Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a friend who has just bought two female western collared lizards. She bought them mainly I think due to their condition, being underweight and housed in glass tanks with a timor monitor in one side and a snake on the other. Not good. Anyway she has been taking FunkyMonkey's advice and feeding baby food and soft dog biscuits etc, bathing regularly, and using hydrolife etc. The one seems to be feeding ok, the other is 7 inches and weighs 12grams. They were sold as CB 06 but I cant beleive two born last year are still only 7 inches.

Anyway, yesterday the sickly smaller one was very weak, she had her eyes closed, and slipped off the basking rock onto her back, where she lay motionless. She also found that she is gaping a lot, and every so often gasping as though its her last breath.

That was yesterday. She was going to take her to the vet, but decided to leave her overnight and take her this morning if she had gone through the night.

This morning the same animal that was too weak to get up is running around like a maniac chasing hoppers and behaving like a regular healthy collared lizard. She has not, it appears been passing normal stools since she was bought a week ago. It comes out the same way it went in as though it has not been digested.

Does anyone have any alternative suggestions, as Liz's vet is keen to express the fact that he doesn't know anything about the species.

Thanks
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Kel

www.collaredlizards.co.uk
0:0:1 Timor Monitor
2:3:0 Collared Lizards
0:0:2 Chinese Water Dragons
0:0:1 Dune Scorpion
0:0:1 Imperial Scorpion
1:0:0 Desert Hairy Scorpion
0:0:1 Mexican Red Knee Tarantula
0:0:1 Green Tree Frog
0:0:1 Grey Tree Frog

I would have to say there sounds like a few thigns going on here Kelly. First regurgating the food up the way it went down could be parasites which is probably the reason for weight lose. And improper temperatures can cause them NOT to digest their food properly. So tell her to make sure her temps are correct. And to get a fecal done asap.

The falling off the rock and laying there as if dead, even the gaping /gasping first, then the fact she's up and running around today , would lead me to believe she may be having seizures of somekind. Ask her if she gets kind of ridgid/ holds her self stiff when this happens. If they are seizures it may be a nutritional problem/ lack of calcium can cause them also.

Sure hope the little girl makes it. I had taken in a group of starving, emachiated wc collareds about a month ago, one was terrible he died, the other three are doing awesome, ribs, all bones were showing, shame.
But now the 2 females and 1 male are filling out and looking really lively and bright eyed. Matter of fact 2 are up for adoption they are doing so well :0) With these kind of lizards I hand feed every few hours small amounts.
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PHEve / Eve

What did you feed them? Liquid formula or crickets etc?

We always find it quite hard to get their little mouths open long enough to get a small amount from a syringe down their throats!

Well done for saving as many as you did

We saved one when ours picked up worms from a visiting tortoise (with no direct contact). In our experience you only have about three days to start treating any lizard problem otherwise they can die very suddenly. (It might be the extra stress from 'force feeding' has something to do with it)
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CLizKeeper
Collareds 4.4.0
Chameleons 1.2.0
Canines 1.0.0

well thanks, somehow she has perked right up and is eating well from what I understand. Hopefully she will be ok I'll let you know next time I hear

This is the poorly girl, not sure if I posted this pic already, apologies if I did...........

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Kel

www.collaredlizards.co.uk
0:0:1 Timor Monitor
2:3:0 Collared Lizards
0:0:2 Chinese Water Dragons
0:0:1 Dune Scorpion
0:0:1 Imperial Scorpion
1:0:0 Desert Hairy Scorpion
0:0:1 Mexican Red Knee Tarantula
0:0:1 Green Tree Frog
0:0:1 Grey Tree Frog