Bouncing Back

Pascal has recovered nicely from his surgery, faster than we thought he would, and we are all very happy about that. The e-collar he was wearing made it difficult for him to eat and drink, So, we moved the hospital cage into our bedroom and for four nights we got up every 2 hours or so to feed him and give him something to drink. The vet said to leave the collar on for two weeks until his next checkup, but neither Pascal or us would have made it that long. The poor little guy couldn't do a whole lot in the restriction of the small cage except climb around a little and sleep. By the third night we were taking the e-collar off for him to eat and he took advantage of that time to do so. He also spent a lot of time to groom himself from, top to bottom. When he got to his tail he would turn around so we couldn't see what he was doing. We would stop him, and he looked at us like "What??  I'm not doing anything.".  He also crawled under his blankets for the same reason - it was his little game. On Thursday night he pulled off his collar sometime after I fed him at 2:00 a.m. and M found him sleeping comfortably on the next feeding shift. He wasn't bothering his tail at that point and it appeared as if it had healed, so we left the e-collar off. On Friday we moved him back to his regular cage and he was a happy camper. Now that things are back to normal M plans to start taking him out to the bathroom for some play time.

Our Poor Little Pascal

Pascal peeking out of his pumpkin pouch
for the yogurt on M's finger on Saturday

Pascal has has a rough time the last few days. On Sunday we had our normal weigh-in for all of the gliders, and it was also a "spa" day when we trim their nails. Pascal is always last, and we brought him in the office for his yogurt, weigh-in, and trim. He decided to go exploring a bit and scrambled from the desk to the side table. He jumped over, knocking a picture frame over in the process, and jumped to the floor. I finally gathered him up and we finished up and returned him to his cage. M stayed behind to watch him for a few moments and noticed him chewing on his tail, and it also looked crooked. What was even stranger was that he was running on his wheel and then taking care of his tail while the wheel continued spinning. She called me over and I removed him from the cage so we could look at his tail. It was raw at the point he was chewing and looked like it was broken.  We immediately placed him in a pouch and headed to the U of I Veterinary Emergency Room.

At the hospital they anesthetized him, then cleaned the wound and wrapped his tail. They told us that he would need to come back on Monday so the small animal surgeon could evaluate him, as it was likely his tail would have to be amputated.We still can't figure out when this happened.

That night we tried to keep him calm and prevent him from bothering his tail. of course it hurt him and he was intent on going after it. We had to put an e-collar on him, which he did not like one bit. Back in the cage M noticed the wrap on his tail was gone. In the process of putting on the e-collar the wrap around his tail slipped off in the piece of fleece I was holding him in. With some advice from one of our fellow glider owners we used a section of a large diameter drinking straw and gauze to fashion a splint over the affected area, and then wrapped that with vet wrap. Poor little Pascal looked miserable.

On Monday M brought him in for his surgery, and he came home around 1:00 p.m. His tail is now two-thirds shorter. There are two sutures closing the wound over the end of his tail. On Monday night we had to remove the wrap on his tail, and it soon fluffed out after looking wet and sad looking. Unfortunately for Pascal, we had to change his e-collar to what is called a shot glass style because the standard e-collar allowed him to get to his tail. We have to keep him away from the end of his tail for 10 to 14 days.  That is presenting some additional challenges which I'll write about in my next post.

Pascal in his "hospital" cage just after we removed the bandage and got him in his new e-collar.

Pascal is Coming Along

A lot has transpired since we picked up Pascal just about a month ago. He had his first checkup with the vet shortly after my last post. He was only 76 grams then and at that point as the smallest of our gliders. They did find a higher number of protozoa and spirochete bacteria in his fecal sample, so we came home with two medications for him, one for each of the intestinal critters. One was an antibiotic which he was on for two weeks. The other was something for the protozoa which he took first for three days, then a two week break, and then another three days of the medication.  Yesterday we got his "all clear".  Pascal also had his neuter two weeks ago and had no problems with that. So, in another few weeks we'll be able to start the introduction process with Foehn and Rossby.

