Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm in distress here. I took Rorschach to the vet today, suspecting an impaction. I was right - it looks like loam (as well as last year's sand) is very tasty. I'm SO careful. She never is picks food items from the substrate and she's supplemented with Miner-all and Herptivite so I don't know WHY dirt would seem edible. She's moved to towels and slate tile for now and possibly forever. Stupid lizard.

The real concern for me, though, is that she has little reddish sore spots on the underside of her tail that I discovered today also. I have a very creepy feeling about it. Will you folks take a look and see what you think? The vet is looking into it, too, but I also want input from people whose main focus is collareds.

Thanks!

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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)

Wow I've never seen that before. Probably nothing to do with the impaction though.

And my collared is continually on paper towels. It's frustrating, I know. She's been on/off sick since December and the times I felt she was good enough to be put back on sand, she get's sick the next day and I have to vacuum out all the sand again.

Hi Torey, I would treat this immediately as an infection, I'm not sure by the pic if I'm seeing tiny blisters or what I'm seeing. Could be a bacterial/fungal type infection from the substrate or whatever. This can be systemic , so try and get it fixed up quick if possible.

I have seen tails look raw and red and knawed from mites, but since you don't have them I would say something in th elines of a blister diease (in that catagory) I would soak a cotton ball in povidone iodine solution and go up and down along her tail with it 3 times a day If I had to, or even try a bit of peroxide for cuts/ and let it bubble up on there, one or the other to at least clean it up, she will probably need some sort of antibiotic treatment.

And get her on paper towels. let us know how she does. I don't think the Vet can tell exactly what bacteria/ infection it is without doing some sort of skin scraping????
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PHEve / Eve

I know that you are a meticulous keeper, but just in case, could there be any bugs left in the viv that could be biting her at night? I have seen crix do similar damage and cause bacterial infections.

So Rory's been to the vet every day for enemas since I first posted. She's passed about half of the material so far, so that's looking pretty good. No more particulate substrate for this naughty girl ever again!

My vet believes that the spots on the tail are from burst blood vessels from straining to poop. How's that for appetizing? Partly because they haven't gotten worse or blistered or appeared on any other part of the body. If that's what they are, then I should see them scab up and fall away as the blood pushes its way to the surface. Meantime, she's getting wiped down with iodine solution and a zinc oxide cream.

No bugs there. Her food is offered to her from a jar or by tweezers ever since last year's impaction, so there shouldn't be anything living in there that would nibble her.

Thanks to the folks that responded! It's helpful and encouraging to know that there's someone to help me out when I need it!

Baby picture just for decoration:

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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)

awww!!! lol!! what a cutie!!!
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Guy LoPresti
2.2 collared lizards (Lizzy,Stevie 2,Ike,Adrien)
1.1 firebelly toads
1 baby emperor scorpion (ceasar "caligula" )
( if you know what caligula means you'll get it)
4 dogs (groucho charles bugs Gracie)

She's pretty!!

impaction is normally due to husbandry issues though, not the fault of the lizard and whether it is ingesting substrate.

what are your basking temps? and for the sandy loam, which i have seen used successfully many times, how much moisture does it have? how well vented is the cage?
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles