Sorry I don't have the answers to your questions, but it sounds like things are going better. Yay!

I have been in the position of handing out a few hundred and skipping student loan payments for my animals before. I think a good animal 'owner' (they are more our owners aren't they?) would willingly go without to make sure their pets/companions have the best care!

Also I am a new glider owner, and not saying I know that much about glider cleaning/scent marking and such, but I know the procedures that we did for quarantining sick and new animals. Not only did we use a dilute solution of bleach (never EVER use bleach near any animal that produces ammonia in their pee! It makes mustard gas!) or A33 (zoo/hospital cleaning solution) to scrub every inch of our cage/exhibit, but we also had footbaths for our boots (kitty pan with dilute bleach). Also we always fed/cleaned/took care of the sick animals after we had done the healthy animals. Or if you have someone else who can take care of your other gliders so that you don't have to go near them! If you do have to do something with your healthy gliders, change your clothes/shoes/socks, wash your hands, and do not use any of the same utensils or items that would go between the two groups. It might sound extreme, but these little things can prevent the spread of whatever could be causing this mysterious sickness!

Also I would suggest taking away a lot of toys and keeping the cage as simple as possible. We did this at the zoo, especially for our birds, because it made less things that they could trip or catch themselves in. Make sure they have plenty of blankets to curl up in, because hydration can be as important as warmth!

Gray Fox, I'm glad your gliders are doing better. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a vet fund, I believe we all should have at least $200-$300 per glider set aside just for emergencies, and add to it whenever possible.

Side note: a chemical exposure won't cause a gastro-intestinal infection, that comes from bacteria or virus. The symptoms, however, can be very similar, though you won't have a fever with a chemical exposure. In either case a thorough cage cleaning is definitely called for, and Filly's advice for simplifying the cage is quite sensible. Keep a close eye on them, and if the shaking continues into tonight, call the vet for advice.

Well wishes to your little ones!

Hey thanks for all of the responses so far.
Yes i do actually have a vet fund so i was okay lol. I actually have 200 per pet right now, so im ok, i just wanted to complain lol! When you love someone or somehting, your allowed to complain about htem lol!!!!!

I cleaned the entire cage last night. Took it out and powerwashed it :-D I did what someone suggested and used dawn to clean the cage, with a very thorough rinse ( i even did it outisde in the rain lol) and then did some bleach cleaning to it afterwards and let it air dry.

I have to call the vet, im actuually on hold right now lol, because i am having a hell of a time getting them to take their meds. I was going to ask to see if they knew if i could mix it into their food or if it had to be givin orally. They took it thismorning, but man it took me an hour for two gliders!!!!!

They are up and about as usual today, but are still showing signs of shakyness. But man do they have gas lol!!!! I was giving Cherry her meds and PEEEEYEW! man she pooped in my hand and boy did it smell!!!!!! I know stress can cause that but im assuming its just part of the illness.

I actually even moved them to another floor of my house! They are no where near anyone else, gliders i mean. I even stopped trying introduction stuff with Silly until i know everyone is 100%ok.

I woke up a few times last night just to make sure they were ok lol.... i know im nuts!

Ill post later after im doin being on hold for the vet, about what she says regarding the shaking and what not.

Thanks again everyone so far!

still sending lots of positive energy your way, thanks for the update. You can do it suggies, you can do it! :) :) :)

Ok, just got off of the phone with the vet. She is so wonderful, and it makes it even better that he vet tech that is always with her used to be a licensed fda / certified breeder. So they both know a lot about these guys so it makes me feel so much better that my vet has these people!!! And tthey are the only ones near by with this experience, and its my hometown vet so its just awsome lol!

Anyway, after talking to her, i devised a new plan to get the suggies their meds. I wasnt sure if i was able to put the meds in the food or not, but she said that its totally ok, and it works best with chicken! So on my lunch break, im going to go home and cook some chicken and be a ninja and sneak the meds in!!

I also asked her about the wabblyness, kinda like htey are drunk is the best way to describe it, and she said it could be a lot of things, for example: Vitamin D and A deficency, or it could be that the infection is in some kind of fluid in the spine or brain thats blocking the brain from being able to funtion properly.

She said it could be nothing to worry about or it could be really really bad so just to watch it for a bit. If it getes worse, she'll be in to help me out. But she said it mihgt take a while for htem to actually get rid of the infection in the area where its causig them to "walk drunk".
But as long as it doesnt get worse, we should be ok, especially for the fact that they are still trying to eat and drink. I was givin some glideraid as well to add more sugar into their diet because the vet also said that it could be some lack in sugar as well...

So we will see what happens. We are going to do a blood test too just to see if there is anything else underlying if things dont get better in a few days.

Ill keep everyone update!!
Thanks so much!!!

I am so happy! Hopefully those meds will kick all the infection out! Just think with every fart they could be getting better! Lol! And yes your vet is very correct on the hundred things that could cause that 'drunkedness', which also could be as simple as low blood glucose. Sugar is the fuel for the brain, so hopefully the glideraide will help out! My prayers are with you!

And no, you are not crazy for checking on your babies all night long. I remember when I put my calf in the field with my horses I would check on her every five or ten minutes to make sure she was okay!

Just an idea you might want to ask you vet about that I thought of as I was reading through everything again: you may want to consider giving these babies some yogurt as PART of their protein every night, at least for awhile. I have almost always done this for the calcium and the probiotics. It seems to have worked well. My vets have agreed that they thought this was a good idea. I would recommend a higher protein yogurt, like the Yoplait custard style stuff, or the Stoneyfield Farms Organic Vanilla Yogurt. My suggies love it. I am just thinking about the ability of antimicrobial drugs to kill off "good" flora as well as the bad stuff.

