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
Tips for glider to gain weight #1407015
02/01/17 08:35 PM
02/01/17 08:35 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
The saga of my poor little Ollie continues. (Bear with me, this is a little long).

After his brother Suge passed away on Christmas, he became depressed and wasn't eating much. As a result he lost some weight. He dropped from about 89 grams to 80 grams. I took him into the vets to make sure he wasn't sick as well, but she ran some blood and did a fecal test and everything checked out OK. Slowly he started coming around, and began to eat the things I was hand feeding him.

I decided to get him new buddies, and brought Kirby and Dee Dee home on January 15th. These guys were on the HPW diet and Ollie on BML. I decided to switch Ollie to HPW in hopes it would reinvigorate his eating, which it did. He would clean his bowl of HPW every night and started to eat more of his fruits and veggies. His weight slowly climbed up to 86 grams.

After a week of swapping pouches and pushing the cages side by side, I introduced Ollie to Kirby and DeeDee and it was love at first sight. Ollie was SO excited to meet his new friends, it actually made me cry.

I had been weighing Ollie every night, but didn't the first two nights he was with his new pals. By the 3rd night I did the first tent time with all three of them and weighed Ollie finding that his weight had dropped to 74 grams, the lightest he has every been! That's when I noticed Ollie's mouth.

Ollie has had a growth growing near his mouth for about 3 years now. The vet ran tests on it, when I first noticed it and confirmed that it was not cancerous, just a fibrous growth. Because of the location to his jaw she couldn't remove it, however it has never bothered him. He still chews on that side of his face, and when pressed on he doesn't flinch. It has slowly grown over the years, but still not unmanageable. This night when I saw his face, he had a large bloody scab over where the growth is.

I, of course, took him to the vets right away. She wasn't sure what might've happened, but like me, she thinks that maybe one of the new gliders was grooming him and cracked it open. And when she weighed him he was only 71 grams. She assumes he wasn't eating because his mouth was bothering him. The night I noticed his mouth he wouldn't even take mealworms from me, so she was probably right. She gave me antibiotics and metacam, which he's supposed to be on for a few more days.

Ollie slowly started to put weight back on making it up to 75 grams, but last night when I weighed him he went back to 71. He has been eating mealworms and yogurt drops when I offer them to him, and I've noticed him eating the HPW (I've also made sure to push it under his nose when we're hanging out). He has also been drinking what seems like a lot of water.

I made glider crack to help him gain weight but he won't touch it. He also won't touch plain avocado. My vet also gave me a high protein powder used to help rehabilitate omnivores, but he won't touch that either.

Does anyone have any other advice to help my Ollie gain weight again?

I should also mention that I've watched him closely with Kirby and DeeDee and they get along great. I haven't seen or heard any spats. They mainly groom each other and roll around in the wheel together. I've thought about separating Ollie until he gains weight, but I would feel awful taking him away from his new buddies.

Last edited by Nejwig; 02/01/17 10:26 PM.

Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Current Research, Studies & Resources
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407016
02/01/17 09:27 PM
02/01/17 09:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
Feather Offline
Administrator
Feather  Offline
Administrator

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
Do you have multiple feeding station in with them now? If not put in more feeding stations, I would suggest 3 or 4.

Will he eat yogurt? If so feed him the high fat with NO artificial sweeteners.

At this point anything he will eat, cooked chicken or turkey, no seasonings, scrambled egg,

Can you post a picture of his growth?


Kimberley
Feathers-Sweetie, Mister Peanut & Big Mack
Fur-Guinan, Mr. Spock, T'Mir, Cho, Toothless, Maverick & Maharet :bb: T'Pol, Elizabeth & Curzon :wfb: TY, TJ, Light Fury, Madison & T'Pring :rtmo:
Forever in my heart, Gizmo, Tucker, Khayman and the rest of my babies over the :rbridge:

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407018
02/01/17 10:00 PM
02/01/17 10:00 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Srlb Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
Srlb  Offline
Glideritis Anonymous

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
He may not be eating the stuff the vet gave you or the glider crack because it is high protein and he knows that is going to over work his kidneys.

He is already in poor health, so his organs are probably already taken a toll on him. Have you had xrays done on his jaw?

I think I would keep him separated from the others if it were me. If they sense that something is 'off' with him they will keep him from eating.


Peggy
Critter Love
Critter Love� Diet Center

If you want to know what a person is like, watch how he treats others.

You'll never know what the outcome is if you don't step up and try.

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Feather] #1407020
02/01/17 10:40 PM
02/01/17 10:40 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
There are currently 4 feeding stations in the cage - two hanging cups for salad, one cup of HPW and one plate on the ground with both HPW and salad on it. And I make sure they're all in easy to access spots for him.

Ollie has been eating yogurt drops, but I'll pick up some regular yogurt in the AM and give it a shot.

I weighed him tonight and he's back up to 74 grams. He also had a bit of energy and ran around with me for about 30 minutes before the other two woke up. He threw back some mealworms and a couple of yogurt drops so far. I have some left over jars of chicken baby food from the BML that I will try giving him when he wakes up again.

