I purchased both my gliders from Pocket Pets one week ago. They sold them to me with a cage (that they forced me to buy) three days ago I noticed my male shaking in the morning while he was eating, I though it was possible that he was cold and soon after the trembling stopped. The next morning he was shaking agian but this time it was uncontrollable and he was having small tremors. I called the vet and Pocket pets who told me it was a calcium deficiency which didn't make much sense to me since I hand fed both gliders there vitamins in applesauce to help with bonding but I made the emergency mixture of honey and eggs and gave it to him, but he only got worse from there, he began to have vision problems he didn't recognize me and would bite and crab when I opened the cage and then started attacking his cage mate when she was near until he could get close enough to smell her and realize it was her. He stumbles and is easily spooked I started researching and realized this is very similar to PVC toxin poisoning and took them out of the cage right away. My vet agree's it appears to be PCV poisoning and gave him IV fluids and told me to push green vegetable juice. I have been doing that and he has not improved, he shakes uncontrollably and still appears to have vision problems, we are going on day three and i am very worried he isn't going to pull though and would love some advise or any stores of people whom have had similar situations. i just want to know what to look for and if this is something he will come out of. The vet hasn't had a case first hand so it really worries me hes not doing all he can. He told me its a wait and see game but I don't want to just watch him suffer. Please help.

I had something similar happen with one of my male babies. And my vet, dr tim tristan actually did diagnose it as a calcium difficiency. First off, the diet pocket pets gives is a horrid diet. Suggies are not made to digest hard dry food like pellets. also sprinkling vitamins is not a good way to give vitamins because you can easily overdose. Its good you came to this site to get help. If youll go to the gliderpedia tab and look under diets you can choose one of the reccomended nectar replacement staples that best fits your needs. You will need to feed that along with one table spoon of a fruit and one table spoon of a veggie each night. Beware some diets have a strict list of what fruits and veggies are okay to feed so choose based on those requirements. The BMW is a good diet that you can find everything locally and not online, if you live near a good pet store. If you will get your babies on a good diet, and it does not improve then take them to the vet to be sure.

It is unusual that a glider would have PVC poisoning. There are a multitude of glider owners who have cages made of PVC and it has not posed a threat of poisoning. Unless there was some way that he ingested some form of it, I just can't imagine that would be the cause.

Is your vet truly experienced with gliders? He may be guessing, just based on the information you offered?

Pocket Pets are WELL known for running a complete sham of an operation and we wish there were some way to shut them down. They often sell joeys too young. They sell very inbred gliders and sick gliders. If you have only had them one week...they sold you a glider that was already very sick. He may not have looked like it at the time, but gliders hide their illnesses very well as they are a prey animal and it is their instinct to try to protect themselves.

Keeping him on either sub Q or IV fluids is a good idea in his condition. The vet also should be able to give him a good dose of glucose to see if there is any instant reaction...sometimes it can give hope that one still has a chance to be treated.

The inbreeding produces weak and sick gliders (either suddenly or over their life time). The diet they feed and recommend is very unsuitable.

I'm so sorry for you having to go through this, I hope others may be able to offer some more advice, however none of us are vets and advice from experience is all that we can offer. It sounds like some HLP symptoms to me with the trembling, etc. but I would guess that this is a very young glider for that to have already been this advanced? Anyone want to take a guess on possibly an OD offering the calcium supplement as was mentioned in the post? Would need clarification on how much/what brand.

If I were you, possibly research into a qualified glider vet to get a second opinion (IF your vet isn't already). Also, Pocket Pets needs to be held accountable for this sale especially since it has only been a week and he has become this ill. You're accruing big vet bills and I know going through hell emotionally.

Best of luck to you. Please keep us updated.

Go to another vet... Gosh, do everything you can, call up all the vets in the area until someone can help... I'm so sorry they're sick. Nothing new with pocket pets unfortunately. I hope they'll be okay =(

Please get another cage and get your gliders out of the cage that Pocket Pets sold you.

A few years ago there were hundreds of gliders lost due to toxic PVC coated wire. The symptoms are neurological and gliders are treated with fluids and calcium. Dr. Tristan is a good vet for your vet to consult with.

The toxic wire is still out there, I myself have gotten rid of all but my two oldest coated wire cages. The best is HQ flight cages with a baked enamel finish.

I hope your little one gets better, but they need to be removed from the cage as they will constantly be exposed to the toxin in there.

I've looked up what I can, and if the cage is indeed giving off chlorine gas (which could explain the vision loss), there is no treatment besides supportive measures, not even an experimental one. If it is chlorine gas, you may also see blood in his stool and he may begin to show respiratory (breathing) symptoms. The cage could also be giving off lead or zinc, but your boy's symptoms don't really match either of those scenarios.

This is a huge stretch, but feeding avocado is a great way to help gliders gain weight, and it can't hurt that they're a great source of antioxidants. Maybe, just maybe, the antioxidants will be able to reduce the oxidative damage done by the chlorine (admittedly it's a long shot, but it's better than nothing, and gliders LOVE avocado). Just be sure to continue to supplement with calcium to offset the fruit's phosphorus content. Also, you may want to be proactive about you little girl's health and have her tested (and if needed, treated) for parasites.

I know it's a lot at once, and it's hard to adopt a pet expecting a lifelong friend and be faced with financial hardship and health issues instead, but our prayers are with you an your little boy, and we're all pulling for you.

