kingofnobbys
BD.org Sicko
:?:
Discovered a strange lump on our 3 yr old boy's head.
Appeared all of a sudden (overnight) , discovered it at lizard feeding time on Friday evening (I feed my bluetongues , water skink and beardies each day about diner time).
I can't see to be any injury or lost scales, is not hard when pressed gently, and doesn't seem to be painful or bothering him in anyway, and he is acting completely normally and eating OK and pooing like clockwork (every day).
Spends most his day under his lamps basking and getting his UV , and holds his head up as normal when basking, and I've noticed no change in his behaviour, when having his turn on the floor (tail goes up in the air as usual and he roams about looking at stuff and tasting things and supports his weight OK).
His energy levels seem be normal for him (no sign of any being lethargic at all). He's basking heaps after feeds, and is just being a normal adult boy beardie as far as I can tell.
Yes I know reptiles are very good at hiding the fact they are sick unless they are extremely ill.
He does a lot of head banging when he sees our girl beardie when he's in his enclosure (jealousy ?) and when he's out for a roam on the floor , other than that he is very laid back and rarely runs about, just mossies about with his tail up in air tasting stuff and looking about or just likes to sit on the lounge next to me or my wife and admire his girlfriend from a distance.
He's not had a tumble (as far as I know) or a fall (we never let our lizard climb down from the lounge without assistance) and he's not been attacked by his girlfriend or one of the bluetongues (only one lizard is allowed out on the floor at any time).
Anyone encountered a similar problem with their beardies ? what was it ?
I'll be keeping a close eye on him and to see how the lump develops (hopefully it'll reduce in size or at least not get bigger over the next few days) and if he shows any signs of illness he'll be off the local reptile vet. I'm hoping the lump is something that is not an issue and will resolve itself and disappear over time.
Haematoma (resulting from a misadventure inside his enclosure) ?
Abscess (from being bitten back by a large cricket he was eating the night before (?) - he did rearup suddenly but was fine afterwards) .
Been watching him closely for any signs he may be ill, for changes in behaviour from him, or if the lump changes for the worse for nearly a week, and as far as I can tell, he's been completely oblivious to it, and it's not changed size or shape or "texture". He is having no bother eating his superworms and crickets (medium to large) and his leafy greens.
If he shows any signs of illness, or it grows, he'll be off to the local reptile vet for an assessment of the lump. I am really reluctant to submit him to an invasive/traumatic procedure if I can avoid it .
I've been very concerned about this lump but it doesn't seem to bother him at all and he seems very happy and healthy otherwise, seems
- if it's a haematoma the inflammation will eventually subside and the haematoma will be reabsorbed over time and it's not necessary to intervene.
- if it's a cyst or abscess (do they appear and develop so big overnight ?) it probably can do with being cleaned out and a dose of antibiotics , but again it may be completely harmless and will probably eventually shrink and disappear if left alone , of cause if he is showing any signs of being ill (ie develops a RI or SI) it becomes necessary to intervene and may require an invasive procedure.
- if it's an aneurysm under his scalp or in the back of his neck (can they develop and grow so quickly ?) , opening the lump to drain it may be very dangerous (life threatening and I really don't want to go there) , again researching these I've found out that sometimes aneurysms can be quite harmless if left alone and come and go and the lizard can lead a full and normal life expectancy (providing the aneurysm don't spontaneously rupture and cause internal bleeding).
I expect it could take a few weeks for the lump to recede and be reabsorbed.
Opinions sort , should I hold off and monitor closely for now (for a few more weeks) ?
I've never encountered a similar problem before.
Discovered a strange lump on our 3 yr old boy's head.
Appeared all of a sudden (overnight) , discovered it at lizard feeding time on Friday evening (I feed my bluetongues , water skink and beardies each day about diner time).
I can't see to be any injury or lost scales, is not hard when pressed gently, and doesn't seem to be painful or bothering him in anyway, and he is acting completely normally and eating OK and pooing like clockwork (every day).
Spends most his day under his lamps basking and getting his UV , and holds his head up as normal when basking, and I've noticed no change in his behaviour, when having his turn on the floor (tail goes up in the air as usual and he roams about looking at stuff and tasting things and supports his weight OK).
His energy levels seem be normal for him (no sign of any being lethargic at all). He's basking heaps after feeds, and is just being a normal adult boy beardie as far as I can tell.
Yes I know reptiles are very good at hiding the fact they are sick unless they are extremely ill.
He does a lot of head banging when he sees our girl beardie when he's in his enclosure (jealousy ?) and when he's out for a roam on the floor , other than that he is very laid back and rarely runs about, just mossies about with his tail up in air tasting stuff and looking about or just likes to sit on the lounge next to me or my wife and admire his girlfriend from a distance.
He's not had a tumble (as far as I know) or a fall (we never let our lizard climb down from the lounge without assistance) and he's not been attacked by his girlfriend or one of the bluetongues (only one lizard is allowed out on the floor at any time).
Anyone encountered a similar problem with their beardies ? what was it ?
I'll be keeping a close eye on him and to see how the lump develops (hopefully it'll reduce in size or at least not get bigger over the next few days) and if he shows any signs of illness he'll be off the local reptile vet. I'm hoping the lump is something that is not an issue and will resolve itself and disappear over time.
Haematoma (resulting from a misadventure inside his enclosure) ?
Abscess (from being bitten back by a large cricket he was eating the night before (?) - he did rearup suddenly but was fine afterwards) .
Been watching him closely for any signs he may be ill, for changes in behaviour from him, or if the lump changes for the worse for nearly a week, and as far as I can tell, he's been completely oblivious to it, and it's not changed size or shape or "texture". He is having no bother eating his superworms and crickets (medium to large) and his leafy greens.
If he shows any signs of illness, or it grows, he'll be off to the local reptile vet for an assessment of the lump. I am really reluctant to submit him to an invasive/traumatic procedure if I can avoid it .
I've been very concerned about this lump but it doesn't seem to bother him at all and he seems very happy and healthy otherwise, seems
- if it's a haematoma the inflammation will eventually subside and the haematoma will be reabsorbed over time and it's not necessary to intervene.
- if it's a cyst or abscess (do they appear and develop so big overnight ?) it probably can do with being cleaned out and a dose of antibiotics , but again it may be completely harmless and will probably eventually shrink and disappear if left alone , of cause if he is showing any signs of being ill (ie develops a RI or SI) it becomes necessary to intervene and may require an invasive procedure.
- if it's an aneurysm under his scalp or in the back of his neck (can they develop and grow so quickly ?) , opening the lump to drain it may be very dangerous (life threatening and I really don't want to go there) , again researching these I've found out that sometimes aneurysms can be quite harmless if left alone and come and go and the lizard can lead a full and normal life expectancy (providing the aneurysm don't spontaneously rupture and cause internal bleeding).
I expect it could take a few weeks for the lump to recede and be reabsorbed.
Opinions sort , should I hold off and monitor closely for now (for a few more weeks) ?
I've never encountered a similar problem before.
