Vet Q&A-Reptile

I , inherited a 2 year old corn snake, approximately 3 feet long and very thin I don't really want it get big, but want to make sure I am caring for it correctly What is the best habitat to buy and do they need a reptile light or not? He is currently in a 10 gallon fish tank with wire mesh cover, small housing structure, water dish and fake leafy plant and feed it 3 pink mouse per week ( I was told he should be eating larger mice, but his head/mouth are small even pinkie is a struggle)

Corn snakes can grow to as long as 5 feet. On average, they grow to 3-4 feet. A 10 gallon tank is too small. At minimum, a 20 gallon enclosure is recommended. A temp range of 75F-85F is best. They do not "need" a UVB light source but seem to be healthier with one. At 2 years of age, it should be eating adult mice. If it can't, feed whatever you can to get it back into a positive plane of nutrition so it can grow properly. Consider an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose and treat any pre exiting conditions. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. More information regarding care can be found here: http://www.anapsid.org/corn.html

I have a lizard that got out of his cage and was missing ... we found him about a week ago. He is very skinny and won't open his eyes. He's not eating or drinking. I just got home tonight and his laying in the water bowl and has lost his tail. I don't know what else to try.

Have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose and treat any infection related to the loss of the tail. In the meantime, increase tank temps by about 5-10 degrees F, soak daily in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20 minutes. Once he warms up and rehydrates, offer appropriately sized prey. Gutload prey for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Supplement with a product such as Fluker's Repti-Boost to get weight back on him. You can clean the stump with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine. Use paper towels for substrate until the stump is healed.

My bearded dragons will sometime close thier eye than bludgeon them out really big. What are they doing and why?

Hi! Great question! There has been no reason found for why bearded dragons bulge their eyes. Some people say it is because they are yawning and others say they do this to loosen the skin before or while shedding. If your dragon bulges its eye for longer than 30 minutes you have to take him/her to a vet immediately. This would be abnormal and can indicate high blood pressure. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!

How should I give water to my bearded dragon? I have heard that water bowls can be bad because of evaporation which causes high humidity? His previous owner would offer him some every now and then in an eye dropper.

Hello. Lewis should always have a bowl of clean water available. The amount of humidity contributed by a bowl of water is negligible if the remainder of the enclosure is appropriate. Bearded dragons must stay hydrated or they are at risk for kidney disease and gout. If the enclosure is large enough, provide a bowl that Lewis can get his whole body into, or make sure to soak him for 15-20 minutes several times a week. More information on bearded dragon are can be found at anapsid.org. Good luck!

Is there any low cost or free care (school even) that could help with removing subcutaneous parasites from a checkered garter snake? I recently lost my job but that doesn't change the fact that my pet needs help :( I don't know what to do

I suggest you call a reptile vet in your area and find out what options you have for assistance. They may be able to help you. I found this one in your area: http://eagle-vet.com/exotics/ This is a link to an article regarding organizations to help people with pet medical bills. I know it says "dog" but it is for all pets. http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ I am sure you will be able to find some assistance if you do some legwork. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

My baby turtle felt from a height. Except from bleeding from mouth there was no visible injury. Since then I saw her only floating and swimming. He is excreting normally but doesn't eat anything. Please help what could be the cause.

Hello, I’m sorry to hear of Babu’s injury. I am worried he may have sustained trauma to his face or jaw or even possibly internally. A jaw fracture would certainly make him not want to eat. I would recommend you have him seen by a veterinarian as he may need pin medication, antibiotics or even treatment of the wound or fracture, if present. Also, check out anapsid.org and read the red eared slider section under “chelonian.” This will give you some advice about proper nutrition and husbandry. Good luck!

Handling my crested gecko has not been easy he seems very squirmish and nervous so I put him back down cause I don’t want to stress him

I suggest you refer to this article. It may help you and answer all of your questions. http://www.moonvalleyreptiles.com/crested-geckos/care/crested-gecko-handling Also, there are some good YouTube videos that people have made on this subject. You can look some of those up as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX47aYkrNSg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB4iZI-MSWc Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I have a juvenile bearded dragon and I feed him 4-5 crickets a day, I sometimes don’t give him crickets and I give him strawberries and carrot. Am I feeding him correctly?

A bearded dragon is considered to be a juvenile once it reaches the ages between five months and about 18 months old. If Rango is in this age range he is considered a juvenile. There are different feeding requirements for babies, juveniles and adults. With juvenile bearded dragons you should cut down the amount of insect prey to one feeding per day, while vegetables should be served at least four times per week. The size of insect prey can be a bit larger as well, but remember to not feed it anything larger than Rango's head. Rango can be offered items that were off limits to babies, such as mealworms. It is recommend to only offer mealworms once or twice per week. It is important at this stage to begin offering your bearded dragon more vegetables, and slightly less insect prey. Vitamin and calcium supplements should be given to bearded dragons at each stage of their life. The majority of these supplements come in a powdered form that easily clings to food. Juvenile foods should be dusted with a broad spectrum vitamin supplement once per week, while adding a calcium/D3 supplement to three meals per week. Here is a link to an article about what kinds of fruits/veggies you can feed. http://www.bearded-dragon-food.com/ Hope this helps. Best wishes.

What is the very minimum amount of space a Crested Gecko should live in?

An adult crested gecko should be housed in a 20-gallon tank with screen top. Larger tanks will allow for better displays. In areas with moderate to high relative humidity, crested geckos will fare well in screen cages.