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Rowangel Glider   USA
173 Posts
Hi my name is Chris and this post is going to be looong...I'm sorry in advance.
I am reluctant to post as most health-related posts get a ton of hits from trolls looking for potential drama, and I am not much into drama posts. I also don't believe in posting on forums where your question is easily searchable because it has been discussed a 100 times already. However after the stressful events of last night I'm just looking for a little advice and support from experienced glider owners.
Background:
(because this always comes up and I think it is important for people to have a basis of understanding on those they are trying to help).
I met my first glider in Texas in 2000 while visiting a friend. She told me her neighbor had some kind of 'cool flying rodent' and being an animal person I was very curious. Upon meeting said 'cool flying rodent' I was instantly in love, even though this glider was particularly aggressive and the owners said that they didn't handle it because it was 'too mean and bites.' What I saw was a neglected animal the owners had failed to understand when it didn't behave like a gerbil and I wanted to learn more.
Upon returning home I blasted through what I could find on the internet, however in 2000, most of what I did find was confusing, complicated, costly, time consuming and most importantly contradictory. For me it could not pass the 5-C's test for pet owning. I had neither the money or time to devote to gliders, much less the patience to wade through all the conflicting information.
Flash forward to 2009 I came across Sugar gliders again. Boy was I excited! I had the time, money and ability to actually consider glider ownership. I support research before pet owning, but I am not perfect nor immune to cute faces and 'time-limited' opportunities. Enter the dreaded PP (insert ominous music here)I had no idea if I would ever get the opportunity to purchase these guys again...and they had promising new information on glider ownership that seemed FAR more reasonable than I had remembered from years before.
So I purchased my new babies, ran home and spent the next week (FOR HOURS on end) searching the internet and going 'wtf, nothing this idiot told me appears correct.' Anyway, long story short (too late I know), I made many changes; Pricilla Price diet, large cage, supplements and I do not value much, if any of the PP information. I follow several forums although I am not a poster, I try to find my own answers first and know there are far more experienced people than I to give advice.
Situation:
Last night we had an incident. My roommate and I own several cats and have for many years. I do NOT let the gliders interact with the cats; ALL cats have prey instincts and that toy mouse you toss across the room for them...same size as a glider. Cats don't care what it smells like-if it moves it's a toy.
At 4 am today my boy Casey decided to be an escape artist (we still do not know how) and my roommate awoke to loud glider crabbing. With in minutes He had the lights on and saw Casey running across the floor with the cats following behind. I was up seconds later. On first once over he seemed fine other than completely freaked out. Their was some slobber on his back, but that appeared to be all. I sat down with him in my hands and planned to stay with him all night to make sure he didn't go into shock. After about a minute I pulled my hand away to check and re-adjust and when I did there was blood on my hands. I can not put into words the feeling that went through me at that moment...I have no doubt my heart stopped beating, my chest hurt so bad and I completely freaked out. My roommate and I grabbed gauze bandages and while I held pressure (and this is were I am sooo happy my boys trust me)we were out the door in less than 10 minutes of having woken up.
We are very fortunate, our emergency clinic is 5 minutes away from us and we saw the vet within 10 minutes of our arrival (although it felt MUCH longer). The wound was cleaned (it had already started to clot) and we found two puncture marks on his lower abdomen. The vet could find no other injuries, he was moving well, even climbing. He received an antibiotic shot and I insisted on a sub-q shot because I am always freaking out about dehydration. We are picking up a 7 day regiment of antibiotics in two hours and i am on a 24 hour snuggle watch to make sure he is drinking/eating/voiding, the wound stays closed and he does not mess with it. I do have an e-collar ready for him when he gets energy back and a hospital cage for recovery. In all we got him help in under half-an-hour and I am praying that will make a difference for his chances.
He is currently at home and snuggling on me, but I can't stop shaking! I have a lot of 'what ifs' rolling around in my head and I can't help but feel like a complete failure, I didn't do enough and I f-ed up. We still have no idea how he got out. Both cage doors were down and his brother Cody was still in the cage.
He has eaten 4 mealies and every half-hour to hour I've been offering Gerbers Yogurt juice used in the BML diet and he's been liking that. He has pee'd twice and seems to be moving all limbs fine, but I can tell his energy is gone and when he doesn't move for awhile I get freaked he died...I'm soo stressed, I've read the horror stories. Does anyone have happy ending stories?????
So my Questions:
1. So is their ANYTHING else I can do that I haven't yet?
2. What are his chances realistically? I neeeed to stop freaking out, I can't think about ANYTHING else...I took today and tomorrow off work and cancelled all my apts.
3. What should my biggest concern right now be or what should I be looking for? The vet said to just watch the wound for swelling and abnormal behavior...I need more info than that.
4. I no longer trust his cage, I want to get him a new one today. What is the best cage you can recommend? It's prolly the shock talking, but I'm not very worried about price, I just don't want sleepless nights wondering if he can get out.
