Vet Q&A-Reptile

I just bought a fancy bearded dragon. It’s maybe 4 inches. I was wondering how much I should feed it. Not how many times a day but a quantity amount. How many crickets and what amount of veggies (oz)

Feed him as many appropriately sized (no bigger than the space between his eyes) crickets or dubia roaches as he will eat in 10-15 minutes. Baby beardies are eating machines consuming as many as 80 crickets or more daily! Juveniles will eat more live pretty than vegetables. Offer about a tablespoon or two of finely chopped spring mix for him. Change it daily. You can also offer squash, peppers, asparagus, pumpkin and yams just to name a few other veggies. Avoid iceberg lettuce, celery and light colored greens. These offer little in the way of nutrition.

hello, my leopard gecko has had some stuck poo for a couple of days and today i gave her a bath to try to remove it, the poo was visible the poo didn't move so i used a cotton bud and it came out but there was some blood is this normal/is she going to be ok ?

Soak her a couple times daily for the next few days. Use a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. Gently massage her abdomen to stimulate defecation during the soaks. This will warm her up and keep her GI tract moving. Check the temps in the enclosure. If it is too cold, it can affect digestion causing constipation. This can also be caused by dehydration or getting substrate stuck around her vent. Once her vent is clean and she is hydrated, she should have no problems with defecation. The blood was likely due to some irritation. To be sure, you can always have Luna examined by your veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury. A stool sample can diagnose intestinal parasites.

Do you need to take a bearded dragon to the vet and if so how often? What do they require at the vets

It is recommended to take your Beardie to the vet once a year for an examination and fecal test. Beardies don't require any vaccines. If indicated the vet may want to check a blood test too. The exam is mainly for you and vet to talk about husbandry - the diet, the housing, substrate, supplements, lighting, etc - and to make any changes based on the exam. The exam is important because a vet is trained to pick up subtle changes that may indicate an illness is imminent. That way treatment can be started before the illness gets out of hand. The fecal test is to check for any internal parasites and to treat them as needed. The blood test would be to make sure all the internal organs are working correctly. It is a good idea to be established with a good reptile vet anyway in case you have an emergency. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

How can I tell if my baby leopard gecko is a girl or boy

The presence of pre anal or femoral pores will signify your gecko is male These pores can sometimes be visible as early as 10-12 weeks of age but are easily seen by 3-5 months of age. A male gecko will also have bulges from his hemipenes near the vent. Click here for images of male vs female geckos: http://www.reptilecare.com/leopardgender.htm

Ho I have a short neck murray river turtle I noticed today when i got him out to clean tank he has some yellowish stuff on his belly side of its shell What could this be and how do i treat it

Looks like ulcerative shell disease which is often called SCUD or 'shell rot'. It comes in two primary forms. The dry form is often associated with a fungal infection and the wet form is often associated with gram negative bacteria (and usually develops after an injury to the shell). This looks to be the dry form. Treatment consists of cleaning the area with a diluted Betadine solution (1 part betadine to 10 parts water). Put it on the affected areas, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. I would do this twice a day. Also dry docking for 4-8 hours a day is strongly recommended. Go over all your husbandry carefully - ie: water quality/chemistry, lighting, diet, etc. as usually this is a husbandry issue. This article is very informative. https://www.amazingamazon.com.au/murray-river-turtle-care-short-neck-turtle-care Hope this helps. Best wishes!

my turtles shell is rotting. what can i do?

Typically with shell rot you should take him out of water and place him in a dry area 2-3 times a day to help dry out his shell. Also try a weak iodine solution to the rotten areas of the shell. I would make the iodine solution the color of weak ice tea. If this is not helping I recommend taking him to a vet for a good exam and possible topical medications for the shell. Hope that helps!!

My bearded dragon which i got 5 days back has something wrong with his one eye (attaching image) Someone told me to rub warm salt water with a q tip on his eye n then rinse with plain water.. i did that.. it got lil better ( attaching image) but now he is unable to open his eye! Im really worried hasn’t eaten anything today, only sitting under his basking spot with his eyes closed. Last pooped today morning

Thank you for reaching out about Charizard, and for including photos - they are very helpful. I wanted to verify that this is the same eye? The reason I ask is that the second photo looks like one is of the right eye and one is of the left eye (unless you inverted the image when posting). Based on the darker appearance of the material and the sagging of the area, it makes me suspicious that there may be an issue with some retained shed skin, or there could be an issue with the eyelids themselves. This should be evaluated by a veterinarian as they will be able to look at the area with some magnification, which may help to determine exactly what the problem is in the area. Due to the decrease in appetite, they can also provide a husbandry evaluation. I would use caution with trying to treat this at home, as due to Charizard's small size, it would be easy to accidentally traumatize the eye. I hope this gives you a place to start, and that Charizard feels better soon!

Hii, I have a Indian flapshell turtle, since 2 weeks he keeps on changing his places,hides under the doormat,doesnt like sunlight...and since two weeks he said not eating enough food...and he size is still the same which was 2 months back, it's very small...

Thanks for reaching out and including a picture. Decreased appetite can result in poor water quality conditions or illness. If the water temperature drops, digestion can be interrupted. Intestinal parasites, infections or ingested foreign bodies can decrease the appetite also. Other metabolic conditions (low calcium, low vitamin A, liver or kidney diseases) can also account for poor condition. It is recommended you seek the assistance with a visit to a reptilian veterinarians office. Good luck.

My bearded dragons heat lamp just burnt out - I don’t have a replacement and all of the local reptile/pet stores are closed for the night. What do I do to keep him safe until tomorrow when I can get him a new light?

As long as the room temp doesn't drop below 70 F overnight, Lincoln should be fine. A nighttime drop in temps is normal in a beardie's natural environment anyway. Be sure to pick up a spare along with the replacement tomorrow. In a pinch, a hot water bottle wrapped in a hand towel can be used as a heat source.