Reptile & Amphibian Forums

THis morning i woke up around 7:15 and found Zazu wedged in his log, not tight. I was able to pull him out very easy. So easy, that it makes me wonder if he shouldn't have be able to do it himself. He wasn't blinking, contiues to open his mouth for prolonged periods and didn't seem to be walking straight. I took the advice of a friend and dampened a cloth, warmed it up in the microwave and held him like that, with another dry towel over his head for darkness. SHortly after, I had to go to class. When i came home he was sitting on top of one of the dens in the cooler side of the tank with his head cocked to one side, one eye open one eye closed. It freaked me out; i almost thought he was dead. He doesn't seem to be walking correctly, it's almost as if there's something wrong with the equilibrium or nervous system, and he continues to hang his head to one side, but i have no idea why. He has no injuries and i keep the tank very clean. My other uro, Tiki seems to be in good health. I contacted their vet and he said to wait 24 hrs, force feed him if neccessary, (which i've noticed his appetite has gotten extremely low in the past week)If he hasn't improved by the morning, to then bring him in, but i work all day tomorrow and don't want to wait that long if this is dire. He doesn't seem right to me at all and i'm very concerned. Has anyone else ever seen their uro exhibit these symptoms?

if that was my lizard, i would take him to the vet and not wait 24 hours. the one eye open/one eye closed thing isn't strange because my guys sit like that alot but having his mouth open alot and acting dizzy aren't good signs. i would just call them back and say you don't feel comfortable waiting and you are bringing him in now
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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 ***

thanks. It didn't take long after the call for me to rush him in.

His breathing and heart rates are irregular. He had what i guess you would call mini-heart attacks. He started twitching violently, folded his legs back, exhaled all air and his eyes rolled back. This is when i rushed him to the vet after i snapped him out of it. I had to psuh his chest in a methodical way to revive him. I thought he was dead He did it again at the vet. His nervous system seems screwy, too. He keeps tilting his head to one side. The vet said he may have some sort of infection. They're keeping him, giving him antibiotics and tube feeding him because he hasn't eaten in a week. (that i've noticed) I feel awful. He's the youngest out of my 3 animals. I just hope i don't get a bad call from the vet any time soon.

well that really sucks. i am sorry about zazu. have you noticed his toes twitching or anything? i am by no means a uro sickness expert but i know that some twitching and i think eventually spasming can be from calcium deficiency. i will be thinking of you both once the doctor finds out what it is please let us know!
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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 am sorry for your loss and was reading previous posts to see what had happened. I just lost a young sudanese a month ago, and from what I read, you had the exact same thing happen as I did. I honestly don't have a definite cause but since my little one was in with others and they are still ok, I had some suspisions. I had her for 6 months and clear out of the blue she had your exact symptoms and then was dead in 3 - 4 days.

My thought was that either she was bit or ate a spider or bug that got in my tank with her. I have a very large tank, 4' x 4' x 2'H and the top is open. We are in PA in the country and I find a lot of large wolf spiders in the house. I moved everything around in the tank and found nothing until 1 week ago. I just replaced my blue night light and saw some movement near a piece of slate.

There is was, an almost 1 inch long wolf spider in the tank. Maybe I am crazy but is your tank open or at a spot that a spider could have gotten in? Just a thought.

Maria
my lizards

i hope zazu pulls out of it. poor little guy. how long did you say you had him for? were you dusting his food on a regular basis?
tristan
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Tristan
1.1 Blood Pythons (Rambo and Medussa)
1.2 Egyptian Uromastyx (Dog, Cleo, Slo Mo)
0.1 Suriname Red Tail Boas (Stoney)
1.0 Argentine Black and White Tegu (Roy)

What a beautiful little guy he is, I sure hope he snaps out of this. Sounds as though he was having seizures, may very well be a calcium problem.

Whatever it is I hope they figure it out quickly and get Zazu back in tip- top shape again FAST !

Let us know how he is
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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

Damn, i hope he's getting better now. Nothing worse than waiting for news and not knowing. Hopefully what they've done will help him get back to normal.

Thank you all. I spoke to the vet before i went to class last night and he said Zazu was more alert and active after only one tube feeding and some antibiotics. I was dusting his food regularly. Hopefully he pulls through. I've had Zazu for 5 months, since he was 5 months old. He's my littlest guy.

I have not been able to read the board for a few days, I am so sorry to hear Zazu is sick! I know firsthand how heartwrenching these experiences can be. I agree that it sounds like a calcium issue, though I am by no means a vet, that can effect heart rate, respiration, equilibrium, seizures, all sorts of nastiness. An allergic reaction would be my second guess, at least if Zazu were a person, but I would bet first on calcium.

Regardless of the problem, my thoughts and prayers are with you and Zazu! Please keep us posted!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine (RIP)
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin

I'm very excited. I got a voice mail while i was at work today. I can pick him up. The vet is going to have to show me how to give him an oral medication though. Apparently he has some sort of parasite. So now I'll have to have Tiki checked out, as well. There goes my food $ for next week, hehe. College student budgets are tight, but i have plenty of food. I'm just exstatic; he's pulling through. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and support.

How do uros get parasites? I had a fecal done on Zazu after i got him, and it came back negative. So I'm wondering, where Zazu got it.

i could be wrong but from what i understand, if you ever feed them insects they can get them from there and from not washing the veggies well enough. hugo had pinworms so i just got done treating hugo and helga for them.
as for giving them meds, i do it the patient way and just drip a little drop on their lips and they lick at it. hugo takes it pretty well with some wiggling at the taste. helga whips her head, tried to back pedal out of my hand and usually ends up grinding her tail into my arm. sometimes it is hard to get a uro to open its mouth. i have found that if you slide the syringe under the "overhanging" lip part back by where their jaw connects, that you can get the syringe in their mouth at least to squirt half the medicine
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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 ***