HELP! Zeus is going down hill and fast!

[hcozart]

My daughter and I adopted Zeus June 11th in the evening. I was told that he is 6 and he is approximately 18 inches long and a male. When we got there it was extremely cold in the house, and Zeus was lying on the back of a couch. He was dark, but I figured that was his coloring. I also noticed that he did not open his left eye. He just shed last week according to his owner, and still has some dead skin stuck here and there. Owner stated he just noticed that. When we went to look at his cage, I noticed a coil UVB bulb and decided that was most likely the issue. He also only had a red 120 basking bulb, and no temp gauge. The owner stated he does not eat veggies, only these things called Repti bites and crickets. He stated he feed him crickets about three days ago. Then I noticed that Zeus still had live crickets running around in his cage.

Brought Zeus home, in hour car ride with my daughter holding him. When we got him home he was lethargic, but moving, and actually ate one of the crickets running around in the cage. We took his whole set up tank and all from the previous owner. Removed coil UVB bulb, removed left over live crickets hiding in tank, and left 125 red basking light. Has a 55 gal tank (standard design) Sand is substrate.

The next morning we awoke at 7am. He now was holding both eyes closed most of the time. Prepared veggies for him, and two large superworms. He ate the worms quickly and ignored the veggies. Then 10 mins later went to the bathroom, looked normal. Saturday afternoon and Saturday night he did not move of the log shown in the picture. Keeps eyes closed, and lays completely flat. Bought Repi Sun UVB tube bulb 18” ( all I could find with limited option town). Tank is running about 101-102 in basking spot and cool side who knows, have not checked, as he has not moved.

At 6pm last night my husband and I tried water thinking maybe that was the issue. We sprayed water on his head, which he started opening his mouth and licking (a lot). So we though well maybe he is really dehydrated. Put him in the sink, he did not move, did not open his eyes. We had to hold him up. Then get started moving around a little. Out of nowhere he sticks his head underwater and starts opening and closing his mouth. Freaked me out so I lifted his head out to the water, and that was end of bath time for me.

Sunday, Woke this morning same thing, but more limp and lifeless like a rag doll. Tried to move him to a high spot in the cage, he would not even hold on just laid there. Now is in the state shown in the last pictures, and I have a balling 9 year old daughter that will hardly move from his cage side. My error in adopting an adult, instead of going with my instincts to get a baby. My daughter really wanted something that she could hold and cuddle with, so I though I was doing the best.



Please tell me how to get images on here so I can post pics of the decline.

Advice please. I also am having a hard time find a vet in the Athens, Ohio area that deals with reptiles.

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

I would try more baths as he is probly dehydrated warm baby temp water in the sink or a litter pan...they do go under and open thier mouth they drink and absorb water through the vent on thier bum.
Repti sun is good.
Try to PM Tracey she knows alot.Drache613
keep us posted..Photobucket for photos.

 

[wingnuts]

upload your pictures to a website like photobucket. Then you will copy the image code into where you would type a message. The pictures will show up when you post them. I hope you can get them posted soon so someone can give you some feedback and suggestions.

Tracy & Stella

 

[hcozart]

Sunday Limp and rag doll

First Night

First Night

Tank Set up

Sunday

Sunday

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

I would get him to a vet asap....will he eat??supers?crickets anything just get him to eat and bath him again.
BUMP!

 

[diamc]

He looks VERY dehydrated. I would hold him in your hand and make sure his vent is in warm water. Do you have any Pedialyte on hand? When he put his head under the water, it sounds like he was trying to get a drink. Use a plastic medicine dropper and see if you can get either just some water or diluted Pedialyte into him either by putting drops on his nose if he will lick it off or by gently pulling down on the side of his mouth to squirt a little in.

A 125 watt bulb is an awful lot for a 55 gallon tank, one of my tanks is the same size and I only need a 60 watt household light bulb that is about 14" from the basking spot. A red bulb is rough on their eyes and since his eyes are already showing damage from the coil bulb, I would use a 60 watt household light bulb instead. What type of thermometer are you using, a round gauge, a strip, digital without probe, digital WITH probe or a temperature gun?

I would also recommend that you turn off the Repti-Sun to help his eyes to calm down for at least a few days. I would also pick up some Saline eye wash (not the type used for contact lenses) like this but you can also get a generic brand http://www.bausch.com/en_US/ecp/visioncare/product/drops/collyrium_ecp.aspx and pour it over his eyes, even just the outside if he won't open them. Or, you can get Turtle eye drops at a pet store.

