glider has a torn hole by his privet part

my glider is attacking himself at his privet part & now it is ripped open i am not sure if he was trying to get it on with the girl & she did something to him or not. but it is a big tear & he keeps spazing out. what happen??

I cant say what happened, but it sounds like he needs to see a vet right away before he makes it worse...

He needs to see a vet RIGHT away. If he's inflicted the damage or not it very likely will turn into self-mutilation!!! Please get an Ecollar on this baby or wrap him in a piece of fleece burrito style and get him to the doctor!! It could very well be lift threatning.

What are you seeing torn? If it is the penis it is forked at the end. Sorry if you knew that already just trying to figure out what might be wrong. Is he bleeding?

As already stated, this little one needs to be put into an E-Collar right away and gotten to a vet for emergency care. If you don't already have a vet for your gliders, you can try to find one via the GC Vet Database. Please keep us posted on his progress.

Have you located a vet open in your area yet? Did you get the e-collar on? It's very important to have the e-collar on to preven further damage weather it was from him or her. He will likely need antibiotics to prevent infection, and pain meds to control pain and prevent SM too. They will "attack" the site of pain to try and stop it and make things worse.

no i have not got a ecollar on him. i live in avery small town i cant get him to a vet til tomorrow. it is not his penis but it is closer to his butthole.
he is still running on his wheel & being active!! i don't get it. thank all of you that reply.. i am so worried about him we just got him friday. i have owned bred & raised them before but it has been 10 years i am kind rusty!!
did he do this to himself? i put a stranger with him the first day i got him did she do this to him? i did not see them fight but i do have them seperated now.

Where are you located, maybe someone can help? Sounds like you need to find a vet now and not wait.

pittsburg texas...

pop 4,000

but why is he still so active?? running in his wheel & all over his cage?

It is possible they were fighting, I believe you should quarentine a new glider for 30 days after you get him and introductions are a slow process.
He could have done it to himself. He may have been stressed from the new home (you say you got him Friday) and then a strange new cagemate too.
Also is there anything sharp or jagged, splintered wood in the cage that he could have got caught on.
I'd check the cage just to make sure.

Has your boy been awake all day? They usually sleep all day and are active at night, that doesn't sound normal either.

uh yeah i know not to smart new freind & home in the same day.but its a long story they were thrown on me. the guy who gave him to me was suppose to slowly introduce the female to the male for me but circumstances beyond my control it didnt work out as planned.

iam so worried.... he looks awful & is sleeping in his food dish upside down.

he has been awake most the day & night since friday! heis supposably 9 months old. he is tamed & well mannered. from what i have noticed so far

Have family in Pittsburg
He may be really stressed out. Is there a town closer to you that you can get too before more damage is done?
Why dont you register it is free and this is a great site.

Could it be the male is afraid to sleep in the same pouch with the new cagemate?

Little one needs to be seen by a vet ASAP.

Have you checked for a vet in your phone book? Usually when looking for a vet afterhours... the number will give you a recording of an Emer Vet's number to contact for an emerg.

My aunt live in MT Pleasant I have the cell # for a vet in that area not too far from you.
Dr. Scidmore 903 572-3488
I don't know if he sees exoctics but it is an emergency so any vet should do.

Is there bleeding? What exactly is torn? Their penis comes out of the same place as everything else, can you describe the area you are worried about? If anything is torn there is risk for SM.

when is she open?

what is sm?

I am not sure I live near Houston, my aunt lives in that area and I called her to get numbers , call his cell phone and leave a message with your phone # so he can call you back.

it is to the right of his butthole or penis not sure what it is. but his whole underside is real wet!!

SM is self mutilation. He will hurt himself further trying to attack the painful area.

how can you stop sm?

they will sleep in the same pouch but i took her out til we get him fixed all better

Gliders can SM for a variety of reasons. If he was injured there (by catching it on something or the female doing this) and it was hurting him, he might tear at it to make it worse. Sometimes gliders will attack the site of pain, so possibly if he has a urinary tract infection or other problem going on in that area, he could have caused this damage himself. Some gliders will just do this when stressed and will always be prone to doing it.

The reason why we are concerned is that if a glider has an injury like this, particularly in the cloacal area, there is a high likelihood he will continue to tear at it and make it worse. Sometimes gliders do so much damage they have to be put to sleep.

