Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Several months ago I imported a baby CWD. As soon as i took him out of the box (where he stayed without food or water for a few days) he started eating but during the first few days he only wanted to hide or escape from his new cage. But he was eating well mainly amarillos and mealworms.After a few days he started to jump and play inside his new cage.

4 months later i moved to a new country. He was again put in a box where he stayed without food or water for 3 days.

When i finally took him from the box i thought he was going to die. He was not moving at all!I dont know whether he was too scared or too dehydrated but he looked awful! I put him inside a bowl of water where he stayed for two days without even trying to go out. He didnt want to eat at all.Finally he went out of the water bowl but he still looked tired, didnt want to eat, move or play in the water as he used to usual.

We arrived in the new country, new house, new cage on 8th February. Since then he is not eating well, playing or jumping. During the day his color is brownish but when he is sleeping during the night he is bright green.

His face looks strange too.His upper jaw looks strange, the skin that covers both sides of his canines (upper jaw-mainly nostril) looks equally swollen but he doesnt have any symptom of MBD.

Thats the first time i raise a WCD so i dont know whether that behaviour or that swollen both sides of his nostril (canines) are normal or not.Can you help me?

Thanks Flavia

i had the same issue with one of my cwds when i bought him..

he was at a yard sale in the cold in his old tank that has an open top.. he was freezing when i got him (he must've been there a good half a day or so.. he was skitterish and brown all the time which suggests his previous owners didnt handle him or treat him very well. i had a job getting him to eat and drink too and i was quite worried for a long time.

any chance you can take pics of this swelling?. If you put him in his tank, is it quiet? if you cover it up and leave a large water bowl in there does he move at all?

Thanks for answering my message.

I do not think he is sick but VERY stressed. I put him in a separate room where he cannot hear the dogs or the huge iguana or my other lizards´noises as much as before. I put him next to a huge window and I covered his cage with a heavy bed cover leaving only a small opened area for him to see the sunlight and the garden. He is more active now, diving in the water bowl and going to the opening to look to the garden outside the window. But im not sure whether he is eating or not.He is very thin. I can see his hip bones.

About the swellings let me explain them better. It looks like his nose is getting larger.Perhaps its because he is a male...Does male CWD have larger nostrils?

Here is what i would do to make sure he was at least eating. Get some worms (i use mealworms) put them in the fridge for a bit so they go nice and still. Then count a few and put them in a tray thay they cant escape from but the wd can get into.. Dust them too.. Dont put them under the heat lamp but just leave them to one side in the tank where he can see them. As they warm up they will start to move some more and as long as he is left alone and you arent standing over him he might have some. (You could be stressing him too)

Count the worms after a day or so, if none are gone, leave it another day

If he still doesnt eat after a few days then i suggest taking him to a vet