Torpor?

Does torpor exist in sugar gliders? I've never heard that it does, but I know that I do not know everything. I just looked it up online and I saw links that do talk about it, but it said that it was only for an average of around 7 hours in captivity and another site said after starvation, it lasted only 17 hours.

I received a message on facebook tonight. It said:

Quote :

Hi Brenda. I saw that you were the creator of the SG Facebook page and was wondering if you could help me out. I went on vacation for a few days, and my sugar glider refused to eat for the people who were caring for him. When I got home, he appeared to be dead, but I had read that they sometimes go into a deep hibernation. I am afraid to bury him in case he is not dead. Any help would be great. Oh...I live in Minnesota too. :)

I replied:

Quote :

No such thing as deep hibernation for them, that I'm aware of. If he is not breathing and has no heartbeat, he has passed away. I am so sorry. He really should have been brought to the vet by whoever was taking care of him, and a necropsy after death would have been a great help to all gliders to know for sure how he died, etc. I know, hindsight is always 20/20. I am just so sorry for your loss. :( Do you have any more gliders? If you do or are planning on getting more, please join www.glidercentral.net if you haven't already. Also, make sure you have a qualified vet for your gliders. Of course, if he was your only one, and you aren't planning on getting anymore, you can ignore my rambling.

Did I do the right thing? Did I answer her correctly?

I don't know but :( that is really sad.

Remember when One of the members of GC lost power in Ark for 2 to 3 weeks?? She had huge enclosures that could not be moved and covered the cages and put food out when she could as it was a horrible ice storm and she literally lived on a big hill. The gliders would come out to eat but stayed in their pouches and KarenE talked about turpor/hibernation with gliders.

How did the GC members gliders fair with the no heat thing?

And did you ever hear anything back from that girl Brenda? How sad!

The gliders made it. They now live down south where its warm, true story!

Yeah, she had gotten the little guy from a friend who couldn't take him where she was moving to. His mate had passed away shortly before that and the girl who messaged me had really bonded to the little guy and had done a lot of research on care, food, etc. However, she has decided not to get any more gliders.

Although I don't have any sources to quote, I definitely remember a discussion on GG:

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=7321

Well im sorry she didnt get more gliders, but its a good learning experience. I havent had a problem with my fatties eating for anyone who is caring for them. I would be shocked to hear it, poor fellow.

And good deal, no more blizzards :) A happy ending story, I like it!

Gliders do, indeed, experience torpor, but it is certainly something to be avoided. I think that, in the wild, torpor is more self-regulating than in captivity. I can't imagine just living w/a glider that appears not to eat and wonder if that glider ran out of water instead.

Marie and others on the UK board have seen or know of torpid gliders that recovered and offer specific advice for warming, stimulating and feeding electrolytes.

I wish I knew how long her glider "appeared dead" because it sounds like torpor occurs but only for several hours at a time and they'll get up to eat or something? I'd just never heard of it happening with gliders & of course, when I think of deep hibernation, I think of the all winter long kind.

They don't hibernate and if they can get warm w/each other and have food available, they shouldn't go into torpor.

There is a missing piece to that puzzle. A torpid glider can be rubbed and warmed and begins to perk up then can take drops of fluid. Even a hibernating bear can be awakened from hibernation and that's a much deeper state.