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Kjustkris   JackAsp  
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 #1503481


Kjustkris
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 Sick Collard Lizard

Hi, My son has a Leapord gecko and just last night was given a collard lizard who was not taken care of. He’s very skinny and dehydrated. I read that I can let him soak in water for a short time several times a day. I just came home to check on him and he had gotten into the water by himself but the water was very cold. My son turned off the heat lamp off for some reason, which he usually dosn’t do and the temp. was about 80. Can someone give me some help on how to get him to eat. At this point he’s so weak he can’t or won’t go for the crickets so I shredded some carrots and he didn’t seem interested. Please Help. I can’t really afford to take him to the vet. thanks Kjsutkris
11/06/07  11:21am

 #1508183


JackAsp
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   Message To: Kjustkris   In reference to Message Id: 1503481


 Sick Collard Lizard

His basking spot should be warmer than that, but cooling down to 80 isn’t a big trauma. His cage is big enough to have a temperature range in it, isn’t it? You can’t have them in a little 100 degree cage with no place to escape to. Three digits at one end and 80 or so in the rest during day is ideal, with a dark, quiet nightimte cooldown to I think like 65 to 80. I don’t really remember how cool animals can go, because I keep my apartment warm anyway. But the bright days and dark nights are important. They’re liike birds that way, except for also needing access to a strong heat source while they’re awake.
Instead of just water, use Pedialyte or some generic imitation therof. You can mix it 50/50 with water, but you do want to get those electrolytes into him. If you can get him to drink some too, great. Putting some greens in his cage and sprinking them may get a better lapping response than a water dish will. Or if the substrate is deep enough to bury plants in, do that. it’ll give him something to hide between, lowering his stress level, as well as giving him leaves to drink off.
For food, try waxworms. Some pet shops have them and some convenience stores sell them as bait. They’re not a great food in the long run, but they’re easy to catch, soft, easy to digest, and they tend to like them. When his health improves, though, phase them out of his diet. They’re very fatty and a continued diet of them is very dangerous to his liver and kidneys.
Fruits and vegetables are good for them, but maybe not right now. Fiber is probably not what a dehydrated animal needs most. Insects are pretty moist anyway, and a half hour electrolyte soak each day can do wonders. When my baby hognose was recovering from some health issues that she came with, I could actually weigh her before the soak and then after and the improvement was measureable by several grams.
The fluid he soaks in should be warm, then he should go straight to a hot dry cage, and then be offered a sprinkle of cool fluid. Not on him, and not enough to get the cage all damp, but a drizzle on the leaves near him. He’ll see it and hopefully go for it, which will add even more fluid than what he’s already absorbed.



11/10/07  05:39am


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