Vet Q&A-Reptile

My leopard gecko cannot shed his skin on his toes. I am spraying his tank with water to keep it moist and I have made a "shed box" with wet moss but he still cannot shed. He has lost his tail before because the dry skin cut off circulation on it, and now I'm afraid he is going to lose his toe because it is swelling and turning a reddish purple color. Help!

Try the following: Give your leopard gecko a bath. Make sure the water is lukewarm and not too deep. Geckos can swim, however you need to be present so he does not drown. or make a moisture chamber: use a tupperware, spray bottle, and a paper towel. Spray or wet the paper towel. Put the paper towel inside the tupperware. Put your leopard gecko inside the tupperware for 30 minutes. You can repeat this as often as you need. Take a wet q-tip and gently rub the skin off after moisturizing. you may also need to use tweezers to gently pick off the shed. Your gecko may not like it, and may get stressed, but this is not as bad as losing toes.

Bought a baby bearded dragon a week ago and doesn't eat on his own, I have to feed him myself and sleeps all day , what to do ?

Confirm proper ambient and basking temps for your new beardie. Low temps can affect appetite and activity. Offer appropriately sized food and prey. Fresh foods should be finely diced, live prey should be no bigger than the space between his eyes. Setting up a proper environment closely mimicking his natural environment is also key. If he doesn't feel comfortable or secure, he will likely not eat. He may also be ill. Have him examined by an experienced herp veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. Follow the link for more information: http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html Do not hesitate to request a consultation if you have further questions.

I have a ribbon snake (almost a year old) who was acting fine except for denying food, then I woke up today to him spinning and twirling and not acting anything like he does, I've been holding him since 2 and he doesn't hold his head upright it droops and is at an angle, he also constantly has his mouth open and u can hear a hollow click when he does it(it almost looks like he's gasping for air) he does squirm and keeps exposing his belly to the sky, I need help!

Chong needs to be seen by an experienced herp veterinarian as soon as possible. By your description, he may have a respiratory infection. The clicking and gasping may indicate advanced infection which can be stressful causing the posturing. It may also be neurological in nature. For this reason, an exam is strongly recommended.

My baby turtle eyes are swollen. For 10 days. I take veterinary hospital but not any improvement. And it's can t do latrine for three days because it's latrine area's skin has fungus..please help......

Swollen eyes can be caused by infection or by vitamin deficiency. A veterinarian should be able to make this determination and prescribe the appropriate treatment. You can request a consultation to discuss this case in greater details and to discuss proper care and husbandry if needed.

I have a green iguana who is roughly 4 years old. He's got a quarter size what looks like a blood blister on his beard right before it meets his chest. I'm curious as to how he got it or what caused it and if there any treatment for it?

Any small nick or scratch can become infected. He could have scratched himself in or out or the enclosure. If he is behaving normally, you can treat it topically with a diluted Betadine cleanse followed by a dab of triple antibiotic ointment daily until it resolves. See your veterinarian or an experienced herp veterinarian if he becomes lethargic, loses his appetite or if the area doesn't heal, becomes swollen or has discharge.

I just bought a strawberry dart frog (oophaga pumilio) at a reptile expo and he has a clear bubble over his right eye. Does this need to be treated or will or clear up?

It could be an infection. Being a new pet, it should be examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp veterinarian to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any pre existing conditions. Quarantine it for now in case the underlying cause is contagious.

I am pure vegetarian And I also want my cat to be a vegetarian Which veg food I can feed to my cat ?? Although I allow her to eat rats,Squirrels,Lizard and raw eggs

This is really not recommended. While I appreciate that you are a vegetarian it is not fair to subject your cat to your beliefs. Cats are carnivores by nature and their body/metabolism is set up for processing protein; especially a cat like can Ocicat. Cat also need the amino acid taurine - without it they will have many health issues. They get taurine from meat or specially formulated cat food. Please do not make your cat a vegetarian. You will end up making her have many health problems. This article may help you and answer more questions. http://pets.webmd.com/features/vegetarian-diet-dogs-cats#1 Best wishes.

Hello, so my Res Turtles shells look a little red on the bottom. Is that something I should be worried about ? Everything else seems to be fine.

Is this a color change or had it always been this way? Reddish color change can be an early sign of infection. Please make sure the environment is clean, the water temperature and quality is good, and that the ambient temperature is high enough. If the turtle is showing any other concerns such as decreased appetite or energy then my concern level increases as well. A visit to a veterinarian who cares for turtles is never a wrong decision if you are concerned. I hope this helps!

my leapord gecko ha stick tail i can't get to a vet until tommorow what can i do now to make him comftorbal

By "stick-tail" I'm assuming that you mean the tail has become skinny. This means that he has been losing weight over a long period of time. This usually happens because of a disease process or incorrect care. Since this has been happening for a long time, it's not an emergency, but it's definitely wise to visit the vet tomorrow. Without knowing what caused this, I cannot recommend anything in the short-term to make him feel better. I can only recommend that you ensure that he is being kept at the optimum temperature and environment. I've given a link below to a website that has great information about proper care of Leopard geckos. http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html I hope this helps and Garbanzo gets better soon.