Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i have had gators before, and i have a dwarf caiman now he is only a baby 7" long and he just started to roll around like he has no balance and he wont open his eyes...i don't know what to do i really dont want him to get sick i keep the water at 86-88 degrees and i have a good land portion in his tank. he has been eating crickets and pinkie mice, i also throw some feeder fish in there for him . if any one has any ideas or could help in any way that would be great thanks

GS,

I suggest you restrict him from the water if you're not present. He will probably drown.

What kind of fish are you feeding him? Is his water clean? How much do you handle him? Do you have a TV set or stereo system playing nearby? How long has he been exhibitng this condition? Is he actually eating the food you offer him?
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Israel Dupont
Winter Haven, FL

i gave him a few goldfish ,yes his water is clean,i dont handle him that much since he is still so small,no there are no steros or tvs on his side of the room,he only started this today and he has been eating the pinkie mice and cricktes i give him i watched...any ideas thatnks gerald

GS,

There is a TV set and stereo in the same room? Although this might not be the cause of his ailment, I strongly advise that you keep your caiman in a darker, secluded, quiet area for probably several months, until he is desensitized, and even then he cannot tolerate too much noise as a juvenile.

I also recommend that you don't feed him goldfish as a fish meal. Goldfish are not great for them...once in a while as a snack is fine.

Is his water heavily chlorinated?

I also recommend that you obtain a copy of "The Ultimate Guide to Crocodilians in Captivity," by Christopher Dieter (who is a regular on this forum). Building up a library of other good croc books is very important. I don't mean to sound preachy, but an ounce of foreknowledge is worth a pound of cure.
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Israel Dupont
Winter Haven, FL

Is he still doing it? Are you sure he wasnt trying to do one of their scratches that they do? I seen them do this in the water and it looks like they are off balance. Maybe he has a bacteria infection. Might want to have a vet check him out.

I´ve seen that before on one of my dwarfs... Adam Britton toldme it could be low calcium... quit on fish and try only pinkies and calcium suplemented flesh...

hope can help

Rick

With your water temperature at 88° what are your air temperatures (basking spot and cool area)? Based on the water temperature, It would seem that you're near the upper temperature limit for a dwarf caiman.

It has been my experience that neonate/juvenile caimans that exhibit this behavior do not survive, I hope that your experience will be different.