Hey Guys!!
This is going to be a bit of a long post but i need some advice because i am truly at a loss...
My husband and I recently had a bit of an accident with one of our females, Mochi. Not too long ago (the 9th to be exact), Mochi ended up getting stuck underneath the glider kitchen that we give them (cake carrying tray with holes in the side and the top of the lid). She was there for some time and we had noticed because she nor her cage mate made any noise to alert us...she ended up getting pretty dehydrated, hypothermic, and was in traumatic shock. She pulled through after an emergency vet trip where she was admitted overnight, given fluids, reheated and fed an emergency diet to bring her blood sugar levels back up. With some follow up special care at home and some medication and antiseptic solution for her minor wounds she was feeling good as new. (important ot note she had no broken bones or internal injuries, we had all the bells and whistles done to make sure she was okay) Her energy has been the way it was before the incident and she's been doing a lot better with getting around, and we finally starting sleeping at night again without being afraid that she would pass...

*It is important to note we took shifts watching her for almost a full week after the incident because she has a history of ripping her fur out when she is stressed and we worried about this but she had no such behaviour after the incident*

Recently, however, we noticed that she has large bald spots on both of her flaps, the left being worse than the right, that either wasn't there before or just wasn't bad enough for us to take notice as I checked her over physically every day. The skin still seems healthy, it's not irritated or inflamed or anything, just missing fur. We did some searching but didn't find anything about missing fur on the flaps, just the head and back for the most part. We have a couple of theories (anxiety, overgrooming, etc) but we can't pinpoint what it could be. We were hoping we could get some ideas or even solutions from you guys here, any help at all would be greatly appreciated, thank you! I can update with pictures later if need be she just doesn't seem to stay still long enough for me to really try and capture them lol.

It does sound like over grooming from stress. Other than that, I don't know how to help you.

Getting her environment and schedule back to normal will help.

There's always the chance her buddy is overgrooming her.

I wonder if maybe there was some stress in those areas. Maybe lack of circulation and fur fell out.

The skin looks ok?

Pics might be helpful

Her skin does look healthy, it was odd to us because even though she is known for overgrooming when stressed it was such a delayed reaction. As far as we are aware there wasn’t any permanent damage done to the patagium when we were shown the scans and when the vet looked at them. But once again we aren’t 100% sure. I got a decent photo of the bald spot in her one flap but I can’t seem to figure out how to post it!!

Try here: http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=adding_pics

I hope this works it is my first time trying to upload a photo

She seems to be worsening... more bald spots on inner front elbows now... her fur is incredibly cracked... do I consider taking her to a vet? I don’t want to stress her out more by taking her to a vet but I’m not sure what to do....

At this point I would take her to the vet, have them run a fecal, check for Giardia and a UTI.

What diet are you feeding?

How is thr humidity in your house?

You can give her Avocado a couple times a week, also post a picture od her as a whole so we can see her fur.

The skin looks nice and pink.

I have been feeding tpg, it is the diet I feed all my babies and I make sure my ratios are balanced with my fruits and veggies!

With winter approaching we have been struggling a bit with the humidity but just got our humidifier up and running and the humidity is starting to rise.

I have been trying to give her avocado a couple times a week and I think it was actually helping her fur was looking much better but now I’m not sure. Someone recommended to me to try vitamin e oil on her flaps but when I try to apply it she gets super stressed which seems counter productive.... I will post a pic as soon as possible of her overall fur. I don’t want to wake her up if I can avoid it because I’m hoping routine will help her!

Wow now I'm not sure. I see a nice pink/red vein, good skin color too. So she has good circulation... I was going to suggest a skin culture in that area, but I don't think that's a a problem.

Any oil would cause them to groom more in that area. You'd have to put a cone on her. They don't like fur that feels funny. Having a bald spot she may be trying to groom it to make it feel right.

We did try a cone but the one we have I think may be too stiff. She ended up hurting herself more trying to get it off. We took her to the vet today. The vet said that it is probably stress/boredom. We have been trying to give her really engaging toys to keep her busy but I guess it just may not be enough. Idk. The vet said to try making something similar to an airplane pillow to put around her neck in place of a ecollar.