I would also pick up some chicken and squash baby food, mix a smaller amt of chicken with a larger amt of squash diluted with a little water or Pedialyte, you can add a pinch of calcium then heat in the microwave to take the chill off. Try putting drops on his nose with a plastic medicine dropper to see if he will lick it off.

How is he doing now?

 

[ziggy23]

OMG that poor thing. He looks so skinny. I don't really have anything more to add. I just wanted to send my thoughts. Please keep us updated.

 

[hcozart]

I took Zeus to a very, very nice lady named Bonnie in Lancaster. She apparently is the knowledge base in our area. I called her on the phone, have never meet her before, and she said bring him to me ASAP. I drove 45 mins to Lancaster with a barely alive dragon.

Bonnie informed us that he is a German Giant? Think that is right, he is actually 20.5 inches and weighs 540oz. He is a really big boy.

Upon arrival she about cried seeing his state, and took him immediately. She got him to drink some water with much coxing, and hanging him basically in the bowl. Then she looked at his eye, thinks it was from having crickets left in the cage. She treated the eye with topical antibiotics. Then she got a syringe of broccoli and chicken baby food and started force feeding him, then more water. We took him outside and she showed us how to force feed him greens. Then he used the bathroom and she was able to look and do a fecal work up. No parasite, possible worm forget the name, but she was not sure, so she wormed him anyway. Apparently the stuff you worm with will not hurt him or dehydrate him further. Took him back inside and feed him some dusted cricket and super worms. He started to perk up, she showed him a female, and boy did he get excited, never seen him move that fast LOL. Now of course his beard is totally black, because he was excited.


Bonnie thinks he was feed irregularly, and no greens, as he has no idea what to do with them until you jam them in his mouth. She also thinks that the shaking of the head are seizures, but not real bad ones as his head does not hang when he does it. So the final word on condition, poor care and bad diet by previous owners. She gave us follow up meds, another vitamin to dust with along with the calcium I had already picked up. She was a god send and refused to take any money for her help and time. She breads dragons and snakes, most of the ones around were rescues or ones people dumped. She had several dragons that were handicap by poor owners before her. My daughter states she wants to go back to help her feed and take care of the animals with her.

We drove home, the kids hung out in the yard with him in the sun while I dumped the sand out of his tank from the previous owner. We replaced it with tile. Right now he is in our bay window lying in the sun, and thinks he sees a female in the window, so he is head bobbing. Really it is just him (don’t tell him that though).

Turned off red light, now

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

I am so glad you got some help....he looks better already!

 

[hcozart]

Temp gauge is round disk, loose place right on his basking spot

 

[wingnuts]

Wow...he looks better already! I'm glad that you found someone knowledgeable to help you out with him. It will be so exciting and rewarding to see him get back towards good health. Keep up the good work.

Tracy & Stella

 

[orionshaft]

You need to get a temp gauge with a probe on it, the one you have can be very inaccurate.

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

Walmart...temp guage w/ probe...its square with wire that sits on basking spot.$12.00....hardware store might have them also.

 

[diamc]

Wow, he does look better already. We're all so glad that you took him to Bonnie. He was definitely dehydrated and also lacking a lot of nutrients from the previous owner. That's great that she got some fluids and food into him. I would go very easy on the protein though because you don't want to over tax his system which could cause liver or kidney failure since he was without a good diet for so long.

As far as the thermometer goes, I would get the AcuRite digital with a long wire & probe end as it's very important that you find out the true temps. Also, I would turn off the 125 watt red bulb and use a lower wattage standard light bulb right now so that he there is no chance that he gets dehydrated again if the temps are too high. He also needs to be 6 to 8" from the Repti-Sun bulb.

Thanks for getting him checked out, you and he must feel better already.

 

[demonsmomma]

im soo glad zues got some help he looks alot better already i agree with your daughter if there was a bearded dragon rescue in oregon i would so go volunteer there anyways zues looks alot better it makes me sad however to know people can irregulary feed them i feed max once a day of worms and lettuce and hes a fatty. but i knew a guy that fed his dragon once a week, have fun with having a male beardie ,,breeding season is funny because they think they are tough stuff but they are fun and very rewarding