It was brought to my attention that the following information was taken from two different locations. Part from the glider connection and part from Suz's site (written by Xfilefan). I haven't been to the gliderconnection before and it has obviously been too long since I've visited Suz's site. I realize we are not supposed to copy things from other's sites and I will understand if this post needs to be removed but I think it is great to have this all in one place. Proper credit needs to be given to those that originally put this info together. One of the applications we received over on the A4G rescue project had such a great answer to one of the questions. It is the most complete answer I've ever seen on any of the applications. The purpose of the application is to help people learn about gliders though researching and reading and the application is intended to be used as a research guide.
This info is so often asked and this is such an extensive answer that the info needs to be shared.
The question is.
17. What are signs/symptoms of an ill glider?
Some of the main things are thin, patchy fur, yellowed fur in areas that should have been white, underweight, scraggly tail, and over grooming on head. The first sign of an illness would be limited mobility, which not normal to your animal could be the early warning signs of a dire medical condition. Some other visible
concerns to would be: obvious deformity in limbs, parasites, blindness & cataracts, White Mucus Disease, Hind End Paralysis, and lack or limited activity.
A healthy Sugar Glider is easy to spot: bright eyes, moist pink nose, pink gums and membranes, the ability to grip with all four feet, clear ear canals, smooth fur coat free of parasites, good elasticity of the gliding membrane, feces free of parasites, and an active mobility.
You would also look for and take to a
vet if you see: violent or prolonged shaking or shivering, dragging limbs, especially back legs or hindquarters, any visible wound, discharge from eyes or nose, especially in combination with sneezing that
sounds "moist" or "wet" (unlike the normal grooming sneezes), pawing at the head or face (unlike typical grooming motions), any swelling, protrusion or lump, lack of movement or very slow movement, up during the daytime - an ill glider will usually just "sit" there or move around slowly without really "doing" anything in particular, any sudden jerkiness or seizure-like activity; including loss of control of limbs or coordination, trying to walk and wobbling or falling over, an abnormal amount of spastic, non-stop activity where the glider seems stressed or scared but doesn't stop, sudden frantic, uncoordinated urge to climb, whether they actually can or not, flattened ears, eyes that lack "luster" and an overall appearance of not looking well, lack of elimination, urine or feces, sudden change in color or consistency of urine or feces, prolonged change of nose color (very pale, dark red or blue/purple), any coloration change that lasts more
than an hour is not normal, any injury, including: cuts, serious falls, limb or tail caught or "hung up" on or in something, burns, chemical exposure, falling into water, or suspected ingestion of any foreign object (non-food item).