Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an adult female Uro that I took in as a rescue. She was a little thin, but not much. The one thing I noticed was that she kept her eyes closed. I assumed that she was just stressed. However, it is now 2-3 weeks later and she still keeps them closed. On very rare occasions she will open them for a short period (sometimes while eating or climbing up to bask) and they appear to be normal eyes without obvious damage. She eats regularly and acts pretty much just like my other Uros except that she always has her eyes closed, even when walking around the enclosure. I do not know if she was given deworming medication or not. Have there been any cases of reactions to medication with Uromastyx that affects the eyes? Do you have any ideas as to what could be the problem? I have never seen this before.

Did you get a good look at the eyes? Are they alright?

Is there something shiny and reflective shining the UV from the UV bulb into her eyes? Was that the case in her previous setting? I'm not sure if that's anything, but if you or I look into the sun, the UV begins to blind us....

Wow what a perplexing problem. Let's see... Does she keep both eyes closed? Are you sure it isn't some kind of stress? MBD? Was brumation accidentally induced? I'm really goin' fishing here, but I'd really like to help.

Also, once my female hit the male in the eye with her tail by accident. He had a little bruise on his eyelid, and he kept it often closed for a couple of days....
-----
Mark Martinez
University of Florida

My uro had the same problem when I got it. I had to put oinment called Terramycin on the eye for 2 - 3 weeks before it cleared up. I looked at where I got it from and it seems they don't carry Terramycin but they carry a different eye ointment. It had the exact same description as Terramycin but it has a different name and bottle.. Here is this link

lllreptile.com/v2/content/catalog/?section_string=care-supplies&category_string=vitamins-and-medicines&product_string=vetropolycin

I would definately buy some ASAP! It works wonders.
-----
1.1 Eublepharis macularius
1.0 Uromastyx geryi
0.1 Anolis sagre
0.0.1 Anolis carolinensis
0.0.1 Kinosternon bauri

I would like to advise you not to put anything in your lizards eye. Take it to a QUALIFIED reptile vet and have them look at it and stain it. The stain (flourescein) can determine if there is an ulcer present. The use of opthalmic ointments with steroids inhibit corneal ulcers from healing. So don't just try an ointment as a shotgun approach.
Have you every had your lizard to a vet? I really recommend a stool sample and deworming if not.

Tell us about your cage... Substrate, temperatures, humidity level, UV - what type/how old/how far away, basking temperatures, hiding areas, food, water, handling...

After we see how this girl is being cared for, we can eliminate a LOT of the common problems...

Now - my gut feeling? She's either trying to brumate, or she is extremely stressed. What do you mean by "a little thin"? Is she dehydrated? What does the underside of her tail look like? Does she have folds on her sides? What is she eating right now??

Do you think she should have been dewormed? How long has she been in captivity?

This is a tough one to help with, unless we learn a little more about the animal!

>>I have an adult female Uro that I took in as a rescue. She was a little thin, but not much. The one thing I noticed was that she kept her eyes closed. I assumed that she was just stressed. However, it is now 2-3 weeks later and she still keeps them closed. On very rare occasions she will open them for a short period (sometimes while eating or climbing up to bask) and they appear to be normal eyes without obvious damage. She eats regularly and acts pretty much just like my other Uros except that she always has her eyes closed, even when walking around the enclosure. I do not know if she was given deworming medication or not. Have there been any cases of reactions to medication with Uromastyx that affects the eyes? Do you have any ideas as to what could be the problem? I have never seen this before.
-----
Mark & Aimee Berger
reptilesrus@msn.com