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one glider over grooming another?
one glider over grooming another?
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Dec 10 2014
11:36:07 PM
Hello,

I need help! I noticed a bald spot on the back of one of my Male glider's neck(yes, he is neutered) and I'm trying to figure out what it is from. My best guess my female glider is over grooming him? Is that possible for one glider to over groom another? I've caught her a couple times grooming that area just this past week. Thoughts? If she is over grooming him, how do I stop it? Do I need to separate them?
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Dec 11 2014
12:20:32 AM
sjusovare Face Hugger Visit sjusovare's Photo Album France 694 Posts
It might be your female overgrooming him, but she might also be grooming that spot because she sees a problem there such as irritation, wound or such.
What wheel are they using? I've seen several gliders having a bald spot in the back of their neck because when they were jumping in the wheel (wodent type) the axis was rubbing there.
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Dec 11 2014
06:54:01 AM
Ems9806 Starting Member 3 Posts
I didn't see any irritation or wound when I took him out of the cage, but maybe there is something I'm not seeing. Their wheel is open faced and doesnt have anything in the middle for him to hit or rub on.
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Dec 11 2014
08:05:35 AM
rustypossumfart Face Hugger Visit rustypossumfart's Photo Album USA 459 Posts
It is very possible that your female is over grooming him, specially since is in the back of his neck, where he could not reach.

I have a pair of a neutered male and female as well. My male, Loki, is a messy eater, and he gets part of his staple on his chest. At first I didn't noticed this, but I started seeing a bald spot on his chest even though he was just a joey and neutered as well. On several occasions I caught my female, Freyja, viciously grooming his chest, and knew that was causing the balding, but I couldn't figured why she was doing that until one morning I was checking him and noticed his chest was sticky; since then I check on them every morning and clean his chest using a towel dipped in warm water to remove whatever food he has stock on his chest.

Another reason, and more rare, is that your female is mounting him. There are some alpha females that do this when they are in heat and don't have a male around that they can breed with. Freyja does this with Loki, and there was one time when she left a small bald spot on the back of his neck.
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Dec 11 2014
09:14:07 AM
Candy Cuddle Bear Visit Candy's Photo Album FL, USA 8110 Posts
If your glider is always getting the staple on his fur - I would choose another type of dish to serve it in in hopes of reducing that problem.

You might also try either providing new or different toys into their cage as a distraction and to keep them exploring rather than having so much time for the over grooming.

Small toys like monkeys (in a barrel game) or the in expensive versions of these - elephants, dinosaurs and bunnies - sold at most dollar stores. These can be hung all over the cage for your gliders to take down and carry around.

plastic bracelets sold for party favors, straws, army men, etc can be put on top of the cage for your gliders to pull in and play with.

Toys they can crawl in and explore like toddler shape sorters or Fisher Price Little People houses and vehicles (often found at Goodwill or Thrift stores minus the small pieces gliders do not use anyway)

Add some foraging cups and put a treat in each for them to climb around and retrieve over night.

Change things up frequently to keep it interesting.

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Dec 11 2014
09:27:48 AM
Leela Goofy Gorillatoes Gliderpedia Editor Visit Leela's Photo Album Leela's Journal 2919 Posts
They can absolutely reach the back of their own head and over groom! Self Over grooming can even happen when they have a cage mate.

Bald patches are usually from their grooming nails, not from licking like a cage mate would groom another glider. If a cage mate is licking an over groomed spot it's possible they are trying to help stop the over grooming by leaving a little of their scent on the patch.

Our Simon came to us with two large bald patches on the back of his head. He had been a single glider for 4 years until he found his way to a rescue where he began over grooming. Just the change in environment was enough to make him over groom.

Once we adopted him and he settled in he stopped over grooming and his hair grew back nicely. Part of Simons thing is he will hide himself away when he feels stressed or overwhelmed.