We are not quite sure what to make of Pascal. He is immediately suspicious and vocal if he is disturbed in his pouch. Typically, if given the chance, he will fly out of the pouch to the side of the cage. So we usually have to be careful when removing his pouch from the cage with him in it. We've already had two instances where we've had to chase him around the house. On the other hand, he is not afraid to come and get his yogurt treat or his mealworms and has even climbed on to M's hand.  We are looking for the small steps and he does seem to be relaxing a little more.We hope he will make some big strides once he's with Foehn and Rossby.

Pascal getting some exercise in his wheel tonight.

Meet Pascal

Pascal enjoying a morning yogurt treat.

Here is our latest addition, Pascal. He is an intact (for the time being) male who will be 6 years old in October. It's hard to tell from the photo, be he is a little more grayer all around than our other gliders. He carries the leucistic gene (recessive). Leucistic gliders are white with black eyes. You can see in the photo he has his "bald spot", the scent gland on the top of his head. That will disappear after he is neutered.

Pascal weighs about 85 grams, smaller than any of our other male gliders. (Flurry is now tipping the scales at 115 grams).  He has been eating well for the last week to ten days. We were concerned because the first few days he hadn't been eating much at all. We started weighing his food dishes before and after he ate and began to see a steady increase in his appetite after the first few days here.

It's a little hard to describe his personality at this point. He is very wary and obviously still unsure about his situation. We have an open pouch (more like a hammock) rather than a deep sleeping pouch our other gliders use. He tends to be pouch protective in a deep pouch and it makes it difficult to approach him. Pascal does bury himself beneath the fleece blankets but we are usually able to still see him and he can see us. He has two "pouch buddies" he sleeps with to keep him company. They are no substitute for a warm-blooded buddy, but they do provide him some security. Even though he is still unsure and uncertain and crabs to let you know, he seems to be a gentle glider. He will carefully take a mealworm from us, and will slowly approach M's yogurt covered finger for his licks. We think that once he trusts us he will be a very friendly glider.

His first appointment with the vet is on Friday for a baseline wellness check, and we will schedule his neuter to hopefully follow soon after.  It looks likes its going to take some time for him to get over his wariness and trust us, but we are working on it every day. Once he is more comfortable with us we can start thinking about a strategy to introduce him to Foehn and Rossby.

Oh, and by the way, "Pascal" is a weather-related name, which is why we chose to keep it. A pascal is a unit of pressure in the International System of Units.  Probably more than you wanted to know.

+1 = 6

Yeah, we went and did it again.

A week ago we saw a post on GliderCentral about a breeding glider that lost its mate in May and was having a tough time on his own. He wasn't eating well and obviously missed his companion.The breeder/owner was willing to give him to a good home. She had been trying for some time, and after not a whole lot of discussion we decided we could take him. I had read the post and mentioned it to M. She told me she had thought the same thing but wasn't going to say anything until I did. And I did.

One of the reasons we decided he would be a good fit is that he is about the same age as CB and Foehn, We also knew he wouldn't do well on his own for much longer, We figured that after he was neutered and used to being here we would get him together with Foehn and Rossby.  Foehn would love another man to dote on!

So we went and picked up Pascal (that was his name and we aren't changing it). The first two nights we had his cage in the laundry room and he barked all night, no doubt looking for the other gliders he was housed in the same room with (but not the same cage) at the breeder's. We decided he would feel better near other gliders, so we moved his cage in proximity to Foehn and Rossby's so they could see and smell each other.

Pascal is wary and of course unsure of what is going on in his life. He wasn't handled a great deal in his previous home so we will have to earn his trust. He's slowly coming around, and will now come out from under his blankets to take mealworms from us.  He was very unsure of the yogurt M was trying to give him in the morning, but the other day he came out for the first time and took some licks. Small, but important steps.

More on our new addition soon.

An Update on the Gang

It's been a busy five weeks since my last post. Last week we traveled to Lexington, KY to the 2014 Sugar Glider Get Away (SGGA), a gathering of sugar gliders owners from around the country. We brought all five gliders with us (a first) and had a great time meeting many of the glider owners we only knew through the Glider Central forum.

