Future Adoptee with an Unknown Disease

I work at PetSmart and there is a Beardie that was taken off of the floor and put into the "sick room". He's been there for a couple months and will not be returned to the floor, so I may be adopting him in a month or so. His entire clutch of brothers and sisters have died except for this one individual, and we've yet to find out what his illness is. Maybe a more experienced Beardie owner can help?

I can get pictures today and post them later, so for now I will describe what he's experienced.

His toes have fallen off the back feet -- they are just stubby little nail-less digits now. He's having shedding issues and growths have appeared on his back legs. They look like warts, almost. He's seen the vet but the vet didn't diagnose, he just said to give him a spray that will assist in shedding and make sure he's eating, has proper light, heat, and humidity, etc...

Is there a disease that fits his symptoms??? Thanks!

Hello,

Well, it could be coccidia which spreads rapidly throughout a closely housed colony such as a petstore. Yellow fungus which is a disease that can spread as well, causes strange discoloration on them & is highly contagious.
If they were not properly fed, then they probably had toe nips, etc, which has caused the area to become necrotic & die off as they are doing now.
Can you post a picture of him perhaps?
Did the vet not do a fecal on him?

Tracie

Any updates?

Question about the vet- is it a herp vet? Is it a 'Petsmart' vet? (is there such a thing?) I guess my question is..is the vet Qualified and is there any conflict of interest that would keep the Dr from diagnosing? Say- if he found a diagnosis that would cause a lot of the reptile "stock" to be pulled from the floor..so didn't diagnose so that there is no loss to the store.
I would get another opinion regardless.

I work in the grooming salon, so I haven't been "on top" of what they've been doing with him, but this is what they've told me: He's seen two different vets and they are considered exotic veterinarians. The first one said that it could be mites, and gave it medication for it.

What happened o his toes to make them fall off is that after the first vet, the beardie began to shed its skin, and was having problems. The shed skin hung around its toes and cut off circulation -- along with the toes. This is what the Pet Care manager said happened. After that, he went back to the vet -- a different one, this time -- and the next vet said that it's a shedding disorder, and recommended a soaking in deshedding solution whenever he goes through a shedding cycle.

I just got this information. If this is the solution, then (yay!), but if there is a disease that may cause these shedding problems, let me know!

((Also: I apologize for not getting any pictures, I've been VERY busy because of the holidays, and I always forget to bring my camera to work. :x ))

Retained shed can cause problems like on his toes. BUT- there is no disease that causes a beardie not to shed. There are some things that make it harder to shed, fungus for example. He probably needs regular soaking, which I am sure that petsmart isn't/can't do. He is probably dehydrated. The viv temps and UV all play a part in it all too. Its a balancing act I am sure that the right environment can set him right.

I don't know about the mite thing, since I don't know what it looks like. I hear ya on the holiday business Try and grab that camera if you think of it! Keep us updated!

Hi,

Adeno can cause thick and waxy sheds. Ollie (one of mine with adeno) has a real problem shedding - i have to bath him for about 2 weeks before he will shed, and then i have to gently pick little bits to help him out. It's horrible, i really feel for the little guy, luckily he's getting to adulthood now so the shedding is slowing down!

But yeah, you might want to test for adenovirus. It can cause other problems, and you have to keep his environment COMPLETELY SANITISED! It's as clean as an operating theatre in Ollie's viv!

Nikki

mites can also cause shedding problems though I've heard of it more with iguanas - they get under the scales and the body responds to the irritation by trying to shed but at the same time it produces an anti-mite serum which is designed to flush the mites away. Unfortunately, the serum can hinder the shed by sticking layers of skin together and making more difficult to shed.

if it gets very bad the shed has to be removed surgically

so the first vet may have been right and it would be wise to treat for mites again as well as bathing regularly and using a shed-aid solution

what petco?here in wisconsin something is going through the petco stores.petco here is selling thier beardies full price without the health warrenty.they say nothing is wrong but one beardie walks like it has been drinking the other star gazes and fall off branches.

They said petsmart not co. But this does cause concern. I work at a Petco and my little dude I just got is having the same issues and then some. his last tank mates tail fell off and I think he is the only one to have survived this long. everyone else came back dead. Maybe we get ours from the same breeder or their is something going around in pet chain stores. Is your dude rolling on his back at all?