Suggies At Home

Sorry for the blur pictures, used my mobile phone. This picture was taken when she was 6.5 weeks old.

More picture below but they are not what you would like to see. Postmortem pictures.

Writing this just breaks me up. Wrote this on 1st May 2010 at 4am. This is the story of Nutmeg, a joey that OOP on 6th of February 2010, she passed away on 28 April 2010. I am very sorry to her owner as this was a sudden death and on 28 April evening, I did a postmortem at MyVet clinic. It was done by Dr Jenny at around 6pm. We finished around 6:50pm.

To those who are reading, I am posting this to clarify myself that I will take full responsibility if something like this happens. And this is also an educational post as it will highlight what a glider can get at anytime and it goes undetected when it is too late.

Nutmeg was a lovely joey. She was active but very sweet, loves to eat and her favourite is mango. She stayed in my room for almost a month before she went to her new home. She actually had an accident when I was trying to introduce her to her new owner’s other glider. When the neutral introduction went smoothly for about 2 days, I allowed them to be in a neutral cage but then the other glider pulled Nutmeg’s tail and it was dislocated. No wound, no cuts, just the bone was out of place. At that time she went to see Dr Jenny straight away and seem perfectly healthy, apart from the dislocated tail. For 3 weeks I gave her something like physiotherapy on her tail and it became better. Once she showed improved signs, I allowed her to go to her new home. In 6 days, I received a shocking sms saying Nutmeg was not eating and couldn’t breathe well. Shocked, I called her owner and also Dr Jenny to get an update. 2 days later, I took Nutmeg back to continue antibiotics and also to prepare for surgery if needed because Dr Jenny assumed it was intestinal or stomach blockage that was causing the lack of appetite, the lack of passing motion and the breathing difficulty. Dr Jenny thought a surgery could help with the blockage but was afraid the surgery could kill her since she was so weak.  When Nutmeg was with me, I forced fed her, which worked a bit and she managed to pee and poo. I thought it was improvement. But on 28 of April, she just gave up. Sadden, and also determined to find the cause of this sudden death, I did a postmortem or autopsy.

Now what was found? First, there was an enlarged heart, means Nutmeg was suffering from congestive heart failure. Her heart was bloated and her lung cavity was filled with fluid. The fluid was tinted with blood, meaning blood leaked out into the lungs. It was painful to see as it reminded me of my dog that died from heart failure. Dr Jenny cut out the lungs. It was found that the 70% of the right lung sinks into water, meaning it lost function, dead. The left lung was still ok but even with only 1 lung working, Nutmeg was drowning in her own body fluid. Her heart overworked, couldn’t pump blood throughout her body, which lead to organ failure as well.

Her liver was swollen. This is a signed that toxins had attacked the liver. Dr Jenny said it was spotty, means there was a bacterial infection. Could be from the deteriorating health condition, Nutmeg’s immune system couldn’t fight off microorganism around her so she was easily infected by whatever was in the air and food. We didn’t have time to send to UPM for a thorough autopsy as her body was decaying. Her left kidney was swollen, which is normally occurs with heart failure. Another possibility could be Nutmeg lack an enzyme that helps digest fructose. This is something humans get, so it could happen. This is where the liver lacks an enzyme that digest fructose. When it cannot be digested, it turns toxic and this leads to liver and kidney damage.  Like I said, this is just a possibility as it was my own research on liver failure in children.

Dr Jenny confirmed that Nutmeg died from organ failure, most likely the heart failure was the main cause because her heart overworked and her lungs cannot breath. Liver and kidney came next. As the liver acts as a filtration, toxin just built up in her liver when her heart couldn’t function properly. The body naturally has a back-up system and usually if the body detects that an organ is failing, it will regenerate to overcome the problem but once the organ is deteriorating badly, the body cannot catch up and thus leads to organ disease and failure.

Sugar gliders are too small to detect such things. For bigger animals, a simple blood test and ultrasound can detect it. But for a blood test, a minimum of 3ml is required. 3ml of blood can cause death to a sugar glider due to blood loss. So blood testing is out of the question. As for ultrasound, the glider’s body is too small and covered in fur. You have to shave off the fur, and it would mean shaving a glider bald. But according to Dr Jenny, a special ultrasound machine for small animals can only help and it is not available in Malaysia and many parts of the world. It’s a rare machine.

We can never know when organ failure can happen to a glider or anything smaller than a large rabbit. We can only detect it once it is too late. As the congestive heart failure could be hereditary, I will be retiring her parents from breeding to avoid anymore joeys from getting this disorder. ChubsBoi and Kinta will not be breeding anymore.  Again, none if this can be detected early or through the parent gliders until somthing goes wrong.  Not all joeys that come from carriers of heart disease can get it, it just happens to the very few and like what Dr Jenny said,  Nutmeg was the unlucky one.

