I didn't want to hijack the other thread where this was brought up, so I figured I'd make a new one and maybe have a little discussion about what is and what isn't self mutilation.

1 missing fur is not self mutilation. It can be from over grooming self, another glider over grooming a cage mate, rubbing on something rough or to small repeatedly, to indicate a tail injury, bacterial or skin infections as well...

2 Missing fur and or skin on a tail, is not considered self mutilation to people that are familiar with self mutilation, it's simply a tail injury. Unless, the noise is present as well as the injury. There are details that we look for that classifies a glider as a self mutilator or standard injury.

So whats the difference? A lot, and to me this is what some are, this is from working with several other people and gliders that are or were self mutilators.

Self mutilators are known to make a certain sound just prior to self mutilating. It's a sound that CAN NOT be confused with other glider sounds. It's loud and distinct and will wake you up from a dead sleep. It's a sound owners dread to hear.
The location also can be an indication. A neck wound isn't going to be self mutilation, even if it's huge. The glider physically has to be able to access the wound with it's mouth. If a neck wound is huge, either it's cage mate is doing it, or something really rough in the cage but most likely another glider.

In my opinion the location is most prevalent in the genitalia area and or base of the tail for self mutilators.

Self mutilators may not ever heal all the way, a glider with a standard injury will even if it needs an amputation or surgical procedure it will likely recover and thrive once healed. Some self mutilating gliders may need constant care for the rest of it's life.


Cause of self mutilating, we still really don't know. There are far to many variables and possibilities. Currently some of us are thinking possible parasites that aren't being detected that migrate in the body. Bot flies are one of them, which we now have at least one proven case of a bot fly parasite in a glider. The possibility is there for this to be one of the causes of self mutilating.


The pictures below are actual self mutilating gliders. Both have since passed but not before teaching us an awful lot and making a special place in our hearts for them.


There are a lotttttttttttt of details on these two gliders I haven't covered.
The pics are merely to show what it really looks like opposed to what people believe it looks like. These aren't even the most graphic ones and ONLY represent one stage of the gliders history.















different glider.

Thank you for posting this. Where did you get the pictures? Have you ever heard the noise they make? If so where did you hear it?

I was working with a team of people helping owners with medical injuries, we had a few self mutilating cases last year that we all help with and learned from.

I have not heard the sound, my best friend has she had a medical fostered Ranger who was a self mutilator and the one in the 2nd set of pictures .

He would heal and look really good then make the sound and do more damage. It was almost like a cycle, hense looking at parasites and their cycles.

To my knowledge the sound has not been recorder as of yet because your first job is to prevent more damage as best you can.

I want you all to know this is a very brief introduction to self mutilators.

There is an awful lot of time and expense and emotional drain and more tears than I can count that have gone into these gliders, from multiple people on the teams and vets and people that have donated to continue their care.

The gliders fight and fight and give it everything they got, we have never given up on one single glider and just called it a day. We fought as long as the glider did and will always continue to do so.

It's extremely heart wrenching to watch and to be the care taker of these gliders, I can't express how much devotion, love, determination and pain on both glider and human is involved.

Thank God none of mine are self mutilators.

I'm sorry to hear about the struggles these poor gliders go through. It's amazing what the care givers do. :)

Thankfully it's not as common as most people think it is. But due to people assuming, many standard injuries are said to be self mutilating when they aren't.

There weren't any self mutilators for several years at least none that were public and noted. Then all the sudden a hand full popped up in the US last year.

This year is the first time a bot fly parasite has been proven in a sugar glider and that was just recently. However, I am not involved with that glider or owner so I do not know if the other indicators for self mutilating are present or if it was just a parasite we hand't seen in gliders before. Either way it medically proved one theory of Bourbons right.

Thanks for sharing Leela.

Not easy to stomach but a necessary knowledge to us.

Thanks you so much for sharing!! I'm glad to know sugar momma is not self-mutilating!!