Hi everyone..
I saved 2 suggies (male and female)both pretty young. The male "Frankie" is doing great but my female "cin cin" is not doing so well. I took her to the vet and found out she has Giardia. I am giving her medication and thought she was doing better. She has more energy but now she is pulling out her hair. At first I thought she was finally starting to groom herself because that was something she was not doing when she was sick but she has a few bald spots. I keep them in a quite room in a large cage and I visit every night with treats. I'm just lost. Has anyone had this "hair" issue?
Also, neither one will eat mealworms. I offer them all the time and they turn their nose up to them. Please help.
Thanks

I'm not an expert but if she is pulling her hair out I would get an e-collar on her now. I will be back and see if there is anyone that can help you better.

Thanks, that would be great. Have you ever heard of Gliders that wont eat mealworms?? By the way, this board is very informative. Love it!!!

This might sound gross but if you break open the meal worm and push out the guts they might eat it that way.

Do you know how old the gliders are? Also where are you located? Can you post pictures of the glider with the hair issue? Someone might be able to help better seeing photos.

I know that it's not that big of a deal if your gliders wont eat mealies. They should really only be given as treats anyway. They have way more fat then protien so they aren't a very good source of protien. If that's what your giving them to them for, try boiled or scrambled eggs, boiled chicken things like that. No seasoning. Stay away from garlic and onion.

Back to the hair issue. I know some of these people on here will be able to give you some better advice, but when gliders get to stressed or depressed they can SM (self-mutilate). This can really hurt them. An E-Collar sounds like a must. I'm sure the other people on here can tell you why she might be doing this, I'm thinking it's probably because she's sick, in a new place, very stressed things like that.

Hope I helped.

WHERE is she pulling her hair out?

Before jumping to the conclusion that she is SMing, please let us know where the hair loss is. My first guess would be over grooming. Overgrooming most often starts above the eyes, but can occur other places. Overgrooming can have several causes: stress, illness, loneliness, pain.

SO, a vet visit is in order. If you are still treating for giardia, then there still exists the possibility that the glider has an infection. ESP. if these were rescues. So, an antibiotic might be needed. If she checks out OK with the vet, then you know that the cause is stress. So, you can begin addressing her stress level. It is not uncommon for newly rehomed gliders to become very stressed.

Mealworms, while given as a treat, are also very good for your glider's teeth. If they will not eat mealworms, you can provide safe branches for the gliders to chew on.

I am PMing you my phone number. You can call any time.

Thanks for all the great advice. I will take a few pictures of the hair loss and post it and hopefully it is just over grooming.
The hair loss is at the base of the tail and on the lower back. The base of the tail is bald and the hair on the back is very thin. I was watching them this morning and she is also grooming my male quite a bit. But I will ask the vet about an e-collar. Thanks to everyone for your reply. It really helped.