godzilla won't open her eye...

[breonr]

my CWD godzilla won't open her right eye and i have no idea why. at first i thought maybe it had something to do with her shedding because she's shedding right now. but all of the old skin is gone. i've read some of the other posts and fortunately her eye isn't swollen. however, the closest reptile specialist is three hours away and hard to reach. so, are there any suggestions?

[Pooka]

Hi breonr, I'm sorry to hear godzilla is not feelign well....
My advice is to get her to the vet/specialist ASAP since closed eyes (sometimes referrred to as lethargy or listlessness) is usually a serious deal signaling other issues are putting her life at risk. I'm no vet so I cannot help you troubleshoot the issue over the internet. Make sure her temps are right, make sure she has as little stress as possible and get her to a vet. Let us know how things work out.

[jamesobrady]

im having a similar problem..my cwd is shedding, jsut laying therer with his eyes closed....he'll open tehma nd become animated if you put him in water or on your arm..but then close them again if "safe"

There is no vet nearby..is there any further advice ?

[Pooka]

Shedding can cause our little ones to feel miserable and may make them slower, less hungry and more prone to lying about. However, if the shed is complete or has been going on for some time and the eyes are constantly closed, that is what most folks, including myself, would describe as listlessness. Listlessness is usually a sign of illness and/or extreme stress. My advice is to take your friend to a qualified reptile vet to determine the issue. If one is not available to you them about all you can do is start double checking and confirming husbandry and diet factors. Make sure your temps are in the right ranges, make sure your humidity is passable if not optimal and make sure your dragon is not in view of things that may be stressing them. If you nail all 3 of those items down the only remaining factors are diet and a medical issue. Best of luck

[jamesobrady]

Cheers Pooka thanks.

[jamesobrady]

Ok....I've decided after reading the above advice and this www.triciaswaterdragon.com/hydrate.htm

That my dragon is badly dehydrated.

He seems to have improved slightly in the last few days due to a number of actions....

Firstly, the causes;
About a week ago i removed his old substrate and replaced it with new bark.
The mistake made was using bark that has soaked up all the moisture in his enclosure leaving it too hot and dry. I didnt notice this as i was then away for 6 days and my brother was looking after him.
When i returned i became aware of the lizards poor condition....my brother hadnt noticed due to less interest then i would be taking in his condition....he was just changing water and providing crickets. My dragon is always up and down, so i didnt really panic about it or do very much initailly.

The action....
On reflection when back at work(i work away from home a number of days at a time leaving my brother to mind the pets) i realised the new bark was soaking up all the moisture....at the first opportunity i travelled home and removed it, and attempted to improve the humidy levels..... I've also left strict instructions on how to give him fluids in the meantime.

I know this is not an ideal situation to leave the lizard in, and i apologise to anyone who may be appalled by it.... this has come about due to family factors, which have simply taken my concentration off my lizard, and also my brother's who is usually very vigilant with him...and i work away from home and unfortunately its just unavoidable right now.

I do hope it isnt too late for my lizard, i've had him a while now, and if i lose him due to the neglect i will be learning a very hard lesson. I lost the other Cwd in, to be honest, a simialr situation..me away....llizard died.

Im moving into my own place in a number of weeks... and will be working away only every second night.....so i will be in a much better position to care for an animal...hopefully the current one. The enclosure atm is as ideal for him as i can provide....
proper overall size except not high enough for my liking.... in the new house i intend to build a cwd specific enclosure with an automatic humidity monitor/sprinkler and have a room simply for pets as one of my friends does and it works very well....he practically has a zoo full of bearded dragons living happily away.

So, if anyone would like to learn by my mistake....take responsibility at all times for your pets....do not entrust it to others..they won't know the animal like you do regardless of how informed you attempt to leave them on it.


Breonr any update on godzilla?

[jamesobrady]

my dragon died today....he just kept going downhill no matter what I tried.....

[Pooka]

Sorry to hear you lost the little one, how very sad. My thoughts are with you in this rough time.