Gliders sudden behavior changes

Help! I have three gliders, 1 female- 2 1/2 years old and a male and female 14 months old. All three gliders have altered their behavior over the last week. They have become very crabby, appear frightened, won't come and play on us or run around on their toys in the playroom outside of their cage. They are reluctant to come out of their pouch if I am around at all. Our fourth glider died suddenly a month ago. He had vomited a few times over the week before he died, but I thought it was in response to a sudden change in diet since I started them on HPW Plus. When I put him back on his usual food- it stopped. He was active, and eating well so I figured it was the diet change and I never took him to the vet. He was acting normally the evening before my son found him weak on the floor of the cage. He died before we could get him to the vet.

Could the behavior changes have anything to do with mourning the loss of the older glider? Their behavior didn't change until three weeks after he had died. I find it strange that all three are acting the same way. They are eating their usual amounts although not as eagerly as usual. They aren't waking up until later than normal, past my bedtime, so it is hard to assess what their activity level is during the night. They are very crabby and won't come out of their pouch if I try to wake them up earlier. They all used to bounce out to run around and play when I opened the cage door. Since I don't know what killed the other glider, should I take all three to the vet to be checked out? Any other ideas on what could be going on?

What is the usual food you fed before and what are you feeding now? The HPW should not have made him sick unless he was allergic to an ingredient. I have switched gliders all at once with no ill effect.

Has anything in the room changed?
Any new cleaners used?
Have you switched soaps, hand cleaners, lotions?
How hot is the room they are in?

Give any other information you can to help give us an idea of what is happening.

Have they ever had a wellness exam with a stool and urine test? Do you have a glider knowledgeable vet?

Quote :

Since I don't know what killed the other glider, should I take all three to the vet to be checked out?

Yes

Any sudden drastic behavior change in any animal or person should be checked by a vet or doctor immediately.

All animals that are housed together should be vet checked when one of their cage mates dies suddenly, when the cause is not known, and a necropsy performed.

Hi. Thanks for responding. All three are going to the vet tomorrow. Yes, we have a good exotic vet in Austin. I made sure I woke up during then night to "spy" on them and they were active, playing with each other as usual, so that was comforting. They are eating their normal amount of food. I haven't figured out how I am going to separate them out from each other for their vet exams. I have never taken more than one at a time to the vet before. I also only have one little travel carrier. I may try to stop and get another one so I at least have one separated from the other two. They are all very similar in size and weight. With their behavior being so abnormal right now, I think I will just put the whole pouch in the one carrier to get them over there and then worry about it. Any suggestions?

That's what I would do....take them all together in the carrier and pull one out at a time for the exam. Maybe take a bonding pouch (one that closes) to put each in as their exam is finished. Good luck!

Linda, the vet will help you with getting them in and out for the exam. There will likely be a tech available to help you. A couple of things, make SURE both doors are closed for the exam in case one of the babies makes a run for it. Take extra pouches. They will want to weigh them, and the easiest way I've found to do so, is to pull one out, weigh him/her and put them in a different pouch. This way you know who has been weighed.

Take treats with you, yogurt drops, bits of apple, grapes, pine nuts, mealies, something to keep them occupied and in the pouch while the others are being examined. Some gliders do great, others spaz.

Where are you going? Which doctor will you see?

Hi, I am happy to report all three gliders are healthy. All three cooperated with urine and stool samples. The stool sample results will be back tomorrow. Man, they absolutely hated the whole experience. Princess, my little baby, actually 14 months old already, managed to bite the tech and me. I had no idea they could bite so hard! She was a real pill throughout the whole exam. I saw Dr. Davis at Westgate Pet and Bird Hospital in Austin.

Her take on the behavior change is stress in the house and our dog. Our 10 1/2 -year-old golden was diagnosed with splenic hemangiosarcoma in late May. We are utterly devastated and are doing all we can to fight against the cancer to buy us more time with him. He is undergoing chemotherapy and is taking two Chinese herbs twice a day. Wile E. is normally terrified of the gliders and would never go anywhere near their room. I don't think these three had ever even seen him before. A few days before all the behavior changes started, Wile E.was feeling crummy enough he wanted to stay with us when we went into the glider room for our nightly play session with the gliders. The gliders looked at him from across the room but never came near him or us since we were sitting with him. He was only in there that one time but did lie on the bed in the room. Dr. Davis said many animals are able to smell the chemotherapy drugs and it may be that the smell remained in the room and is still on the bedspread. The gliders may associate it will the scary big furry monster they saw. I'd say that is our best guess at this point. They are so angry with me for taking them to the vet today that I am sure they won't want to have anything to do with me tonight so I will just feed them and leave it at that. I am going to wash the bedspread and keep the dog out of their room to see if that settles them down. Hopefully, they will forgive me soon...

Westgate is wonderful. I live in RR and drive down there with mine. It sounds like you did well there.
I'm sorry about your dog, thats hard. The gliders probably did react to him. I could always tell when my ferrets had escaped and gotten into the glider room, even if no one told me, just by the way the gliders were acting. Dr. Davis is a pretty good vet, so may have picked right up on it. And, it looks like they have an observant momma,
I hope you'll stay with us and share their progress. Have you looked at the whats for dinner thread?