I had to remove some toys that he hides in to get him to be more active at night. That seems to help the most. A small uncovered ball pit instead of our large covered one, the sleeping pouch is removed until I go to bed around midnight. With out having these hiding places he is much more active and participates in playing more instead of over grooming. Once he stopped over grooming and his hair grew back I gradually started putting the hiding places back in.


However, We recently upgraded our cage, and he began over grooming the same spots. He has a cage mate so it's not from loneliness, they get along famously no fighting or arguing. The cage has toys lots of toys that are switched up and changed regularly. The same fleece cage set with his scent on it is in the new cage etc...

Again the change in environment, even though it's a nicer cage and the cage is in the same place the old one was, it is still change for him. We are his 3rd family in a relatively short amount of time. The rescue only had him about a month and half before we could adopt him.

He has had to deal with a lot of changes, new cages, being around several colonies while still being alone, being introduced to Leela, another new house and cage, being introduced to toys ( he had never had toys or even a pouch before ) and yet another new cage. I am sure it's overwhelming to him experiencing all these new things he's never had before.

I never see him over groom but the patches are visible. He eats very well, he's social with Leela, social with us. He loves out of cage time.... for about 20 minutes then he is ready to go back in the cage. He doesn't use the wheel as much as I would like but the new raptor wheel is being shipped today I am hoping it will be easier for him to use.

So my advice is watching his behavior, if he hides a lot remove some of the hidey spots. Consider any changes you have made to their environment....

And my questions to you are
1 how big is their cage
2 do they have toys

Sometimes over grooming is due to inadequate space and or boredom. Though with Simon that is certainly not the case the cage is large and plenty of things to occupy them... So this is just a question as I don't know how you'rs are housed.






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Dec 11 2014
10:12:38 AM
Ems9806 Starting Member 3 Posts
My cage is about 36 inches high x 22 inches deep x 33 inches wide, maybe a little bigger. I have plenty of toys that I switch up for them every week and I just got them new toys so I know they have been plenty occupied! Plus they have tent time a couple times a week as well.

I think I figured out that he may have some dry skin because we turn off the central air at night and just use a small heater in our room, and we just started doing this within the past couple weeks. And on top of the dry skin, my female over grooming him because of his dry skin. I've seen her grooming that spot a lot this past week, including last night.

I'm going to get a humidifier because the air is dry for me as well and see if that changes anything for him.

Thank you all so much for your help! I was freaking out last night and needed advice because I haven't dealt with anything like this with my gliders before and I'm a very overprotective/worrying mother! I know that the smallest changes can bother a glider so we will see if I got it right with the dry skin!
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Dec 11 2014
10:21:39 AM
rustypossumfart Face Hugger Visit rustypossumfart's Photo Album USA 459 Posts
quote:
Originally posted by Candy

If your glider is always getting the staple on his fur - I would choose another type of dish to serve it in in hopes of reducing that problem.



Candy, I have tried different types of dishes, he is just a messy eater as I said, and Freyja loves grooming him.

They have multiple toys that I change frequently, along with foraging toys where I put some of their fruits and veggies. Besides that, I have a glider room with mesh on the walls and ceiling, and hanging toys, along with vines and ropes, where they spent 1 to 2 hours at night; and they are definitely very active. But he likes to hug his food against his chest when he eats, like trying to hide or something. When I give him a mealie, for example, he would hug it against his chest, getting mealie guts all over him, and once Freyja notices, she immediately puts herself to the task of "cleaning" the guts off him. He does the same with the staple, if it is not completely melted, and as it melts down it sticks to his chest; even when it is completely liquid he tries to grab it, getting it all over him.

Not to mention, Freyja is a very austere groomer, and Loki just lets her do as she pleases.

He started getting the bald spots when he was a joey, but they quickly went away. I clean him mainly to avoid having the same happening again, but I believe he's gotten a lot better, still getting messy from time to time, but not all the time; and he likes it, I believe, waiting by the cage door every morning so I can take him out and clean him.
one glider over grooming another?

GliderGossip GliderGossip
Sugar Gliders
one glider over grooming another?