Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I really wish there was a vet that did house calls for reptiles! Baby, our 4.5 year old rhino iguana, has had very loose stools for years now. The last vet was horrible and after trying two rounds of Flagyl we decided to go elsewhere since they wanted us to bring him in again. Their service was horrible and they were not helpful (gave us a flyer on green iguana care) we were not going back.

The fecal and bloodwork from the first vet came back normal, and he is in perfect health except for the diarrhea. This new vet is very experienced with reptiles, he has even been on a team that went to David Blair's to collect blood samples, and wrote a book about reptile medicine and surgery. He is sending a fecal to a specialist to see if they find anything not found in the regular fecal exam.

Has anyone else had a rhino with very loose stools that was otherwise healthy? He eats collard, mustard, and turnip greens with some squash and fruit. We tried adding fiber to his diet and it did not help either. The flagyl helped while he was on it, but within a week of stopping it the diarrhea came back.

This doc has said he may need a longer or even life-long treatment of low-dose flagyl (like some dogs and cats need), though the effects of that have not been studied in herps. We would have to watch for neurological probs and stop if he starts having symptoms of them. He also said he may just always have diarrhea, and since he is otherwise healthy it may just be something we have to live with.

He is 4.5 years old and 9lbs 8oz. Any suggestions?

maybe try some mazuri tortoise chow its high fiber and seems to me to digest slower. also dandelion greens and alfalfa. id also stop all handling and give him a big hide box as well to feel secure and safe. all i can come up with.

I would try giving him an iguana pellet diet along with the greens and fruit. The pellets have a lot of fiber and should dry things up. KB

Thanks for the suggestions, but we have already tried this and it did not help at all. We tried limiting him to just greens, and it did not help. We tried pellets and it did not help. The only time we saw improvement was with the Flagyl, so I tried giving him wheat bread every day (that is how we get him to take his pills). and that did nothing either without the meds.

We've tried adjusting his temps (hotter and cooler) too, and that did nothing.

This has been going on through several different enclosures too, so I don't think that has anything to do with it. We are just at a loss as to what to do next. Hopefully this vet can figure it out...I'm kind of hoping the new exotics fecal shows something just so we know what to do for him!

yeah I know what you are going through. I have a cornuta with the same thing, maybe.
The biggest thing I found is husbandry, in my case he kept re-infecting himself after treatment. I cant comment on your husbandry but make sure you are keeping it as clean as possible! Mine has gotten much better but I have to be vigilant. I would ask what kind of tests you are getting and if they are going deep enough, beyond the routine fecal and blood work. Dont settle, there is something obviously wrong.

jf

Thank you for your response. It is good to know I am not the only one out there struggling with this (though I am sorry you are dealing with it too).

The original fecal was a regular one, the second one done last week was a more comprehensive one done at the reptile and exotics lab. Both showed nothing. The blood work was also comprehensive and showed nothing abnormal.

The Flagyl once again seems to be helping. We did 5 days once a day, and now we are doing every other day to see what happens. If we are good after every other day after a few weeks, we will go to every third day, etc, assuming no neurological symptoms arise. If we see problems we are to stop all together.

We are very diligent about keeping his cage clean. Once a week he gets a bath and we bleach the whole cage and all accessories. Every day we spot clean when he goes...the problem is when he goes when we are not home and walks through it, getting it all over himself and everything in his cage

I really hope this course of treatment works, and wish you the best of luck as well.

P.S.-Did you ever find out what bacteria/organism was causing the problem? Did you treat with anything?

"the problem is when he goes when we are not home and walks through it, getting it all over himself and everything in his cage"
exactly, that is my ongoing issue. My cornuta is a slob, craps and then sits in it. plenty of room to move away... my other cyclura is very clean. Not this one, he tracks it all over, craps under the basking lamp, where he sleeps, totally random. Thats when he re-infects himself. I dont get home till night and then clean. You may have the same problem. maybe not...
I have found out what he had. I would have to go look it up. It was two different things. One was potentially lethal if unchecked. I will try to find his records.
I am not a big fan of Flaygl. Its too general, and kills everything, not ideal for an animals that relies on some bacteria to digest, imo. I used ones that were more specific. Again, I will have to check 'cuz I dont remember the names.
btw, he is fine now but if I dont clean well, he is very susceptible.

jf

maybe try bigger cage and keep him on sand or something so if he does track threw it the sand catches most of it.