Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It's often mentioned that when a collard's health goes south, they sink FAST. Sadly, I observed that first-hand last September. Chica died slowly and painfully of an impaction that even I, with no medical training whatsoever, was able to identify when I did the biopsy. (I'd experimented briefly, some time, earlier, with those Exo Terra fake rock backgrounds. I got tied of constantly sifting the styrafoamy dust out of the sand, so I got rid of the things. But Chica apparently had a taste for it. There was a small but very, very tightly packed ball of it built up in her, so close to the vent that it could probably have been removed without even cutting her.)
But she didn't really SEEM any worse than "just not hungry for some reason, probably because the temperatures are bouncing around so much this month," until maybe two weeks before she died, or less than one week before a local vet poked her belly, said there was no impaction, and prescribed a probably unnecessary antiprotozoic. Need to edit my pet profile, I guess, but honestly that's the least of my worries.
Well, this April it was Lupe's turn to be the one to be "just not hungry, probably because temperatures are bouncing around so much this month." There cage is huge, though(50X28X28,) with a lot of three-dimensional surface useage and crossways and multiple lights to offer all kinds of temperature conditions. Plus, Lupe's always been pretty easy-going as far as seasonal variations go. Her boyfriend Pancho is the wimpy one, and after a predictable "feed me early because by 2 PM I'm going back to bed" winter, he's been quite hungry and playful all spring.
I have not seen full breeding colors. She looked like they might be about to start in April, then her color faded. Also, she was digging around very actively for a couple weks, then pretty much stopped. Her skin is dry and dull. Her eyes open and close fine, but the eylids seem kind of dried out and/or clogged. She spends more time than usual hiding, but can still run, climb, and jump. She does move around to thermoregulate, even climbing the foot-and-a-half-tall basking towers.
When placed in the bath tub, she drinks very enthusiastically. Water is always available in the cage, always has been, and she's never had any trouble hydrating before this. A few times after her bath, she's shown signs that make me think "rsspiratory." On two occasions she made a squeaking noise. Today she made a clicking noise. On all of these "noise" occasions, as well as a few others, she hung her mouth slightly open. I have not seen a normal basking gape during this time. And, since her appetite just gets worse and worse (Nothing yet this week, one mealworm last week, and not a full belly since early April) I haven't been able to get a decisive stool from her.
So there could be all kinds of things going on with her. And the most obvious problem might not even be the cause of the others, but only an obvious symptom. On Friday (soonest I could get an appointment) I'm taking her on a road trip to see an excellant vet with a much better staff and lab than anybody up here has. But I still need to not only ask the right questions, but be able to answer the right questions. I don't want to be standing there saying "Duh... you know, I never noticed if she does that or not.. I have no idea."
So any advice anyone has about making this examination as productive as possible... let me have it. I'm also open to hypotheses about what's going on, especially if those hypotheses come with advice about what questions to ask or procedures to encourage.
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)
2.0 2009 Eastern Collared Lizards (Cesar and Nino)

Real sorry to hear about your girl she was a very pretty lady I remember her. Also sorry to her your other cutie is not doing real well lately. I have a couple things I would like to throw at ya.

I see you have alot of snakes, I'm not going to ask about snake mites as I figure you have that covered. I am going to suggest you may ask your vet about a protozoan infection, Entameoba invadens it is internal and lizards get it, meat eating reptiles are most prone and snakes more so than lizards.

Also he may check blood levels to see where the calcium/ phoshorus levels are if anything is too high or too low.

**Now here is just a couple of my own observations over the years with having so many collareds. The dry feeling dull skin, I would take her in my one hand and hold her under a bathroom sink faucet ( set the water at a low stream and about luke warmish first before putting her under) also please make sure any drains are plugged incase she jumps out of your hand. And while shes in one hand take the other and while water is ruinning on her rub her little feet between your fingers and rub your thumb over her back gently but firmly and just get every part of her nice and wet and kind of rub a bit as the water is running on her. Then pat dry with paper towel.

Do this a couple days, I would be willing to bet you will see the old skin break open within a couple days to a week. Sounds like a bunch of old shed/ some layers on her. This will cause them to look and feel like that and also cause dehydration, because their skin can not breath or get moisture through all the old stuff. DO NOT oil her. The oil on top of all the layers IF this is it will really dehydrate her. Just do the "water thing" in the sink a couple times and see what happens.

Okay one more thing , again this is just my observation and some may think I'm goofy but I have seen it so I will say it... Sometimes having them in such a large enclosure they do not do well. When I'm having problems with anyone I try putting them in a small tank for awhile and see if they begin to thrive/ eat bask better. Try a 40 gallon breeder/ critter cage or even for her a 20 long for a few weeks. Don't feel mean, you may see a difference. Sometimes trying to get those HUGE enclosures the temps everywhere in there can be tough.

Just give it a try and let me know on her skin and a smaller tank if things chang any. I hope so.

Best wishes and keep in touch!
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Eve
Suncharmers Colorful Collareds & More

She ate this morning, surprisingly. I offered her a dusted mealworm, and she took it so readily that I offered her a dusted super, which she also took. Lupe's a big girl so I was tempted to give her more, but wasn't sure how well the trip would go on a full stomach.
Her bloodwork called for antibiotics, and they found some egg complications that I'll have to work her through. The colon itself does not seem to be obstructed, so the lack of stools might be as simple as "poop requires food." (Also, it's not impossible that she's dropped a few that I simply assumed were Pancho's.) They gave her an assisted feeding to try to force a bowel movement, and they're monitoring her over the weekend in a big incubator. Looks like I'll have her back on Monday.
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)
2.0 2009 Eastern Collared Lizards (Cesar and Nino)