Sorry this is so long...<P>Well it has been a year and 8 months since I lost my first glider Puddin. I got her from a teenage boy who was sick of taking care of her and said she never does anything but crab too. So I gave him $50 and got her and the 10 gallon tank he kept her in. It was a long and painful
bonding process, since she was very distrustful of humans. She was missing her fur above her eyes, which the
vet believed was because of overgrooming due to stress. Otherwise she seemed to be healthy. <P>About six months later she started to come around. I later got a male to keep her company. They seemed to get along great. After about a year with me, she really was quite a sweet glider. She would come out of her pouch as soon as I came home and we would watch TV together on the couch...I swear she watched too! <P>About another six months later I came home on a Friday night and she didn't come out to greet me. So I opened her pouch and her and Brett (her cagemate)were curled together. Later when I feed them, I noticed she had diahrea. I was concerned but since it was late on a Friday night and the nearest
vet was over an hour away, I decided she would be fine if I took her in on Monday morning. She was still eating and drinking so I wasn't terribly worried. By Sunday night I was starting to get a bit more worried. She wouldn't come out of her pouch to eat, so I fed her some BML and gave her water while she was in her pouch. Monday morning, I opened her pouch and she was curled in a ball and Brett was wrapped around her. I literally had to peal him off of her to get her out. Once I got her out, I put her in her carrier with an old tshirt of mine and off we went to the
vet. Once there, the
vet saw her right away and said that things did not look good. She was dehydrated, cold, and had lost a third of her body weight since her last visit. I burst into tears because I knew I had waited too long. They put her in an incubator and began givng her fluids. She made it through the night and most of the next day. The
vet called me the next morning to let me know she had passed during the night. He said that they believe it was giardia. I declined the necropsy (sp?) because at the time, I could not handle the thought of them cutting her open. I instead took her home and buried her in our backyard, right along the river. <P>I cannot accurately explain the guilt I felt. I could not help wondering if she would still be alive if I had taken her to the
vet sooner. What really broke my heart was watching Brett look for her. He barked endlessly for days. Things were so horrible. To make matters worse, I was just starting to come to terms with my step fathers death. He had passed away after a car accident about 6 month prior. At least with his death, I knew that there was nothing I could have done. With Puddin, I had noone to blame but myself. I eventually started to see a psychologist because I was completely overwhelmed with grief and guilt. It has been over a year and a half now and I still feel guilty, but the pain in my heart isn't quite as bad as it was then. <P>I am sure that some of you must think I am a complete nut job. I mean who sees a shrink because their pets dies? In my case, it was someone that truly loved her glider and takes responsibility very seriously. Puddin was my responsibility and I had failed her, which caused me to doubt and question a lot of things in my life. I still miss her, but have decided to give myself another chance. The best way for me to forgive myself was by taking really good care of gliders. I now have 4, Brett, Gracie, LeRoy and Pudgie. With the help of Bourbon and others on this board, I feel like I am doing a really good job too! <P>Hopefully by sharing my story, others will not make the same mistake I did. I go by better safe than sorry now. I am a regular visitor to my
vet. I also call a lot with what most would consider stupid questions, but I would rather my
vet think I am nuts, than lose another glider. <P>My advice to other glider owners is to follow your instinct. If your gliders doesn't seem to be their normal self, take them to the
vet, just in case. There is a lot of good advice on this board about
diet and nutrition and
bonding, but they cannot accurately diagnose what is wrong with your glider through a message board.<P>Good luck and best wishes to all!<BR>------------------<BR>Teresa & Gang<P>Brett, Gracie, LeRoy and Pudgie<P>[This message has been edited by Trees Gliders (edited 11-23-2001).]<p>[This message has been edited by Trees Gliders (edited 11-23-2001).]
