Hang in there girl! Your doing great...Trust that one day this will pass, and these little ones will be well and happy so that you can enjoy the happier side of their lifes purpose. Again, I am so sorry that this is a difficult time for you, if you need to talk please give me a call.

Just wanted to share:

Last night, Cheddar ate two small pieces of cantelope! His FIRST SOLID FOOD since he came to me!!!! At this point, in this house, we celebrate every little victory.

Maybe, just maybe, he is having less pain and is about to turn the corner to a full and speedy recovery. Either that, or he really loves cantelope! Wouldn't it be just great if we don't have to remove any teeth????

Just wanted to do a quick update here as well....

Since being diagnosed, Cheddar has lost 11 teeth that we know of. He now has no upper molars on the left side and no lower molars on the right side. Never fear, though... He is doing fantastic.

He remains on a vit. c suppliment (have had to try many to find one that works well) and on a diet of foods with high vit. c. He occasionally has some pain and will not eat solid foods, but over all is eating like any other glider. In fact, about a week ago - for the FIRST TIME, Cheddar ate a mealie! Since then, he has had one or two per day. I am taking this as a sign that he has no tooth pain at the moment!

He will continue with quarterly vet checks just to check out his teeth. Otherwise, he is happy and healthy and doing great!

Thank You for the update!

That is wonderful news Val! Keep up all the good work that you do with these little ones! Hugs and Kisses to them all!

This is a relatively new diagnosis in the glider world, so I only know so much as my experience with Cheddar has taught me. However, I think it is beneficial and important for us all to be aware, in case it ever pops up in your home. So, I thought I would post a bit of information in hopes that it might help someone in the future and that it might spark some discussion.

Cheddar was diagnosed with Scurvy in July of 2007. He was no longer eating solid food, he was lethargic, looked bad, was loosing weight and had very slow movements. Upon examination, the vet found that ALL of his 40 teeth were loose and All were abscessed. He was puzzled with the diagnosis, but also said that he could not ignore what he was seeing.

Scurvy is defined as a deficiency disease that results from poor or insufficient intake of vitamin C (i.e. asorbic acid). Vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis in humans. It was once very common among sailors, pirates and others who were at sea for longer periods of time than perishable fruits and vegetables could be stored. Scurvy leads to spongy gums, bleeding from all mucous membranes, liver spots, pallor, and partial immobility. In advanced scurvy, there are open wounds and loss of teeth. Untreated scurvy is fatal. However, all that is required for full recovery is resumed intake of vitamin C.

Humans, primates & guinea pigs lack the ability to synthesize their own vitamin C. It is thought that sugar gliders possess this synthesizing gene, so scurvy should not be seen in sugar gliders. However, since we are still learning about gliders, there is the possibility that they, too, lack this ability. The question remains with Cheddar: Is there some other underlying cause to his disease that we have not been able to detect? or Is further research necessary to fully comprehend the sugar glider's ability to synthesize and metabolize vitamin C?

A study published in THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION in June of 2003 reported that a "combined deficiency of vitamins E & C causes paralysis and death in guinea pigs." Of the g.p.s who were denied the vitamins, 88% died. Many presented with signs of paralysis described as follows: "First, they became paralyzed in the hind limbs [sound familiar?]. Within a few hours, the paralysis progressed to include all 4 limbs and caused difficulty in breathing..." Just speculation on my part, but I wonder if vitamin C metabolism/synthesis may be a larger concern in sugar gliders than we currently think. ??? Is it possible that some of the HLP we see and/or some of the teeth problems we see are related, in part, to vitamin C intake?

Signs/symptoms of scurvy:

spongy gums which often lead to tooth loss
pallor
weakness
Lethargy
Dry, scaley skin
Loss of Appetite
Swollen joints
Rough coat
Diarrhea
Weight Loss
Unusual Discharge
Opening of healed scars and/or separation of knitted bone fractures
bleeding from mucous membranes

Of these, Cheddar presented with weakness, lethargy, dry skin, loss of appetite, rough coat, weight loss and tooth loss.

The treatment for scurvy is initially high doses of vitamin C followed by deliberate vitamin C intake daily for life. Cheddar remains on vitamin C suppliments daily and will indefinately. He has lost 11 of his teeth (that we know of) so far, and he routinely experiences a tightening and then loosening of his teeth. He must be watched daily to ensure that he is eating solid food, using his teeth, not showing signs of pain and drinking his vitamin supplimented water.
Prevention is easy: Feed a diet that includes vitamin C. It is that easy.

Fruits and Vegetables rich in vitamin C:
oranges
lemons
Cantaloupe
currants
guava
kiwi
papaya
tomatoes
strawberries
bell pepper
broccoli
potatoes
spinach

Thank you for this info. I started giving my gliders oranges a while ago (they won't touch canteloupe) and they LOVE IT! They also really love tomatoes, so that is a good thing.

Lyah got a diet that included canteoupe daily, papaya and potato frequently, and vit. C supplements. She exhibited none of the typical symptoms of scurvy but still lost all her teeth but 9, and I think part of what led to her death of pneumonia (her face was slightly swollen, but the vet couldn't find anything wrong in her mouth-but also didn't have much time with her at that point) She'd been suffering mouth infections/abscesses/tooth loss for months I think many captive gliders don't get enough C-mine are all getting periodic supplements. Great post!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............................OK I thought oranges because of the acid or whatever should only be given occ. as well as tomatoes.........................can anyone help me here???? I actually told some one the other day who was feeding her glider oranges daily should feed them only occ. course she is using the BML diet and those are not listed with that part. diet anyway.

Thanks for info on scurvy....................greeat stuff!!!

Many gliders acidic fruits will give bad diarrhea. I very rarely feed them to mine. They make a great chewable apple flavored supplement that's great tho, that I got from my vet. She also said to beware of the liquid drops in water-they are good for about half an hour after you put them in and that's it-so pretty worthless overall. There are other vit. C rich fruits like canteloupe, papaya, and potato (that gliders tend to really like) for foods.

So, baby leaf spinach is ok right? of course as long as you wash real good first.

I think I am using this same supplement. I have used it in so many different ways, but Cheddar (and all my gliders) are content to just eat it as is.

I have never given my gliders oranges, but i do give tomatoes on occasion. My babies seem to never get sick of canteloupe & potato. Broccoli is a hit or miss here.

What is the name of this flavored chewable supplement? Is it available only at the vets?

Whoa, thanks so much for the info! This will most definetly come in handy for all of us. I used to feed Nicias grapefruit pieces instead of oranges, seeing that he liked grapefruit a little better.

Can you give gliders the same suppliment you give ginea pigs? I'm talking about the stuff you put in their water.