Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I own 2 ferrets as well as a 7 month old tame monitor {Haiti's} which i've had since he was a baby. AnywAY i was out yesterday and for a few hours and before i left i let the ferrets out to roam around but somehow Haities escaped his enclosure which is a 100 gal. fish tank. When i get home,i go to feed my monitor and i cant find him. He's not in his hiding place or any of his burrows so now im worried. So im taring the house apart at this point , I put the ferrets away and finally after about 2 hours he comes sticking his head thru a hole from under my kitchen cabinet. He has dried blood on his back and top of his neck, im a grown man but at that point i was ready to cry. So i grab him, he's a bit shakin cause his hissin the entire time im holding him which is something he's not done to me in months. So i take some cotton balls and warm water and clean him and use Q- tips to apply some neosporen to his wounds, put him in his enclosure, fed him and covered the glass with a towel to make him feel safe and just left him alone until today. I noticed as his head stuck out of his hide spot that he had a small bubble of blood on top of his neck so i cleaned it and applied more neosporen. Do you think i need to take him to the vet asap or can i wait till his appointment next week ? Any feed back will be appreciated..

I shouldn't be shocked by this anymore, but...

Your description is not clear enough to know if it may require stitches and/or more treatment, we do not see the monitor, we can not even start to diagnose or recommend treatment. Even if you had lots of pictures, asking for advice like that here, is asking for trouble (read it as dead lizard). A good general rule is if in doubt, seek a vet ASAP, always.

Good Luck,

--Robert

Thanks for your advice i think? Once i cleaned the blood off i couldnt see any visible tears so i know he doesnt need stitches, his wounds are more like punctures so the blood wasnt running it was more or less like being stuck by a needle so the blood beeds and looks like small bubbles.

Could be minor, or perhaps an organ is punctured.

Blood bubbling out, implies a hole to an airway, which I would be concerned about, lungs do not deal with blood inside them too well. I have seen bubbling wounds, not to scare you (well maybe just a bit), that lizard is dead, but to be fair it was a train wreck.

Overall you have doubts, see a vet, could be the one thing that saves the lizard's life. If it ends up being minor you just lost a little money and an afternoon, which is much better than losing a lizard.

Good Luck, and it was meant to be helpful....

--Robert

Why is it that when anyone suggests taking an animal to a vet, the most common response is "Oh, the animals OK now" or "I checked things out and it's not that bad". Don't want to spend the money, don't keep the animal.

I didn't say he was ok because someone mentioned seeing a vet. I was simply trying to give him more information because he mentioned that he didnt have enough to make an informed recommendation. Trust me when i tell you its not the money im concerned about ,its my monitor and the only reason i left a post in the first place was to get a second oppinion before i drove an hour to the vet being as though i already have a schueduled appointment for this comin Monday. So before you make a post an give your 2 cents i suggest you read the whole thread.

That wasnt for you Rob and I appreciate your suggestions and I will be taking him to the vet first thing in the morning but I dont think I described it as horrific as u make it seem. I really don't think if it were a lung puncture the blood would be coming from the top of his head( top of the neck right behind the head}. When i said a beed or bubble of blood i didnt mean to imply a constant bubble but more like a scab you might have on your knee that you picked at and instead of the blood running down your leg , it may just leak a little and form a small circle and just sit there and once you wipe it with a paper towel or whatever it'll probably take a while before it fills again so it more like a small rain drop that i was speakin of. thx

Bubble made me think of bubbling (air bubbles) blood as they breath, which I have seen and I would be very worried if I ever saw it again. You mentioned neck, so that is what popped into my head. Probably a good example how it is impossible to diagnose anything over the internet, (I would not be someone to listen to on diagnosis anyway), I've just seen that and it was not pretty.

I really think your present course of action is the wise and correct choice. Better safe than sorry, monitors hide weakness really well, by the time it is overly obvious something is wrong, it can be too late.

Good luck at the vet tomorrow, I do hope it is minor and your monitor is back at full speed soon.

--Robert

Sometimes it takes some common sense to decide weather to bring an animal to a vet or not. I have a couple great vets but I have also brought my animals to vets that didnt get it and I had to take my animals back. It's a good thing to know your vets into herps, they will usually work with the animal rather than let one of the techs work it. I always agree with bringing a sick animal to the vet but you have pay attention to what they are doing, too many tests on an animal can be pretty tough. KB

Does the monitor appear injured in its movements? If you can't even see a wound, and the monitor seems normal, don't worry about it.

Sorry too hear that, hope your sav is o.k. let us know what happens at the vet. Clint

Doesn't sound serious. I'm sure he's fine. Don't bother with neosporin as its not good for reptiles. I have two ferrets as well and they are always jumping in my tortaise's enclosure to terrorize him.