Chedder under the weather

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possumpeg

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Okay, so I posted a week or so ago about Cheddar going crazy in her tank and tearing up the set up. So, since she's about 9 mo old, I put her in a tank with damp play sand and organic soil. She promptly dug and dug and dug until she disappeared for a few days. I posted that I didn't know how long she would stay there and whether I should be worried about her.

I was asked to move my post, to her introduction page, and I did but didn't get any responses. I probably did something wrong, so I blame it on being a newbie, sorry :oops:

Anyway, she was in there for about 5 days, no eating, drinking, pooping. She finally emerged and I put her back in her regular enclosure. She has been sulking and still not eating, drinking, or pooping. So I took her to the vet Friday. Grand total she had not eaten anything for 12 days. The vet was very concerned. She said that if she was getting food and water everyday, and her lighting and environment had not changed, she shouldn't be brumating and she didn't think she was egg bound. So, she took an x-ray...

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Sadness... :( :cry: She has an impaction. So, I'm suppose to force feed her, which I hate doing because it feels so wrong to force her. They gave her a laxative. She told me to give her baby food and I asked if I could use a food processor and puree her regular greens and bugs. She thought that would be great and much more appealing than baby food. She asked me to add water and a tiny amount of gatorade for the potassium. She also managed to get a blood sample and the results for that will be back Monday evening or Tuesday.

We still don't know what she injested to make her so miserable. I thought that maybe while she was digging around her enclosure, she might have eaten some newspaper or a tiny sliver of driftwood since she wasn't well before I put her in the sand tank.

She's so beautiful and super mellow. I hate that she's sick. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I'm bathing her once a day for a few minutes. She doesn't really swim, but she sits in the water and it looks like she's swallowing even though her mouth is out of the water.

Say a little prayer for Cheddar.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
I put her in the sand tank.
That is what caused the impaction -- please get rid of the sand ASAP and invest in some textured non adhesive shelf liner------------- its cheap and easy to clean w/ vinegar / water in a spray bottle 50/50-- you can buy it at Home Depot or Lowes
If you take her back to the vet please NO ENEMAS !!! Some other on here like Tracie can help you out w/ the impaction -----------
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Sorry about cheddar! :(

Karrie, cheddar was only put in the lay box to potentially lay eggs.

The baby food should help loosen things up and get things moving. You can also try drops of olive oil.

For future reference, I'd only leave a dragon in a lay box for a few hours to a day max and only if their was supplemental heat provided in the lay box.

If you can get her active sometimes the movement helps move things along. Too bad she doesnt swim in the bath. Does she explore if you let her roam the house?

You can gently massage the belly in a circular motion too to try to help move things along.

How is she doing with the baby food?

-Brandon
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there, can you post a picture of Cheddar to show her size ? Is she a very large dragon for her age ? And no, digging in sand + soil is 100 % natural, probably not the cause of impaction. She was acting strangely before the digging.
The reason I ask about her size is because some dragons will brumate for short periods before reaching a year old because we feed them so well and accelerate their growth. So the urge to brumate can come on very early even if they just hide/sleep for a short time. There is a possibility that she swalloed something but I highly doubt it's enough sand to do any damage. It would be a piece of wood or other foreign object most likely but beardies can pass things like that without too much trouble, just keep up the natural laxatives, use a little honey as well.
 

possumpeg

Member
Original Poster
Cheddar is 19 inches long and 13 ounces (366 grams).
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She grew very quickly over the summer. I fed her as much protein as she would eat in 10 minutes and then left her some greens while I was out for the day. She usually ate about half of her dish of greens.

After reading some more, I think it may be superworm exoskeletons that have her bound up. That' and her newspaper and wood are the only things she had access to when she started this. The force feeding is terrible. I hate being mean. I can only get about 2 - 3 grams per feeding. It's very watery. I don't have an extra set of hands, so it's challenging to get it in her. I can honestly say that those spikes are sharp when they want them to be!

I've been putting her in the tub with a bit of deeper water and gotten her to swim, but I don't think she likes it. She holds her breath and floats when she gets tired.

