Impaction in a very old beardie

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kewukiah

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My beardie's 8-10 years old; I've had him 5 years. About ten days ago, appetite and dropper-drinking went down. Then he fell off basking perch and got stuck and cold and turned almost white; I put him in a 100 degree bath, got him to drink and eat a little. More drinking and eating next day, and he regained his usual tan-gray color.

He was very weak and lethargic. All he wanted to eat was wild moths; thinking he might be calcium deficient, I started dusting his moths and he ate 8-12 twice a day. He was stronger and more energetic with every meal, but not drinking so I gave him a 15-20 minute hot bath daily; also, he refused to eat veggies. Was passing pasty medium brown poops several times a day and a little white, too.

Two mornings ago he took a sudden turn for the worse. Won't eat, won't drink from dropper, just lies around, getting paler, has passed only smudges of white poo. A few days ago his belly was flat (he was skinny) but now he has a kind of flat lump in his belly and it's gotten bigger, so I think he's impacted.

Because he's old, my husband says, "Let's not try to force liquids or anything; just give him baths and let him die comfortably." What do you folks think? Is it worth trying to pry his mouth open to give him water, and olive oil to lubricate the impaction? Worth massaging his belly? Worth a vet visit? What would you do? TIA
 

CooperDragon

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I would try to keep him hydrated but don't be too forceful with it. I think you may be seeing symptoms of an underlying issue. I think a vet visit is very much warranted if you have an experienced reptile vet in the area. A physical exam, maybe an x-ray to look at that lump, and definitely a blood test might help shed some light on what's going on.
 
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