Beaphar

the health of my reptile

Amphibians
Amphibians tend to suffer from bacterial or parasitic infections. It is important to take appropriate measures in time. Look out for changes in the animal’s behaviour or eating pattern. Amphibians can suffer from internal parasites as well: by examining your animal’s faecal matter, a veterinarian can diagnose whether or not your animal is suffering from such an infection. This examination can take place pre-emptively to prevent any problems that might occur later on.
Often, diseases go unnoticed and the animal runs a high risk of dying before any treatment can take place. Should one of your terrarium animals (if you have more than one) die unexpectedly, it is of great importance to determine the cause of death and prevent any other animals from becoming infected with the same disease.
Treating amphibians suffering from diseases can be done through medication (injected or given orally), by adding medicine to the animal’s bathing water or by administering a few drops of liquid medicine to the skin on the animal’s back: amphibians are able to absorb medicine into their bloodstream through their skin.

Tortoises and Turtles
Tortoises tend to suffer from stomach and intestinal problems. Causes can vary wildly, from congestion, caused by eating some of the substrate on the bottom of your terrarium, to diarrhea, caused by internal parasite infections. Should your animal be suffering from internal parasites like worms, for example, use a worming product specifically for reptiles.
Respiratory tract problems are also common and are usually the consequence of inadequate accommodation, poor transport conditions or temperature fluctuations. You will sometimes be able to spot respiratory problems because your animal’s breathing changes, or there is mucus in the nostrils, mouth or respiratory tract. Sometimes the animal refusing any food is the only noticeable symptom. In most cases, these problems are caused by viruses or bacteria. Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) often suffer from a vitamin A deficiency: your animal’s eyes will be bulgy and possibly shut. Treatment consists of giving the animal a high dose of vitamin A orally or in its food, and treating its eyes with a balm containing vitamin A.

Snakes
Pneumonia is a common illness with snakes. Sometimes you will be able to notice abnormal breathing or a rustle in the animal’s breathing. You might be able to spot mucus in its mouth or trachea, but very often the fact that the animal refuses to eat is the only noticeable symptom. Often, this is due to careless transport of the animal. Pneumonia should be treated with antibiotics from your vet. Lungworms might also be the cause of the problem. In this case, give the animal a worming treatment. A worming treatment can also be of use when your animal is suffering from other internal parasites. Just like tortoises, snakes often tend to become infected with internal parasites. If you are in doubt as to what is wrong with your animal, contact a veterinarian to have the animal examined by an expert. External parasites are also often found living on snakes, especially on imported animals, frequently consisting of various species of mites and ticks. Usually you will be able to spot these pests with the naked eye. To cure your animal of these parasites, treat the animal and its environment with anti-parasitic products. Your pet store and veterinarian will be able to tell you which products are appropriate and sell them to you.

Lizards and Chameleons
Many species of chameleons belong to the group of lizards that are hard to keep as pets. You should only attempt this if you are experienced in keeping and taking care of reptiles. Many lizards and chameleons suffer from internal and external parasitic infections. An anti-parasitic medicine or worming treatment is often sufficient to cure the animal of its infection.
Lizards and chameleons that live on insects and vegetables can experience calcium deficiencies, because the calcium to phosphoros ratio in vegetables is inadequate. Reptilians can only produce vitamin D3 when they benefit from UV-lighting. Quite often, the terrarium glass will filter out the ultraviolet rays and make the production of D3 impossible: your animal’s food should contain plenty vitamin D3 to compensate for this. Good premium food will give your animal what it needs. Because vitamin D3 is important for absorbing calcium from food in the intestines, a deficiency of vitamin D3 will indirectly lead to a calcium deficiency. Symptoms of calcium deficiency can vary: disfigurements, broken bones, being egg-bound, producing poor eggs and poor breeding results might occur. Once your animal has developed abnormalities as a result of a calcium deficiency, it is very dificult to correct the abnormalities. This is why you should give your animal high quality food and supplement its food with calcium and vitamin supplements every now and then. These can be administered directly or mixed with the food of whichever insects your animal eats.