Regarding the x-ray of his jaw we did one a couple of years ago, which showed everything OK internally, but we haven't done one recently.

I'll try to grab a picture of him tonight, but if it's too dark I'll take one tomorrow when I give him his medicine.


Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407021
02/01/17 11:21 PM
02/01/17 11:21 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
Feather Offline
Administrator
Feather  Offline
Administrator

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
I would lay off the yogurt drops, they are empty calories and he needs good calories.

Peggy is right you should separate him, you can allow him to have supervised play time, just make sure they don't chew on his wound.


Kimberley
Feathers-Sweetie, Mister Peanut & Big Mack
Fur-Guinan, Mr. Spock, T'Mir, Cho, Toothless, Maverick & Maharet :bb: T'Pol, Elizabeth & Curzon :wfb: TY, TJ, Light Fury, Madison & T'Pring :rtmo:
Forever in my heart, Gizmo, Tucker, Khayman and the rest of my babies over the :rbridge:

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Feather] #1407027
02/02/17 12:58 AM
02/02/17 12:58 AM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Thank you for the helpful advice, ladies.

I just moved Ollie back into his old cage after tent time. I'm glad I hadn't gotten rid of it yet.

I'll stop with the drops and get some yogurt tomorrow along with eggs. I'll try cooking up a chicken breast tomorrow, as well. Give him all the options. And it's regular yogurt, correct? Not Greek?

Ollie entertained the chicken baby food for a few seconds, sniffing it carefully, then decided he didn't want it. He did eat some HPW and a couple of peas I handed him, though.

I gave him his medicine and now he's sulking in the pouch, which has been the usual routine this last week. I'll see how he does food-wise in the AM.


Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407051
02/03/17 11:54 AM
02/03/17 11:54 AM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
A quick update on Ollie.

Last night when he woke up I weighed him, and his weight dipped down from 74 to 72g.

Here are a couple of photos of him last night on the scale. These were taken right as he woke up:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByqRbLXqAZeoWlM5dDhXOEZQN00
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByqRbLXqAZeobHVVVGFRMnFRUlk

He ate a little bit of yogurt for me. He refused the chicken and egg, though. He also ate a four peas from my hand, a little bit of apple sauce and some HPW. When I gave him mealworms, I also dipped half of them in yogurt to get him to ingest a little more of that.

This morning when I took out his dishes, it didn't look like he ate a whole lot of his food. I could see that he ate some HPW but didn't finish it, and picked at his salad a tiny bit.

I will see where he's at when I weigh him tonight.

It does look like his wound is getting better, though. About half of it looks to be healed. So, at least that's something? Sigh.worried


Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407053
02/03/17 12:24 PM
02/03/17 12:24 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,318
LittleRock, AR USA
KarenE Offline
Owner
KarenE  Offline
Owner

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,318
LittleRock, AR USA
Poor Ollie has been through so much and now he is alone through no fault of his or yours. It just has to be for his own good.

From the pictures he is indeed thinner than you would like but not surprising since he is not eating all that much.

There could be several reasons, however, we can't be sure it isn't his mouth that is actually hurting him since you said you think that place cracked open. Have you had him back to the vet since that happened? If not, would be a good idea to see if anything can now be done to give him some relief.


Your Sugar Glider Resource Center
Sugar Glider Help


Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: KarenE] #1407065
02/03/17 07:22 PM
02/03/17 07:22 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
I know. My little Ollie is breaking my heart right now. frown
I have kept their cages pushed together so they can at least see each other, and they've had some tent time together. Tomorrow I'm home all day, so I'll probably let them all sleep in my shirt so he'll get in some cuddles, as well.

It has been 9 days since he's been to the vets. He's supposed to be on his meds for 10 days, so he has one full day left, then we'll re-assess from there. I was planning on emailing my vet tonight with a photo of his face to show her the progress (hopefully I can snap a decent one) and to keep her updated about his weight. The last time I spoke with her was Saturday.

I have a feeling a follow-up appointment will ensue. She did say if his weight doesn't improve I'll have to bring him back in to figure out the next steps. She gave me some extra syringes for trying to feed him food, but I haven't done that yet. I tried to feed him the diet she sent home with me in a regular dish, but Ollie didn't want to eat it. I can't really bear the thought of trying to force feed him anything right now.

I did read in an old thread that antibiotics can affect appetites. Maybe that might have something to do with this, as well?

I think the original issue was definitely his mouth bothering him, because he wouldn't even take mealworms from me. That's when I knew there was DEFINITELY something wrong. Since he's been on the meds he's gone back to snacking on his usual favorites just fine.


Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407072
02/03/17 08:18 PM
02/03/17 08:18 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
Feather Offline
Administrator
Feather  Offline
Administrator

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
You can try giving him his HPW through a syringe.


