Vet Q&A-Reptile

Hello! I was wondering which plants are safe and can survive in a bearded dragons enclosure? And how can I keep them in there since I use reptile carpet? I don’t think he’ll try to eat the plants so I’m not concerned with him destroying them but i am worried that he’ll lick up the dirt somehow. is add a photo of what I have now but the apps keeps crashing when I try to. Sorry! Lol but anyway thank you so much!!

Echevaria (hen and chicks), Dracaena, Marigold, Boston fern or Bird's Nest fern are safe. Be forewarned though, any plant you put in the viv will be eaten or trampled. You may also have difficulty maintaining proper humidity levels with live plants.

I have a female aquatic turtle of 9 years old and it is swollen like a balloon, here there is no veterinarian that knows about turtles, I read that it could be kidney failure please help me

Kidney disease is one possibility. Bacterial infection or nutritional deficiencies are other possibilities. Without a physical exam and diagnostics, it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine the exact cause. Sisi should be seen by a veterinarian, any veterinarian, for an exam. It is possible a specialist can be reached by phone or online to assist your veterinarian. In the meantime, provide clean water at the proper temperature, a heat source and UVB light source for basking and an appropriate diet. Commercial turtle sticks or pellets can be fed. Supplement with fresh greens and vegetables. A calcium and multivitamin supplement should be sprinkled on food several times weekly as well. It appears that you have a Yellow-Headed Sideneck turtle. You can find a care sheet here: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-yellowheadedamazon.htm

my red eared slider is about 6 months-1year old and has an eye infection, his eye is swollen, is is completely covered by a membrane of pale color. i just noticed it today and i'm really worried it might have bad damage on my turtle, what can a i do to help it? i was recommended eye drops with antibiotics but what you you think?

Unfortunately what i can tell you from your description and the pic is that this presentation is likely to be due to a severe conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well and eye must be fully examined. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello! My crested gecko doesn't know how to drink from glass, or a standing water bowl, so I have no other way to get her to drink other than lightly spraying her mouth and eyes so she licks the water off. That works perfectly fine (Other than more time caring for her) but when she is in one of her hides, I can't get to her. (There are little passage ways in the tree hide, which makes it impossible to water her). How can I teach her to drink water? (Or any other solution, really :) Thanks!

Created geckos naturally drink from drops of water on leaves. Make sure your enclosure has plenty of decorative plants with leaves and make sure to spray the enclosure down with water at least twice a day. You many never see her drink, but she will. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Can I feed a snake with chicken meat, or fish meat? Because i want to buy one but I don't want to feed it with mice. If I can't feed it with something else I will not buy one.

It depends on what the snake has been eating already. If the previous owner/breeder feeds live mice/food, then the snake will most likely eat dead food. Some snakes can be trained to eat dead food but it can take some time. Some will never convert to dead/frozen food. You may want to consider getting another type of reptile that does not eat mice. Most snakes will not eat chicken or fish meat. I hope this has helped. Thanks for using pet coach.

I have a bearded dragon on that I turned his nocturnal light on for night time and the humidity started Rising it's at 50 and I was wondering if that was safe for him and he's 2 to 3 months old

50% humidity is a bit too high. Ideally, it should range between 30 and 40%. Consider a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) which will emit heat without visible light. Prolonged periods of high humidity may promote bacterial or fungal overgrowth and could predispose Calvin to respiratory infection.

My snake has been missing for 2 and a half months and I just found him, and I know he hasn’t had food and I’m pretty sure he has had essentially no water the whole time, he is in his tank now and has had water, but when I tried to feed him he refused the mouse and I’m going to try again later but I’m worried about him, he also has a seemingly yellow tint to the underside of him and there are some parts on him that I can see a little damage.

I'm glad you found him! Since he was missing for so long, an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet would be strongly recommended to diagnose and treat any illness or injury. In the meantime, give him a good soak in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will warm him up and provide hydration. Once he's warm and hydrated, he will be more likely to accept prey.

my bearded dragon wont poop what to do?

Soak him for 15-20 minutes in a warm 50/50 solution of water and an electrolyte replacement liquid. Gently massage his abdomen during the soak. This may help produce a bowel movement. Do this twice daily. If Balthazar does not defecate in the next 24-48 hours, have him examined by an experienced herp veterinarian. If he is lethargic, not eating or seems painful, have him seen by a vet sooner.

Are house geckos good beginner reptiles?

Yes, house geckos make good beginner reptile pets. You may not be able to interact/handle them like you could with crested or leopard geckos but they are easy to keep. her is a link to a care sheet: http://geckocare.net/house-gecko-care-sheet/