Her symptoms:

Panting, shortness of breath

Lack of appetite

Sleeping on her back or hanging her front body to sleep upright (because of the water in lungs, she tried to take the pressure of the water off her chest)

Pale nose and skin

Inactive

So if your gliders or joeys are experiencing such things, then it could be heart failure. It is sad that since the sugar glider is so small, there is no treatment for it. Animals with heart failure normally are short lived. Drugs can be given but it just prolongs the life for a few months and then death creeps in. It is depressing.

So far Nutmeg’s sister and older brother have not shown any symptoms, but I will be monitoring them through their owners. I just hope this doesn’t repeat. But I’m actually relieved that I found out about this sooner than later. Sugar glider may appear healthy at one moment, and sick instantly without any signs or warnings. Their size makes detecting disease and illness almost impossible. So my advice now is, as soon as your glider or joey shows any signs of sickness, please do not wait, just bring to your trusted vet ASAP.

So, rest in peace dear nutmeg. You were a special joey. You have shed some light to many, and we have learned much from you. Thank you.

And a big THANK YOU to Dr Jenny for doing the autopsy on little Nutmeg. Without you, I would be lost.

PS: As a responsible breeder, I will fund or compensate any of my buyers if the joeys they get died or suffered any natural causes that were not inflicted or caused by the buyer. Nutmeg died of natural causes so her owner will be compensated with another joey or her money back if she wish.

A number of times people have asked me this question:

How do you bath sugar gliders?

Er…. first of all, most animals do not require baths with shampoos and conditioners. Only humans use shampoos and conditioners and soap and we would “naturally” think that all animals that we keep as pets should have a bath too.

Well, it is a big No for sugar gliders. Why? First of all these creatures have thick fur, almost chinchilla like. It is already conditioned properly by the glider with natural oils. The fur is thick and dense, so it is very difficult to dry if it gets washed with soap and water. It is easier to dry if the fur is only wet with water but if soap or shampoo comes in, the chemicals and cleaning agent in it will strip off the natural oils, causing the fur to soak up water. It is very difficult to dry. But then why not dry off using a hair dryer? NO NO NO NO…. No hair dryers please, the heat actually can burn off the ears. Sugar gliders have very delicate skin and very thin ear leather, so heat can burn them and cause pain and lots of damage.

Gliders also can easily drown if you were to put them in a basin of water. So no way….. no water baths please.

So how to bath a sugar glider? A glider is actually quite a clean animal. It cleans itself like how a cat does. It uses it’s grooming claws, licks them and comb themselves with it. For a newbie, it looks like the glider is scratching itself crazy but it really is just grooming itself.

If your glider is a little grubby or dirty, just use a plain old damn cloth or some baby wet wipes to wipe your glider. Use only fragrance free baby wet wipes that are alcohol free. Also, do not get those “pet shampoo sprays”. I recently heard that many suppliers are selling these together with the joeys but these pet shampoo sprays are not meant for gliders. Loaded with chemicals and perfume, a glider is super sensitive to these perfume oils. Also a lot are just water base, so it will cause your glider to become wet and catch a cold and fall sick later on. Stay away from such products. If you need to get a bit of dirt off or clean the fur a little, you can use baby powder or pet powder made with corn starch. Talcum powder is bad for their lungs so only use corn starch.

A glider should only ever get a wet bath if it fell into paint or gotten oil onto it’s body or smeared life threatening chemicals on itself. This should be done with proper vet supervision.

Once I remembered someone asking me to get a picture of glider poop. How does it look like? Dry or wet? Brown or black?

LOL, a healthy glider would have solid poop, that is moist enough to stick to your hand but never wet and runny like porridge. Colour can be brown, black, light brown, red or orange. Normally red or orange comes from the fruits it has eaten, like papaya or carrots or even watermelon.

The poop should never be runny. If it doesn’t hold itself like toothpaste, then it is a sign that your glider is suffering from diarrhea.

Do sugar gliders get sick easily? Of course if they are not give the proper care or if they get something from their food or environment. Sugar gliders may not need vaccinations but they do need a health check up twice a year. Sugar gliders are excellent at hiding signs of illness so as their care givers, we should monitor their health closely. Sugar gliders are fragile little animals and normally once they show signs of sickness, it sometimes can be at the critical stage. So once you notice slight signs, it is best to get yourself and your glider to a vet that is familiar with sugar gliders. Avoid vets that ask you “What is a sugar glider?”

Here is a list of disease and disorders:

Obesity
- Gliders that are obese or overweight generally are inactive and very round in body size.
Treatment: A bigger living environment with plenty of toys to stimulate foraging activity and a wheel.

Trembling or shakiness
- Shaking or shivering right after waking up from sleep is normal for a glider. But if it continues after a few moments, especially the back legs and the glider has weak limbs, it could mean a calcium deficiency problem.
Treatment: Calcium supplement has to be given if it is the early stages. The diet has to be changed. Best to visit a vet for advice and treatment.

