Emergencies
WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY
Emergency situations that are life threatening include any situation in which:
- The glider is lethargic or unresponsive
- The glider is losing a lot of blood or has a massive wound open to bones or organs
- The glider has ingested some sort of toxin or poison
- The glider is having difficulty breathing
- The glider is having seizures and is not known for having them
- The glider is self-mutilating and has caused a massive open wound
- Severe diarrhea
- Neurological signs such as turning in circles, tilting head to one side, or leaning to one side
- Severe shaking or weakness
Urgent situations which need vet care promptly, but are not necessarily immediately life threatening include:
- Breaks in bones on tails, hands, or feet
- Mating or dominance wounds that are smaller than a dime size
- Facial swelling or abscess that has just appeared
- Overgrooming or chewing on limbs, fingers, or tail
WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY
The most important thing to do in a true emergency is to get your glider to your nearest emergency veterinarian who sees gliders. Ideally, you will have chosen your emergency veterinarian before an emergency occurs. If you do not know of a vet near you who treats sugar gliders, you can use our map of veterinarians that see gliders.
Aside from getting the glider to the vet as soon as you can, the most important thing to remember is to keep the glider warm and hydrated until you can get them to a veterinarian.