Around noon I found my little boy on the side of the cage crabbing... he NEVER crabs... Ever. he can't seem to get comfortable and I think his leg is possibly broken... he sort of seems to be having problems with it but I'm really not sure... He's still awake moving around the cage and crabbing like he's trying to get comfortable... I have a vet appointment in 2 hours but is there anything specific I should get them to check out? Will they put a cast on it or give him pain meds? Could this be fatal? What if its a broken rib? I found him on his back, like he couldn't flip over... He was fine yesterday.

Hello, I do not really have an answer for you since I've never encountered that situation, however, I wanted to tell you that broken legs or ribs are usually not fatal, and you already did the right thing by calling the vet.

In the meantime, I guess you can try to make him comfortable but giving him something to sit on or see if he wants to stay on your hands... (if something is broken he may make it worse by moving around trying to find a place)

Oh no :( Sorry to hear your little buddy isn't feeling too great. Hopefully your vet will do X-rays to see if there is something broken.

I would probably put him in a bonding pouch, keep him close and try to comfort him and keep him hydrated with his favorite juicy fruits or some treats. You don't want him to injure himself further climbing around if it is a break. Keep a close eye on him so you can intervene if he's in pain and tries to chew the pain away.

It's hard to speculate on what happened, but be sure to check the cage over well to see if there's anything that he could've injured himself on (loose threads in bedding, any sharp edges or tight places he could've pinched a toe then struggled to free himself from, etc). You can take a cotton ball and rub it all over the cage, anything that is sharp will snag.

Let us know how the vet trip goes, please!

I took him into the vet and he's pretty sure it's early on set of HLP :/ I have no idea how this happened since I feed Wombaroo but we're doing oral calcium for 60 days and his "seizures" (he was jerking and I thought it was because he was putting weight on an injured limb) have gone away. The vet recommended gut loaded crickets, about 70% (feed the crickets a calcium product) and the rep vitamin combination on the veggies and fruits a few times a week.

Did your vet do a fecal? If you're feeding OHPW, there's good chance the hlp is being caused by something else, like a parasite or bacterial infection etc that is leeching calcium from his system. What were you feeding for fruits and veg?

Luckily you caught it before it progressed further. Poor little guy.

My 5 yr old sugar glider Chloe had the same symptoms a few weeks ago, I took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with HLP from a calcium deficiancy. She lost a lot of weight too. The vet gave her a antibiotic shot, and a vitamin d shot. Gave me liquid calcium to give her daily. Took her back a few times within 2 weeks for vitamin b shots to increase her apt and weigh ins I'm happy to report she gained back 9 grams, her personality is back to her sweet self and she's eating! She's walking so much better too!
Keep your eye on your little one and make sure he's getting enough calcium. It's worth the vet visits for the shots of vitamin b and d. It helped my little one a lot!
Hope your baby is feeling better!!!!

First of all I hope the lil one is ok!! You said you you feed wambaroo.. Is it the OHWP feed as directed or have you purchased a knock off? I think this info will help us.

He did not do a fecal. I feed wombaroo about 2x a week and I guess it wasn't often enough... This is completely my fault but he seems to be doing a lot better... they really like the crickets! And I imagine that they are eating a lot of them in the wild! Thanks for the help and please, PLEASE do not skimp on the Calcium.

Please make sure you know how the crickets were raised. There is a risk of aflatoxin poisoning with crickets.

Make sure the cricket bedding isn't corn based! if the pet store or supplier isn't sure ask them for the phone number to the people that supply them and then ask what bedding they use when raising the crickets.

HOW are you feeding the wombaroo High Protein Supplement?

If you are sprinkling it on foods - your glider is definitely not getting enough of it to benefit from the protein, vitamins and calcium it contains. It appears your glider may not be getting enough protein daily as well as not enough calcium.

Gliders also need a good protein source DAILY - following the original recipe for HPW (now called CritterLove Original) would be a better way to provide your glider with a better balanced diet.

http://www.critterlovedietcenter.com/original.html

I have links on my web page to a number of good glider feeding plans that will meet your glider's needs. Look at the recipes and feeding instructions and choose one of these diets to offer your glider's daily.

http://www.gliderkids-diet.com/Staple-Recipes.html