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Is coat condition a true indicator of health? #1013111
10/05/10 03:08 AM
10/05/10 03:08 AM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7,748
New Jersey
JillMarie Offline OP
Serious Glideritis
JillMarie  Offline OP
Serious Glideritis

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7,748
New Jersey
I read a thread on another forum about this and thought it would be interesting to start one here.

while coat condition is definitely an indicator of health, what are those conditions? dull lifeless coat, brittleness, greasy, overly dry, missing fur,very thin coat, are all obvious indications something is wrong.

but what about subtler things like the "cracked" fur look?

I have 4 gliders in my house. All eat the same foods. 2 have the most thick and luxurious feeling fur. 1 has very nice fur as well. not as thick, but very good. My Arwen has very cracked fur. no bare spots at all, but her fur also seems longer than the others, so the "cracks" may just be the way the hair is moving as she moves. Her fur is very soft and also very thick feeling.

so is it genetics? She was born very small (much smaller than her brother that has the best fur ever)and was rejected by mommy.

your thoughts? about fur, not specifically my gliders. lets hear about yours


Last edited by JillMarie; 10/05/10 03:15 AM.

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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: JillMarie] #1013116
10/05/10 03:56 AM
10/05/10 03:56 AM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,108
Phoenix AZ
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chattrbabe Offline
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chattrbabe  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,108
Phoenix AZ
dunno

I have heard that humidity is a factor. My apartment's humidity is normally about 30 - 40%, according to the digital thermometer I have.

I think it has a little to do with diet, the glider's history, housing, how often the pouch is changed and wheel is cleaned and how well the glider grooms itself along with how heavy the glider itself is.

My cage of five groom like crazy, while my trio has one glider that has a little bit of a cracked look to his fur constantly. His tests always come back good, but he still has the look. Now, all of the other gliders have cracks in the spots their necks bend and where their shoulders and legs move.

Another thing I think is how people feed the diets. If you don't feed the diet correctly, (giving too many bad treats or too much of one thing and not enough of the other) it could be affecting your glider's health. Calcium and Phosphorous ratios are huge in diet, which has such a phenomenal impact on their health.


Ash
Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: chattrbabe] #1013137
10/05/10 07:40 AM
10/05/10 07:40 AM

B
berryanimalluvrs
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berryanimalluvrs
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B



Interesting....I think number one is diet. We rescued four gliders last year that were pretty beefy on the BML. Then we ended up with three more that had been just pellet fed and after a few month on BML their fur got a lot better along with their energy.

As for color and softness I noticed regularly cleaning their toys and cage helps alots....even though I have a few males that like to follow along and recoat everything.

Genetics is probably in theeir with other factors but this is just what I've seen so far in my babies.

Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: chattrbabe] #1013205
10/05/10 10:44 AM
10/05/10 10:44 AM
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 13,454
South Africa
G
Gizmogirl Offline
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Gizmogirl  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 13,454
South Africa
Originally Posted By: chattrbabe
dunno

I have heard that humidity is a factor. My apartment's humidity is normally about 30 - 40%, according to the digital thermometer I have.

I think it has a little to do with diet, the glider's history, housing, how often the pouch is changed and wheel is cleaned and how well the glider grooms itself along with how heavy the glider itself is.

My cage of five groom like crazy, while my trio has one glider that has a little bit of a cracked look to his fur constantly. His tests always come back good, but he still has the look. Now, all of the other gliders have cracks in the spots their necks bend and where their shoulders and legs move.

Another thing I think is how people feed the diets. If you don't feed the diet correctly, (giving too many bad treats or too much of one thing and not enough of the other) it could be affecting your glider's health. Calcium and Phosphorous ratios are huge in diet, which has such a phenomenal impact on their health.


I agree with everything said above. I did notice that humidity plays a part, while we had a season change, the air became very dry and I noticed some cracks in all of my glider's fur. I used the humidifier for a week and I could see the difference.


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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: JillMarie] #1013982
10/06/10 08:52 PM
10/06/10 08:52 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
Viciousencounter Offline
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Viciousencounter  Offline
Glider Explorer

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
I feed the BML diet and my girls are pretty active, Kira has very nice fur but Luna seems to be getting more and more cracked fur as the weather gets colder here.

It is not dry at all, but Luna's fur is very cracked even on her forehead..... I'm very confused because both of their coats seem to be the same thickness.

Anyone know why?

