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I put my baby blue tongue skink in her outside enclosure today to bask in the winter sun (I live in Sydney), and to my horror, something - God knows what - ripped a hole in the top of the wire cage and took her out. She was found on the lawn nearby, ALIVE and in one piece, but with what looks like small puncture wounds and blood on her head and neck. I suspect a cat (as a dog would have ripped her up and not left such small wounds) although I have no idea how a cat could rip a hole in a wire cage. I think the fact she was a bit cold probably helped her, as she may not have been wriggling enough to be an interesting plaything for the cat - plus it may have stemmed the blood flow. But enough speculation - what to do? It's early evening here and I won't be able to get to a vet till the morning. Currently she is inside warming up under a light. She can still walk, but I'm worried her abdomen looks a little swollen and fear internal bleeding. Should I put betadine on the wounds? I have some human anti-bacterial powder (the sort you sprinkle on cuts)- should I use that? I am extremely worried about her, and upset with myself for not being more vigilant. Any advice from oldherper, lizardman or others would be appreciated. (As a newborn she was rescued from a cat that killed 8 of her siblings, which is how I came to get her. So I hope this will be second time lucky...)
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Susan

Susan, you are already on the right track. Keep her warm, get her to a vet ASAP and in the meanwhile, treat the wounds topically. I would suggest using the Betadine. You may also want to soak her in a dilute solution in case there are wounds that are less obvious. Puncture wounds present a high risk for systemic infection, your vet will likely prescribe antibiotics as a safeguard. There's little that you can do at home for suspected internal injuries other then keeping her activity level and handling to a minimum. The fact that you found her after the attack and in relatively good shape indicates that she has already been pretty lucky a second time! Good luck.

T.B

>>I put my baby blue tongue skink in her outside enclosure today to bask in the winter sun (I live in Sydney), and to my horror, something - God knows what - ripped a hole in the top of the wire cage and took her out. She was found on the lawn nearby, ALIVE and in one piece, but with what looks like small puncture wounds and blood on her head and neck. I suspect a cat (as a dog would have ripped her up and not left such small wounds) although I have no idea how a cat could rip a hole in a wire cage. I think the fact she was a bit cold probably helped her, as she may not have been wriggling enough to be an interesting plaything for the cat - plus it may have stemmed the blood flow. But enough speculation - what to do? It's early evening here and I won't be able to get to a vet till the morning. Currently she is inside warming up under a light. She can still walk, but I'm worried her abdomen looks a little swollen and fear internal bleeding. Should I put betadine on the wounds? I have some human anti-bacterial powder (the sort you sprinkle on cuts)- should I use that? I am extremely worried about her, and upset with myself for not being more vigilant. Any advice from oldherper, lizardman or others would be appreciated. (As a newborn she was rescued from a cat that killed 8 of her siblings, which is how I came to get her. So I hope this will be second time lucky...)
>>Thanks in advance for your replies.
>>Susan

Your assessment that this was a cat is probably correct. It never fails to amaze me the places my cats can get into and the things they can tear through . . . including screen wire. Cats mouths are nasty . . . they have tons of bacteria and stuff in them which makes their wounds extremely prone to infections. A course of antibiotics is definitely warranted for safe measure.
e

Thanks TB and erinszoo
I am very pleased to report that she is still with us this morning and looks pretty good apart from a couple of obvious small puncture holes, the worst being beneath her left ear. Her body looks OK and she's moving with normal speed, so I'm thinking maybe in my anxiety I imagined the abdomenal swelling. Of course it's early days yet with regard to infection, but will let you know how she does. Fortunately I think I have one little tough lizard on my hands...hopefully she has more lives than the cat that bit her.
It's a sad fact that a worse fate befalls a huge number of suburban blueys around here - cats and dogs take many of them.
Susan

I took my little bluey (tiliqua scincoides) to the vet, who examined her puncture wounds, said she looked OK, and gave her a shot of antibiotics. An added bonus was that the consultation AND the shot were completely free, apparently because "she's native fauna."
Hopefully this is one drama that will have a happy ending.
Susan

>>I took my little bluey (tiliqua scincoides) to the vet, who examined her puncture wounds, said she looked OK, and gave her a shot of antibiotics. An added bonus was that the consultation AND the shot were completely free, apparently because "she's native fauna."
>>Hopefully this is one drama that will have a happy ending.
>>Susan

Hello KiwiSue,

Sorry to respond late to your mssg., as I have had no internet access for a while. All the responses from T.B. & ErinsZoo were all valid. I'm glad that the Bluey is doing better. We all need to be more vigilant about keeping our eyes open for predators, when sunning our lizards.
Give my regards to your Bluey for me.
Lizardman.

She still seems to be doing fine, lil' Aussie fighter that she is! Thanks for your post.
Susan