Sick lil dragon

Unfortunately i got a sick dragon ... I'm away at school and i've trusted my mother to take care of it while i'm away ... i think it's got a resperitory infection because it's lethargic and having breathing difficulties, it closes it's eyes and holds on to me and his logs for dear life ... this morning i soaked it in luke warm water for an hour in the bathtub and he came to a bit but a lil later it went back to the same state. I can only think it acquired this while i was away. When i got home friday they hadn't turned the heat on in the house and it was only sivty degrees in his tank ... i feel so bad for it ... the only thing i have done is taken it's water away, left enough drinking water cleaned the entire tank, left some food (but not a ton) and increased the tank temp to 85 degrees to try to help it fight what ever is bothering it ... i'm in the process of getting a vet visit this week but any other advice would be nice. I need a bit of help!

 

Here's one of the best care sheets for wd's. http://www.herpcenter.com/article.php?a=23

And this is a great site. http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/

And welcome to HC!!

 

Sorry to hear about your ill dragon.. I hope he makes a full recovery. Please keep us updated on how he gets on. Good luck

 

Sorry bout Puff Hope he starts feeling better with the warm temps and the vet visit. Hope Jay's links help you out. Nice to see you back here, but its too bad its not under happier circumstances

 

well it's been about 12 hrs and it's moving around better and chasing the crickets so i guess it looks like it'll be ok ... i think i'm still takin it to a vet though just in case

 

It's always best to have a vet visit anyway to make sure - if you are ever worried a vet consultation will put your mind at rest, plus vets can detect illnesses that we cannot see visual signs of. I hope you come back with good results, and I hope the little guy gets better soon

 

It's full of energy today ... i think it's licking the infection which is of course a positive thing. Time to build a huge terranium for it in the coming months ... that way i can control the temp and humidity better.

 

In the mean time you may want to add an undertank heater on a timer or thermostst to prevent any future accidents.

 

good idea i never thought of that! ... i could do that with the lights too!

 

All my lights are on timers. It's so much easier when you have 20+ enclosures.

 

Yeah, having your lights on timers make things a lot easier for you and less stressful for your herps cause the lights always come on and off at the right time, whether you're there or not

 

i had the same problem. i went away for the summer and my dragon got sick. some heat and TLC got her right back on track though. i wish i could build a big enclosure but my roomate would kill me lol. i had to push for a 100g might build one in my closet in the future if he goes away for a weekend haha.

 

Well here is problem number 2. Puff has an absess in it's throat due to this respiratory infection. Getting it to eat is difficult now. I got him to eat a few days ago and now it's not eating anything right now. The vet gave it a antibiotic shot and i need to get another one on friday but only time will tell now. She said the absess was due to the infection and it couldn't be detected until these signs have occured. I feel so sorry for it and all i can do is keep the heat up and give it smaller food in hopes it eats. I got the temperature up to 90 degrees as the vet said and the antibiotic seem to have it moving around better but no luck with the eating. If anyone has had this problem before i'd appreciate some advice.
It seems to be moving around a lil better and gets poed when i spray it with water to moisten the skin. Of course i'd be mad too if someone hit me with a spray too. Id there anything else i can do?

Brian

 

Im pretty sure u need to spray up and let it trinkle down on him... I don't know haven't had a water dragon..

 

well it ate and that's a good thing so i think the antibiotics are working ... it's still a lil bit weak but comin around. The vet says that she wants to determine the sex because there are a few dragons around where i live and she knows of a few people that would like to breed them because they are herp lovers. I don't think i'ma let her though because i read somewhere that the only way they can do that is by probing. It weighs an ounce and a half so it's still a youngin. It's approx. 18 inches long to the tip of the tail ... can anyone give me the approx. age? I'm interested to know! I know it's not even close to 18 months when the sex can be determined but i was thinkin possibly someone could give me a relative figure.

Brian

 

Well the sick lil puff came through and has beat it's ailment. it has its eyes are open and is keeping them open. One more antibiotic shot and when it's all said and done it will be fine and back to normal. Now for a new cage and a buddy! What are the chances of a water dragon being a male compared to a female? Ratio basically!?!

 

Wow that is awesome. Glad to hear he is feeling much better. Keep us posted.

 

Anyone ever had watery eye problem!

If so how did u get rid of it ... i been putting a moist tea bag and dabbing the eyes to draw out any infection ... the vet told me to. can i do anything else!