*she has a cut on her chin and on the top of her head from the original incident so when she tries to get the ecollar off she rips them open*

Any other advice is welcome. It seems so odd to me that she is overgrooming her flaps and not the spots around the scabs seeing as they are on her head and I know that is a common overgrooming spot to begin with.... I haven’t found any other cases of overgrooming on flaps... if it gets worse I may take her to a specialist in Toronto. I have been avoiding it due to Covid but I may not have an option.

Do yonu have a pool noodle?

Pipe insulation (cover) may work better.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hggcxxKYEpYQdZSc8

I've seen them made with a pool noodle. This is the only pic I could find.

So the above pic is 1" inside diameter and collar is 1" long. I'm not sure what kind of tape they were using. This allows them to eat and drink. Not so awkward.

Okay, so here is an update photo side by side... we have taken her to the vet, they said she was fine and just stressing... but I am trying to get into contact with a specialist to get her in to see them for a second opinion... this really seems abnormal....

It looks like some fur is trying to grow back. Since they don't shed very much, it may take a little while for it to grow back.

In the meantime, how is the humidity level in your home? They can have dry skin.

Good News!! Her fur is growing back!!! We have been struggling with our humidity for sure, our little humidifier just doesnt seem to be cutting it this winter. She has a little bit of fuzz back and we are so so happy shes almost completely back to normal. We are just combatting with a scab on her head now. If anyone can suggest good humidifiers it would be greatly appreciated!!

Ironically, I'm in the market for a new one and I found one I hope to pick up today...

We burn wood as our primary heat source, and at this time they are in the same room as the stove. It's only 28% humidity and I need to get it back up to around 55%.

They are in a big room, so I will set the humidifier on the floor below their cage. Mist rises...

This is a link to the pic, I'm not cheap, but I'm willing to give it a try regardless of the low reviews... I think it's going to do what I need... I buy a new one every year usually.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KcetH19VUj7fbkjy8

I'll let you know how it goes.


HAVING SAID the above, there are a few criteria that need to be met when purchasing a humidifier for your gliders:

No ionic or ionization... Bad for their resperatory system.

It has to be safe so they can't get in it...

No additives in the water like scents, oils, or anything with menthol... Also bad for their resperatory system...

Distilled water only. It keeps the bacteria out of the air from stale water, if you have city water, chlorine is bad too. Not good for their resperatory system... Distilled water keeps humidifier clean if maintained correctly.

I hope this helps

That is great news!

The distilled water will also help prolong the life of your humidifier.

I may have to purchase a second humidifier in order to keep the humidity up. We live in a basement and it get cold in Canadian winters so the forced heat dries out the air quickly. We have an air purifier for them too and it runs 24/7.

Okay so her flaps are fully grown back in with fur but the scab on her head from the original incident.... well you can see in the photo. The first one was on Tuesday and the second one was just taken. She ripped off her scab. I don’t know what to do I have antiseptic from the vet that I have been applying to keep it clean. But can I wrap it? How it’s so close to her eyes. Do I take her back to the vet? I need som advice.

She will definitely need a cone of shame... Sorry... The foam collar I recommended won't keep her from grooming it.

It will take practice to get a snug enough fit, it will seem like it's too tight, but if she can breathe, she'll be fine. Moleskin around inside the collar helps with fit and comfort. It can be trimmed in front so she can eat and drink. You may have to help her get comfy with extra blankies (5" x 5") squares of fleece) so she can get her rest. The quicker she gets the cone on and figures out she can't get it off the better.

I would call your vet to see what they recommend as a topical to put on the site.

If you can get Vetericyn VF you can put that on two or three times a day.

Hello. Do you give your gliders calcium on their fruit daily?
She may have stress from the incident. If it doesn't start to clear up in 1 week, I would ask the veternarian.
Maybe check her cage to make sure no iron peeling for possible toxicity..