One of my gliders has been pulling out the hair on his tail. Per my vet's advice, he is in a cage alone. He had to be separated due to a very bad food aggression problem. I am worried he is lonely, stressed and/or depressed and I'm not sure what to do about it. His cage is directly next to the other gliders' cage, so he can see, hear and smell them. I play with him as much as I can, but he still seems unhappy. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi and

Three questions :

1. How long has been separated?

2. Did he start pulling fur out only while he has been separated?

3. Does he have anything to play with in his cage? Like a wheel?

One more question, can the other gliders reach his tail?

He’s been separated probably 2years plus. He never pulled his hair out when they were together. He has a lot of toys, and a wheel, to play with. I know he runs in it frequently. He is not so close to the other cage that they can reach him. Probably about a foot or so away.

Is his tail just missing fur or has he broken the skin?

Are you wanting to put him with the colony? If so, here is a thread you may want to read. It has the basic points on introductions and colony intros.

http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/..._Ea#Post1407885

When you feed them that night, you will want to have at least 2 separate food stations. One high and one low in the cage.

He is just missing fur. I have not seen any blood or broken skin. I would love for him to go back with his family, but with the severity of his aggression the vet feels he is better off alone (and the others are happier without him in there). The decision took the better part of a year to make. He was constantly attacking the other gliders, even when there was no food in the cage. And attacking to the point of balling up with the other one screaming. I have four total gliders and I had four food stations in their cage when they were together with plenty of food at all times. I tried absolutely everything I could to fix the issue. I just feel really bad for him because obviously he doesn't understand what he was doing and now he's alone.

Is he neutered?

Yes, he was neutered when I got him. Perhaps I should just take him to the vet for a checkup. Make sure there is not a physical problem.

Taking to vet is probably not a bad idea. Is he pulling fur near his butt? Does he potty poo ok?

Have you tried intros with only one glider of your colony in a neutral area?

Or tent/ bathroom time with just one of them and him?

A vet visit is a great idea, have them check for parasites and a UTI.

I don't believe he is pulling fur near his butt, only the tail. He seems to be going to the bathroom ok as well. I will get him out with only one of the other gliders and see how they do. I suspect he will enjoy the time with one of the others in a neutral area. Do you think I should try getting him out with his original bonded female? I originally got him and a female, and they had twins not too long after. His food aggression really didn't start until she was pregnant, or with gliders in pouch. The pregnancy was a surprise to me because when I got them the breeder neutered him so that wouldn't happen. Oops.

Thank you for suggesting the test for a UTI and/or parasites. I will definitely ask my vet to check for those.