In terms of who's with who, that hasn't changed. Foehn and Rossby are together in one cage, and CB, Sprite, and Flurry are in the other.  We'll probably be getting another, slightly larger cage for Foehn and Rossby as it is unlikely they will be a colony of five. Foehn continues to exhibit marking behavior almost constantly as if her hormones were stuck in the "ON" position. She and CB had their annual checkup this week and the vet did not find anything physically abnormal with her. Her weight is good and she has been eating well.

Our second Sansbug tent we use for playtime has bitten the dust. One of the fiberglass hoop supports snapped and it won't hold it's shape very well, besides being a pain to set up. So, we have moved playtime into the guest bathroom adjoining my office. We removed the sheer shower curtain and M has been making fleece vines for them to climb on. Sprite and Flurry like to climb up to the shower rod. The problem is, Flurry can't quite figure how to get down, and he hasn't worked up enough courage to jump. Even if I stand up under him he won't make the relatively short jump to my shoulder.  Only when I stand up on the toilet so my shoulder is higher will he jump over, obviously quite relieved. We have only been in the bathroom a few days, so they are till getting used to it. There's more for them to climb on and more room to run.

This evening it was the trio's turn for playtime They weren't very active, although Flurry took time to investigate the large piece of fleece hanging from the shower rod. He climbed to the top and after a few minutes finally figured he could climb down the way he came up.

CB, Sprite, and Flurry (l-r) contemplating coming out of the pouch after their mealworms.

Flurry working his way back down a hanging piece of fleece.

A Disappointing Setback

The first week of everyone together went pretty well. There were a few incidents of chasing and griping, but most mornings everyone was sleeping peacefully together. This weekend things started to go downhill went Foehn went into heat. There were a couple of ball-ups in the pouch, which of course gets everyone else all worked up.  The vet noted a healing scab on Sprite's chin at her wellness checkup last Thursday, as well as some minor abrasions on her rear foot. Those might have been from running on the wheel (which she does a lot), but she has never had them before that we know of. Yesterday Foehn was chasing Sprite down in the tent again, and trying to latch on to her tail, so we removed her from the tent. M also noticed that Foehn had some abrasion on her face and near her eye, so obviously both were getting their licks in. Sprite is back to being fearful of Foehn again, so we are more or less back to where we where before last weekend. Last night I brought up the small cage and Foehn and Rossby are now together there. We couldn't leave Foehn by herself - Rossby is her man.

Foehn's behavior is getting to be somewhat of a concern. She is constantly trying to mark and she bites on everything from the wheel to the cage bars. Tonight she was intent on getting into the pouch where CB, Flurry, and Sprite were in to the extent she was ignoring offers of mealworms.

We're not sure what we are going to do at this point, but it seems unlikely that Foehn will ever tolerate Sprite. Even though they got along fine for a few days, it seems that once the boys are in the mix Foehn's hormones kick into high gear and she needs to protect her turf.

A Happy End to a Long Road!

Once Flurry was accepted by CB and Sprite, we introduced him a couple of weeks later to Foehn and Rossby. It was another easy introduction, and we're sure Foehn was happy to have another man around.  All that was left was to get Foehn and Sprite on the same page if possible. We split Foehn off into the smaller cage about two weeks ago to give the other four time to acclimate to each other. We were also hoping that Foehn's yearning to be with the guys would distract her from her issues with Sprite.  After a week we tried getting them together using the bathtub to introduce them. They would cautiously approach each other to a point, and then one of them would move suddenly or crab, and they would stay away from each other. In the bathroom Foehn appears to be interested in checking Sprite out by some sniffing, but Sprite won't let her get very close. This is in contrast to when they are in the tent when Foehn aggressively chased Sprite and they would ball up if she caught her.

