I picked up our new 2 year old leucistic glider yesterday and I am concerned so figured I would ask some advice.

I paid prior to seeing her although I did see pictures. When I arrived to pick her up, her entire stomach area, base of tail, and legs were brown and the rest of her coat is stained yellow. She smelled absolutely horrid. Under most circumstances I would have left her coat alone, but she was in such bad shape I had to give her a bath yesterday when we arrived home with her. She is now just all over yellow and although she smells better she still has some of that strong odor lingering. I am sure she will eventually smell better with time in her new clean large cage.

While bathing her I became very concerned. I can feel her ribs and back bone.

I fed her all kinds of fruits and some veggies last night. She practically devoured all of it. I am leaving pellets in there in case she wants to nibble between feedings. I will be picking up some chicken and sweet potato baby food tonight on my way home to help her gain weight. I also have a bag of subcutaneous fluids at home so will give her some sq fluids (I was a vet tech for several years). I have also ordered some gliderade and a dietary vitamin supplement online for her.

I had and have every intention of getting another as a cage mate, but at this point it seems like she needs some tlc to become healthier before adding another at this time.

Any advice from experienced glider lovers would be much appreciated to help get her health up to par. I will be scheduling an appointment for her with my vet but I also realize that there are a lot of glider enthusiasts that are thoroughly knowledgeable about their care.

Welcome, I'm so glad you are seeking correct help for this poor glider.

A vet check is crucial at this point to really assess her state of health. It sounds like she's been malnourished and most likely kept in cruddy conditions to be in the state described. It's so sad, but the good news is, is all ready to improve in your care. Hopefully she will not require meds, but it's definitely important to rule that out.

A proper diet is key in getting her back to health. There are several recognized diets around that have been successfully used, keeping gliders in optimal healthy conditions. I recommend going through the list and finding one that you feel will work best for your budget and lifestyle as far as gathering the proper ingredients, preparing, and serving the diet plan as directed.

I'm going to link you to Candy's website because she offers links to some popular diet plans as well as her own diet plans, giving you a good bunch of options.

GliderKids Feeding Plan

I also recommend reading through her sight, as she gives extensive, researched, information and puts in a easy explanatory form.