of those in need in your life, let go of the guilt & feel good about what you were able to do for Flop & what you are still doing to help Flip & Sam-


Moderated by  Feather, KarenE, Ladymagyver 

Sugar Glider Help Page



Please click above to see how you can help!!

Moon
CURRENT MOON
Who's Online Now
0 registered members (), 374 guests, and 85 spiders.
Key: , , Owner, Admin
Newest Members
Mellefrl, klowvrrr, gracefulguardian, KiyokoTheDoll, Hazelneko
7324 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums132
Topics10,374
Posts159,160
posts in the last 24hrs0
Members7,324
Most Online2,693
Jan 2nd, 2020
Last 10 New Topics
Logging in Problem
by Anonymous. 03/24/24 11:43 AM
Gliders of the Round Table 10
by Hutch. 03/07/24 10:50 PM
Cloaca swollen?
by Mellefrl. 03/04/24 02:39 PM
2024 Sugar Glider Calendar and Cafe Press Store
by theresaw. 08/15/23 02:37 PM
Stewie:" It's MY Mouse!"
by Ladymagyver. 05/25/21 09:57 AM
Gliders of the Round Table 9
by Hutch. 02/12/19 11:35 PM
Custom Cage Liners Machine Wash & Dry
by gr8pots. 06/03/14 10:25 AM
Popular Topics(Views)
849,569 TEXAS
679,073 OHIO
487,151 OKLAHOMA
432,154 UTAH
321,673 NORTH CAROLINA
Supported Browser
This site was tested and is best viewed in Google Chrome & Mozilla FireFox



Firefox 3

Download your copy today!!!
Home Forums Links Sitemap Vets Breeders Sounds Contact Us Names Rules & Policies

GliderCENTRAL
©1998-2024
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software
(Release build 20180918)
Page Time: 0.032s Queries: 14 (0.009s) Memory: 1.2923 MB (Peak: 1.4567 MB) Zlib enabled. Server Time: 2024-03-28 14:23:29 UTC