Dexters neck wound is opened again!

Dexters wound is open AGAIN! It was healing so nicely and now it is a bright red icky crater again!!!! It looks like Faye is digging into his neck this time! The last two times it just looked kind of like a second degree burn, flat, red and painful, but now it looks like there is a concave area starting. Dexter doesn't even act like it bothers him until I put the quickderm on it...then the poor boy hides himself under blankets and I know that if he could talk he would be saying "Please mommy, don't touch it!!!"

I am going to separate Dexter like I should have done before but because Faye had let it heal yet again, I thought they would be fine.

My only problem now is Dexter was over grooming his eyebrows and his tail when he was alone before... as soon as I placed him with Faye he stopped and his eyebrow and tail hair grew back. What can I do to avoid his overgrooming?

Also would antibiotics help him...the quick derm seems to work and jump start the healing process. The wound has healed twice without antibiotics but if it keeps being opened, one of these times he is going to become infected so I thought I would ask.

Celeste, my opinion on antibiotics is don't use them unless you need them. Otherwise you build up a resistance. Plus, they are hard on a body.
For the overgrooming, you are going to have to take Faye's place as his mate. More out of cage time, more snuggly time, more attention. It won't prevent it, likely, but it will help. Also, give him lots of foraging toys and things to do in his cage. Change things out often, re-arrange (unless, of course this stresses him out). Keep him occupied like you would a sick kiddo.
They are going to have to be seperate until that wound is fully healed, AND furred over. The scar tissue is going to be weak for a bit, and she'll mess with it, starting you all over again. At least this is what I would do. Others may have better information.

After posting, I have been thinking about it.. he was overgrooming when I first got him...he was not able to be handled at all back then and was very lonely...maybe now that I can pet him and touch him, he will not be so stressed? He really is a sweet glider and has never tried to bite and doesn't even crab...he was just very skittish when I got him (rehome). Maybe we will become best friends while he is healing!

My biggest fear is that I will never be able to put him back with Faye...as some of my friends know, her previous mate died of a mysterious wound on his neck. My vet (not very glider knowledgeable) thought it was a wound caused by something sharp on the cage... me I wasn't convinced. So if Faye is doing this to all of her mates...the poor girl may have to live her remaining days alone :( and that in itself is sad to me.

But I like the idea of avoiding the antibiotics if I can help it. He seems to heal fine if only she would leave him alone!

Keep an eye on it. As long as there are no signs of infection, then he might be OK without antibiotics. Since he is separated, you might do one day of antibacterial ointment just to be sure.

As for Faye - has she ever had a female cage mate?

Faye has only had her sister as a cage mate when I first got her. Her sister is housed next to her with another neutered male. I have thought many times that I wanted to put the four of them together but maybe I will just intor Faye back with her sister and the other male. The male is ...lets say assertive and not at all mellow like Fayes other mates so I don't see her being agressive with him. Should I try it or just find her a female cage mate? Then what do I do with Dexter?

I am sorry you are going thought this Celeste.

If you have to have one or the other I would take the over grooming rather then the wound. Keeping him separated one time for a longer period is better then this wound reopening multiple times. Like was stated lots of bonding for you two and lots of toys.
You could supervised play time where you have your eye on him 100% of the time so they interact (if Val thinks that is OK to do) and just keep swapping pouches so they continue to have each others scent.

((hugs to you both).

Faye you need to start playing nice sweetie or you are not going to have any friends if you keep it up...

If it were me, I would try to put Faye with the sister and the other male, then I would keep your new joeys (at least one) and try to intro Dexter to the joey(s).

Oh, and I would start the intros right away.

If you are not comfortable with that, then I would absolutely do supervised play time.

Thats the sad thing...Faye isn't aggressive AT ALL! I have never heard her crab in her entire life here! She is mellow and will let you pick her up without an argument...I think she is just being OVER clean???? Dexter is the same way - very mellow.

I have NO CLUE what happened to her last mate because he died while I was in Mexico when my daughter got married. I felt so guilty when I returned and found him dead in the pouch!. ((he was my favorite boy and such a cuddle bug))

There was no blood ANYWHERE except on one spot on the front of his neck and one of his nails- there was a VERY small puncture on the front of his neck and a dime size hole in the back of his neck. The vet suggested that maybe the dogs got downstairs and bit him through the cage??? I explained the lack of blood and I know that wounds don't bleed when someone is dead so my theory is the original wound was the tiny puncture (which looked like maybe made by his own nail? - it was that small) and then Faye tried to clean up and caused the big hole? Maybe he hit an artery with the front puncture???? I will never know and it will haunt me forever.

Then when Dexter came up with a wound on his neck...we all started to wonder but Faye is not that sort of glider???? ...well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Faye is not a monster! (I know - too much drama.. he he) seriously though - this has me totally confused! Dexter didn't eat much last night, we will see tonight. Elsbeth has two in pouch and one (if it's a male) will be a mate for my new mosaic - Lily. So I will have another possible friend for him but that's a ways down the road...

I wish you the best of luck, Celeste! Just so you know, the few times that I had to separate gliders from their cage mates due to open wounds (etc) and wanting them to heal completely before reintroducing them, the gliders who were separated and I really bonded during that time and they didn't have any problems going back in with their mates. *hugs*

THANKS everyone! I'm just such a push over for a sad face and Dexter definitely looked at me with that "What did I do mommy?" face :(

I will get over it and it will be better for him, I know this!