Posted by:
sarahcookies
at Fri Oct 3 08:59:54 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by sarahcookies ]
Hi, hopefully someone can give some advice or encouragement. Last Friday I accidentally stepped on an anole lizard (a whole bunch darted out in front of me as I walked along a sidewalk and this one ran under my foot as i stepped down, i didn't even see him but felt it). I didn't crush him completely but enough to make one of his eyes pop out of its socket. I took him home because he semmed to be in shock and there were a bunch of fire ants around and I didn't want him to get eaten. He seemed dead, not moving or breathing much but by the next day he was moving around and had managed to escape his enclosure (though it wasn't too hard and he never moved more than a few inches from it). Since it has happened he keeps his good eye closed most of the time and only opens it a little bit for a few seconds and then closes it again. He can see from it but he just won't keep it open. I am worried about him being able to find food on his own. I have had a UV light on him all week and have been feeding him mealworms. I have to take tweezers and hold the mealworm directly in front of his mouth and poke with it, when he opens his mouth i put the worm in and he eats it. I just found out the other day about keeping him warm so he can digest and humidity concerns and misting so he'll drink. So I have been trying but not doing too well with keeping him healthy. He is pretty lethargic except sometimes when his heat light is on he gets active and wants out. I put him outside under a bush yesterday and kept an eye on him while I did yardwork. He didn't move more than a few inches in about 4 hours and finally I brought him back in. Now I'm misting the enclosure like crazy, checking temperature, feeding him but he still seems to be getting worse. His skin is quite dark and the area of his head between his snout and eyes is a really pale whitish color which I think seems bad. The only good thing is that he holds himself up a lot, doesn't lay flat, and seems strong still.
So, what should be done for him? I really would like to let him go, probably being in captivity is really upsetting him and I don't think I am very good at keeping his environment right. But he seems so sluggish and I am concerned about him not opening his good eye very much. Will that pass? Plus the weather here in Florida has been cool and cloudy and he really seems to need warmth and light now. I'm really confused as to what to do.
Thank you for any help,
Sarah
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 Wild Brown anole in need of help, hurt eye and ill. - sarahcookies, Fri Oct 3 08:59:54 2003
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