Dehydrated beardie flailing!

Hey everyone,

~8 year old Chloe has refused food for the past 2+ months, and while she looked a lot like she was in brumation, it's been longer than usual and her recent wobbling behavior convinced me to take her to the vet.

We're in a small town and only have one vet who looks at reptiles. He gave Chloe a checkup and determined that she was dehydrated, so they gave her a subcutaneous injection of fluids and suggested that we start feeding her a slurry to hopefully get her appetite back. Chloe absolutely hates handling and gets very stressed, and I could tell that she was pretty agitated by the trip to the vet.

Chloe finally pooped when we got her home and her coloration looked a bit brighter, but then I got really alarmed when she started writhing around her cage and doing a lot of thrashing. She'd sometimes bury her head into a corner and walk off balance, dragging herself and her right arm behind her. Now she's a little calmer, flopped on the cage floor (her usual sleeping position) and seems to be sleeping it off. Occasionally she'll get up and drag herself forward a bit.

How worried should I be at this point, and does anyone have any idea what she might be afflicted with beyond dehydration? I don't want to risk stressing her further today by trying to feed her with the syringe or giving her a soak. And even if I were to take her back to our vet, I'm not sure that he'd be able to diagnose her any further than he already did. Should I take her to a specialist in the cities?

Before the trip to the vet:



Back home shortly after:



Thank you all in advance.

I don't like the sound of flailing after the stumbling she was doing earlier. Your vet may want to run a test for atadenovirus. My guess is maybe either that or a neurological problem of some kind which may be tougher to identify. If she continues to resist eating you might want to take a mix of greens and veges and blend them up with a little water. Strain them and get them to the consistency of baby food and try to offer that via plastic syringe. That will get some nutrients into her and if the physical issues are connected to lack of eating or a gut imbalance then it may be helpful. It will also help with hydration.