Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a new Uro owner, so please bear with me!

I acquired two ornate Uro babies last weekend (16 grams, about 5.5" to tail). One is eating several times a day and is pretty active, running around the whole tank often, but my other one just sits in her basking spot and hardly moves at all, often times with her eyes closed. Sometimes she sits straight up on her front legs looking alert, other times she is laying completely flat.

She rarely eats - I've only seen her take a couple bites, sometimes she took a bite or two by hand. I haven't seen her eat in the past 2 days though.

Today I tried getting her to eat a mixture of baby food and pedialyte using a dropper, but she only took a couple licks from her mouth, otherwise she just refused to open her mouth.

She is skinny next to my other baby, and so she has me quite worried.

Today she seems to be breathing a bit hard, taking breaths in gasps, I would say. (Is this normal for uros?) There is no nose or eye discharge.

I tried bathing her in case of dehydration, but she did not lap anything up.

I do not know what substrate she was kept on by the breeder, but I do not feel anything solid in her belly. I keep her on linoleum tiling.

I would take her to the vet, but it's been quite cold (40-50 degrees) so I'm hesitant to take her out. Would it be safe?

I also do not have fresh feces to take with me for examination. I have not actually witnessed her go since a few days ago. Not sure if the other waste in the tank is my other uro's or hers when I wasn't looking.

Would a trip to the vet be a waste without a fecal examination?
What else could they do for her besides that exam?

Anyway, at this point, I am wondering if she is just trying to get used to a new home and I am just making things worse, and I should just leave her alone. It's just that my other Uro is active and eating a lot, so I figured something must be up with the other one. I don't want to ignore her, thinking she just needs to come around, and regret it later.

Specs:

Tank: 72" x 18" x 17"
Temps: Basking spot (UVHeat bulb) - Exceeds 125F... Area gradient of 110 - 85
Diet: Escarole, endive, bok choy, nappa cabbage (doug's site says this is a bok choy relative and not "real" cabbage)

Plenty of places to hide.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thank you!

she does look much skinnier compared to her friend. anytime you get new lizards, it cannot hurt to take them to a vet to make sure everything is ok with them.
one time when i went to the vet they did some kind of enema thing to helga to check for parasites since i had no poop and other times i just pay for the fecal after the exam and they give me a little thing to scoop the poop in to bring in a couple days later. but my vet also pushes on their skulls to make sure they don't have MBD and he watches their walk. i thought hugo would have had parasites for sure but his lack of appetite seemed to be from too little calcium because his poop was clean.
the breathing thing concerns me. i have noticed that sometimes they will breath heavy (like their chin skin goes in and out really fast) when they are stressed but i would hate for her to have a respiratory infection.
please let us know how she does!
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

It's always a good idea to separate a youngster which is not eating regularly, not pooping or lacks activity. It may need to acclimate to it's new home as well as the immediate surroundings. Allow it more privacy by covering the sides/front of the cage's lower glass and keep it's cage/tank in a low traffic area for now. You might also put down some paper towels or newspaper for better traction instead of the smooth tile surface. Make sure it's cage temperature gradient is good for it's size/age. Be sure to have a fairly fresh UVB light source so as to allow it proper UVB calcium absorption.
Offer it the darker greens such as the calcium fortified collards for example. My youngsters usually thrive with mustards, collards, yellow squash and mixed veggies occasionally dusted with a calcium w/vit-D3 supplement.
A visit to the vet may be in order. I notice by your picture that it's tail base appears to be lacking in tail fat. Most likely this problem has been going on for a while.
A fecal sample would be a plus but if none is seen passed by this youngster, the vet or vet tech may be able to extract enough with a small fecal loop in order to float and smear the sample. This simple fecal exam should take around a half hour so you can probably wait for the results. He/she may also inject a calcium supplement and/or sub-q fluids if he thinks it's dehydrated.
An easy/safe way of transporting it would be in a small ice chest with a heat pack or hand warmer. Just make sure to wrap the heat pack in a hand towel so that it's not in direct contact with the baby uro.

Good luck with the lil guy,
John

Thanks for the help, it is appreciated.... unfortunately, Columbia died today. I took her to the vet, found out she was impacted, they tried enemas but she wouldnt pass. Gave me medication and a bunch of instructions and was supposed to try another enema at the vet on tuesday, but she died on the ride home.

oh that is so sad. with such little ones it is hard to tell sometimes. i am sorry for your loss
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I'm so sorry to hear that! Poor little girl. You did your best, though, getting her to the vet right away!
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
And several miscellaneous community fish

I am so sorry for your loss.

You did everything you could and in time I hope that can bring you comfort as it did with my recent situation.

Pls keep us updated with pics and info on your other new arrival.

I have a new Ornate on order and look fwd to hearing from u!

My e-mail is JumpNslideNJ@aol.com if u want to share pics and info. I hope it will make u feel better to show off your other little guy to me!

-Mike
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1 Uromastyx Macfadyeni named Magnus
(Magnus is one of Anne Rice's vampire characters)

60 tropical fish

2 African Clawed Frogs named Reef (olive) and Barnacle (albino)

4 Fiddler Crabs

- Mike
Morris Cty, NJ

I'm so sorry for your loss. You tried everything but she was to weak and tired.
debs
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The addiction can be dangerous. 1 Uro named Buddy aka Big Boy & 1 Ig named Tiny

Just an awful shame !

Hope you feel better real soon.
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Eve / PHEve