Kimberley
Feathers-Sweetie, Mister Peanut & Big Mack
Fur-Guinan, Mr. Spock, T'Mir, Cho, Toothless, Maverick & Maharet :bb: T'Pol, Elizabeth & Curzon :wfb: TY, TJ, Light Fury, Madison & T'Pring :rtmo:
Forever in my heart, Gizmo, Tucker, Khayman and the rest of my babies over the :rbridge:

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407074
02/03/17 09:55 PM
02/03/17 09:55 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
I just weighed him and he's up to 76 grams. So maybe he ate more than I thought, last night? I imagine the yogurt helped, as well (thanks for that tip!)

When I give him his medicine, I sometimes take a little HPW up in the syringe with it. Last night I did that with yogurt.

As long as he keeps eating HPW on his own I probably won't force feed him anything more than I've been giving him with his meds. I feel awful enough giving him his meds!

We'll see how he fares tonight. One day at a time!


Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407084
02/04/17 10:46 AM
02/04/17 10:46 AM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Srlb Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
Srlb  Offline
Glideritis Anonymous

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
He looks dehydrated in this photo. I would take him back to the vet for another round of sub-Q.

I think I would also keep him by himself until he got stronger. If he gets too weak the others may choose to do away with him. I'm not trying to scare you, but trying to prepare you for how these animals interact with each other.


Peggy
Critter Love
Critter Love� Diet Center

If you want to know what a person is like, watch how he treats others.

You'll never know what the outcome is if you don't step up and try.

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Srlb] #1407089
02/04/17 01:35 PM
02/04/17 01:35 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Ok thanks, Peggy. I will.

Here is a photo of him from last night: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByqRbLXqAZeoZUdtdTZfUEJrcWs

I did a tent test on him last night, concerned about him being dehydrated, and his skin sprung back OK.

But either way, I made an appointment with my vet for Tuesday AM (the next time my vet is in). I prefer to wait and see her, but if you think there's cause for alarm and I should bring him in sooner, I'll try to see one of the other vets. I did email with her last night, and based on what I sent her, she thinks he'll be fine to wait until Tuesday?


Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407090
02/04/17 07:23 PM
02/04/17 07:23 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Srlb Offline
Glideritis Anonymous
Srlb  Offline
Glideritis Anonymous

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 16,800
St. Johns, Florida
Follow the advice of your vet. I will always say that. Especially when they have already seen the animal. grin


Peggy
Critter Love
Critter Love� Diet Center

If you want to know what a person is like, watch how he treats others.

You'll never know what the outcome is if you don't step up and try.

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Srlb] #1407180
02/07/17 04:10 PM
02/07/17 04:10 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Nejwig Offline OP
Glider Explorer
Nejwig  Offline OP
Glider Explorer

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 214
New York
Took Ollie to the vets today and he weighed in at 82.5 grams. The vet said he looked WAY better than when she saw him a couple of weeks ago.

His last day of meds was Sunday, and she said that he's OK to stay off of them. She also didn't think he needed any fluids, as he doesn't appear dehydrated anymore.

His face isn't 100% healed, but she said it's looking good and almost there.

I'm going to continue to weigh him nightly and keep a close eye on him, but some small steps in the right direction! smile

Last edited by Nejwig; 02/07/17 08:48 PM.

Jen

:wt: Kirby & :wfb: DeeDee



:rbridge: my beloved Suge (05/2005 - 12/25/2016) and Ollie (05/2005 - 08/01/2017)
Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407181
02/07/17 04:53 PM
02/07/17 04:53 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,318
LittleRock, AR USA
KarenE Offline
Owner
KarenE  Offline
Owner

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,318
LittleRock, AR USA
Very good report :yes:


Your Sugar Glider Resource Center
Sugar Glider Help


Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407182
02/07/17 05:13 PM
02/07/17 05:13 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,305
SW Missouri USA
Ladymagyver Offline
Moderator
Ladymagyver  Offline
Moderator

Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 4,305
SW Missouri USA
That is so awesome! Thank you for keeping us posted! :thumb2:


Dawn

Be patient,
and
Trust your journey....

Grace :bb:

Ruby :grey:

Mom :grey:

Dad :grey:




Fiona, Dot and Stewie :rbridge: wish I could turn back time... Miss you

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407185
02/07/17 06:19 PM
02/07/17 06:19 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
Feather Offline
Administrator
Feather  Offline
Administrator

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,979
Wisconsin
clap


Kimberley
Feathers-Sweetie, Mister Peanut & Big Mack
Fur-Guinan, Mr. Spock, T'Mir, Cho, Toothless, Maverick & Maharet :bb: T'Pol, Elizabeth & Curzon :wfb: TY, TJ, Light Fury, Madison & T'Pring :rtmo:
Forever in my heart, Gizmo, Tucker, Khayman and the rest of my babies over the :rbridge:

Re: Tips for glider to gain weight [Re: Nejwig] #1407472
02/24/17 11:02 AM
02/24/17 11:02 AM
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 4
Missouri
A
Aubrey Offline
New Member
Aubrey  Offline
New Member
A

Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 4
Missouri
How's Ollie doing? Is his sore healed?


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: 0.059s Queries: 14 (0.018s) Memory: 1.4150 MB (Peak: 1.6897 MB) Zlib enabled. Server Time: 2024-03-28 15:05:00 UTC