We really don't want this to happen to your glider, so he needs to see a vet. The vet can at least give him pain medication, stitch him up (if necessary) and help you put a collar on him so he can't do any further damage. Possibly the vet and you can figure out why this happened in the first place to make sure he doesn't go after himself again.

Please get him into a vet, any vet, to at least get pain meds and get the wound closed up. From what you are describing, your glider could go downhill quite fast. Please keep us posted, our thoughts are with you

I should add...how you stop the glider from self-mutilating SHORT TERM before you get him to the vet is using an ecollar hopefully...Suz posted a link above on how to make one. This collar goes around his neck like a little satellite dish and is designed to keep him from chewing on himself further.

If you can't get the ecollar made and on him, wrap him in a towel burrito-style so he can't go after himself until you get him into a vet.

i am gonna register after all this drama calms down. this is an awsome site

You must get to a store and get the supplies (if you don't already have them on hand) to make an e-collar so he can't get to the area of his wound and keep attacking it (self mutilating). Here are instructions:

Will your Glider Self Mutilate/ Bourbon& Ecollar
How to Make an E-Collar

That is the only way to stop the SM. Please don't delay!

And please get him to a vet. Any vet will do in an emergency. Even if you can't get him to a glider-knowledgeable vet, please try to get him into an emergency vet's office. You can always have them call Dr. Tim Tristan in Texas (he will consult with other VETS only) at 361-994-1145 if needed.

Sleeping in his food dish upside down is not a good sign. And neither are the wounds in that area. Please, he will continue to attack the source of his pain, causing more pain, and could die if he isn't put in an e-collar and taken to a vet for proper care.

While you're out and about, I would also get a second cage, even if it's a small bird cage with 1/2" bar spacing and pvc-coated wire, to keep the two separated. Either she or he will continue to do more damage.

i have already separate them she is in a cage my mother bought for us we are keep separated until he his healed

were making a e collar for him he his seeing a vet tomorrow
asap but i dont get out off college till 2:00
the hole is about the size of a dime we made e collar but it was too small we are4 making another one for him

ok trying to get the ecollar on did not work it just stressed him out more.

That's great that you have them in separate cages and will keep them separated. Here are some threads on why we recommend separate cages for at least 30 days:

Why we quarantine... (sorry, long.)
Introducing 2 Gliders
How do I go about introducing new sugar gliders?

It's great you'll be taking him to a vet, but a wound the size of a dime on a critter that size, if you can imagine, is like a wound the size of a softball on us. He really should be seen by a vet tonight to have that wounded properly treated, and to be given pain meds. Gliders hide their illnesses extremely well (it's a survival tactic in the wild), and by the time we see symptoms, it's almost too late. He's got to be suffering a lot right now to have begun mutilating himself.

He will get stressed being in the e-collar, and it will be heart wrenching watching him thrash about in it, but it is the only way to keep him from self mutilating. You absolutely must put the e-collar on him, and keep it on. It must be snug enough that he can't wiggle out of it, but not too tight that it cuts off his circulation.

ok i do not think it was his cut that was the size of a dime it was the round thing on his belly. & i have never heard of the cotton ball test... well i bought them a cute hideaway house that is edible saterday & well... i did the test on it & cotton was ALL over it!! it is now in the trash!!!
i do not think it is SM cause he only spazed on it once a real long time ago i havent seen him on it since.

You may want to talk to Jen (xfilefan). She would be able to tell you if you need an e-collar on your baby and how to get it on him.
Xfilefan - Jen
Home 435-783-6097 Cell 435-640-9438

The round thing on his belly? Are you reffering to his pom? Also what type of edible hut, these are unsafe for gliders, did he consume alot of it?

yes i am talking about his pom. it is a hut for hamsters & small animals so they say. i do not think he ate any of it he didnt even hang out in it much. but with the cotton test it is very harsh.

Just checking in ...How's your boy doing?

Hopefully by now you have gotten him into an e-collar and will be bringing him to the vet if you haven't already done so. Please do take a few minutes to register. I'm going to move this over to Health & Hygiene now, so you will need to be registered to post an update for us. We really worry about these little ones

Yes please let us know how he is doing. Now what is this cotton ball test you are talking about, I have never heard of this?

Waiting for news on your little guy.

I believe the cotton ball test she was referring to is when you run a cotton ball over the house/toy/etc to see if there are sharp or loose edges/material that could harm a glider. If there is cotton left on the "thing", whatever it is, it could be a potential hazard.


I hope your little guy is okay...please keep us posted.

Any news?