Help? should I be concerned??

[Michele654]

About two weeks ago I noticed Kiwi was not eating much. Didnt touch her ckickets but just few (5) superworms and NO veggies. Then she got that cloudy colour skin like she's going to shed but then stopped. Honestly it returned to normal. That was odd.
She was in 30 gallon cage at the time she reached 16 in in lenght now..I assumed she was doing all these weird things cause her enviroment no longer suited her plus I was in the process getting her new one (it was late arriving).
Finally the new 75gallon viv did arrive and she now in it for the last 5 days but still didn't eat much. She was staying in the cool area of her cage and slept alot. I though she was going into brumation so I cranked her basting temps to 110F and the cooler area to 80-85F and she ate a little more that afternoon but not much more. At night I only let it go down to 75F. This morning again she is staying in the cool corner of her cage and only eating her (3)superworms but the cricket are all over her cage she's not interested or the veggies. No sign of shedding.
What's with her? Is she still in brumation or was? if so how long does it take for her to get out of it? She's pooping about twice a week. Should I be concerned and take her to the Vet? Or just wait till she settles into her new (extra large) Viv?

I"l be adding pic later tonight maybe that will help.

 

[ladyknite]

Your temps seem ok. How old is she again? I'm assuming a little young for all out brumation. Although not unheard of.........not every dragon does it.
IMO, I would have a fecal check ran. Typically when simple parasites first present, superworms, although few, are sill the food of choice over most others. And crickets have a very great possibility of carrying pins. Which are passed to the dragon when they eat.
So, regardless of brumation or not, I'd still get that fecal. If she does go down for sleep, at least you'll have no worries come spring.

Brumation can last a few weeks to a few months

 

[Michele654]

Thank you for you reply. She will be 15 months old begining October. Her temperament is good and she seems to be fine just not hungry. Her feces appears normal and I did put her in a bath today to rub her belly just incase she was impacted. But regardless, she's perky and walking normally. She just won't eat much. ???
Anyway I will get her to a Hep-Vet as early as possible this week.

 

[ladyknite]

ahhh at 15 months, she's probably feeling the pull of brumation as you suspect. Still a good idea to get a fecal before she starts.

 

[renich]

It could be relocation stress from the new viv coupled with brumation. Has anyone asked what your UV light is? In other words, what is the make and model of your light? And when was the last time it was replaced?

 

[Michele654]

Re: UPDATE Help? should I be concerned??

Turns out I have a sick little beardie girl on my hands...she has been to the HepVet twice in one week. She stopped eating, stayed in her cool corner of her cage and the worst is she didn't poop in 4 days. I was bathing her every other day and Nothing..so I panicked. The first visit was a energency rush visit. (made a fool of myself by crying through that visit). The Vet assured me it was not fatal and that she would need an enema, and give her antibiotics every days at the same time (she has mild infection in her nasal cavity) Bath her everyday ( I do it twice a day) raise her temp to 115 -125 to help her metabolism fight. Also to try to get a fecal sample if I can and bring in it asap. Finally last night I brought her back ( recheck with poop sample) and found out she has a type of parasite that is (as the Vet put it) rare but not unheard of and probably contracted it from un healthy crickets or superworm. She is now on a medication for that too. The meds are to be given once a week for four weeks
HEP VET CAUTIONED: A beardie health can go from bad the worst very quickly so never avoid any abnornal behavior. IT's a domino effect to more health issues. Lastly only buy feeders from reputable dealers. Cheaper isn't alway better!!!
Anyway this morning she pooped in the bath. Not as much as I'd hope but it's a little something. And the best part is she's stands more perky and wants to be held so this is very encouraging but she still has a way to go. I"ll keep you's posted on her recovery.

 

[renich]

Poor little girl! I'm so glad that you got her to a herp vet. You are absolutely right. These creatures are silent and don't tell us when something is wrong. It is refreshing to see an owner taking on the responsibility of these exotic pets and getting her the care she needs.

I hope she has a quick recovery. Keep us updated on her progress.

 

[Michele654]

Thank you Renee for the encouragement. Kiwi has another appointment for Thursday for a re-check. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[DragonMom]

:-X

 

[Erskinelake]

Herpie hugs!

