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Advice on my rescue's behavior
#1262462
05/31/12 11:52 AM
05/31/12 11:52 AM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 35
Pontiac, MI
Penelopesmom
OP
In Pouch
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OP
In Pouch
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 35
Pontiac, MI
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Hi All, I just rescued a male glider from a bad situation. I was told he was around 10 months but I'm not sure. He does have his bald spot and is bigger than my 9 month old female (but she is a little on the small side). He was on a horrible diet of peanuts and apples only. He looks like he sm or over grooms because he had a scab on both his head and chest. His chest was also yellow. I took him to the vet right away but they did not seem very knowledgable about the root cause. He also chews everything so I have been careful about what goes into his cage. I think he may be acting out because he's lonely, which brings me to my question. If it is sm, would it be wise to have him neutered? I have two females and would like to house them all together. He's bonding very well and sticks to me most of the time although I've only had him a few days. I'm assuming this means he must have been socialized well. He is very sweet but after a few licks he bites me-hard! I make an attt noise to distract and remove him but he keeps doing it. Any suggestions on making him stop? Lastly, he's my first male so I'm not sure how normal this is but he rubs his chest all over like crazy whenever my oldest female gets anywhere near him. And he doesn't seem to like my younger female although he's only met the girls through cage bars. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
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Re: Advice on my rescue's behavior
[Re: Penelopesmom]
#1262466
05/31/12 12:01 PM
05/31/12 12:01 PM
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 7,560
Long Island, NY
yiyo
Serious Glideritis
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Serious Glideritis
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 7,560
Long Island, NY
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Was he housed with other gliders previously or alone? I'm guessing no, because if he was sm'ing and chews on everything he was probably very bored. So you'll want to spend as much time with him until you're able to put him with your other gliders. So, first and foremost, if you don't have lineage on him, then you'll definitely want to get him neutered. This may help a little bit with the agressive behavior as well. And him rubbing his chest is totally normal. It's just his way of marking his territory. Also, make sure to follow proper introduction methods. It sounds like quarantine was already broken, so go ahead and start pouch/toy swapping. By doing this they'll get used to each others scents and when you do the final introduction, they'll already be familiar with each others scents and less likely to fight. After you've done that for a number of days, you can introduce them in a neutral area (ie: bathroom, tent, etc). In the interim, while swapping their items, I'd go ahead and have him neutered so that you don't have to worry about them breeding. Then he'll also have time to heal while you're still swapping items.
Alyssa
"Moving on is a simple thing, what it leaves behind is hard."
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Re: Advice on my rescue's behavior
[Re: Penelopesmom]
#1262475
05/31/12 12:26 PM
05/31/12 12:26 PM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,749
80 acres of paradise in KS
Dancing
Glideritis Anonymous
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Glideritis Anonymous
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 22,749
80 acres of paradise in KS
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If they are all about the same size, it will be fine to have them together. (after he is neutered)
620-704-9109
Judge not until you have walked in their shoes and lived their lives. What you see online is only part of the story.
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears.
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Re: Advice on my rescue's behavior
[Re: Penelopesmom]
#1262567
05/31/12 06:28 PM
05/31/12 06:28 PM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 28,219
Washington D.C. Metro Area
DCMuffin
Glideritis Anonymous
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Glideritis Anonymous
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 28,219
Washington D.C. Metro Area
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Hi All,
I just rescued a male glider from a bad situation. I was told he was around 10 months but I'm not sure. He does have his bald spot and is bigger than my 9 month old female (but she is a little on the small side). He was on a horrible diet of peanuts and apples only. He looks like he sm or over grooms because he had a scab on both his head and chest. His chest was also yellow. I took him to the vet right away but they did not seem very knowledgable about the root cause. He also chews everything so I have been careful about what goes into his cage. I think he may be acting out because he's lonely, which brings me to my question. If it is sm, would it be wise to have him neutered? I have two females and would like to house them all together. He's bonding very well and sticks to me most of the time although I've only had him a few days. I'm assuming this means he must have been socialized well. He is very sweet but after a few licks he bites me-hard! I make an attt noise to distract and remove him but he keeps doing it. Any suggestions on making him stop? Lastly, he's my first male so I'm not sure how normal this is but he rubs his chest all over like crazy whenever my oldest female gets anywhere near him. And he doesn't seem to like my younger female although he's only met the girls through cage bars. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Just wanted to touch on a couple of things. You mentioned that he had scabs on his head and chest and that his chest is yellow. Given the location, it doesn't sound like overgrooming to me, it sounds like he just has some over-active scent glands. Are you able to take a damp, warm cloth or even a q-tip and gently wipe the "scabs" off? The yellow is probably just from marking (among other things). If he's biting, he's giving you a sign right before he is going to do it. Since he's very new, the two of you aren't used to one another so start watching him. He may twitch his ears, turn his head, twitch his nose, something - right before he does so. That said, instead of just letting him lick you right now as much as he wants, put some yogurt or even honey on your finger. Let him lick three times, then take your hand away, put a bit more on your finger, let him lick three times, take it away and reload again. He's probably chewing because he's bored. Give him lots of toys and things to chew on. If you can get your hands on some safe branches (or even the apple branches from Petsmart or Petco), that would be great. Little plastic toys for him to carry around and chew on are great, as well.
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Re: Advice on my rescue's behavior
[Re: DCMuffin]
#1264604
06/08/12 03:16 PM
06/08/12 03:16 PM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 35
Pontiac, MI
Penelopesmom
OP
In Pouch
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OP
In Pouch
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 35
Pontiac, MI
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Thanks for the advice. The vet removed the scabs and I've just been keeping an eye on the spots. His hair seems to be filling in on his head and he doesnt seem quite as yellow. He is scheduled to be neutered on Tuesday so soon lonleiness wont be an issue. Thankfully the chomping has practically stopped. It's down to an occassional bite, but usually at the worst times. For example I was having a conversation at work when he climbed down to my belly button and bit me twice. I yelled and startled the person I was talking to. I have to admit it was funny though. I didnt realize Petco sold apple branches. I will check them out today.
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