Picture of Luna


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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: Viciousencounter] #1014006
10/06/10 09:34 PM
10/06/10 09:34 PM

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HeatherB
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HeatherB
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Originally Posted By: Viciousencounter
I feed the BML diet and my girls are pretty active, Kira has very nice fur but Luna seems to be getting more and more cracked fur as the weather gets colder here.

It is not dry at all, but Luna's fur is very cracked even on her forehead..... I'm very confused because both of their coats seem to be the same thickness.

Anyone know why?

Picture of Luna


I actually have the same problem. My male gliders fur is smooth, glossy and just perfect. My female's however has started to concern me because she does have faint cracking similar to your Luna's. I have been concerned that maybe he is eating better then her because in the morning it is impossible to see who ate their fruits, who ate their veggies, ect. dunno Overall, I'm going to try and monitor whose eating what and their individual portions and hopefully figure out if it is diet related or just something else (like the weather or even the indoor temperature).

Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: ] #1014045
10/06/10 10:52 PM
10/06/10 10:52 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
Viciousencounter Offline
Glider Explorer
Viciousencounter  Offline
Glider Explorer

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
Originally Posted By: HeatherB


I actually have the same problem. My male gliders fur is smooth, glossy and just perfect. My female's however has started to concern me because she does have faint cracking similar to your Luna's. I have been concerned that maybe he is eating better then her because in the morning it is impossible to see who ate their fruits, who ate their veggies, ect. dunno Overall, I'm going to try and monitor whose eating what and their individual portions and hopefully figure out if it is diet related or just something else (like the weather or even the indoor temperature).


Thats a great plan! I will do this too and report back here. I think this might be the issue because I have noticed Kira has gained weight and it appears they have been eating less and less BML. The bowl use to be licked clean now there is a lot of remnants. Unfortunately, I have tried to feed HPW and neither of my girls ate it.

Maybe I can try blended?

Thank you for replying HeatherB, your reply made me feel better. :]


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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: JillMarie] #1014717
10/08/10 02:47 PM
10/08/10 02:47 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
Viciousencounter Offline
Glider Explorer
Viciousencounter  Offline
Glider Explorer

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
I have'n noticed a difference in the way they eat. In fact Luna is always first to the food and gets her fair share before Kira even notices the food.

I asked my boyfriend if he thinks there is a difference in their coats and he said "well yea, Luna's is way thicker, didn't you notice that?" So I am pretty certain now that it is because of her thick coat that it cracks so much.


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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: JillMarie] #1015450
10/10/10 06:14 AM
10/10/10 06:14 AM

M
Megs
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Megs
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I know when I lived in NM Daisy and Ohana had some 'cracks' in their fur. I fed them BML.

We moved to OR and their fur improved by about 50%.

I got the rescues and rehabilitated them with BML though I had already chosen to switch the offered diet.

Everybody is now on Priscilla's and they look marvelous. I don't know if it's diet, their caging, their toys, etc. Maybe it's all of that, maybe it's only one of those things. I'm not sure.

But the difference is uncanny.

Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: JillMarie] #1015462
10/10/10 07:57 AM
10/10/10 07:57 AM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7,748
New Jersey
JillMarie Offline OP
Serious Glideritis
JillMarie  Offline OP
Serious Glideritis

Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 7,748
New Jersey
I posted a pic of Arwen on another thread and someone mentioned how "glistening" her fur was

I thought "it was just the flash"

but in the sunlight, her fur really is very shiny...glossy like...


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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: JillMarie] #1015505
10/10/10 10:49 AM
10/10/10 10:49 AM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 13,748
Vincennes, IN, USA
suggiemom1980 Offline
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suggiemom1980  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 13,748
Vincennes, IN, USA
On their old diet, my gliders fur seemed dull and thin. Once I switched to HPW tho, everyone gained a few grams, their fur thickened up and became shiny. I also add Vit E oil to their food and once a week, each one gets a drop of Emu Oil as a licky treat.


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Re: Is coat condition a true indicator of health? [Re: ] #1015570
10/10/10 02:02 PM
10/10/10 02:02 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
Viciousencounter Offline
Glider Explorer
Viciousencounter  Offline
Glider Explorer

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 207
New Mexico
Originally Posted By: Megs
I know when I lived in NM Daisy and Ohana had some 'cracks' in their fur. I fed them BML.

We moved to OR and their fur improved by about 50%.

I got the rescues and rehabilitated them with BML

Same here lol,

I was going to try a different diet beside HPW since my gliders have already decided they do not like it.

I am receiving a re-home soon that live past Texas. Whenever they arrive I will compare their coats and weights next to my gliders.

The vitamin E oil seems like a great plan for them and me lol.


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