To me, at least, they seemed to have a mutual fear and distrust of each other, and neither would leave their guard down enough to find out differently. At one point in the past they got along fine. I thought if they both could learn that there was nothing to fear with the other then this reintroduction would have a chance. My thought was to try a method called wet introduction. For this each glider is wet down with warm water from a spray or being wiped down. When gliders are wet their main focus is grooming and they don't pay attention to much else.  M wasn't too sure about this, but my feeling is that we had nothing to lose at this point. If this did not work then they would never be together and one of them would have to live separately from the rest (or most likely two and three).

So, on Saturday with some trepidation and a lot of hope I wet both of them down with a spray bottle of warm water. They looked miserable, but both started to groom themselves. We placed them in a small cage together along with a clean (neutral) pouch. The stayed away from each other, but more importantly neither was interested in chasing the other. Foehn took up residence in the pouch, and Sprite would occasionally stop and think about trying to enter. They both crawled up and down and across the top of the cage, once in a while sniffing at each other (without incident) but then quickly moving on.  After a few hours we added a large fleece blanket so that if one of them would not enter the pouch with the other in it, they would have a place to sleep comfortably. We decided to stay up with them to be able to intervene if there were problems. I chased M to bed sometime after midnight and stayed out with them until about 4:00 a.m. (dozing off from time to time). There were no problems whatsoever although they still weren't sharing the pouch, but that was OK. I came out about 7:30 a.m. to check on them and thought the pouch (open style) looked to be hanging a little low. It was, because there were two gliders in it!

We moved them to a larger cage on Sunday, but not in with the boys. We wanted them to get more comfortable with each other before they joined CB, Rossby, and Flurry.  Here are the two of them having their yogurt on Monday morning.

Foehn (L) and Sprite (R) 36 hours into their "reunion" enjoying yogurt.

On Monday night I had all five in the tent for play time and it was more active and relaxed than it had been for some time.  All five are now together in the big cage. More on the reunion in another post 

Next task on the list - a family (colony) photo!

Two Minutes!

That's how long it took for Flurry, CB, and Sprite to become a trio.

We decided to make the attempt on Friday so we would have the whole weekend to deal with any issues that might come up. That morning I washed all the cages, and when everything was back in place it was time to see if they all would like each other. The last time we tried an introduction attempt (not these three) I spent several hours in the bathroom hoping things would work out, so I was expecting to spend part of my afternoon in there.

We spread a fleece blanket in the tub, brought in the "neutral" pouch and some extra fleece in case I had to separate them. M handed them off to me and so it began.

I set both pouches in the tub. For them it was the middle of the "night" (one reason we do it then) and none of them were anxious to leave the warmth and protection of their respective pouches. Flurry crabbed a bit as he will do still, and that got the attention of Sprite and CB. Sprite slowly ventured out of her pouch, and Flurry stuck his head out of his.  Sprite approached him. I was talking to her and had my hand over her just in case. She got closer and closer - and then crawled right in the pouch with Flurry!  Elapsed time - about 15 seconds.  They sniffed each other a bit and then Flurry came all the way out. By this time CB was out and curious about what was going on. Flurry and CB approached each other, sniffed each other, and that was that!  I brought in the neutral pouch and all three readily climbed right in.

CB (left) and Flurry (right) moments after they were introduced to each other.
Sprite was still in Flurry's pouch (white and black one).

We later put them in the big cage.  Flurry explored a lot and you could tell he was a little nervous. Sprite was thrilled to have another male to dote on and she spent time grooming Flurry. He was sure to let her know when he had been groomed enough. There still are occasional "nitches" from their sleeping pouch (meaning that someone is being bugged by someone else), but they are getting along great.

The trio now have permanent residence in the large cage, and Foehn and Rossby are now in the smaller cage. In another month or so we'll see if we can start the process of getting two and three to become five.  Should be interesting, to say the least.

Sprite, CB, and Flurry enjoying their first morning yogurt as a trio.

Is a Trio in the Works?

