Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so far it's been a few monthes since I adopted the fat uro, and she's gone through two treatments for respiratory infection, and liquid is starting to come out of her nose again. I think the problem is that she isn't basking enough and therefore isn't getting enough heat to heal. She spends a lot of time in her hide. What should I do? She is also not digesting as much now but is still eating, so shes getting really bloated, and this is due to the fact that she's just hiding a lot and not basking. I'm not sure what to do because taking away the hide will probably stress her. What are your suggestions?

ryan

Two treatments is not going to do it, She will need at least seven treatments one each day and your ambient tempature should be 90% and hot spot 115%, Then it wont matter where she is. Batril is the drug of choice good luck.

nm

I don't have experience with this, so take it for what it's worth Maybe you can mave the hide closer to the warm side - warm her up even if she's hiding. And maybe add another 50w bulb to bump the overall temperatures up a smidge.

Just my $.02
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Uromastyx Maliensis (Tank and Turtle)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras (Frank and Jesse)
0.0.2 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie and Dum-Dum)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

without specific details of setup and husbandry, there is no way for anyone to give you responsible advice, ESPECIALLY on medications...

check out this FAQ at our site, and perhaps list your details, and folks would be better able to help...
"What's wrong with my reptile?"

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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Well, her last injection was two or three weeks ago, and the one before that was a month before it. For both times, she showed improvement for the first few days, but since it has been bad weather making the room darker, she hides a lot throughout the day, except in the morning when she eats, and before and after she comes out for exercise. Today it was actually nice and sunny, and there was definately improvement in her activities. When i let her out of the cage today to run around the room, she was much more active, and when i put her back she remained active for an hour or two after.

I'm not sure what else you are looking for as far as information. her bowel movements are very infrequent. There can be anywhere between a day and a week between her bowel movements, and that always depends on the amount of time she spends basking. Basically the problem is she isn't hanging out on her basking spot enough, likely because of the weather/room lighting. I saw a little bit of liquid in her nose today, but not as much as usual.

Anything else?

Hi Ryan, Well I disagree about not being able to give you resposible advice on Medication. You said your animal has a respitory infection, so that is good advice that I gave you. Proper Husbandry is the corner stone of good health but no matter what you tell us out here we are only guessing. My opinoin is if you Medicated the animal with Batril, but it isn't basking properly and you have the hot spot at 115% and the ambient tempature is 90% with the whole cage well lit up with good hide spots, Then it sound like your animal might have some internal Parasites or other problem which no one here can help you with. You will need a experienced reptile Vet
Good Luck.

are you sure you can give accurate, dependable, non threatening medical advice?

from your post, your are "just guessing", you are basing a Baytril recommendation (available legally only through a vet prescription) on the owner's own inexperienced GUESS of URI, and then you further guess that there may be parasites or "other problems".

so in fact, no, you really are not qualified to give out specific medication rounds. nor do you have a sensible complete diagnosis in the first place.

number one, you haven't even seen the animal to give it a diagnosis! it may be fine and dandy to want to be "helpful" on an internet forum, but are YOU going to take the necessary responsibility if and when this animal dies after your suggested "remedy"? because YOU should be willing to bear the weight of the consequences when giving such confident "solid" advice.

the only respsonsible advice, especially considering the complete lack of context and details, would be "See a Vet!".

there is a reason that they are professional, and they are trained to make a hands on diagnosis for a sick animal. reptile specialist or not, they are infinitely more qualified than some stranger on an internet forum who is making wild guesses based on limited experience and absolutely no first hand experience with the animal in question.

this IS NOT AT ALL PERSONAL. so don't take it as such. it applies to anyone that so freely dispsenses this type of information online.

you are simply walking a dangerous line, and once you cross that line, and make such medical suggestions and remedies, you need to also accept responsibility for your actions, and it will be very unpleasant when your casual, "expert sounding" diagnosis leads to the death of the animal in question. whether it be directly or through ignorance of the true symptoms and very real underlying problem.

i would like to see this person get help, but so far, the only responsible "remedy" would be to see a vet (immediately!), as we have yet to get any details other than "it is in a cage, has a hidespot, and a place to bask".
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Robyn if you read every thing in context you would have noticed that he had already treated the animal with Batril and just because a animal has a respitory infection doesn't mean it can't have something else as well. I dont think your being personal to me but your talking on this forum like none of us no what were talking about and you do. Who are you anyways to say I souldn't give my oppion, that im not a Vet your not a Vet either so Why are are you telling the man to go to your sight and not to a Vet when you read the Uro is not doing well. SO maybe no one on this Forum should say anything.

