Daily Safety Check

A daily safety check takes a few minutes and prevents a surprising share of emergencies. It is a habit, not an examination.

Important: completing this check does not mean your gliders are healthy. It means the enclosure is safe and nothing obvious is wrong. Health assessment belongs to a glider-competent veterinarian.

Check daily for:

• Loose or pulled threads
• Holes of any size
• Thinning fabric
• Chewed edges
• Separating seams or layers

If any damage is found:

• Remove the item immediately
• Do not repair or reuse
• Discard the item

Damaged fleece is not safe for continued use. Threads and holes cause limb and tail entanglement, and this is one of the most common preventable injuries in glider keeping.

Cage structure and hardware

• Doors latch fully and cannot be nudged open
• Clips, hooks, and hardware are present and tight
• No broken welds, sharp points, bent bars, or widened gaps
• No rust, flaking paint, or chewed coating
• Tray and floor are secure and seated correctly

Gliders are persistent escape artists, and a latch that "mostly" closes is an escape.

Wheel

• Spins freely without wobble or grinding
• Running surface is intact, with no cracks or worn-through areas
• Mounting is tight
• No hair, thread, or debris wrapped around the axle

Toys, ropes, and climbing items

• No frayed rope or dangling strings
• No cracked plastic or splintered wood
• No small parts working loose
• Branches and perches still firmly attached
• Nothing has shifted into a position that traps a head, limb, or tail

Food and water

• Water is fresh, not just topped up, and the container is clean
• If a bottle or sipper is used, confirm it actually flows today
• Food dishes are clean, and uneaten fresh food from the previous night has been removed
• Nothing is mouldy, fermenting, or contaminated by droppings

Veterinary guidance is explicit that fresh water should always be available and that dishes should be cleaned daily.

Cage environment

• Temperature at cage height is within range
• No vent, draught, or direct sunlight has started reaching the cage
• No new hazard nearby: candles, air fresheners, aerosols, cords, other pets
• Bedding is not saturated, and soiled areas have been spot-cleaned

You are looking for anything that warrants a closer look later, not performing a health check.

• Everyone is accounted for
• Normal activity, posture, and movement for that animal
• No visible wound, swelling, limp, or wet or matted fur
• Droppings look normal for the colony
• No new sound, such as clicking or laboured breathing
• No glider isolating itself unusually

If something looks off, note it with the date and keep watching. If it involves breathing difficulty, collapse, hind-limb weakness, dehydration signs, bleeding, or a prolapse, contact a veterinarian without waiting for tomorrow's check.

Weekly, on top of the daily pass

• Rotate and launder fabric items so a clean, undamaged set is always available
• Deep-clean dishes and water containers
• Check the cage hardware and welds more thoroughly
• Inspect items you cannot see well while the gliders are inside

This checklist is not exhaustive. It is the routine that catches the ordinary problems before they become expensive ones.