bathing gliders?

okay, so ive got a male glider about 3 and a half years old.

hes not neutered but hes sooooooo stinky!!!! he smells like skunk and i can smell the cage from MILES away!!!

i was wondering if i should bathe him ? and if so, what kind of soap or shampoo can i use?

do you guys bathe your gliders in a sink or in a little tub?

what do i use?

Dont bathe them, their little bodies cant handle it.

I have always read not to bathe them, and have always been too timid too! I think (but may be wrong) that neutering them will help!

Neutering will help with the sort of "skunk" smell. If he LOOKS dirty, then he hasn't been grooming himself properly and I'd say a vet visit is in order.

well, wouldnt the other gliders hes with groom him ?

Un-neutered males have a more pungent odor than neutered males. Bathing isn't really gonna help because it's a glandular thing. You could get him smelling all good and all he's gonna do is mark like crazy and stink himself and his environment up to his liking again.

And no, bathing isn't recommended...like cats, they don't like water. If they are sick or injured and can't bathe themselves then a sponge bath would suffice but I wouldn't do an actual submerging bath.

There are tons of videos on youtube where gliders are being bathed,....usually from Asian countries but again, they really don't like it and I wouldn't recommend it.

Other gliders he is with will groom him as well, which is another reason why there could be something wrong if he has gunk in his fur.

Also, gliders not liking water is more a roomer than anything, but it is still suggested to not submerge them. They do come from wet forests, so naturally they are accustomed to the rain. The roomer came most likely because the anatomy of a sugar glider doesn't make them effecient swimmers, and the slick porcelain of a toilet makes it difficult for them to get out which has caused many glider drownings. Anywho, in my opinion, the biggist concern with bathing them is if they get soap or water in their nose or ears, an infection could take place. That's something I know I'd like to avoid altogether, which is why I would never bathe my gliders.

Well IMO it's not necessarily a rumor.... I have had mine on me on several occassions when I turn on the kitchen faucet and they go nuts! That's why I liken them to cats in that way.

There are plenty of people who bathe their cats and there are plenty of cats out there that don't mind water. I think if a glider is bathed from joey-hood, like any animal it would get used to it, but again, I don't feel there is a real need for it since they usually such good groomers.

If you do bathe him, thought I don't think you should, then DO NOT USE DAWN! It's terrible on animals except those sea animals that have oil on them-then they use it to get the oil off & that's it. I suggest if you do bathe use puppy (not dog) shampoo-but again I REALLY don't suggest you bathe him.

JazzNZoeysmom wrote:

Well IMO it's not necessarily a rumor.... I have had mine on me on several occassions when I turn on the kitchen faucet and they go nuts! That's why I liken them to cats in that way.

There are plenty of people who bathe their cats and there are plenty of cats out there that don't mind water. I think if a glider is bathed from joey-hood, like any animal it would get used to it, but again, I don't feel there is a real need for it since they usually such good groomers.

The sound of running water is a nasty noise! :O) I agree about the cats, though. I would never bathe mine unless he got into something really grimey.

What diet is your little guy on? If he's not on a good diet it will make the scent worse. I have 3 males in tact males in my home and on the rare occasion that there is a smell coming from the cages it just tells me to clean it ahead of schedule. Another thing that can make him smellier is if you haven't ran his pouch/hammock through the wash lately. If you clean the cage with diluted vinegar it will help neutralize the smell as well.

*Please note* Don't do all of it at once, if you clean his pouch one day, wait a day or two to clean the cage, or visa versa. If you do it all at once he could get stressed and stressing them never a good idea.