Hair loss
- If hair loss is at the center of a male’s head, then it is normal as that is the male’s scent gland. If hair loss is at other body parts, be it in hairless spots or thinning of hair, it could mean mites or fungul infection or malnutrition.
Treatment: Seek a vet for treatment.

Lack of appetite.
- A drop in appetite or eating very little could mean a few things. Stress can be one of them and this is normally seen with gliders in new homes. Another would be internal parasites, as worms and microorganism in the gut can cause a drop in appetite. Another would be the teeth or jaw. Check the teeth for any breakage and make sure there is no swelling to the gums.
Treatment: If it is from new surroundings, it is normal. If appetite is small, visit a vet and get your glider dewormed. If teeth has problems, visit a vet for treatment.

Diarrhea
- Watery stool. If the stool or poo is moist like tooth paste, then it is normal but if the poo is wet and has no shape, it is diarrhea. It can be caused by new food, infected or spoiled food, or parasites.
Treatment: Home treatment would be to provide Glucose supplement and Gatorade or a non-carbonated isotonic drink diluted with water and increase in food high in fiber. A visit to the vet is a must as diarrhea is fatal, especially to joeys.

Dehydration
- A dehydrated glider will have dull looking eyes, very stiff skin. Check your glider’s hydration by pinching the skin behind the neck. If it retracts in a second, your glider is safe but if the skin fold is still there after 1 second, then your glider is dehydrated and would need liquids fast.
Treatment: Feed water with glucose mixed with Gatorade or a non-carbonated isotonic drink. 1 water to 1 glucose mixture ratio.

Constipation
- A glider would have constipation if it doesn’t take enough fruits and water. The usual signs are seen when a glider hisses when it is defecating or pooing.
Treatment: A teaspoon of pure apple juice twice a day would cure this.

Urinary Tract Infection
- This means difficulty in peeing. These may include bladder infections, urinary blockages, and kidney disease. These problems may be more common in gliders on very high-protein, high-mineral diets, such as large amounts of regular cat food. Signs may include bloody urine, straining to urinate or dribbling urine, lethargy, decreased appetite, increased thirst
or urine output, protruding and/or discolored penis, and weight loss.
Treatment: Need antibiotics from vet.

Hissing during urinating
- It is an early sign of difficulty in peeing.
Treatment: Quickly get hold of pure cranberry juice and feed a teaspoon of it twice a day to your glider.

Cloudy Eyes
- Known as partial blindness in gliders, it is actually the cause from a high in fat diet. Gliders taking mainly mealworms or a lot of sunflower seeds in their diet would develop a layer on the eye that may look like your glider turned blind.
Treatment: Cut out on fatty food, change the diet.

Eye infection
- Gliders with eye infections would have very watery eyes with crusty eye discharge around the eye. The eyes would also appear smaller and the glider would sleep more.  Sometimes the eye that is infected will have a hairless ring due to the glider scratching the area.
Treatment: Use sterile solution to wash the eye with cotton pad. Get to a vet immediately for antibiotics or steroids.

Cold or Flu
- The glider would have a very wet nose and would often sneeze. The breathing would be slightly heavy. Slight moisture on the nose once awhile is fine but a very wet nose and sneezing would be a cold.
Treatment: This is due to virus or if the glider has caught a cold from being in an air cond room or gotten wet and did not dry properly. Seek vet for treatment. Boost up on Vitamin C like from orange juice or kiwi fruit.

Hind Leg paralysis
- Weakness of the back legs. Can be seen when a glider has problems climbing, walking, excessively having trembling legs and may not be active anymore.
Treatment: This is due to a bad diet that lacks in calcium. Seek vet for treatment and change the diet. Include calcium supplements.

Recommended vets:
(these vets are known to treat sugar gliders)

1) Dr Yeoh

YEOH VETERINARY CLINIC & SURGERY
126, Jln SS 24/2, Tmn Megah, 47301 PJ, Selangor
Tel: 03-78048684
Fax: 03-78052350
Dr Yeoh can neuter male gliders safely. The clinic is able to treat minor things on gliders and general check up but not great for serious cases
Call to make an appointment

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2) Dr Jenny

HANDS “N” PAWS
C-17G, Jalan PJU 1/45,
Aman Suria Damansara, 47301 PJ
Tel: 03-7804 6539
Dr Jenny can neuter male gliders safely. The clinic can deworm and treat serious conditions for gliders.
Call before you go to make an appointment.

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3) Dr Vellayan
*New found but very senior in treating Exotics including Sugar Gliders in Malaysia! With more than 25 years experience under his belt.*
Dr Vellayan can neuter male gliders, give general check ups, deworm and treat general ailments.

10, Jalan L2, Phase 6A
Taman Melawati
53100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 013-6246 918
Tel/Fax: 03-4108 5530
Call to make an appointment as his practise is normally during the night.