I've been rubbing her tummy and she tolerates that okay. I tried letting her out on the carpet and she totally freaked out!! She did a full display and wouldn't calm until I put her back in her enclosure. I will give it another go, and see if she will trust me a bit more.

No poops yet! She's still just moping around. Temps in the tank are still good. She still has good color. She still feels strong (muscle strength) and very responsive.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try the olive oil today. I'll keep you posted.
 

possumpeg

Member
Original Poster
Oh and as a side note, her entire lighting set up went with her while she was in the lay box. As well as food and water.

As you can see on the x-ray, the blockage is pretty small, and consists mostly of pieces almost exactly shaped like the segments of a superworm. The vet is also doing a full blood panel for anything else.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Oh, she is a big girl and in no need of force feeding so I'd cut that out. Vets don't realize that larger dragons can go through periods where they eat very little and then resume eating at their own schedule. I don't think she has a true impaction, just possibly some things that haven't gone through her system yet. Just let her do what she wants, you can put her in her basking spot once a day but it's O.K if she doesn't stay there. Give her a warmer than usual bath every other day, not daily. Let her out in a very warm room or out in the sun, that can sometimes prompt them to poo. But I don't think she's in any danger at all.

I think I do remember your post where you asked how long she should be in the laybox, I somehow did not get around to answering it so I apologize. But she's a big healthy girl and should be fine. You can try some reptaboost mixed with a bit of honey + olive oil just dripped on her nose. Put a drop on, give her time to react [ if she's going to ] and then offer more as she licks it up.
 

possumpeg

Member
Original Poster
Gave her a bit of olive oil on the snout. Raised the temp slightly in her tank too.

And

SHE ATE THREE DUBIAS although I did have to put them right in front of her. I will try a warmer bath tonight if she hasn't pooped.

Do you think she's too fat??
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
She looks pretty healthy from the pictures. Is it possible she's just going through a phase? My bigger dragon Otto just stopped eating crickets when I was still using those as feeders, then went into brumation, and continued not to eat for a while after coming out. When he did, we switched him up to dubias which he reluctantly ate one or two in a feeding. Now we have to feed him so that he's not directly in the dubia tub because he'll gorge himself if left to his own devices! You might try just switching things up for a little while: different greens, different feeders, or maybe even a hornworm treat to get her back in the mood to eat?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I agree, she's a good size. I only mentioned it because the vet wants force feeding done but she does not need it. She will eventually poo. She looks great, she is a big teen-ager. :)
 

possumpeg

Member
Original Poster
She ate some more dubias, but only if i take each one out and set it right in front of her. She did this when she went on her "cricket strike" and refused to eat anymore crickets. I changed her to Dubias and then added some super worms. I've ordered some horn worms, and should have them by the end of the week. She doesn't seem to be able to resist them. Perhaps, I've spoiled her a bit :oops:

She gets turnip, collard and mustard greens. I will have to see what else I can feed her that might catch her interest.

I let her out on the floor for a while today. It's rare that I don't have some kind of noise, kid, animal or all three running through the house, but I managed to get everyone out for a bit. She just ran and hid under everything. Perhaps she senses there are other animals around - some predators (cat and dogs) and she just can't relax. Going outdoors isn't a good idea for the next few days, as the weather here in Alabama USA is rainy and cooler.

She is a beautiful girl, thanks for saying so. She loves riding in the window of my car when I'm driving with a passenger for supervision.
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I take her to the local pet store occasionally and the locals love to see her. I had taken her in so I could get a carrier that would be safe and large enough for her. When the new guy saw her, he stopped suggesting the little plastic ones and pointed me to the cat carriers. She actually likes the pink carrier I got for her! It's her own personal cave, and she will claw her way to it when she's had enough from the vet. Note of caution: I made sure to select one that didn't have any places she could get out of, or worse, stuck in. It was designed for a cat after all. But the vet's office always feels chilly to me, so I make a point of keeping her warm and snuggly when traveling.

Yep, she's just a bit spoiled :dontknow:
 
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