I currently have the Deluxe Rectangular from Suncoast. 66" tall, 24" deep and 28" wide. I don't mind going bigger, but I really don't want to go smaller.
I welcome any questions or advice.
One things for sure, I am so very proud of him, through the entire exam he only nipped a warning once while cleaning the wounds. Even in obvious distress he behaved wonderfully. He currently making my favorite 'popping' noise as I snuggle him close to my heart. I like to think my body heat, sound of my heart and pressure is helping him feel safe and therefore calm enough to allow his body to heal. I hope he can't feel my fear...
I'm so sorry for such a long post, but seeing as this is my first I realize their is quite a bit of info you may need...maybe it would have been a good idea to introduce myself before today...
-Chris
You did a great job! Hopefully he'll be fine and it looks like he got lucky with where the bite was. I would do a complete cage inspection until you get another one if you go that route. I'm very curious as to how he got out too but that typically is a good cage. I have 2 dogs and a cat. The dogs love them and the cat has watched them occasionally and smelled one. Even though he isn't very interested in them. I make sure neither is out at the same time. As a precaution. I also have my gliders cage in the spare bedroom and close that door at night. I also put a heavy duty piece of weather strip on the bottom of the door to prevent escape should they get out or if I don't latch the cage properly. You're doing all you can...keep him close and warm. Rowangel Glider USA 173 Posts Hi, Thanks for the replies. I just got off the phone with Ed's wife...she's awsome...and I have some things to think about. I will post more a little later, but I'm actually off to the reg. vets right now to pick up antibiotics and have Casey looked over again. Thanks for all the positive thoughts, I'll keep this updated. -Chris Rowangel Glider USA 173 Posts Thank you kyro298 for the suggestion to talk to Ed and thank you Ed(luckyglider) for having a very patient and helpful wife. I'm actually a fan of yours and follow your .org blog. I'm embarrassed you are 'meeting' me in this way. The vet said the wounds look clean and to keep an eye on them for swelling. We have a follow-up apt for Monday morning and both my reg vet and the emergency vet said they are available if anything pops up. quote:
Something to continue watching for would be similar to a hypoglycemic reaction, where his little body just loses all energy and he goes limp. If that happens, it is IMPERATIVE that you get him more subque fluids and keep him warm.
This my biggest fear right now...that I can do everything right and shock still gets him. He is peeing fairly regularly and I'm keeping the fluids available. Since 4 am he has been a little suggie burrito in fleece against my chest to stay warm. I believe he is quite enjoying this, he is normally on me anyway during the day. My roommate and are are on a 24 hour 'snuggle watch' to make sure he stays warm, hydrated and calm. Gail made several good points and suggestions when we talked. I plan on doing the water irrigation in the morning and at night (vet thought it was a good idea too)along with the antibiotics. I've talked to the vet about possible abscesses and she plans on checking for that during the Monday apt. I'm looking at the cages right now. My house is two bedroom and the cats have access to pretty much the whole house, but Gail made the suggestion of moving the cage to a closet, at least during the night. So atm my thought is to buy a second cage - move my current one to my bedroom closet and use it in conjuncture with the closet door at night time only. They are not really in the cage much except for when we sleep or are out of the house. So while home when we can monitor, the new living room cage should be fine, but whenever we can't monitor them we can use the bedroom cage with the door for added safety...any thoughts, concerns, suggestions? So far Casey seems to be doing well...but I don't really feel any better. I can't believe I haven't crashed yet, but I still feel hyped up. I will update again later. Thanks again for all the kind support and suggestions, -Chris
Lorockia Joey 17 Posts It sounds like you did everything you could and very fast. You and many others on this site are lucky and have an emergency 24hr vet that knows about Suggies. I live in a small town that no one really has Suggies and no vets know anything about them. So I would be F-ed. =( As for the excape it sounds like your baby found the door. I have ALL Lorockia Joey 17 Posts Oops.. Sorry. My work pc didnt let me finsh. So what I was saying was that I have ALL my cage doors zip-tied except for my two main big ones. Those I keep clipped shut with two clamps. When I first got Layla that was my BIGGEST fear. Knowing that she has thumbs and can pick up things and open things. Thats why I rigged my cage. Please keep us updated and good luck with your baby. HUGS!! Well, it sounds like you handled it. As for anything else to do....I'm not a cat person, so I would say GET RID OF THE CATS! lol sorry, not much help :) Rowangel Glider USA 173 Posts quote:
Originally posted by shadow
quote:
Originally posted by Joey
Well, it sounds like you handled it. As for anything else to do....I'm not a cat person, so I would say GET RID OF THE CATS! lol
sorry, not much help :)
no that is just wrong. if your trying to be funny or cute your not. the cat was just being a cat, it didnt do anything wrong. its never the animal's fault.
