Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, my juvinile R. ciliatus is worrying me. I've been at school and the family has been careing for them but well, I'm home for spring break right now and the girl was in the bottom of the hide (the coldest part of the tank). when I took her out to examine her she seemed like she was having trouble moving. Like she had lost motor control and I could tell that she had not been eating enough and seemed a bit dehydrated but not very badly, Her gut has nothing in it, that I know. I gave her a light hopeing that she was just cold but now she is a bit more active when I check her out but she still seems to have little motor control and it seems as if climbing is a struggle for her. I'm planning on taking her to a vet this week before I head back to school, but what do you guys have to say?

The way you've worded your question is leading me to believe you have more then one crested in this enclosure, or at least more then one? If you have a male femal pair, then please answer the following question: What kind of calcium supplements are you using? I'm thinking that if there is a pair then the female may have been gravid and laid her eggs, this would require extra calcium to make up for the calcium she expended in the production of her eggs. Either way, isolate the animal in a clean enclosure using paper towels as a substrait, but provide climbing and hiding areas as normally required. Monitor her food and water intake and be sure to supplement with calcium with D3. If she is in fact malnurished, dehydrated or calcium defficient then all she needs is some TLC. My other advice is to make arrangements to take your pets with you to school.

I'm using reptocal. It gets mixed in with their babyfood once a week. I'll be setting her up in an ICU tomorrow. I'm very worried now. While she is rehydrated and still looks plump in her tail and hips I watched her trying to crawl on the ground of her enclosure. It was like she couldn't pull her own body weight no matter how much she wriggled, like an infant trying to crawl but lacking the muscle coordination and strength. I searched the tank for eggs but there were none. Other than her inability to move herself about she would seem fine. Healthy look to her body, her eyes aren't cloudy at all and she still acts alert. I think this is may be some sort of disease affecting her nerveous system, after seeing her struggle to crawl like that I don't expect her to make it through the next few days.

I wouldn't wait until next week for that vet visit. If it's an appointment thing, tell them it's serious and can't wait.

Ian

Sounds like my crested a month ago.

Checked the books and found out that MBD symptoms are puffy legs, poor motor control and dehydrated appearance.

Im into the 4th week of treatment of syringe feeding every evening baby fruit puree and calcium powder to get her bones back into shape. puree chicken to give a bit of protein too.
Stuck in a UV bulb as well just for the boost (i know some people will argue it does no good, but its wooking really well for my cresty).