We had gotten our glider at the age of 3 months and followed everything
we had read to ensure his safety and security. We named him "Beemer". He
was a very healthy and loving companion for my wife and I. We had gotten
more attached to this little critter then we had ever realized. One
morning I noticed him crabbing in his nesting box and raised the lid to
see what was bothering him. He was chewing on his penis and was curled
in a ball and sometimes would run around in circles. I knew that
something was wrong but wasn't sure what it could be. We took him to a
vet that was recommended locally and they had given us some antibiotic
cream and some powder to treat worms "thinking that was the problem".
After a couple of days it seemed that Beemer was doing better but we
soon found out that was not the case. His condition had gotten much
worse. He had been chewing so much that he had chewed the chute where
the penis retracts completely away and also his anus. The vet we took
him too said that she would try to do some surgery to repair the damage
and we could come back in a hour or so to pick him up. At this point we
were relieved that he would be ok. When we returned to pick our baby up
The vet took us in a room and told us that there was too much damage to
repair and we could take him home to die but the best thing would be to
put him down. She asked if we wanted to see him before we left and I
couldn't bring myself to do it But My wife had to say good-bye. After
about 5 minutes of crying, I made myself go into the operating room to
check on my wife and see Beemer one last time. It was one of the hardest
things I have ever done. When we left the Building, My wife and I had to
sit in my truck for about 20 minutes because neither of us were in any
shape to drive. When we finally arrived home, There sat Beemer's empty
cage and all his things, and the pain hit us again. It was terrible!!
After reading and doing some studies, I will never, ever, keep a single
male glider by himself again. I am not sure that this is the problem,
but it most certainly seems to be an issue at this point. If anyone
notices the penis on their glider not retracting, Please get medical
attention right away! Chet and Ruth