Vet Q&A-Reptile

I recently acquired a green/orange/blue iguana from someone who wasn't properly caring for it. The iguana was fed dog food but I'm not sure for how long. how can I tell whether or not it's done internal damage?

Wow, good thing you rescued this poor guy. It's possible that his kidneys were damaged with a high protein diet like this. Signs of this and other disease processes will be lethargy, not eating well, drinking more than usual and a dull color. The best way to tell if DC is healthy is to have a veterinarian exam him. There are only a few vets that will see reptiles, but you can usually find one (or more) in your area with a google search. For more information about Iguana husbandry, I recommend you visit the link below: http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/index.html I hope that helps and all is well with DC.

My bearded dragon has a yellow spot on his back and has had it for a few months now. He is eating well and is not acting strangely. It has gotten smaller as time goes on but I am still worried.

Hello, The yellow spot could be caused by several things like fungus, bacteria, or a skin mass. The fact that it’s getting smaller is good! Without an exam, I can’t tell you for sure what t is. However, I would be worried about something called “yellow fungus disease.” This is a potentially serious fungal infection common in bearded dragons. Diagnosis can be done by your veterinarian by way of a biopsy and culture of the affected skin. Sometimes, this infection spreads to other organs and can kill the dragon. Since you describe a small lesion, I would expect that if this in fact what’s going on, treatment would have a good chance of working. Therefore, I recommend taking Stalin to see a vet very soon so you can diagnose and treat early for the next chance of success. Good luck!

Hello. My dog is in serious condition The vets cant diagnose his condition He has swollen testicles since past 2 weeks,right side hind leg is swollen He can’t walk at all we pick him up He hasn’t peed since 2 days,because he can’t stand up.1 vet said its congestive heart failure the other vet said its a snake bite,although there are no bite mark and his body is covered with these red spots When we massage his swollen leg water-like fluid comes out and his testicles bleeds and also has some puss

Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. If you have not had any blood work done on Rooney, I would get him back to the veterinarian and have this done to help determine what this could be. I am concerned that this could be a cancerous disease process causing this. The fluid in the leg and swelling is from edema from the sounds of it. I am unsure about the testicles but the scrotum may also be filling with edema if there is an imbalance of protein in the body. A snake bite is a possibility but many times you will see puncture marks where the fangs penetrated the skin. There may be a tumor in the scrotum as well, which may be causing the drainage in the leg if it is affecting the lymph drainage to the leg causing the fluid to accumulate more and more. If you have the option to go to a veterinary specialist I would certainly recommend doing so to help figure out what is going on.

My Water Dragon is lethargic, Loose/Snotty stools all over the enclosure, sleeping a lot and not eating and losing weight.

Submit a stool sample to your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Confirm proper environmental parameters. Low temperatures can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. Soak him in a warm 50 /50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20 minutes. This can warm him up and may treat or prevent minor dehydration. Offer appropriately sized crickets and mealworms as well as fresh, chopped greens and fruits. Follow the link below for more information regarding care. http://www.anapsid.org/waterdragons.html

Hi I have a bearded dragon who is 14 and roughly 16 inches long lately he has been making a kind of cough/hiccup noise and opens his mouth very wide almost as if he is having trouble breathing. I am not shrue how to go about helping him recover. Thanks!

He should be examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp veterinarian. The symptoms described may indicate a respiratory infection. The vet can confirm or rule out this possibility then dispense antibiotics if necessary. In the meantime, increase ambient temperature by about 5-10 degrees F to aid in recovery. Make sure he stays hydrated and continues to eat normally.

We got Franklin from a friend about two weeks ago. They said they feed him 1 pinkie every two weeks but I've heard from another friend who's owned a corn snake before that that's what you'd feed a snake under a year old, and that after that year they need more food than that. Franklin is 5 years old. What should we be feeding him?

Hello! Snake feeding requirements are more based on size and weight than on chronological age. So generally, yes a corn snake under 1 year should be eating pinkies and older corn snakes will typically start eating small mice, then larger mice, it can depend on the individual. I would recommend taking Franklin to a reptile vet for a wellness/new pet exam and they can give a much more specific feeding recommendation based on their exam findings. Since I can’t see Franklin, it’s hard for me to give you a specific instruction about size and number of mice or rats to feed, though I suspect that he should be eating more than just a pinkie every 2 weeks. Good luck!

Hi. My turtle's, red ear slider, eyes have closed up and are swollen. He hasn't eaten anything in weeks. His shell is almost pale white. He is 12 years and I've had him since day 1. The water temp had always been room temp. I have recently placed a heat lamp in the tank and also added a water heater. I don't know how to get him to eat, surely he won't survive much longer without food. He has also lost movement in his hind right leg, I'm guessing due to malnutrition.. can you please help?

Hi, and thank you for this question. Smudgy's condition sounds serious, and cannot be treated at home. He will have to be examined by a vet ASAP and will likely need some medication as well as supportive care. The vet would also have several options of getting food into him (e.g. by inserting a feeding tube).

I want to make sure my sulcata tortoise is getting a proper diet. I feed him timothy hay and a cuddle bone is offered but which fresh market veggies are most appropriate? Spinach, romaine, broccoli?

Hi, this is a great question! I’m glad to hear you’re feeding Geoffrey Timothy hay and cuttle bone. That’s a great start. You can also offer dandelion greens, mustard greens, collards, romaine, herbs, carrot tops, beet greens, etc. For more care information, you can visit www.anapsid.org and check under “chelonian.” I hope that helps!

I recently adopted a russian tortoise, when I first saw him he seemed great, but it's been a month now, and his shell seems sort of dry? Also he won't go inside of his tree dome anymore, at first he would go in the trunk all the time, to sleep or rest but now he burrows himself underneath his water bowl to sleep, why is that?

You can soak him several times weekly in a warm 50/50 mix of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20 minutes. This will provide hydration and may warm him if he is cold. Check Temps and humidity in his enclosure. Low Temps can affect activity in reptiles. Since he is a "new" pet, consider an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any preexisting conditions. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. This species frequently burrows, so that aspect of his behavior is normal. You can read more about care at the link below. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Russian-Tortoise/