Yes that is a great idea! Plus the bacteria within yogurt helps the digestive tract of most mammals! I've also heard that apple vinegar has natural antibiotic properties, but it should be diluted.

Here is a little bit of an update for everyone.

So far this seem to be going ok, hope i dont jynx myself....... They are not longer throwing up and seem to be ok. They are still a bit drunk walking, but it doesnt seem to be near as bad as what it was the other night. But its still a concern but like i said, it seems to be getting better with time :)

I have to really really really try hard and i mean hard for them to take their meds. Even when its hidden in food, they figure it out and THROW it across the cage LOL!!! I even put it in chicken and they still find it! Vet said its ok as long as they are getting the antibiotic medication, which they are.

So far Silly, Buster, and Squirrley all seem to be doing fine in their seperate cages. None of them seem to have cought whatever Leo and Cherry have, at least i hope they dont......hope its not going to be one of those ones that stays dormant!

In the midsts of being all stressed out from family issues that are really hard to deal with, and the stress of sick gliders, i decided to go all out, and not only clean their cages and toys, but started to build them a huge 6ft pvc cage!!! Boy do my hands hurt from cutting all of the pcv lol!!!!!!

Hopefully things get better over night!! Im praying for a full quick recovery from whatever they have!!!!!

Is the med flavored at all? Sometimes a formulary pharmacy can flavor it so it's a little more palatable for them.

Ed posted an excellent video example on how to give meds a little while back. I'll see if I can find it for you.

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22594

If you scroll down, you'll see it part way down the page.

Ok, that is just so not cool! He makes it look like so freaking easy!!!!!! I spent an hour the other morning trying to give my babies medication and it wasnt working! Im going home and trying what he did lol....Thats just not fair! LOL!!

Wow, surprisingly that actually worked! Cherry took it like that video said with really no problem, some fussing but she took it fine. Leo in the other hand, actually took the medication after a while of fussing, and then once i put him back in the cage, he spit it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess its back to the chicken for him for now lol!

But both gliders so far are doing ok. The "drunkeness" walking issue is slowing going away. I have seen more imporvement in both of them with the shaking or drunkeness walking as i refer to it as. They are starting to slowey get back on their feet..... Still a bit concerned about them, but as long as this medication starts to work, it should be all good from here.

Ill post another update for everyone later on in the evening when i get home to see how they are doing! And to get to work on my pvc cage lol

When I had to give Paganini his meds (shortly before he passed from cancer), I held his head gently yet firmly for a second after giving it to him. Then, I rapidly gave him a mealie just before letting go. No more spitting or shaking it out. Maybe that will work for your guy, too.

Now, if I could only get the nail trimming down...urgh.

Yea i was thinking about trying mealies, but i dont think their tummies want mealies yet. I tried to give them mealies last night and they didnt take them......

Keep hold of his head for a minute or so after you give him the med. If you can, gently stroke his throat with your thumb; that triggers the swallowing reflex -- at least with cats; I don't see why it wouldn't work with gliders. Try to get most of it into him anyway.

I'm glad to hear they are home, eating and drinking and generally doing better. Their having been sick has probably made them a little weak - just like it does us. Give them a couple of days - watch them closely - and if you suspect things are either not getting better or are getting worse, get them back to the vet.

Keep checking them for dehydration, too. Give them some really juicy fruits like watermelon.

Again, Im so glad to hear they are doing better. It sounds like they are in very capable hands.

Still praying for all of your babies! You are doing everything in your power to help them, and I couldn't think of a better human for them! Just give them all of your love, and thats all we can ever really do!

Wow. Lucky Glider did make that look SO easy. I used to work at a vet and Im no where near that talented. Lol

How are you building your cage. Hubby and I are going to build one. How are you using the pvc?

How are your babies this morning?

Hey everyone! Sorry i havnt been on the gossip for a few days. Leo and Cherry are still sick, but they are doing soooo much better. I have seen them out and about more and more often now instead of sleeping 24-7.
I even heard one of them Barking Last night, which is good to hear :) That noise is soo cute!!!
They are still shakey, but not by much. They are eating and drinking well, and the vet even called me to see how they were since she didnt hear from me at all!!!!! Man i love my vet!!!!!!!!!

I think another week and they should be back to normall!!! Medicine is still a pain in the butt, but at least its working so the all of the pain and fuss is paying off!!! Thank god! I was really woried there for a while!

So at this point, they are doign 100% better then what they were last week!!! So a big THANK YOU to EVERYONE for helping out and their suggie prayers!!!!!!

Im so glad they are feeling better.

So happy to hear they are doing better.

Ok everyone, i think we are all cured!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Both Leo and Cherry are out and about each and everyday, jumping all around their cage, there is no more drunkeness, no more vomiting, and there is no more shaking or wabbling. Both of them seem to be 200% better than they ever were!!! Im going to try to start to bond with them again, and hopefully we will all be a match made in heaven! They went to the vet yesterday for a followup check from the vet, and fecals and everything were perfect!
So i just wanted to really express my thanks to everyone for their help and Suggie Prayers and love!!! I really appreciated each way everyone helped out :)
Pics comming tonight!!!!!!!
REALLY REALLY THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So happy to hear the good news Gray Fox. I know it was really scarry there for a while but you and your Vet seem to have do an excellant job. That Vet is a keeper for sure. God Bless and Good Luck with the bonding.

Aw shucks, that's what we're here for.

No seriously though! It was so much help and great support!!! I know if i post something, im going to get someone's two cents wether i want it or not HAHAHA!!!!!! No for real, everyone here is just awsome!

That's great news!