sugar glider chewing its tail off

Question
Hi,
I bought a pair of sugar gliders 2 years ago, fred and wilma, I just recently lost fred to dehydration, it was weird they refused to drink water, I would always put water in their cage but they would never drink it.  They mostly would lick the bottom of the food dish and then eat. Well without really thinking I had found this food dish that was perfect for them to pick through the food.  Well it was wooden and I didn't think anything of it.  Wilma always would start eating first and then Fred would come join later.  Well about a week after I had bought the new dish fred started acting weird and aggressive, then I found him curled up in a ball in the corner the next day and he wouldn't eat his favorite thing or anything else, I immediately called a vet and since I lived and hour and a half way they made my appointment for the first thing in the morning, I stayed up with him all night, I wasn't even sure if he was going to live through the night.  When I took him in the vet said he was dehydrated, he gave him some shots and was going to keep him for a few days until he got better, by the time I had got home he called me to tell me fred had died.  I think that the wooden bowl soaked some of the juices up and wilma licked what was there up first.  After Fred died wilma wouldn't eat, she was grieving, so I found a petshop that would order me a sugar glider and it came in the very next day, I put the box in the cage and woke wilma up, she sniffed around the box and looked inside, walked inside and started licking the young sugar glider, they immediately bonded and she started eating again. I started giving them juice and got rid of the wooden bowl.  Everything was going great for a month, then I noticed wilma scratching a lot so I read the book I had bought and it said that that was part of their grooming was to scratch and clean their tail, unless you seen mites, lice, fleas, or ticks on them.  I held her down and searched her, she had nothing, so I paid no mind to the scratching, I thought she was grooming.  Then the other day when I got her out she has piratically chewed her tail off, it is barely even there, I checked her again no sign of anything, why would she be chewing her tail off, do you think it could be an internal parasite?  If so what causes it and how do I get rid of it and will her tail grow back?  I really don't want to loose her.  I clean their cage once a week and use bleach water to wipe it down with, let it dry, put new bedding in it, they have plenty of toys, sticks, ladders, and houses, I feed them at night time and give them fresh food, water, and juice every day, I even run their dish bowls through my dishwasher everyday. Every night I give them:  pieces of apple, grapes cut in half, corn with no salt added, peas with no salt added, pieces of (dew melon, cantaloupe, or watermelon), a couple pieces of Tofu with honey rubbed on it and two mealworms each. I also give them water from the fridge and juicy juice because it has nothing added to it. I take their dish out every morning.  They're in a quiet room with no other pets, I keep a sheet over their cage.  I don't understand what I could be doing wrong now.

Answer
Hi Krystal,

I am so sorry to hear about Fred.  You have a lot of issues tied up into one question.  So I have copied off your entire question here and will address the issues individually.  

"I bought a pair of sugar gliders 2 years ago, fred and wilma, I just recently lost fred to dehydration, it was weird they refused to drink water, I would always put water in their cage but they would never drink it."

I have never heard of a healthy sugar glider that would not drink water if there was fresh, clean water available.  More likely, there was some other issue wrong with him.  When they are sick they will often stop eating and drinking and     which would appear on the surface that they died of dehydration.  But I suspect there was some sort of underlying cause.  Another reason that they may not drink water from a bottle is because of the bottle.  Bottles can fail, the gravity ball can stick or have bacteria built up.  I am not a vet, but you are right it is "weird" for a sugar glider to refuse to drink water unless it was sick to begin with.  Unfortunately, a necropsy would have to have been done immediately to know for sure.  Some people think their gliders are not drinking because they don't see the water level go down very much.  They don't drink a lot.  It depends on the size of the water bottle.  

"They mostly would lick the bottom of the food dish and then eat."  This is common.  Most gliders will do this, but they will still drink water from bottles or dishes.  

"Well without really thinking I had found this food dish that was perfect for them to pick through the food.  Well it was wooden and I didn't think anything of it.  Wilma always would start eating first and then Fred would come join later."  

Could have been many problems here.  It is very common for one glider to eat first and the mate to come and eat later.    I would not use wood for two other reasons.  Because wood is porous, it can be difficult to properly clean.  I'm sure after a week it was teeming with bacteria.  Any cleaners you used would have been soaked up by the wood and could have become toxic, not to mention that some types of wood can be toxic on their own.  Gliders chew and wooden items in their cage must be carefully selected to be non-toxic.

"Well about a week after I had bought the new dish fred started acting weird"

"aggressive, then I found him curled up in a ball in the corner the next day and he wouldn't eat his favorite thing or anything else, I immediately called a vet and since I lived and hour and a half way they made my appointment for the first thing in the morning,"

I have never heard of a dehydrated glider becoming aggressive, but rather the opposite.  I suspect he was in pain.  Also, every vet I have talked to that was experienced in treating sugar gliders has told me that waiting until the next morning is not a good idea with a sugar glider.  They crash in a matter of hours and by the time you find your glider at the bottom of the cage in a ball, time was of the essence.  It is too bad, your vet did not refer you to a 24-hour emergency vet.