For the last two weeks Flurry's cage and CB and Sprite's cage have been within four inches of each other. In addition, we have been switching cages every night - they use each other's pouches, toys, and everything. Nobody has objected to being moved each night! Flurry has become more relaxed in general, and each night when CB and Sprite are returned to their cage all three are on the back of their respective cages checking each other out. There has been no crabbing or aggressive behavior.  In fact, we think Flurry really would like to join them if he could. We'll find out soon. Since their familiarization has gone so well we are going to try introductions for the three of them this weekend.

Flurry is calming down a lot. He loves to be with M. Most days after yogurt he climbs in her overshirt (a large shirt she wear over her regular top), makes his way to the back and spends his day sleeping there. He willing goes into his pouch if she needs him to. Flurry gets his allocation of mealworms at night, then goes to his cage. If all goes well this weekend he will start playtime with the other two next week. We are leaving Foehn and Rossby out of the equation right now.

Flurry enjoying a mealworm while sitting in M's shirt earlier this week.

Growing Up

Yesterday was Rossby's and Sprite's 2nd birthday. They came to us when they were seven months old and are terrific gliders. They are both have great personalities and are very social, other than Foehn and Sprite still having to work things out.  Foehn has become somewhat neurotic that past several month and we are not sure why. Rossby is pretty relaxed about things, and he must have the patience of a saint to put up with Foehn sometimes. Rossby loves to run and when he is in the tent he will race around the perimeter of the tent. We think that he may just like the sound of his feet on the plastic tarp floor.  Between that and the wheel he keeps moving most of the time, occasionally taking a break to climb up the front of my shirt to my shoulder where he will sit and survey the scene. Once in awhile he will nuzzle my cheek while he's up there. After a minute or two he is off again running around until the next time for a break.

Sprite is a little sweetheart, and has become my favorite, partly because she has been the odd one out for much of the last year.  Initially she and Foehn did not hit it off, but then they were OK and she and CB had differences.  When we were finally able to get Sprite and CB together, then she and Foehn were at odds (we are still working on it).  Sprite has decided my shoulder is her safe place and will head there when Foehn is after her. Sprite likes to be petted and will sit on my shoulder and let me pet her much longer than any of the others.  When it's time to go back to the cage from the tent I put her and CB in a pouch. She will stay in for a minute or so, but then her little head pops out to see what's going on. She often will climb out and on to my shoulder for the ride to her cage. I don't have to worry about her jumping off and going exploring. When we get to the cage she will climb down my arm into the cage and wait with CB for dinner to be served.

Flurry is a New Man

On Monday Flurry went in for his neuter. Everything went well and he didn't have any problems afterward at home. We have moved his cage from the laundry room and placed it near the other cages so he can start becoming familiar with the other gliders and they with him. Since we are not having much luck convincing Foehn to leave Sprite alone, we are going to try and introduce Flurry to CB and Sprite initially.  We have already started swapping pouch blankets, and in another week or so will start swapping pouches.

Flurry is starting to calm down a little. He takes mealworms from me, although sometimes he will take it and then tun to the back of the cage to eat it.  Other times, though, he will sit at the door of the cage, snarf down the mealworm I just gave him, and beg for more. He is still M's little guy and he spends most days with her in his pouch. He loves to come out and crawl into her overshirt to sleep.

Still Trying

We still have three cages of gliders at the time. CB and Sprite, Rossby and Foehn, and Flurry.  Flurry will be on his own for another month or two yet.  He is scheduled to be be neutered on April 1, and once he has recovered from the surgery we'll see about getting him together with one of the pairs, unless they are all together by then.

We have been trying different tactics to get Foehn and Sprite together for the last couple of months. The first thing we tried was taking the two of them into the bathroom to let them interact with each other. For brief moments things would seem OK, but then either Foehn would make a move at Sprite, or Sprite would start loudly crabbing. After that Foehn would stalk or chase Sprite, and she spent her time trying to stay as far away from Foehn as possible. Her first route of escape was to climb up the shpwer curtain and sit on the shower rod, watching Foehn from high ground.

Sprite sitting on the shower curtain rod in the bathroom.

Her other spot was on my shoulder, and if she was on the floor that was her first "go to" spot.