my advice to "go to our site" was simply to read the FAQ pertaining to this issue, that is, you cannot, and should not, expect to get a viable diagnosis online especially without any context or detail. i didn't give out any advice on this particular case or animal, because without that detail, there is little i can say responsibly.

it comes down to this, if you give out advice, whether it be simple things like hidespots, or complicated issues like "my Uro is going to die, what do i do?", you should be responsible to that person for that advice. serious issues can have serious consequences.

if the animal is in such poor shape that it needs a course of meds, or if the keeper is ignorant of the most basic husbandry issues, than they should see an expert first hand, period.

your advice (or anyone's) regarding which meds to give, or what may be the problem with the animal, is just a guess, based on very little info, and in turn, the ignorant (lacking knowledge) keeper is not experienced enough to apply advanced techniques (like self diagnosis and meds).

in the meantime, time is wasted while they wait for a miracle cure online, when instead they need to visit a vet asap.

medding an animal with Baytril is going to do very little if the animal is being kept very poorly, with none of the tools necessary for proper health in the first place.

it is a different context when an experienced keeper comes on and wants to discuss the pros and cons of using Baytril vs. Amakacin vs. Fortaz etc.

when i do give out advice, it is as robyn@Pro Exotics, and i base it on my experience and first hand adventures, and i stake our reputation on the quality of that advice
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

maybe you didn't read the FAQ, maybe you don't care, but details would not actually consist of "nice and sunny" and "not hanging out on her basking spot enough".

you can go back and read the FAQ, but i am not sure how i could have been more specific there...

an excerpt:

-What is the history of this animal? How old is it? Where did you get it? How long have you had it? Is it captive bred? Wild caught? Is it “captive bred” from the local swap meet (aka wild caught with plenty of parasites)?

-How do you have the animal setup? In a glass tank? A Rubbermaid? A shoebox? In an old converted stereo cabinet? Is it alone or with other animals?

-What are your temperatures? What is your hot spot/basking spot temperature? What is your cool spot temp? What is your ambient temp? At the coldest spot in the cage, at the coldest time of the night (2-4 am), what is the temperature then? (hint: use a Digital Min/Max Thermometer) How do you heat the cage? Lights? Heating pads? Heat tape? By leaving it in the window in the sun?

-How are you taking the temperatures? Do you have the right tools? Are you using crappy temp tools like dials and stick on thermometers (or your licked finger)? Or have you invested a modest amount of money in your animal and purchased some high quality temperature tools like a Temp Gun and some Digital Min/Max Thermometers?

-Do you have hidespots in your cage? How many? A cool one and a hot one? Are they nice and tight, and dark? Or are they big open caves, and not really hidespots at all?

-What kind of substrate are you using?

-What are you feeding the animal?

did you just miss that whole part of the FAQ? without specific husbandry details, no one can really help you. at this point, you need to stop goofing around online, and go see a qualified vet.

IF (IF!) a round of Baytril is necessary for the "fix" the dosage is every 24-48 hours (depending) and one shot here, one shot three weeks later, is not going to help or address anything. find a vet, or a better vet. soon.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

as torey posted, this is just my two cents. maybe you could get an under-tank heater. if you do apply this type of heater and your subsrate is not heavy (birdseed, sand...) be sure to place a repti-carpet on the inside of tank beneath the substrate. so as to guard against burns from the hot glass. my mali has one and i really never worry if he is warm enough. place this toward the hot side so you still have a cool side. also, be exactly sure where you want to place it as once you stick it on you cannot remove it without ruining it. i keep mine on 24/7 and check it frequently, making sure it is not too hot. good luck.

laura
hazlet n.j.

1.0.0 mali (ZION)
0.0.1 fire-bellied toad (KILLER)
0.0.6 tetras
0.0.2 red-eared sliders (DOROTHY&TOTO)
0.1.1 parakeets (ARIEL&JASMINE)

I agree that using an undertank heater, right under one of her favorite hides would help a little with temps. You mentioned bad weather and darkness...you should add more light to your cage and make sure you have a good light source for uba/uvb. Make sure you have a good light cycle, at least 12 hours on, trying to mimic a normal day. If the cage is too dark, she will most certainly retreat and that is not helping. Are you sure the nasal discharge is from a respiratory infection and not "snalt"? If you make these minor changes and see no improvement, or is she gets worse, get right to the vet. Best of luck.

Pam