I came into feed my new savs I got on march 28th they have all boing doing great and I was late for work so I had my sister come feed them so I come home and one is missing I don't find him until 2 days later behind my dryer! Thank god I did though because the cats could've got him! But when I put some food in there today one of the savs couldn't move his back legs very much he seems to drag himself and his stomach is firm and large im thinking impaction most likely but I'm just do worried I bathed him in warm water and kinda massaged his stomach ! The vet is closed until next Wednesday and I dont know what to do!
It certainly sounds like a possible impaction - paraplegia is a side effect that sometimes occurs due to the pressure on the spine and lower back. What substrate are you keeping them on? Try reviewing this site and see if there are any other herp vets in your general area: http://herpvetconnection.com Keep this one well hydrated and make sure to switch to a non-particulate substrate, you can use paper towels for now. I would also avoid feeding prey items that are more difficlut to digest, such as mealworms. Feed soft bodied food items for the time being. You can also try adding getting him to lap up a couple of drops of mineral or vegetable oil in addition to keeping him well hydrated. Keep up with the baths, warm water but not hot to the touch. Preferably just warm to the forearm; the water will be taken in through the vent which can help to hydrate the animal and keep things loosened up. Gently massage the stomach as you are doing during the bath to encourage things to sort of break up and move along. Keep doing what you can, but I would definitely schedule that vet appointment somewhere as soon as possible.
Oh god I don't know how I can thank you enoug and I'll try the mineral oil technique I also keep all 3 of them on cypress mulch and what do u suggest feeding? I read that squash or pumpkin can loosen the Bowles also?
Yes pumpkin would loosen the stool but usually with impaction there is a blockage in the stomach to intestines area, before stool is even formed. I wouldn't suggest feeding him anything else except maybe wax worms or butter worms (both very high in fat), you could probably "dip" a wax worm in mineral oil and he'd still eat it, lol. Good luck with him and keep up with the warm baths as well until you can get him to the vet. Good luck!
Well i came to get him today for his bath and he seemed kind of skiddish today i picked him up and he notcied it was me and perked up right away always nice to see right? anyways it seemed like he didnt wanna move his legs at alll when i put him in the bath so i slowly massaged him stomach towards his vent and after about the 3rd time i did that there was a sign of releif kinda and his stomach wasnt so hard and then he started swimming fully! you couldnt imagine my excitement but then he went back to the way he was before it seemed like he didnt wanna mve his left leg and when he tried to swim his left claws woud not extened? I called the vet and its 66$ for a exam and anyother medicine so i have to wait for my paycheck to come in to take him im just hoping he will get better soon! i dont know if he maybe got into a fight with another one in the tank becasue i have 3 and one of them is terribly mean and skiddish he always bites the others when they try to eat so i was thinking mayhbe he got into a fight? I would love to hear back from you guys and i will be sure to keep you updated ill see if i can get some pictures soon for you guys to look at him! Also should i try feeding him some calcium? I gut load their crickets and i was thinkng maybe the calcium could restore something?
Sad to say but RIP Zeus :'( the vet said that there was no recovery from this and I should euthanize him for no pain I told her I didn't have the 225 she wanted so she just said I'll put him in the freezer and he will go to sleep I didn't wanna see my little guy go :'( after just loosing my grandma it was hard and I know his buddies " sunny and angus" will miss him to as much as I will thanks everyone for trying to help me I appreciate it
Thank you everyone I appreciate it... A couple days after Zeus left me so did Sunny... He had a internal parasite the vet said that he could've caught it from Zeus.... His brother Angus is ok and still going strong he is healthy and always a bright face to see everyday... These "animals" more like family are what keep me going everyday and also seeing how much people care about them means a lot to I appreciate everything everyone tried to do and thank all of you! I will post some pics of chubby Angus soon!
Well my mom got pissed at me and let angus out of his cage and he's been gone for 3 days now I'm hoping my cats didn't get him and I will continue to look for him :'(