"I stayed up with him all night, I wasn't even sure if he was going to live through the night.  When I took him in the vet said he was dehydrated, he gave him some shots and was going to keep him for a few days until he got better, by the time I had got home he called me to tell me fred had died."

I am so sorry.  That must have been very hard for you.  Please take your glider to an emergency vet to administer fluids as soon as notice any symptoms like you mentioned above.  Your vet should have told you that they can't really wait until morning.  

 "I think that the wooden bowl soaked some of the juices up and wilma licked what was there up first."  

 Don't blame yourself.  You did your best.  I don't know if the wooden bowl made him sick or not, but I do think, based on what you have shared, that the dehydration was a symptom of another problem.  

 "After Fred died wilma wouldn't eat, she was grieving, so I found a petshop that would order me a sugar glider and it came in the very next day, I put the box in the cage and woke wilma up, she sniffed around the box and looked inside, walked inside and started licking the young sugar glider, they immediately bonded and she started eating again. I started giving them juice and got rid of the wooden bowl.  Everything was going great for a month, then I noticed wilma scratching a lot so I read the book I had bought and it said that that was part of their grooming was to scratch and clean their tail, unless you seen mites, lice, fleas, or ticks on them.  I held her down and searched her, she had nothing, so I paid no mind to the scratching, I thought she was grooming.  Then the other day when I got her out she has piratically chewed her tail off, it is barely even there, I checked her again no sign of anything, why would she be chewing her tail off, do you think it could be an internal parasite? If so what causes it and how do I get rid of it and will her tail grow back?"  

Poor Wilma has been through a lot, but the pet shop should have instructed you on how to properly introduce two sugar gliders.  Even when one is grieving, it is not a good idea to immediately put two sugar gliders together.  You were lucky that they seemed to bond immediately, but there is a problem.  

Usually, this kind of chewing is associated with stress and over-grooming.  I strongly suggest that you take her to an "experienced" sugar glider vet.  Have her stool checked for parasites and have the tail, what's left of it, examined.  They can get some pretty bad infections and she may need to have a small portion amputated.  It is not a good idea to leave it untreated.  While she could have internal parasites, that does not usually cause tail chewing.  Tail chewing usually occurs from stress or from over-grooming an injury.  Perhaps the other glider bit her and she worked at it until she nearly chewed it off.  However, based on what you wrote about her working at it and no injury, I suspect it was stress related.  

You didn't mention whether the younger glider was male/female or neutered.  If male, I suggest you have him neutered.

I am sorry, but her tail will not regenerate or grow back, but they can live a normal life with a partial tail.  If she still continues to work at it, I suggest you put an e-collar on her.  Here is a link to make one if your vet does know how:  

http://sm.all4gliders.com/ecollar/index.html

"I really don't want to loose her.  I clean their cage once a week and use bleach water to wipe it down with, let it dry, put new bedding in it,"

Bleach is a good way to clean, but you have to carefully rinse it off before you let it dry.  

"they have plenty of toys, sticks, ladders, and houses,"

You might try using fleece pouches instead of houses.  

"I feed them at night time and give them fresh food, water, and juice every day, I even run their dish bowls through my dishwasher everyday. Every night I give them:  pieces of apple, grapes cut in half, corn with no salt added, peas with no salt added, pieces of (dew melon, cantaloupe, or watermelon), a couple pieces of Tofu with honey rubbed on it and two mealworms each."

I suggest you research sugar glider diets.  What you are feeding them isn't the worst I have heard of, but it's not the best.  I would not feed the tofu or the honey.  I would also not feed them the corn.  Corn is high in phosphorus which can deplete calcium.  Are you giving them calcium supplements?  If not, they need them.  Sugar gliders are very susceptible to hind-leg paralysis which is caused by a calcium deficiency.  

"I also give them water from the fridge and juicy juice because it has nothing added to it. I take their dish out every morning.  They're in a quiet room with no other pets, I keep a sheet over their cage.  I don't understand what I could be doing wrong now."

You aren't really doing much "wrong." There are some things that I would like to see improved, like their diet.  They should be getting a good staple mix, fresh fruits and vegetables, a protein source (eggs, chicken, mealworms [4-5], etc.) and calcium supplements.  

I think Wilma's biggest problem is losing Fred.  She is heartbroken.  Some sugar gliders don't do well with change, and aside from losing Fred, she has a new roommate to get used to.  Please get her to a vet.  Make sure she is healthy and give her lots of love and attention.  

Feel free to e-mail me privately if you would like.

lauriegall @ cox dot net

I wish you the best of luck and hope she recovers.

Laurie