Vet Q&A-Reptile

We just bought a baby iguana 3cweeks ago , it was light green very beautiful. But now is getting a brownish color and it looks weak. Is my iguana sick?

Yes, your Iguana is probably sick but these symptoms are very general and i couldn't tell you what is causing this, you will need to take him to an exotic vet specialist ASAP in order to get him checked.

My female red eared slider (1 1/2 years old) bit my male red eared slider under the tail area and there was bleeding. The bleeding stopped and I separated the turtles but I don't know what to do now. The male turtle is swimming and eating fine now. Please help, thank you!

You may have to keep them separated if your tank is not big enough to accommodate two turtles. Female sliders are bigger than males and can bully smaller turtles in their environment. Red eared sliders are notorious for being territorial as well. You can try introducing them again, but if you see more aggression, they will need to be separated permanently.

My leopard gecko hasn't been eating for 3 days. The temperature is normal, she is not shedding, the humidity is normal, and the type of food is normal. What should I do?

Kota may have an impaction. The main cause of impaction is sand or other loose substrate (Gravel, walnut shell, quartz, ect.) that your gecko might ingest during feeding. The ingested substrate doesn't digest like the rest of the food in its stomach, and either forms a mass in the stomach, or passes into the intestines and creates a blockage. This blockage prevents the gecko from pooping, and the gecko will stop eating. The sick leopard gecko will grow weak, and eventually die if not treated. Early signs of impaction are lethargy, failure to eat or poop and a bloated belly. A warm soak and a drop of olive oil or mineral oil in the mouth may help the gecko to pass the impacted matter. I recommend a warm soak for 5 minutes twice a day. You can give one drop the oil by mouth to see if that will help the impaction pass. DO NOT force the oil down the throat as you may cause her to aspirate the oil into the lungs and that would be disastrous! Just put the drop right inside the mouth. If the impaction isn't passed, the gecko will develop a thin tail as it loses weight, barely opened eyes, increasing lethargy, and a dark blue spot on his/her side. If any of these more extreme symptoms occur, rush your leopard gecko to a vet IMMEDIATELY. Impaction CAN KILL YOUR GECKO. On rare occasion, there are other things that can cause impaction. Sometimes, part of an undigested mealworm or other hard-exoskeleton insect can get lodged in your gecko's intestines. Sometimes a cyst will form inside your gecko's stomach or intestines and cause a blockage. However, that is an extremely rare occurrence. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

My leopard gecko had both his corneas torn/ ripped off and the vet gave me an ointment to put on. I’m not sure if he’s healthing though. There’s a tiny bit of blood in his eye still but not a lot. He’s also not eating and trying to force feed him hasn’t been working. It’s very hard to single handedly force feed a gecko. How long until I see a visual improvement and how do I get him to eat? Also could that be bruising by his mouth from me trying to force feed?

Superficial injury may heal within 7-10 days. Deeper, more serious injury, such as ulcers, can take weeks. You can use EmerAid or similar product to supplement the diet. The abrasion (?) May indeed be from rough feeding. Gently tap him on the nose with prey to elicit a strike. Once he has the cricket or mealworm in his mouth, he should be fine. You can soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte to prevent or treat mild dehydration. Increasing enclosure temperatures slightly (by 5-10 degrees F) may aid in healing.

Hello there! I have a tortoise, a red eared slider type which doesn't want to eat. She's around 1 3/4 years old. When she was still want to eat, we gave her small fishes. Now she doesn't want to eat or even open her eyes. Her eyes actually healthy. I have been giving her bottled milk for past 3 months. I think she has some kind of digestive infection. Please help, doctor. If you can, please recommend me any medication I can get around. Thank you very much.

Bottled milk is not an appropriate diet for a slider. This turtle should be eating mainly dark, leafy greens and fresh fruits and vegetables. Some protein can be offered in the form of small fish, nightcrawlers and insect prey. A commercial turtle diet should also be offered. The proper environment will include clean water for swimming, a dock to bask, a UVB light source and a heat source. Your turtle may be malnourished. An exam with your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles would be recommended to diagnose and treat any infection. You can follow this link below for more information regarding care of sliders. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

My baby bearded dragon won't eat.. what do I do?

Confirm proper temperatures. Low temps can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. Soak Jax in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will provide heat and may treat or prevent mild dehydration. Be sure prey is appropriately sized, no bigger than the space between the eyes. Look for pinhead crickets or freshly hatched/molted dubia roaches. Gutload them for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Fluker's Repti-Boost can be used as a supplement. If Jax does not begin eating, have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose illness or injury.

My bearded dragon is laying in his water like this. He moves and stuff but he just lookes weird to me because his ear is in the water. Is this normal?

Some beardies like water, others don't. This may be normal for Gaara. Remove the bowl at night to prevent accidental drowning, water aspiration or excessive chill. Tip his head gently to remove any excess water. Do not stick anything inside the ear though.

Hi I have a 5 months old bearded dragon. The past two days he hasn't been eating and feels like he is filled with air like a balloon. His beard is also black for the first time. He has been pooping regularly and looks healthy otherwise. Temps are correct in viv and I use carpet for substrate. He eats a variety of greens and crickets and Phoenix worms with the occasional super worm. Why is he filled with air and not eating?

Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. Monitor Drogon for difficulty breathing, blowing bubbles, lethargy, or odd sounds while breathing. These are symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. Parasites or URI may cause the condition you are seeing. Bump cage temps up by about 5F for a few days. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte twice daily for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the UVB light source is not older than 6 months and use quality vitamin and mineral supplements. If Drogon gets worse or does not begin eating soon, have him examined by an experienced herp veterinarian.

My bearded dragon has a watery swollen eye what should I do

If it is just one eye, it may be infection. Other potential cause can be vitamin A deficiency (or overdose). If her eye appears "droopy", it may be a symptom f kidney disease. A pending shed may affect the eyes. Have her examined by your herp vet to determine cause and for treatment if necessary. In the meantime, you can try rinsing the eye with plain saline to rinse out any substrate or foreign body.