Health Issues...
Since I am not a vet or animal health professional I have written only basic
information and then provided links to much more comprehensive and respectable
sources. I have rescued and cared for many reptiles with many of these problems
though, so I have had some first hand experience, but that is only enough
for stating personal opinions. ;p
Because they are cold blooded it is often not easy for reptiles to recover.
Their bodies can be slower to heal, and if conditions are not right, it is
unlikely that they will. They are, however, quite capable of remarkable recovery.
Let's face it, it's just better to try to keep them from getting ill. Get
the right set up in the beginning, even if it seems like it's expensive to
buy the right lighting and food, it will save you money in the long run: Practice
good husbandry and hopefully you wont have to see any of these problems. Also,
one of the best things you could do is find a vet in your area that has a
good working knowledge of reptiles, and do it before you need one. Many vets
know very little about reptiles and can end up causing them harm or, at the
very least, cost you a lot of frustration and money by not knowing the proper
way to treat them.
The best way I've found to find a good herp vet is to contact a reptile shelter
or breeder in your area. They should know who to use because they've probably
had a lot of experience with the different local vets. Don't wait until it's
too late to find out your vet doesn't know more than the basics when it comes
to reptiles. But don't think I'm discouraging you from going to a vet, quite
the contrary- If you feel something is wrong with your pet, go right away!
Lizards, like birds, have evolved to to hide signs of illness. Unless you
are really use to the species, you may not notice something is wrong until
things have gotten really bad.
A picture of a sickly baby from one of the major chain petsores. Sadly, this
is a very common site.
Calcium Deficiency and Metabolic Bone Disease:
Also known as MBD and "brittle bones." This is commonly caused by
lack of proper lighting and/or poor diet and supplementation. It is, unfortunately,
very common in pet reptiles and is usually completelypreventable...
This is a picture of an adult permanently deformed by MBD.
Outside info: An overview of "Metabolic
Bone Disease in Reptiles" from About.com. Info from Melissa
Kaplan's Herp Care Collection: "Calcium
metabolism and metabolic bone disease" and "Identification
and treatment of metabolic bone disease"
Burns:
They happen and are painful and sometimes deadly. It's a good reason not to
use electric heat rocks and to keep heat coils and basking lights out of your
pets reach. Keep in mind that sometimes pets kept in hot enclosure's (or cars,
glass tanks by windows, bathed in hot water, etc..) can been cooked within
a matter or seconds or over a longer period of time. Even if you can not see
damage, they could be suffering internally. Always be aware of the temperature
your animals are exposed to.
Outside info: Melissa Kaplan's "Thermal
Burns on Reptiles" and a collection of some real
expert opinions.
Prey Bites:
Leaving other "prey" critters in the cage. This happens more often
when people feed pet snakes mice or rats unsupervised, but yes- crickets and
other bugs can chew, and they can cause damage to your lizards. It may never
happen if you leave prey in with them, you may get use to leaving it in with
them, but is is quite possible. It's better not to bother risking it. This
happens more at night, when the dragon is asleep, and the critters come out
to look for substance. Yeah, you'd be amazed with what they can sleep through.
Crickets chewed on this baby dragon.
Outside info: Kakadu
Dragon Care Sheet.
Intraspecies Mutilations:
Overview Coming Soon... Missing tails, digits, legs, etc... You'll see this
a lot in petsores that don't take good care of their reptiles. Bearded Dragons
DO NOT grow back lost or damaged tails and limbs. Outside info:
Mites and External Parasites:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info: Melissa Kaplan's "Getting
rid of reptile mites." Images of "Reptile
Mites" on Google.
Coccidia and Internal Parasites:
Coccidia.... My first dragon came with a horrible case of this, she was close
to dead. I got her, as a pity buy, from a skeezy petstore. It was hard to
get under control, and hard for some non-herp specialist vets to diagnose
apparently. If a dragon doesn't want to eat, or come out to bask, and if the
dragon's waste is runny and smells like a pack of wolves all crapped in the
baking sun- then there's a good chance they have this common parasite. It
is thought that most dragons carry a specific strain of coccidia but that
it usually does not develop into a problem because a lizard with a healthy
immune system can keep it in check and the count low. It usually becomes
a problem if there is a period when the dragon experiences poor living conditions,
or stress, and can be passed from dragon to dragon. It also seem it can come,
in it's worsened state, through their live food. Contact a vet and they can
run a fecal test. It's often treated with a liquid wormer. Most dragons will
like the taste and readily jump at the needless-syringe, although some may
need to be gently force fed it.
Outside info: Overview
and Supportive Care by Denise R. Bushnell.
Other Internal Parasites:
Coming Soon... Pinworms: Microsporidia: Tapeworms: Pentastomids: Outside info:
Overview
and Supportive Care by Denise R. Bushnell.
Fatty Liver or Hepatic Lipidosis:
A.K.A: Why not to feed them mice. This condition is often caused by fatty
foods, like any kind of mouse or rat (pinkies, jumpers, fuzzies, etc..) and
wax worms, being fed over a prolonged period of time. It very frequently
results in death due to liver failure. A bearded dragon's body can not break
down fats well so, when it eats something fatty, it stores it. You'll see
a hundred video's on YouTube of people feeding their dragons mice: read the
comments and you'll see the arguments. The people feeding mice say, "Bearded
dragons can eat rodents in the wild." That's true, the thing you have
to keep in mind though is that pet dragons are not in the wild. In the wild
they often go through periods where they can not find food. The stores of
fat can help them through these periods because in this state their body can
process some fat but- you should never starve your pet! It's cruel and illegal.
It could also, as some believe, be a trigger or exacerbate the condition if
stores of fat are present. Another thing to keep in mind is that if it moves,
they will eat it, but that doesn't mean it's good for them: after all, wild
dragons usually don't live nearly as long as well cared for pets.
Most dragons will show signs of this condition later in their lives, perhaps
after 6 years of age, but this is dependent on how much they were fed and
other husbandry conditions. It is one of the major causes of death in pet
dragons and is usually reveled after a necropsy. Some of the signs can include
lethargy, depression, weight loss, the loss of appetite, vomiting, obesity,
and sometimes neurological disorders.
Outside info: Stahl
Exotic Animal Veterinary Services, Pogona
News Group
Impaction:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Vitamin A Toxicity:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Kidney Disease and Gout:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Respiratory Infections:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Egg-Binding:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Adrenovirus:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info: Adrenovirus
Article by Dr. Daniel S. Wentz DVM. "Symptoms"
by the hobbyist Cheri Smith.
Mycosis:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Renal Failure:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Prolapses:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Eye Problems:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info:
Fungus Problems:
Overview Coming Soon... Outside info: "Black
Spots" by Melissa Kaplan. "Yellow
Fungus: Cause & Effects" and "Symptoms
& Treatments" by Cheri Smith, a hobbyist.
Outside Medical Sources on the Web:
Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care
Collection
Tufts
University Reptile Medicine Lecture
Stahl
Exotic Animal Veterinary Services: Lizards
Email me if you would like me to
add, or change, something.
Back to Main About Page...
