Though I am hoping that you may never have to use this on your gliders, I still feel that E-collars should always be available in your glider's first aid kit. Should your gliders be placed in a life-and-death situation, E-Collars might be the only one to save your baby's life. The Case Studies page will give you a more detailed information as to how the E-Collar can save your precious glider's life.
Materials:
Clear school report cover (thin, lightweight clear plastic)
Moleskin (found in foot care aisle of drug store) or mole foam can be found at Walmart and it holds extremely well, and is much thicker than mole skin.
The below template is life size. Use this to cut out your basic e-collar shape.
(black areas in strip above indicate cut-outs)
Cut two 1"x 4" strips of moleskin, and cut two notches in each side. Cut two curved sections out, as shown above, to allow for overlap (note - above sketch of moleskin strip is not to scale). The notches on one strip should be off-set from the notches on the second strip, so they don't line up when stacked on top of each other.
Attach the first piece of moleskin as shown in the photo at top. Trim the edges.
The second strip (the one you will use for the outside layer) should have an extended piece of moleskin on the outer end that doesn't have the curved cut-out (see below diagram). This extended piece will be used to fasten the e-collar on.
When you add this second layer, make sure the flap is on the outside of the collar.
You may need an additional strip of moleskin to keep the collar fastened on the glider. If so, use a very thin strip, to keep the collar light.
Attaching the E-Collar
Your glider is not going to like the e-collar, but just remember that you are using it to save your glider's life.
The easiest way to attach the collar is to use two people - one to hold the glider in a towel or cloth, and the other to put the collar on. The person holding the glider has to be firm, and keep the glider's arms and hands in the cloth. The collar should be put on with the overlapping ends at the back of their neck. It needs to be quite tight, so they don't slip it off. Use duct tape to secure the coller together. If it's not tight enough, your glider will have the collar off in less than a minute. After you have the collar on, observe your glider for several minutes. Watch to be sure their breathing is normal. If the glider's nose begins to turn blue, you have fastened the collar too tight - take it off immediately.
This "shot glass" design allows the glider to move around fairly easily, and to sleep as comfortably as possible under the circumstances. However, you will have to either remove the collar long enough for the glider to eat and drink, or hand feed the glider.
Make sure you are providing a darkened sleeping place the glider can get into with the collar on.
When the collar comes off, massage the glider's neck - an e-collar is not a comfortable thing to wear.
