AT HOME SUPPORTIVE CARE FOR SICK OR INJURED REPTILES

(1) Providing your reptile with the proper temperature is essential during treatment for any illness or injury since all reptiles are ectothermic and must rely on an external heat source to provide them with the heat necessary to insure that their immune system is able to function properly. This may best be achieved by providing your reptile with their Preferred Optimum Temperature Zone (POTZ) during treatment for illness and/or injury. For this reason it is important to know the POTZ for your specific species of reptile and to understand the need to provide this heat in the form of a heat gradient.

(2) Handling a sick or injured reptile should be done as little as possible to treat and maintain your reptile in order to minimize the amount of stress on your reptile during treatment. Undue stress may serve to increase the difficulty and duration of treatment because stress may have unwanted effects on the immune system's ability to function correctly and efficiently.

(3) All sick reptiles that are maintained in a collection should be isolated in a room away from all others in the collection to prevent the spread of disease from one reptile to another. This same procedure should be followed when introducing a new reptile to an existing collection as well.

(4) Providing your reptile with the proper diet during and following treatment is essential to the general health of your reptile and is vital when treating a reptile for a nutritionally related illness or injury.

(5) Be sure that your reptile is eating and remains well hydrated. If your reptile stops eating never try to force-feed it without consulting with a qualified reptile veterinarian first. Force-feeding may sometimes lead to vomiting which may leave an already sick reptile in a more debilitated state causing serious effects on the treatment process as well as the overall condition of the reptile. Vomiting may very quickly lead to dehydration, which in turn may have serious effects on the kidneys. Force-feeding is also very stressful on a sick reptile and as stated earlier, undue stress weakens the immune system. If force feeding becomes necessary than placement of a feeding tube is the recommended method, as this method is far less stressful on the animal.

(6) Attempting to medicate your reptile without consulting with your veterinarian first may have serious effects due to possible drug interactions or contraindicated effects related to the condition itself. A lot of reptile owners and breeders attempt to treat their reptiles themselves based on the symptoms that the reptile is showing. Symptoms of one condition or illness may be very similar to those of another and simply treating symptomatically may have no effect or may cause the true underlying illness to worsen. Experience is no replacement or proper diagnostic technique.

(7) Injections should only be given on the order of a licensed veterinarian since some medications are absorbed by the kidneys and liver and if given improperly may have fatal or long term effects.

(8) When treating your reptile for an oral infection (commonly called mouth rot) the reptile's mouth should be swabbed with hydrogen peroxide or dilute providone iodine solution twice daily while being treated. You should also watch your reptile very closely for signs of a respiratory infection during this treatment since bacteria from the mouth may travel down the glottis to the lungs causing a secondary respiratory infection to occur.

(9) When treating your reptile for a respiratory infection it is important to increase the humidity. This may be done by placing a vaporizer with water in its enclosure. Medications should only be added to the vaporizer under the direction of your veterinarian. You should also watch your reptile very closely for signs of an oral infection since bacteria from the lungs may travel up the glottis to the mouth causing a secondary oral infection to occur, just the opposite of #8 listed above.

(10) Proper care and husbandry is essential prior, during and following treatment. Improper care and husbandry is the number one cause of illness and injuries in captive reptiles that may be prevented by providing proper care and environment from the start. If an illness or injury occurs it is important to discover the underlying cause and correct the problem prior to re-introducing your reptile back into its captive environment.

(11) Since the requirements for reptiles varies from species to species it is vital to know the requirements for your particular species of reptile. This list is a general guide and may vary depending on the specific species. You should make an effort to educate yourself on the proper care and husbandry of your reptile by joining educational organizations such as a local herpetological society, the public library or by contacting a local school or university for more information.

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