liver disease or brumation?

reytamminen

Member
Original Poster
please help. i’ve been very worried about chompy. he hasn’t been eating much and he hasn’t been as energetic. the roof of his mouth is yellow, so i thought jaundice, but it’s only the roof of his mouth. im worried about him having fatty liver disease, but he’s never been overweight. it’s also starting to cool off around here, so maybe brumation. im so worried and stressed and im trying to get him to the vet but i can’t afford $900 out of pocket, im 15.

info: 23”, ~590 grams, a year and a half, in 120 gal (4x2x2) tank w 160w heat light and 22” reptisun t5 10.0 uvb. eats arugula daily, some crickets daily but his appetite has been diminished the last week and a half or so

symptoms: lethargy/lazy, appetite loss, (maybe constipated but he hasn’t really been eating a lot so im not sure, pooping 1-2x a week), wanting to nap a lot, yellow roof of mouth

he is still drinking water daily to every other day
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Do you have pictures of Chompy you could post, along with his large tank setup?
A lot of them have genetic traits from the Pogona Barbata which include yellow pigmentation
in the mouths, for brightness & warning off predators in the wild. It is not a real common trait
in the Pogona Vitticeps, but it does come through sometimes.
It likely is just that & not jaundice, but if you post some pictures we can help to determine that
for you.
Are you located in the US or another country? They do brumate at various times but if you are
in the US then a lot of them are probably going to start slowing down.
He is a great sized dragon, so it doesn't seem like he is unhealthy. They will stop eating as much
as normal & become more sluggish, wanting to sit out of their light, nap, etc. I'm glad he is still
taking water for you though!

Tracie
 

reytamminen

Member
Original Poster
Hello,

Do you have pictures of Chompy you could post, along with his large tank setup?
A lot of them have genetic traits from the Pogona Barbata which include yellow pigmentation
in the mouths, for brightness & warning off predators in the wild. It is not a real common trait
in the Pogona Vitticeps, but it does come through sometimes.
It likely is just that & not jaundice, but if you post some pictures we can help to determine that
for you.
Are you located in the US or another country? They do brumate at various times but if you are
in the US then a lot of them are probably going to start slowing down.
He is a great sized dragon, so it doesn't seem like he is unhealthy. They will stop eating as much
as normal & become more sluggish, wanting to sit out of their light, nap, etc. I'm glad he is still
taking water for you though!

Tracie
oh thank you!! and yes. the only real pic i have of his mouth being yellow was taken last night but it’s not that clear. i am located in the us, minnesota to be specific and it’s starting to get colder (and it gets pretty cold here, like -40). i wouldn’t be surprised if it is just a less common genetic thing, bc chompy has other weird stuff like that like vampire fangs. i will post more photos of his mouth if i can get any more.
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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
oh thank you!! and yes. the only real pic i have of his mouth being yellow was taken last night but it’s not that clear. i am located in the us, minnesota to be specific and it’s starting to get colder (and it gets pretty cold here, like -40). i wouldn’t be surprised if it is just a less common genetic thing, bc chompy has other weird stuff like that like vampire fangs. i will post more photos of his mouth if i can get any more. View attachment 73892 View attachment 73894 View attachment 73889 View attachment 73890 View attachment 73891
You have a nice home for Chompy -- please get two digital probe thermometers for accurate surface basking temps- the stick ons only give ambient - if your using a IR gun those too can be off w/ certain materials used for basking like hammocks for example--
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

I can somewhat see the pigmentation in his mouth. I think that it is perfectly normal. He is a nice
looking dragon, great colors & a pretty yellow on his beard, too.
Definitely go ahead & get the digital probe thermometers to help with a more accurate reading on
the temperatures, as Karrie suggested. Your tank is very large so maintaining temperatures are
important.

Tracie
 

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