Sprite keeping an eye out for Foehn from her perch on my shoulder.

Eventually Foehn got brave and started climbing the shower curtain as well, so Sprite stayed on the move. When she wasn't chasing Sprite, Foehn was marking and chewing on things, and can't seem to just chill out.

The bathroom turned out to be just too big as they could easily avoid each other. So, the next step was to try the two of them in the tent. That ended up with Foehn chasing Sprite most of the time. They did ball up once in a while, but Sprite seems to be faster and more agile than Foehn and manages to stay ahead of her.

The latest variation, which we just started a few days ago, is to bring the boys (CB and Rossby) in the tent as well. Foehn is somewhat more distracted with them present, but still takes every opportunity to chase down Sprite. At this point we're not sure what it's going to take to break this stalemate,

A Little Less Crabby

Flurry has been with us a week now.  He has calmed down some and will let us pet and handle him, but he still a nervous and at times scared glider. M has been carrying him a bonding pouch every day and he does pretty well. He crabs a little, but he is also curious and will pop his head to to check things out. M has been taking him in our small bathroom for his morning yogurt and a chance to run around and he seems to enjoy that.

For some reason he is particularly skittish and nervous when he is in his cage. We wonder if he had a bad experience in a cage in one of his earlier homes.  The owner we obtained him from purchased him at a local pet store because he was by himself and didn't look very good. He had been purchased previously by someone else but they brought him back. You don't normally see sugar gliders in pet stores. Apparently one of the employees there had sugar gliders of her own and they had joeys, and then tried to sell them through the pet store. So, there is no telling what he might have been through before his last owner.  He probably has been by himself for most of his life. It's also possible that he was ignored and not socialized a great deal, if not mistreated, at some point. We inadvertently freaked him out a little this weekend when we cleaned his cage and washed his toys. He did not know what to make out of all the new smells and lack of familiar smells.

We are not sure how old he is, but he is probably close to a year. He has been eating very well his first week here which is good to see.  Flurry tipped the scale at 100 grams at the weekly weigh-in yesterday, which is as much as CB and Rossby. 

Meet Flurry, Our Newest Addition

Long time, no posts!  With the holidays and some other things going on here in the household blogging hasn't been a the top of the list - just not enough time. That, and there haven't been a lot of new developments to report. CB and Sprite, and Rossby and Foehn are still getting along as pairs. We've recently started efforts to get Foehn and Sprite reacquainted, but more on that in a future post.

Yesterday we brought home a new glider. M checks out the local Craigslist listings occasionally just to see if there are any gliders posted. In the first week of January she pointed out an ad from someone who had a single glider they were trying to rehome. It was like other ads of that type, but there were a few photos of the little guy. She made vague probes about what I thought but I didn't bite. With everything that has been going on (not necessarily with the gliders) it was the last thing I was going to worry about.

Yesterday she noticed that the ad had been reposted with a little more info, including the rehoming fee. He was a lone glider, and the owner could not devote the time to him between working and caring for a new baby. After some discussion M emailed the owner and asked if the glider was still available. He was, and she was willing to take a lower fee since we were going to have to take him to the vet for a check and to get him neutered.  So later in the afternoon we drove over and picked him up. The owners liked the fact we had gliders already. They were intent on finding a good home for him, even having turned down an offer from someone they didn't feel good about. We left with Flurry, a pouch, and some of his toys.

Flurry, our new arrival. The spot on his head is his scent gland. That will gradually disappear one he is neutered.

Once home we placed him in the cage we had set up (the cage we got with Virga and Cirrus). He was a scared little guy and has done a lot of crabbing the last 24 hours letting us know that. He's getting better about it, though, and we have been talking to him and trying to reassure him.  He ate well last night, and ended up sleeping in the pouch we placed in the cage for him. I just went to put his dinner in the cage and he was peeking out at me from the pouch with only a bit of crabbing. Flurry is doing pretty well so far. He's been though a lot in his short life so we hope he will thrive in a more stable setting. I'll have more on his background in the next post.

Flurry shortly after he was placed in his new cage.