Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I went down to the local feed store in the search for bulk millet today and found the poorest little mali. After talking with the owner about their care and telling him what bad shape this one is in, he let me have him at a reduced price and gave me a 1 week guarantee which they never do.
He is about 6-7" long and extremely dehydrated and some what thin. He had no heat/hides or food except crickets. I know you normally don't bath uros but in this case, would a bath help? Should I try to get him to drink some water?
He's currently basking in a 121* hot spot and has some greens close by in case he's hungry. Any other advice would be great.
I'll get pictures in a little bit.

I think you have to soak him and let him drink. You can also try to get him to lap some pedialyte from a dropper. I get those pedialyte flavored drinks or freezer pops. I don't freeze them. I just draw some up in a syringe and offer it to dehydrated animals of all kinds, and they like the flavor, particularly the apple and grape.

I would also offer moisture rich berries like strawberry and melon, but not too much at a time, and feed him wet greens.

Don't put him on loose substrate, period, until he improves, or you are seriously risking impaction, and he might already be impacted.

Gosh, waldo, what a doll you are to take him in, poor thing. Keep us posted.

Here are the pictures. He has started to move around some and had a couple bites of greens. Much more alert now.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/2497598690_4c61b843b2_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2496772551_64afb5c811_m.jpg

The pics didn't come through. Did you try pedialyte?

Yes, I tried the pedialyte but was only able to get a couple drops in him. He didn't care much for the bath either.
I went to the store and got some strawberries and more greens and he ate quite a bit while I was gone.
He is warm up now, running around like mad. He is pretty wild, tail whipped me when I tried to get him back on his basking rock

I'll try to attach one of the pictures. He is still wrinkly but his color is much lighter.

All that is great news. As for the tail whipping, it could either be because he has felt bad for so long, all because of humans, or he is wc. I would get at least a fecal to a vet as soon as possible.

He doesn't look too bad, just thin and a little wrinkly. Do keep us posted.

Yes, he is wild caught. Hopefully once he settles in some he will calm down. I've never seen a baby this skittish before, poor thing
None of the local vets will do a fecal for a reptile and the vets that do see reptiles are quite far away and insist you bring the reptile with you. I'm sure he has parasites and will treat him with panacure once he is feeling better.

I have a baby that is probably wild caught. He was rescue bought and brought to me, just like your little guy, and is a skittish as can be. He is getting a little better. But you know, these are fairly intelligent creatures, and they really suffer with improper care.

I do have a suggestion for him. I know that you use the Reptiglo 8 for UVB, but when I rehab or counsel people who are trying to rehab lizards that have a past so to speak, I recommend switching to a MVB. Nothing brings them back better than a MVB, and in some cases, its the only thing that brings a really down animal back. Just a thought.

Don't arbitrarily treat for parasites. Not all parasites can be dealt with by Panacur - some quite harmful. It's much better to take him the long distance for the vet check.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Actually tail whipping is the Uromastyx main defense mechanism, they all do it, cb's too. Uromastyx(the given scientific name,that is) actually means "lizard that slashes with it's tail". It is scared and perceives you as a threat and doesn't want you to touch him. Even the most "tame" will whip their tail if startled or if someone attempts to take them from their hide,try to pick them up unwelcomely or unexpected,etc.