Although not often, females can have certain issues that can affect their pouches.

Inverted / Prolapsed Pouch- You may notice pink skin that looks like it is protruding from the pouch. This is often considered to be what’s referred to as inverted. This is often seen in females that have recently had joeys in pouch/nursing. It’s also seen after a female has been a bit overzealous in her grooming of the pouch area. They will sometimes pull open their pouches quite wide to groom inside. Generally, this situation does not cause the sugar glider discomfort and there should not be any swelling, redness, oozing, bleeding, crustiness, odor or other discharge. If there is, you are probably dealing with a pouch infection that needs to be treated by a vet immediately. Normal inversion caused by nursing or grooming will correct itself fairly quickly, usually within a day. If you notice that the pouch is inverted for a prolonged period of time, please consult your vet for advice.

Suz's Sugar Glider site has a very clear photo of a severely prolapsed pouch: [http://www.suzsugargliders.com/symptoms.htm ]

Here are some photos from Glider Gossip members followed by the links they came from:

Member name Rae

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?whichpage=1&TOPIC_ID=32272&#267995 ]

Member name Sugartrio

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=30199 ]

Member name CourtneyAnnMarie

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=11206 ]

Other links that contain a discussion regarding prolapsed/inverted pouches:

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=18787 ]

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=19411 ]

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=27362 ]

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=28391 ]

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=23470 ]

Mastitis -The pouch contains four nipples for nursing joeys. As with humans, mammary glands can become inflamed or even infected. In a more serious case, you may actually see a nipple protruding from the pouch very large and very swollen. Please see a vet for treatment as soon as possible. Understandably, this will cause a sugar glider great discomfort. Also see: [http://www.sugarglider.com/gliderpedia/index.asp?Mastitis ]

Here are some photos from Glider Gossip members followed by the links they came from:

Member name Ahsaehr

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=20932 ]

Pouch Infections -These can quickly get very serious if not treated immediately. Some causes could be anything from a small scratch to a yeast infection to a piece of food getting lodged in the pouch. If a female is actively nursing a joey, certain infections can be spread to them as well. A vet can do a simple pouch swab for yeast or other bacteria. Redness or other discoloration, swelling/inflammation, discharge, odor, bleeding, crustiness or any other abnormal symptoms need to be addressed by your vet. This will probably also cause a sugar glider great discomfort.

More Pouch Discussions:

[http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=10655 ]

This page is in Category Health.