Health Problems

Many vetrinarians are versed in reptile medicine. Even if your local vet is not of this variety, he or she usually will be able to put you in touch with someone who is. Some of the more usual problems and tips are inclded in this section, but if you have any problems what so ever that are not covered in this section, Please dont hesitate to ask.

External Parasites

Newly imported specimens are often infested with a few ticks. These unpleasant creatures, which can reach up to 1/4 inch in length, attach themselves to the reptiles skin with their piercing mouth parts and feed on tha animals blood. Ticks often are hidden on areas of the body such as around the groin, around the vent, or in loose skin below the neck. Ticks can be removed quite easily by first dabbing them with alcohol (to relax their mouthparts) then gently pulling them out with the fingers or forceps. A Mite problem is a bit more serious than a tick problem. Mites are very small (smaller than a pin head) and can breed very rapidly. A few mites that have come in with new stock can quickly become a large infestation if you are not diligent. Mites can cause skin problems, stress, and anemia. A mite-infested vivarium should be stripped of all components and disinfected. In some cases a pest strip can be used. A small piece of strip is suspended above the enclosure in a perforated container so the lizards can not come in contact with it. After 3 days the strip should be removed and the process repeated 10 days later to kill off any mites that escaped the first treatment. Also remember to remove the water bowl during these treatments because the pest strip will taint the water.

Shedding Problems

Healthy lizards shed their skin at regular intervals. The skin usually is shed in patches, and the entire process should be completed in a couple of days. Difficulties may arise as the result of a mite infestation or if the lizards are kept in an enviroment that is to dry. In such cases the skin is shed only partially, with persistent patches remaining. If these are not removed, an infection may result, possibly causing permanent skin damage. The condition usually can be alleviated by immersing the affected animal in lukewarm water for several hours. The skin usually will float away, or at the very least be peeled away by the keeper.

Internal Parasites

Various types of internal parasites can infest captive lizards. While the relationship between many worms and there hosts is generally symbiotic, the former can become a danger to the host in times of stress. Vetrinary laboratories can test feces for evidence of worms, and positive cases can be cured by the administration of an appropriate vermicide via your vetrinarian.

Nutritional Deficiencies

These often are related to lack of variety in the diet. Calcium deficiency can be a serious problem for lizards. A lack of calcium manifests itself in, among other things, soft bones, especially those in the lower jaw (which can cause further feeding difficulties). Advanced cases result in severe osteodystrophy (abnormal bone growth). Such disabilities are easily avoided by providing as varied a diet as possible right from the outset, this including regular vitamin/mineral supplementation.

Articular Gout

This was at one time a common disease in many captive lizards. It manifests itself as hard swellings, usually in the limb joints or digits. It arises as a result of excessive urea deposited in the joints, causing irritation and the buildup of scar tissue. The disease usually is triggered by an excess of protein in the diet combined with the inability of the animal to metabolize it efficiently (sometimes due to an inadequate supply of drinking water)

Skin Wounds

The most common type of skin wound seen on lizards is damaged snout caused by rubbing or impaction. It occurs when nervous animals continually run into the glass or sides of the vivarium. It often takes a long time for wild caught specimens to get used to confinement, so it is important that you give them time to calm down; captive bred specimens are far less susceptible. In severe cases, such a wound can become infected, resulting in further problems. Treatment includes the swabbing of the infected area with an antiseptic solution and the subsequent administration of an appropriate antibiotic. Your vetrinarian should be consulted when dealing with particularly bad cases.

Enteric Diseases

Enteric (digestive tract ) infections may be caused by various bacteria, protozoans, or other organisms. An infected specimen will become lethargic, refuse to feed, and lose weight. A further sign is watery or abnormally colored droppings. Fortunately, many of these diseases can be treated with vetrinary care.

Respiratory Infections

While relatively uncommon, respiratory infections in lizards can be severe. Unfortunately they often go unnoticed until they have developed beyond the point of simple treatment. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing, lethargy, loss of appetite, and gaping of the mouth. Patients should be removed to a dry (small dish of water only) terrarium and maintained at a temperature of around 88 degrees F for 3 - 4 days. Vetrinary antibiotic treatment may be required.

Metabolic Bone Disease

In simplified terms, MBD is the utilization of bone calcium deposits by the lizard to sustain life, due to inproper diet or other causes. The animal is not active and appears thin, except for its limbs. They appear plump. Sometimes the jawbones become shortened and the face looks chubby. That plumpness is your cue. It signifies a major health problem, one where the calcium is leached from the bones and bony tissue is replaced by a fibrous tissue. Your animal needs immediate vetrinary care. The technical name for MBD is " nutritional secondary hyperthyroidism " and " fibrous osteodystrophy." Common names for the problem include rickets and demineralization. It is most common in lizards like the iguana and lizards being fed a diet heavy in phosphorous and light in calcium, such as head lettuce, grapes, mealworms, spinach and bananas. At first glance, this diet looks good, but when you check the phosphorous to calcium levels, it is a lizards worst nightmare. A lizard to exist needs a certain level of blood calcium. When the level of blood calcium drops below a certain percentage, the parathyroid glands begin the the complex process of drawing calcium from the bones to the blood. As the bones lose their rigidity, parts become overlaid with a fibrous tissue and deformities occur. The preventative agent for MBD is calcium. The calcium / phosphorous balance of both dietary items and additives needs to be monitored closely. The ratio of calcium to phosphorous should be no less than 2:1 . Sufficient vitamin d3 to enable your lizards absobtion and metabolization of calcium is mandatory. Vitamin D3 needs to be supplemented when your animal does not have weekly access to sunlight. Full spectrum bulbs although benificial produce only a small amount of UVA and UVB rays, so necessary to the absorbtion and metabolization of vitamins and minerals in your lizard. Regular vitamin and mineral augmentation of diets of artificially illuminated specimens is mandatory. Even with a diet high in calcium, if the phosphorous ratio is elevated  or vitamin D3 is not present, MBD can and will occur. And like mentioned earlier the debilitation is a long process through which your lizard will continue eating and reacting " normally " until it is no longer able to do so. MBD is treated by the injection of a synthetic hormone, calcium, and vitamin D. The treatment will work for MBD in it`s early stages and in some late stage cases. The treatment begins with lab work to determine the actual blood calcium levels. Once the diagnosis of MBD is confirmed, your vetrinarian will begin 3 days of treatment with injectable calcium and vitamin D. Oral calcium may also be administered. Following this period of vitamin and mineral stabalization, the synthetic hormone calcitonin-salmon is administered. This polypeptide hormone immediatly begins to reverse bone resorbtion and to actually hasten the rebuilding the bone structure. Because the levels of calcium and vitamin D have been boosted beyond the normal daily levels the synthetic hormone can immediatly utilize them in the restoration process.

The new 260 gallon Reptarium for Guido and Roxy is complete. Check it out!!! Click on 1 of my many pics links and go to the mylizards2 album and check it out. This thing is awesome!!!!! They love this thing. They can romp around far more now than they ever could in their old 55`s. And believe me they are not rubbing on the sides anymore and screwin up their noses.