Purchasing your first glider? Read this first!

I wanted to share this from the SG FB page!


Hello guys, I wanted to share something. I've gotten some e-mails recently that made me realize I need to warn you guys about something.. --- If you're purchasing gliders from someone pay attention!

If they tell you they are fixed/spayed(for female gliders) do NOT believe it. 95% of vets will not even ATTEMPT this surgery as it is way too invasive and dangerous. Odds are either they were told the female was fixed or they are lying to get a sale.

If they tell you they are fix/neutered(for male gliders).. Unless it was pretty recently done they should NOT have the bald spot on their head or the stained area on their chest. If they claim it WAS recent ask for proof, ask for a bill or statement from the vet that did the neuter. Neuters can be Pom ON and Pom OFF! So he could be neutered but still have his pom.. but it can be hard to get a good feel if the testes are there since it is an unfamiliar glider. If they can not provide you with papers and say the previous owner did it do NOT believe them.

I see so many people adopt a neutered male and a single female and end up with rejected babies. That is a LOT of heartache to go through.. Not to mention if they DON'T reject that is more cost in care and more possible neuters or new cages so the joey doesn't mate with the parents.

If you have any questions about an ad or anything someone selling them says to you feel FREE to ask us here! We would be more than happy to do what we can to keep you from getting scammed!

I wanted to say that the bald spot will not always go away after a neuter. Batman was neutered in our care and even afte 9 months, still has a tiny bit of one. Some say it's due to overgrooming & he scarred himself. Idk. But I DO know he had a laser pom off neuter so there is no pom there at all. (At work so I will post a recent pic later)

I would say ask for documentation of the neuter and of course, when you take your new babies in for their Physical Wellness Exam, HAVE YOUR VET tell you if your glider is neutered or not.

Also, make sure you actually have a girl. Sometimes, ppl buy the wrong gender on accident...and then one "girl" is actually a boy and then you have a pregnant glider. Let's not forget that boy gliders can be a daddy as early as 4 months! So better safe than sorry: get them seen by a professional and get that snip snip done on time!

But is it much more noticeably smaller than a typical bald spot? I mean, they may always have a slight difference there but I think you can pretty easily tell a neutered male from an unneutered one by how 'fresh'/big the bald spot is.

OMG, yes! I will be sure to post before and after pics!

Rchurch wrote:

OMG, yes! I will be sure to post before and after pics!

That would be fantastic to see. Males bald spots vary in size even when unneutered, but if someone has seen some comparisons it should be easy to tell just by looking unless it was recently done.

Rchurch wrote:

OMG, yes! I will be sure to post before and after pics!

That would be nice.

I am including 8 shots of him so you can see the progression Batman has made.

Understand that when we got Batman, he was a lone glider for about 2 years and on a horrible "diet" which consisted mostly of apples, the occasional scrambled egg, and junk food (i.e. cookies, popcorn). So, he is not only horribly discolored (to the point of looking like a "cinnamon" glider but he had a case of overgrooming.

Here's a pic of him around the first week we had him, a night or two before we neutered him:



He had a pom off laser neuter, and slept a lot for about the first 3 nights. This next pic was taken sometime in our second week of having him. (I know this because he was still in the temporary cage we bought at PetSmart--he came with a hamster cage--and we later gave the PetSmart cage to Catwoman, when we got her the following week.)



Here he is with Catwoman. This was taken maybe their 2nd or 3rd week after successful intro's:



The next 3 pics were taken somewhere between months 5-6 of our suggie parentage







And these last 2 pics were very recent, maybe in the last month or so:

Thanks for sharing! You're right, you can barely see it now, but the difference is sure obvious!

Definitely a huge difference!