 

[Michele654]

Morning update....she pooped a little bit in the bath this morning yeaaah!! Then I gave her 4 large cricket and 4 small crickets. She ate the small crickets only so it's a small victory...lol best of all she was most energetic this morning running back and forth in her cage wanting to get out.
I have a friend checking in on her throughout the day to see if she poops and to clean it right away to illimate the chance of spreading the parasite from her feces. I wipe down her VIV every evening but does any of you have any suggestions as to a strong yet safe disinfectant? Right now I'm using Wipe Out 1 from the Pet Store.
Another interesting fact is my friend mentioned to me last night that she found Kiwi's eating habit had started to decline since I had recently started working longer hours. Could this be a contributing stress factor to her health??

 

[ladyknite]

Good Job on seeing that there just wasn't something quite right, and heading off to the vet. I'm glad the problem was identified and she's on her way to recovery. We're here for all the support we can give you.

 

[renich]

Since you are cleaning up the poop right away, you can use a sensitive baby wipe. Make sure it is unscented. And then give it the deep down clean weekly.

I'm not familiar with parasite treatment. But I would guess that her appetite could be affected by the parasites and treatment. As with any living thing (humans included), we eat when we are hungry no matter what the circumstances.

I think you mentioned that you go back the vet's office tomorrow. Let us know how it goes. And I would also follow up with your questions. Try and get a gauge on what to expect as far as eating habits and daily routines may go.

 

[Michele654]

Update on Kiwi...she had her third appointment last evening. I got a bit of encouragement. Her nasal infection is clearing up nicely. She has lost weight because she still doesn't have much of an appetit so the Vet prescribe a nutitional suppliment that won't plug her up but will help provide nutrition. Also to keep offering baby crickets and greens and not stress out if she doesn't eat. She will when she's ready. They gave her another enema (poor baby). Other words of encouragement were that she is starting a little bit of a shed under her chin. The Vet said this is very good news because she feels stronger enough to do so. She also found Kiwi more enegetic and I had to agree. The Vet again mentioned that reptile get sick very very quickly, but explained that reptiles heal very slowly it is a lengthy process more so than mammals. Lastly the Vet told me to keep doing what I"m doing because she feels Kiwi is improving very well, better than she'd anticipated. Although it didn't seem that way to me until Vet said that Kiwi was very lucky to have such a dedicated owner. That felt good.
By the way the clinic nurses absolutely love her and told me Kiwi was the sweetest beardie girl they've every seen...hahahaha

 

[ladyknite]

you might consider adding a probiotic such as benebac (my choice) or acidophilus (soy formula) to her supplement to help her regain her gut flora.

 

[Michele654]

The Vet did mention coming in next week to pick up more supplements she is ordering speical for Kiwi. I'll call the Vet to see if she can provide what you have recomended. I think one you mentioned Bebebac she is on now but I'd have to check. I know it's Bene_ something maybe beneraid? I remember it made me think of Gatoraid for repts..lol

Again ladyknite thank you for the advice..I'll certainly look into it. Oh and I'm going to try to post some before and after pics of Kiwi in the Pic section of the forum so you can all see her gradual improovement.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Yes, that would be welcome ! It's hard to see a beloved 'child' become ill, and then watch the hard, slow road to recovery.. But it is rewarding !
Janie

 

[ladyknite]

I'll be waiting on the pics too. These times seem worrisome and frustrating, but just keep on keepin on and things will work out.

 

[Michele654]

Finally some good news. Kiwi is acting more and more like her old self again. She is full of energy and of course demanding all the attention. I had 3 days off for the long weekend so devoted my time to her and it shows. She is actually shedding and she is willing to bask at days lenght. She still gets her two baths a day and her meds and food suppliments called Emeraide and this I find has helped increase her appetite but still not to my satisfaction or the Vets. The most she consumes is about 2-3 superworms a day and I put her back on baby crickets to help encourage her to eat. She'll only eat maybe 1 to 2 a day. But at this point she seems more interested in Superworms. So I'll take what I can get.
Kiwi has another appointment tomorrow with the Vet and I fear they may give her another enema poor baby. I gave her the second course of PANACURE for the parasites so I"m hopping this will trigger a proper bowel movement before the appointment tomorrow. So pray for poop gang.
Not sure if I should be rubbing her belly as she baths because I don't want to cause her more discomfort. What do you's suggest?

As for the pics I have them, but the files are too big. I will work on lowering the megs to fit as soon as I have from free time.

 

[zebraflavencs]

michelle, if you open a photobucket account, it will automatically resize for forums
Janie