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Jayjays   Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3   Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3   Funky munky  
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 #1437511


Jayjays
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 Sick baby horned lizard?

I got a baby hornded lizard from a friend a few weeks ago. Been feeding him fruit flies and has been doing good. I keep him in a 20 gallon tank with a UVB light.

Two days ago he started closing his eyes all the time and won’t eat. Anybody have any idea what is wrong with him? I tried flushing his eyes out with Saline. He opens them breifly and then close them again.



09/09/07  06:03pm

 #1437601


Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3
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   Message To: Jayjays   In reference to Message Id: 1437511


 Sick baby horned lizard?

He’s sick, and there is almost a 100% chance he will die unless you get him to someone with experience. That’s the bottom line. If you don’t get him to someone with experience, you are deciding to kill him. I’ve seen this far too many times and there isn’t time to mince words. I have already rescued many Horned Lizard babies with this condition. The last person on this forum I rescued 12 babies from...1 died before I could even drive the 2 hours to get them, in the next few days several more died, and over the course of the weeks many more died. I tried several oral antibiotics courses and finally found a combination that worked. Only one baby survived, but she’s still doing ok after 3 weeks. An aquaintance near me is going through the same thing with a baby P. modestum, and I have offered to save it, but I expect that he will not take me up on it, and it will die. I have also heard from half a dozen other people this year who either caught or were given baby Horned Lizards, some of them got numerous babies, and most of them died or I never heard back from the people...so in my my 5 years experience with Horned Lizards and people who catch them...that means they’re dead now.

There is simply too much to know about these lizards, and how to care for sick babies is a fluid situation, and they need experience in these situations. That’s the only chance they have. They don’t have time for someone to go back and forth on a forum looking for direction. It will die before you figure it out. I promise you. This is likely RI, but it could be anything from parasites, to infection from dirty prey, or impaction. There is no time for me to exchange in a check list with you. He doesn’t have that kind of time.

I am a reptile rescuer and have been keeping and studying reptiles for 20 years, and Horned Lizards for 5 years. I currently keep 12 Horned Lizards, many rescues, and 4 of those rescues came to me sick, but are now cured after treatment. I have veterinary medical knowledge, equipment, and medications. I authored the care sheets that appear on this site as well as the updates, and they were originally written for the Montreal zoo, who was a customer of mine. If you want to save this baby and you care more about giving this baby a chance, for it to live, rather than you do hanging onto it because it is cute or cool to you...then I offer to help try and save it, if you express mail it ASAP. If you do not accept that offer, then there is nothing else I can offer.

You can view my current rescues at the website listed at the bottom of my profile, Wichita Falls Reptile Rescue.



09/09/07  07:05pm

 #1449715


Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3
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   Message To: Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3   In reference to Message Id: 1437601


 Sick baby horned lizard?

And of course...it’s NO surprise that I have not heard back from this person. They were only interested in keeping it for themselves and not caring for it’s illness properly, and have probably already killed it. That’s how it works when people try to keep animals they know nothing about. These people have no respect for wildlife.



09/19/07  08:12pm

 #1464546


Funky munky
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   Message To: Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3   In reference to Message Id: 1449715


 Sick baby horned lizard?

poor lil critter..............
10/01/07  08:27pm


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