Vet Q&A-Reptile

I have a young common snapping turtle and when we first got him (or her maybe idk) he was a very good, aggressive eater. We gave him nightcrawlers, minnows, crayfish turtle pellets, shrimp, and even tried lettuce once in a while. But recently he has been eating very very little or even not at all, nothing appeals to his appetite. He also appears somewhat lethargic and more frightened when we enter his space. Any idea what is wrong and how to fix it?

Make sure he hasn't outgrown his enclosure. If it has become too small, that may cause him stress. Check water temperature as well. Snapping turtles do best in water between 68 F and 75 F. Change filter Media or perform a partial water change to maintain adequate water quality. Snapping turtles don't make the best (or safest) pets. Exercise caution when handling him. If his appetite does not return, have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles to diagnose illness or injury.

I have a pond in with my water dragon with a activated carbon filter. Is it safe for him to drink? I also used a water conditioner from petco. He is very lethargic and not eating.

If you used a water conditioner in the bowl, it is not recommended to let him drink from it or soak in it. The chemicals may cause illness. Plain tap water or bottled water is best. Check the temperature in his enclosure. Low temps can affect appetite and activity. Follow this link for more information regarding care and housing. http://www.anapsid.org/waterdragons.html Be sure to offer appropriately sized prey, nothing bigger than the space between the eyes. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte to warm him up and to prevent or treat mild dehydration. If he doesn't begin eating, have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp veterinarian. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth.

My yellow belly turtle had vitamin A deficiency and is now throwing up blood looking tissue What can I do to help him?

Hi there. It sounds like your pet may have encountered an overdose of vitamin A, which is actually a lot more common than you think. The same signs and symptoms are often present with the excess of the vitamin A as with the deficiency-as well as skin sloughing, loss of nails, ulcerations, etc. First I would recommend stopping supplementation. I would encourage you to see a vet as soon as possible that sees reptiles-it may need fluids and other supportive care immediately. If you pet has severely overdosed, it can be fatal.

Will petco accept my 2 year old Tokay Gecko? Its had a fairly rough life with it losing and regrowing its tail and has been mishandled somewhat often by its previous owner. Ive had him for several months now and i check on him daily but he still doesn't seem to trust me. Unlike his previous owners I used gentle movements and never try to manhandle him. Its gotten to the point where ive lost interest in trying to befriend the little guy and want to give him a new home.

Hello! Tokay geckos are not very social pets. Regardless of handling and training over time, some species are still very difficult to tame and are more "look but don't touch" pets. Most Tokay geckos would fall into this category. Some people enjoy having pets like this, and some do not. I am only saying this as it sounds like you may be a bit discouraged by his lack of social behavior, but it likely has nothing to do with your handling skills and everything to do with his biology. Petco works to adopt out surrendered pets frequently and would be happy to help rehome your gecko. I would recommend calling your local store to discuss the situation and a staff member should be able to help guide you through the process. I hope you find this helpful! Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

My Uromastyx lizard ate a stargazer lily flower. It happened about three hours ago and he isn't showing any unusual symptoms or behavior. Are these lilies toxic/fatal for reptiles?

Unfortunately, most lilies are toxic to reptiles as well as small animals. Since the ingestion occurred a while ago, you'll need to monitor for symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite, decreased/increased thirst and a change in the color/amount of urates produced. Consider an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet. Baseline blood work should be submitted, then repeated in a few days or sooner if any of the above symptoms develop. Any treatment will be largely symptomatic.

After I cleaned my turtle's tank I went to take care of my other pets but when I came back he was laying on his back looking dead and I turned him back up and now he won't move

I didn't see that you mentioned what kind of turtle Mr. Giggle Bottom is - if there was water involved, he may have inhaled some water. If that is the case, he needs to go to the veterinarian immediately. If there was not water involved, I would recommend monitoring him for a few hours to see if he improves. When a turtle ends up on his back, all of the organs in the body will put pressure on the lungs which makes it hard for them to breathe. Depending on how long he was stuck, it may have been quite stressful for him and he is recovering. The longer the time, the more stress he was put under. I see that your question was posted a couple of hours ago. If he has not improved at all in that time, I would consider taking him to the veterinarian. They can perform an examination on him, and can help to make husbandry changes to try to prevent this from occurring in the future.

My bearded dragon is 13 months old and he has stopped eating as much as he use to like two months ago. About 2 months ago I would offer him a whole big salad with collard greens, butternut squash, carrots, mustard greens, and some bearded dragon bites, but now when I offer him the same he only will eat the collard greens and now some kale instead of mustard greens. He also doesn't really eat every day and soon I'll have some waxworms for him to munch on. Why is he only eating the greens?

Reptiles can be very subtle in showing when they don't feel well, and often a decrease in appetite is the only sign that they will show. Sometimes they will only be willing to eat their favorite items, so that may be a reason that Cosmo is eating certain things. Alternatively, they may be easier for him to eat somehow as well. Another hard part about reptiles is that they take a long time to show that they are sick, so something could have been going on with Cosmo for quite a while and he just hasn't shown you until now. I would recommend having Cosmo evaluated by a veterinarian due to the decrease in appetite. They will evaluate your husbandry and diet for Cosmo, and may make recommendations for them. This may include adjustments in the diet, as the items you are feeding right now have a great deal of calcium oxalates in them. Calcium oxalates can decrease absorption of calcium by the body, and calcium is very important in reptiles. The items that you are feeding with calcium oxalates include kale, mustard greens, and collard greens. These items should be fed a maximum of 1-2 times per week. Protein in the diet (insects) should be fed about twice weekly. In addition to a husbandry evaluation, your veterinarian may recommend blood work to evaluate systemic health, as well as radiographs (x-rays) to ensure that Cosmo's bones look like they have enough calcium in them.

My leopard gecko got stuck in an ordament (like really stuck, I found her hanging from it with her abdomen stuck in a hole) and when we got her out she had some light cuts from trying to escape, and it looks like an egg might have turned completely sideways and may have been why she has got stuck? She has two lumps coming out her backside where she was stuck. What should I do to care for her? Thanks!

Oh, your poor little Gecko! That's rough! Are you sure it is a female? The two things coming out the back end may be hemipenes as the males have two bulges on the underside fo the tale where their hemipenes are. If that is what is going on, it means a vet needs to try to put them back or or they may need to be amputated. Also, your little friend may need some anti inflammatory meds to reduce swelling after being stuck like that.

I think my dog has some type of infection in her ear. I'm not sure if she was bitten by something(we have a lot of snakes around) or if she scratched her ear too hard. Her ears smells and I don't have the money to take her to the vet at the moment. Can I give her amoxicillin and or ibuprofen until I get the money next week?

Hi there! Thanks for using Boop by Petco. I agree that it looks like Journey's ear is pretty irritated. Do not give her any Amoxicillin or Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is toxic to dogs and can damage their stomach lining and kidneys. Amoxicilin is not toxic to dogs, but will not help much with an ear infection. Ear problems are often caused by allergies, leading to inflammation, leading to infection. I would recommend buying an ear cleaner made for dogs and cleaning her ears once a day until you can take her into a vet, where they will likely recommend a swab to find out what the infection is caused by, a medicated cleanser, and a topical ointment. I hope this helps!