My suggies fur has become really cracked and I am a bit worried... Dehydration? I live in Arizona and its still about 70 outside.
Thanks
Erica Durham

This time of year, air gets really dry. (I'm in Canada, so I'm not sure what it's like in Arizona). I use a humidifier and I find it helps with the fur cracking.

I should try that thanks! :)

There are warm mist and cool mist humidifiers. I would get the warm mist, but don't put it too close to the cage. You don't want everything being wet.

What diet do you have your gliders on? I have seen past posts and this topic talked about before.

Many said that they changed their gliders diet and the cracking went away. You might want to check out some past posts on this subject.

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Originally posted by sunglider

What diet do you have your gliders on? I have seen past posts and this topic talked about before.

Many said that they changed their gliders diet and the cracking went away. You might want to check out some past posts on this subject.

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That's absolutely right. Any diet other than the proven staple diets (HPW, BML, Judith's, Glider Kids, etc.) will not promote healthy fur. Babyfood, catfood, pellet, and made up diets are unhealthy for gliders and will lead to cracked fur, among other things.

I really believe that a lot of the reports of cracking fur have as much to do with the time of year and weather as it does with the glider's diet.

With the approach to winter MANY animal's fur goes through a growth change and they develop a thicker under coat of very fine fur that helps keep them warm during the winter months. Dogs and Cats in our care develop thicker winter coats even though they live in our climate controlled homes year round.

Why wouldn't a glider's fur also become thicker. As the undercoat gets thicker, it will naturally look as though the fur is splitting and 'cracking' in places.

Even gliders on one of the recognized glider diets may show cracking this time of year, especially with the extreme cold temperatures many folks are currently having. Add the heat you provide in your home to dry out the air more than the winter weather already has and it will just make the cracking more noticeable.

If you are feeding your glider's a good staple diet along with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables the cracking is probably from the seasonal changes, weather and dry heated air combined.

About humidifier.... Do NOT get a warm mist humidifier... They are literally a breeding ground for bacteria... Even if u clean it everyday.., thevwa
Mist produces bacteria way faster than a cool mist

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Originally posted by Fionabear

About humidifier.... Do NOT get a warm mist humidifier... They are literally a breeding ground for bacteria... Even if u clean it everyday.., thevwa
Mist produces bacteria way faster than a cool mist

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They both actually produce bacteria, but warm would certainly produce it faster than cool. Both would need to be cleansed regularly, but warm would need cleansed more often. Cool would be safer to use in regards to burns and such as it does not have a heating element like the warm ones do, but are louder than warm ones. Some cool models do have do have a silent feature. Both are equally effective in producing humidity. It's really a matter of personal opinion and situation. It might be helpful to first try to determine if humidity Is an issue at all. You can test the humidity with a hygrometer. Good humidity is around 35-50 percent. Too high can cause problems with moisture. As most people don't have access to a hygrometer, another way to tell is if there is presence of mold in the home, or condensation or steam on your windows. This means you probably have higher humidity. If your lips are frequently chapped, or you have itchy skin dry, you probably have low humidity.

I hate being cold and the idea of having cool air blowing makes me want to shiver, so I like anything warm. But, there's certainly other things to consider before choosing one or the other. As my gliders are in m son's room and he suffers from allergies, a cool mist would probably help him better than warm.

You also do not want to raise the humidity TOO high - or use a humidifier in a small closed room.

Many folks (in warmer climates) have reported that they notice the cage/glider odor much more when the humidity is high.

Too much moisture in a small room will just encourage mold growth that brings its own issues.

I hadn't used Acacia Gum in my diet for a while but I've been using it again for the past 2 weeks and the difference in fur in unbelievable. I'd forgotten the improvement it makes to their appearance. Mine are on a good diet but since the start of winter (as always) their coats become a little bit cracked. But the gum has sorted it completely, even with the weather.

Where can I get some of the Acacia Gum, Helen?

Thanks in advance.

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Originally posted by MoMo MaMa

Where can I get some of the Acacia Gum, Helen?

Thanks in advance.

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I'd like to know too, thanks!

I get my acacia from exotic nutrition

I get it from Exotic Nutrition normally but it's a pain ordering from there unless I make a bulk wholesale order. I bought some off ebay recently, still great stuff. You can either mix it with water to form a gum and stuff it in hidey holes in their cage (mine aren't too keen on that). Or mix it with honey, better choice. Or as I feed a blended diet I just add the gum to the mix as I'm blending so I know they're all getting some when they eat :)

It's very cheap.

do you guys get the powder or Gumivore-Fare?

I just ordered the Acacia gum powder and the gumivore fare from Exotic Nutrition.

I still have not given them the gumivore fare.

Once you open it it goes bad in days(or less) so when I do open it I am going to freeze it in ice cube tray/serving size.

I get the powder. I've tried the gumivore fare, they liked the fruity one, but it doesn't last long. You get a lot more for your money with the powder to just mix with whatever you want.

The gumivore fare only has a short shelf life after opening so best to spoon it out into ice cube trays and freeze. I used to give one cube of it between 3 gliders. It's still good stuff but I do prefer the gum powder.

Helen you posted the same thing I did at the same time!

Haha oh dear! Technically i'm 6 hours ahead of you :)

thank you. Maybe i'll get the powder but also one jar of the Gumivore-Fare just to test it out

The gumivore fare is good stuff, it's very tasty for gliders. It's just that one jar would only last me maybe a fortnight because I have a few gliders, whereas the gum I can make up to my own consistency and mix with whatever I want (juice, yogurt, honey etc), so it's more beneficial for me to buy the powder. But the jar stuff is a great treat :)

I'm interested in trying the acacia gum powder. How much do you use when making up your diet? I feed them HPW and I could add some when blending it up, but I don't know how much to add