Vet Q&A-Reptile

I need help I'm very scared for my bearded dragon Zeus he hasn't ate anything for a week

Even though short periods of starvation could be physiological, a week of inappetence is a quite concerning sign and should be checked by your veterinarian as soon as possible. The list of differentials is very long as this is a generic sign unfortunately. Gastrointestinal impaction/obstruction and infections are quite common.

I brought my baby iguana home 2 days ago. He jumped out of the box and broke his toe now every time he sees me he turns black. I know it's probably from stress. Now ever time he sees me he turns black. Have I ruined our bond? Will he always be afraid of me? And how can I make him more comfortable with me? What do I do about the broke back foot long toe?

No, you likely did not ruin your bond. Have Baby Guana examined by a veterinarian experienced in treating iguanas to assess the toe. Allow a few days for him/her to settle in to the new environment. Avoid excessive interaction or handling initially. Provide food and water daily. Afterwards, you can begin handling. Start out slow and easy. Increase time as he/she allows. Use small treats as rewards after each session.

When my bearded dragon is eating she sometimes knocks some of her food(veggies) into the sand, and she will end up later eating those pieces out of the sand. But the veggies I give her sometimes are damp and the sand sticks to them, what I was wondering is , is my bearded dragon able to digest that small amount of sand or will it build up and become a problem?

This is an excellent question, unfortunately most places that are selling bearded dragon still recommend sand for bedding, which is in my opinion and experience a big misguidance. what you are describing is happening to many bearded dragons, they eat of the sand and after a few years they have a sand impaction in their intestines, in most cases it is very difficult to treat and ends up with them dying. I recommend switching the bedding to something else, there are many options and all of them are better than sand in my eyes.

i need help asap. i have a bearded dragon.. and i got him from a friend, he is 2 yrs old and she called him a "runt", well ive had him for 3 rm 4 days now. and he is very slow at eating his crickets and mill worms. he never sleeps in his aquarium. when i pick him out of his cage he will sleep onme until i put him back, and stay awake until next time i take him out. i was given him because he was fighting with the other bearded dragon. im worried

These are quite generic signs and this behaviour could even be completely normal. Adult bearded dragons may get into period of starvation and lethargy sometimes. I would recommend a check up at your local veterinarian anyway to be on the safe side and make sure he is completely normal on physical examination.

Why did my litter of puppies die. They was on there back and swollen as if a snake had bitten them but the adult dog was fine

I'm so sorry for your loss. If you need to know why the puppies died you may consider taking a dead pup to your vet or state veterinary lab for necropsy (post mortem exam). Without doing this there is really no way to know what may have happened. I'm so sorry.

hello, i need help with my pet corn snake i found him in the wild in my backyard , he is big but not small i have been feeding him lizards for awhile and he has been pooping fine until last week where he wasn't eating and pooping blood and his poop has got smaller and more blood plz need help thx.

It is possible that he may be obstructed either from the food he is eating or the substrate he is on. It is also possible that he could have an infection that is causing the blood. Either way, he should be checked out by a reptile veterinarian. You can find one in your area on www.arav.org.

How long does it take for a turtle to reach full size? She is only 5 inches and I was reading something that said they can get up to 9-10 inches.

Depending on diet and environment, it may take as long as 5-8 years (or longer) for her to reach adult size. Female turtles typically take longer to grow since they are bigger than males. Blanding females also mature sexually much later (14-20 years). Because of this, they are considered "endangered" throughout most of their range.

My sister's cat brought in a Southern Alligator Lizard and we have been trying to provide what we can to help him. He lost his tail, he's about 4 in. long, and mildly sluggish. He is docile and has not displayed any aggression and allows us to hold and interact with him. Im concerned about our ability to care for him, and i haven't found much on what to provide. He does have an indentation on his body- it looks almost slightly deflated. We just want to be able to help where we can before release

Just like any reptile, these guys are going to require special habitats and nutritional requirements in order to maintain their health. This will include special lighting UVB, special substrate, and supplemental heating. Here is a link to some information on the general care of these guys: http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/367.html This should get you started off pretty good on general husbandry and care. The main concern you should have is making sure that there are no injuries to it since your cat grab it pretty good. He may be sluggish right now just from the general shock of the entire experience, but if his demeanor doesn't start changing soon, I would look into finding a reptile vet or wildlife rehabber to obtain some advise and/or medical treatments. Hope this helps.

How do i solve this problem? What is this growth on my turtles skin?

It is possible it is an abscess from a prior injury or infection. It could also be a tumor of some sort. Have Mac examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. A fine needle aspirate can be done in the clinic to collect a sample for pathology. This may provide a diagnosis.