Bald spot & Itching

Hi, I noticed on rocky a few days ago, a slight bald spot behind his left ear, Closer to his shoulder blade. It is about the size of a pea and the skin looks perfectly fine but I have been watching it in case it shows a break in the skin which as of now still looks fine.
I noticed tonight when he came out for dinner, he was pressing his belly against the floor as if to scratch it, then i noticed he rubbed his side against the edge of the cage for a second.
I am not sure what this is, a rash i cant see? or some kind of itch i dont have a clue what would cause it.
I am going to completely spray down his whole cage in hopes maybe that will help but I am at a loss.
Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

~ Theresa

Is he neutered? Do you have a female who could be in heat and he is marking?

Hi, He isnt neutered but he lost his mate just over a year ago. This is the first time he has behaved like this. When sugar was with us I noticed he would belly slide around the floor but this seemed more like itching although it could have been marking now that you mention it, There is no female though.

~ Theresa

The rubbing sounds like marking. That's what my gliders look like when they mark. I recently washed their cages, including toys & cage sets, so I have seen ALOT of marking lately :-)
I don't know about the bald spot. My girl, Poppy, has a new small bald spot on her head and I found a thread here where folks talked about how they had noticed that some of their gliders would over-groom in the Jan-March months (don't know why). So I am waiting to see if it stops and clears up in the next month or so.
I'm sure someone else with more experience than me will be along as well.
Maybe it's time for a new mate? I'll bet he'd love that!

I agree, the behavior you describe sounds like marking and overgrooming to me. While working on finding a new mate for him, you could be diligent about switching out toys more often and ensuring that you are using toys that meet several different needs in his cage. You can also be more creative in how you feed and in floor toys provided. Keep him busy and he will have less time to overgroom. If it doesn't clear up in a few weeks, then a vet visit to make sure he is healthy is in order.

Hi, Thank you so much. I have been worried sick about him. There is no sign that the skin is broke or a rash that i can see so I am hoping thats all it is.
Would he be marking though if there isnt a female in the home?
He isnt showing any signs of not feeling well either, he is just as active as ever.
I also havent spring cleaned the frame of his home yet as its still cold out. I keep it wiped down thru the winter months but when the weather warms i move him to a back up house and take his bigger house outside for a thorough scrubbing down as its pretty large.

Added: I have been wanting to buy more toy activities for him but theres not much in my area and what i see on the internet, i am clueless. I was going to bid on an auction that was running last year but I missed it. I see some people sell a whole cage set up I was considering too I just dont know what to get that he will like and that is safe for him.

Any advice on toys for him, He has had pretty much the same since I first brought him home, slight changes here and there as far as pouches and hammocks go but I do think he needs more activities to keep him busy.

~ Theresa

Theresa some place on here there is a post on making your own toys. Most are pretty easy and at this point even putting a treat into a new hanging dish or I just read some people are taking the Wiffle balls and putting pea pods or Edamine pods and you could even put whole green beans into the holes and hang them and let them forage to get them out. I need to run out but will return and post some more things for you to do.
Go to the dollar store and get some plastic Easter eggs and put meal worms/pieces of favorite fruit/1/4inch cubes of chicken (on junk food night) in them and the gliders will open them up and get the goodies out.
Look for other cute hard plastic things while there. Egg full of Bunnies are out there I think CVS and /or Walgreens have them. Hang plastic braclets off the side off the cage with them.

Wow Brenda, that is so cool. When I look for things for him, I specifically look for the package to say it is for sugar's or I dont buy it. I have never thought of anything like that. I am going to try and see how he does.

Thanks so much ~ Theresa
(am actually a bit excited about this lol).

Theresa, check out these threads:

https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t501-your-favorite-easy-toy

https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t1433-different-toys-for-different-needs

https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/t456-the-home-made-toy-picture-thread

These are all from our enrichment forum, where you will also find example cage set ups and other information about enrichment that will help you and your little one.

As for where to purchase SAFE and great things for your glider, check out our vendor section here:
https://thesweetspot.forumotion.net/f25-the-mall

They do mark even without any other gliders around. They are making sure that you and anyone else who might happen by knows that's HIS home and HIS "stuff".

You have gotten a great deal of awesome advice here. I can only agree with what has been said and add that besides the dollar store toys - I would look at toys made for babies - a lot of them would make good glider toys. In a pinch, I always liked to link baby links into a chain and then hang monkeys from the barrel of monkeys game on them and you can even hang plastic bracelets from the monkeys. It's a good re-set toy as well as a toy they can use to "nest" with. Good luck and have fun experimenting with things they enjoy! :)

Thanks so much everyone.
I went out and bought a few things and am going to try making my first toy lol.
(cross my fingers).

I also bought some easter eggs, the plastic one like suggested and put a mealie in it. Rocky was so cute romping with it triing to get at the mealie.
Then, it looked as though he got his tooth stuck in a lil hole he was digging in and I paniced and opened it for him. Was it just me panicing? It was so hard to tell if he was actually stuck or just really triing to tear that egg open. I feel like maybe I should have let him keep going but then if he had gotten hurt I wouldnt have forgiven myself.
Should I try again, should I leave the egg not so tightly closed so he can open it easier? idk.

~Theresa

I put holes in the ends of the eggs I give them - large enough that the treats can just fit through - and if they can't open the egg, they move it around enough where they can get the treat near the hole and grab it. I use a large nail, heated on the stove (I have a gas stove) and push it thru the plastic to make the holes. Then I clean up the edges by hand or use an exacto knife (or razor blade). They are so fun to watch, wrestling with an egg!

I have not had one get a tooth or nail stuck in the little holes atthe end of the eggs.
They love to wrestle them and fight to get the prize out.

Oh wow I didnt think of making the holes bigger. They had 2 on each end when I bought them, barely enough for a toothpick to fit. I will make them bigger.
It was soooo cute watching him romp with it lol. Mesmerizing lol.

I paniced though when I thought he got stuck, he did release it quickly though when I offered another mealie.

Ok I am going to try again.

Oh it also looks like he stopped overgrooming that spot.

Thanks so much for all of your help. It greatly helped.

~ Theresa