Obviously they're out of the cage right? I thought that was obvious but then people mentioned it... if the gliders will recover it's probably a waiting game that requires them to have clean air, good food, and any vet care possible. And to be away from ANY possible toxins!!

The toxic PVC coated wire cages were discontinued by Pocket Pets over a year ago. It is likely your glider has other health issues.

If your vet did NOT do fecal testing then you need to have that done ASAP. Very often calcium or other nutritional deficiencies is the result of PARASITES that prevent the glider from absorbing what they need from their foods.

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I called the vet and Pocket pets who told me it was a calcium deficiency which didn't make much sense to me since I hand fed both gliders there vitamins in applesauce to help with bonding but I made the emergency mixture of honey and eggs and gave it to him,

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There is NO WAY a young joey should have a calcium deficiency unless the MOTHER of the joey was calcium deficient, and fed a poor diet while nursing the joey. Calcium deficiencies occur over a long period of time not a few weeks or even a few months.

feeding a random amount of vitamins is likely to over dose a glider on some vitamins and or minerals because the actual dosage is an amount needed is such a small amount it is difficult to measure. Supplements are best administered in a full batch of a good glider staple that provides the protein, vitamins and calcium in proper amounts for your glider.

I have no clue what the "emergency mixture of honey and eggs" is supposed to do for your glider other than to raise its blood sugar if it is too low.

If your vet gave you a calcium supplement - use that but do not use any other calcium or vitamin supplements at the same time. That could result in an overdosage.

If your glider has tremors only in the morning, I have to wonder if it has eaten enough overnight. What are you feeding your gliders? I would NOT use the dry pellet food that Pocket Pets sold you. Glider's digestive systems are just NOT designed to process hard dry foods. If you were given GLIDER GRAVY - that should be your gliders primary staple - mixed with water as directed it will provide a well balanced amount of protein, vitamins and other nutrients your glider needs.

You should also feed a wide variety of fruits and vegetables - especially juicy fruits like melons, grapes and berries to help meet your gliders need for fluids. Gliders do not drink much water and get most of what they need from the fruits and vegetables you offer. Pellet foods require lots of water to be digested and can contribute to a glider's dehydration if they are not getting enough fluids.

Be sure to have the food in the cage a little before your glider wakes up in the EVENING so that it can go immediately to eat when it wakes up. Gliders do not eat a lot at one time, but eat many times over night so the food should be in the cage all night long. There should be a little food left over in the morning - that way you know your gliders had all that they wanted and needed to eat over night.

Just wondering if there's any update on this glider?
Is he ok? Was it cage poisoning?
Did he get a fecal?

Thor is doing much better, I have been doing comfort care like the vet recommended and feeding him every 4 hours with a syringe. I have been pushing green fluids (ie green machine juice) and kale. His shakes are almost all the way gone, he still has some sensory issues when he walks, he lifts his feet up really high with each step and has yet to start grooming himself again. My vet said to expect a slow progress with that but that she is confident he will make a full recovery, she thinks the reason he may not be grooming is due to his social standing changing with his cage mate (he was dominant before he became ill and is now being dominated by Freya my female). Weather the toxicity was due to the cage or not my vet notified me that PVC is toxic to some gliders, especially with the heating lamp they recommend I get heating up the vinyl creating toxic air for them to be breathing in. Weather Pocket pets has hazardous cages or not I am not interesting in debating. I for one would not risk ANY cage made of PVC and have ordered a cage with powder coating from a reputable company. Thank you all for your advise and I'll keep you posted on his progress.

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Weather Pocket pets has hazardous cages or not I am not interesting in debating. I for one would not risk ANY cage made of PVC

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I am a little confused - Did he become sick in the cage you got from Pocket Pets or from a PVC coated wire cage you purchased from Animart - as you indicated in your post on Glider Central"

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I purchase the cage from a local pet store, Animart. The cage brand is critter creations.

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I agree that I would not purchase ANY PVC coated wire cage because they are not labeled with the source of the wire. I just wonder which of the two cages your glider was in when he began showing symptoms.

Interesting thoughts about the heat lamp and PVC. Not that I would use either of them...but, it is worth noting for general PVC knowledge.

I didn't post anything in another forum.

Blue why would you not use a heating lamp?

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I didn't post anything in another forum.

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Sorry - there was an anonymous post on Glider Central with almost EXACTLY the same story of a male glider from pocket pets with exactly the same symptoms and Pocket pets blaming it on a calcium deficiency.

Seems you are not alone. I'm Curious - what state are you in? I wonder if both gliders were sold from the same area or, although we will never know, if they came from the same mill breeder (Pocket Pets sells them, but does not breed gliders)

I am very glad to hear your little guy and the one discussed on GC are both on the mend.

With respect to the heat lamp -

Gliders are warm blooded animals and by the age of 8 weeks OOP are fully capable of maintaining their own body temperature. They do not need a heat lamp or the heat rock pocket pets usually pushes on new owners. These external heat sources can actually cause burns and contribute to dehydration by overheating the gliders - sort of like being in a hot car.

Using the heat lamp on the PVC wire may have just caused it to emit more of the toxic chemicals in the coating than might have occurred in a normal temperature area.

If you are comfortable at the temperature you keep your home, your glider will be fine. During the winter, some of us use a small space heater in the area of the glider cages to keep the temperature at a comfortable level in the room - but not close to or aimed directly at the glider cage.