Lol, it's ok I think he was joking, and if not I understand the setiment. I do not blame my cat babies, I blame me and only me. I do not expect animals to be more than what they are, it's just not fair on them and I see a lot of that volunteering and working with large exotic cats. The Exotic Feline Rescue Center (AWSOME organization, check out thier website if you get a chance - but that is really niether here nor there) has 230 exotic cats and it is more than a little agrivating to hear tiger owners say they are 'best friends' with a 350+ pound cat and then dump them on us when it behaves like a preditory animal and causes injury or when the housing/food and effort become too much. I get it, gliders and cats are not good bed-fellows just like people and large cats. Anyway Casey seems more responsive tonight. Hes been sleeping with me for 17 hours and apears to have a little more energy, he actually atempted to do a little running around on me. He is very trusting and I think my holding him is really helping keep him calm and warm. He's been eating and drinking as well. We will continue to monitor him and keep you looped in. Thank you again for the support. -Chris (oh! and I emailed Denise to put in an order for two of her E jackets. I figure Casey would prefer that to the e collar.) auctionenvyus Starting Member  2 Posts We Got the Brisbane Cage and love it and I worrie about my Cat as well and feel confortable with this case. Stay close lots' of love quote:
Originally posted by BookGoddes
I am glad to here that so far things are going well. You responded perfectly!
I am betting your guy learned to push the door ups to get out. I have heard others say they have seen it and my breeder has a few cages like that with clamps on them as she said it has happened to her before as well!
Ya know...one of my gliders grabbed my latch tonight...I'm a bit nervous now so does anyone know of any no key latch guards or locks? I've seen them some where before just can't find where. quote:
Originally posted by shadow
quote:
Originally posted by Joey
Well, it sounds like you handled it. As for anything else to do....I'm not a cat person, so I would say GET RID OF THE CATS! lol
sorry, not much help :)
no that is just wrong. if your trying to be funny or cute your not. the cat was just being a cat, it didnt do anything wrong. its never the animal's fault.
Wow! Tough Crowd!   leanyah Joey 19 Posts People on this forum HAVE to lighten up and stop being nasty and attacking other posters. It seems like it has filled up lately with some very angry judgmental people. Your going to chase off people that come here for help. I hate seeing so many posts start out feeling like they need to defend themselves and brace for an attack.....we dont want people thinking we ALL have no sense of humor do you? :D Lorockia Joey 17 Posts Im glad to hear Casey is doing better today. You have worked so hard and been so loving. I think he will be just fine. Hugs! Rowangel Glider USA 173 Posts Update: Hi, I'm very groggy atm. At about 3:30 am this morning, about 24 hours after the incident, I felt comfortable enough to hand Casey off to my roommate and finally take a 3 hour power nap. I took back over at 6am this morning and he was alert, eating/drinking/voiding and moving well. At 9 my roommate switched back off with him and I got a quick 4 hour nap. During this time my roommate said he was quite restless and wanted to run around. When he's become active we've been pouching him and watching him like a hawk to prevent self grooming. I honestly feel this is less stress on him then using the e collar and cage at this point. During my second nappy time I think he wore himself out running circles in the pouch and he is once again sleeping with me making happy 'popping' noises. The wound looks pretty good...I had to move his fur around to find the marks so no swelling or additional blood/redness to the areas. I am not going to say we can relax until his follow-up exam on Monday morning, but I am feeling a little better. Quick Q: He is NOT fond of his antibiotics, Enrofloxacin. He needs this 3 times a day for 10 days and I don't know how to get him to take it. I am using a needless syringe but know if I force it he could asphyxiate him. I have tried mixing it with applesauce/fruit yogurt juice and honey too...either he is smarter than me or he can still taste it because it's not working well. Best method for applying oral meds anyone? Several years ago I bought two different glider carrying cages for my boys in case we made any short trips or for me to use at work and either one of these are a perfect size to allow him some space but not to 'go nuts.' I've had many recommendation to try and keep him as immobile as possible and these I think (lined with fleece) are perfect. In a couple hours I am going to try a short tent time to give him a chance to move around a bit. We've kept him quite immobile and he's pretty much being sleeping or laying with one of us non-stop since 5 am on Thursday and I think he getting restless, which I take to be a good sign? I have two ejackets that I will be getting in the next 24 hours (Thank you Denise!!!) that I feel will be less stressful again than the ecollar. As crappy as this experience has been it has truly blasted away any last remnants of 'Oh, that will never happen to me, I'm so careful!' And I think that is a good thing. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. I don't want to tell people what to do, but if you don't yet have an emergency game plan (e collar/jacket, emergency vet) I would recommend this as the most important thing you can do...even if you think 'this will never happen to me. Thank you, thank you, I will continue to let you know how things are going. I truly appreciate the advice and support from everyone on the forum and those that have taken time out to communicate with me. -Chris BatmanChan Joey 38 Posts Glad to see the update! Still sending lots of positive vibes your way :)
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but we recommend keeping the gliders in a room by themselves and the cat in other areas of the house with a locking door inbetween. Ditto dogs. I know that sounds a bit simplistic but you can save lives this way. Even if you have a perfect cage, a glider can get away from you when you take him out to play. Make sure you use a draft dodger or towel under the door so he can't slide under and enter cat territory.