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I have been corresponding with Maureen about this since yesterday, and she thought it might be a good idea to post here and see if anyone knows of an illness or virus that we might be looking at with Tehya.

Yesterday, I noticed that Tehya was not moving much, so I got her out and immediately realized that she was not moving well. She was absolutely fine the night before, but she suddenly couldn't move her front legs very well. She acts like she has a spinal injury just below her shoulder blades, so I took her to the vet yesterday. He got busy, and couldn't have a look at her until late yesterday evening. he spent the night at the clinic so that he could get to her first thing this morning.

He called this morning and said that her white blood cell count was very high, which means that she has an infection somewhere. I have not noticed any sniffling or sneezing until one tiny sniffle yesterday after I took her out. But she has had no nasal discharge or mouth breathing. So we have her on Baytril.

But she was cold and not moving too much, and he really didn't see the paralysis that I took her in about, so I don't think he did an xray or didn't mention it if he did, and I had to get her home and run to work. I will call him back tomorrow to check on that and ask for one.

Everyone pretty much knows my husbandry. They get the works as far as good greens, veggies and flowers. They live under a Megaray, and get Minerall or straight calcium, or uro dust on their salads several times a week. temps are in these ranges
105-110-115 basking
upper 80s cool side

Everyone else in that viv looks picture perfect! I am just gutted about this and hope that someone might have seen this before or has answers.

I'm so sorry that Tehya is sick. I wish I could help but I don't have any advice. I hope you are able to get some help and she recovers soon.

I'm sorry to hear about Tehya. I wish I could help.
I was wondering about something. How old is the Megaray? Did you check if it's emitting enough UV? You know chucks use up a lot of UV. I had a similar problem with a female hispidus not too long ago. Turns out the UV bulb was the culprit. She wasn't getting enough calcium absorption and possibly OD'ing on vitaminD3, because lack of UV. I would try to use a calcium supplement with MAYBE vitaminD3 in it, and offer her a vitamin supplement once a week. I would try to stay simple and not offer her multiple supplements. Hope this is of help and that she gets better soon. Keep us informed.

Well, that Megaray was bought when I got them, so it is only about 8 months old. It should still be fine for at least several more months, but I don't have a meter. She is now under a newer one. The Minerall has a small amount of D3 in it, but I could switch to a powder that has more D3 in it. I just hesitate to do that since they are supposed to produce d3 on their own under MVBs. They get the Minerall about 4-5 times a week, and the uro dust about once a week.

We will know more after the blood work comes back. He sent off a sample for a full profile. Did your little one turn around after you straightened out the UV and supplements?

She did excellent the very next day. She's jumping on top of rocks, amazing how agile chubby chucks are, and doing what they do best, eat and bask. The tubing was exactly 12months old. I didn't have a meter but when I saw the date on it I said, YIKES! I continued the normal calcium supplement without interruption. I mentioned that maybe you should undoubtedly continued the calcium dust with "maybe" I said "maybe" vD3 in it. If you're already giving her other vitamin supplement, then a plain calcium dust w/o vD3 is fine.As you know alredy know, they produce their own. We all do. I guess we're part chuck. Keeps of informed. Best of luck.

Thanks! The Mercury Vapor UVB bulbs last three times as long as the tubes, so the bulb should still be good, but she is now under one that is about 2 months old.

What worries me is the high white blood cell count. There really is no outward sign of infection, so I am worried about a viral infection. metabolic bone disease or mineral deficiencies don't cause the WBC count to go up, and neither does injury unless a secondary infection creeps in after. My vet is out today, so I will just have to watch her and wait until tomorrow. At least she is alert and wanted Mom time last night night!

My vet emailed the results of her blood work, and he says that two things are evident: her white blood cell count is or was through the roof, and there is indication of muscle degeneration. There is also evidence of some kind of blood parasite, but the lab says it is not a pathogenic bug. He hopes that whatever it is will be knocked out by the antibiotic. We will reassess late next week.

She is still paralyzed for the most part in her front legs, but she is eating like a horse! I no longer have to hand feed her. She is getting down to the bowl and self feeding, and she can sit upright. She just has a very hard time moving her front legs forward. She gets herself around better, though, so I really can't say if she is better or has just adjusted. She is perky, but I have noticed a very slight exudate from her nose, which hadn't been present until a few days ago.

If anyone has a vet who really knows chucks and wouldn't mind having a look, or if anyone knows what their blood chemistry should look like, please email me and I will forward the results.