Need some help with my little guy

[CanadianGirl]

Hmm so just a little worried here, got a game plan in mind and hoping that I can gain some insight into how I should proceed.

Anyways, as I mentioned in my post in the General Discussion area, I picked up a new little guy about two weeks ago. Took him from a woman who did not want him, he was not kept in nice conditions but I was impressed by how happy and healthy he seemed, aside from being a little on the skinny side, he was eating and pooping like clockwork, wandering around his cage, seemed very healthy.

He hadn't pooped in about 4 days, which was concerning but I wasn't too worried since he was eating and active and his belly looked fine. Last night I fed him, he was very hungry, and today his belly was all swollen. Still hasn't pooped but still very active. I managed to hold him still long enough to feel his belly and I can't feel any hardness or obstruction, like I said he's very active, will hardly sit still long enough for that.

Does anyone have any insight into what this could be? I am planning on giving him some warm soaks and belly massages tomorrow and also going to try some olive oil and see if that helps. I would LOVE to know if anyone has any advice on how to soak him and massage him. He will NOT sit still for me at all. Also how exactly should I be dropping the olive oil on his nose.

Sorry, I realize this is a long post, but I'm just not sure how I should go about this and I want to do my absolute best for the little guy.

Also he was on sand in his old home, I had him on paper towel as soon as I brought him home and he was pooping regularly with no visible sand in his poop.

 

[jerry]

what are your temps?

 

[Dog Shrink]

Something that comes to mind for me is parasites. When you see a lotta food goin in and nothing comin out... parasites will rob his system of needed nurients so he will usually eat more and poop less... first thing I would do is have a fecal check done. Next is to get hte lil guy to poo. Do the warm soaks about 20-30 minnutes a day during times when you know he'd be active. It'll be hard to keep him still but you have to try. If you feel him trying to push massage his lil belly area. Also exercise him more... I always tell my dog clients that movement makes movements... lizards aren't any different. You can try the dab of oil on his nose to help grease the tracks too. Top all that off with making sure your temps are right. Too cold and it slows down digestion. Keep it right around 93 degrees F.

 

[CanadianGirl]

His hot side temp is at 94 right now, he's been running around a lot, especially once I noticed that he wasn't pooping I cleared out a big floor area in the room and had him running for awhile. I'm totally kicking myself now, I cleaned out his tank after his last poos, didn't think I'd have any need for it seeing as he was eating and pooping like a machine. He stopped pooping right after I cleaned out his cage, of course.
Anyways I am going to try giving him soaks and massages and some oil for the next few days, if he manages to pass anything I will definitely take it in to be looked at. Otherwise I will take him in somewhere anyways, I'm just trying to figure out where to go. Everything I've found is very far away, not a huge issue except it makes it difficult to research different places. I guess I'm gonna be making some calls....

 

[fl_orchidslave]

You can do the warm soak in a shoebox size plastic box. That would be the place to dab oil on his nose, and water also. From your finger is fine. I use pharmacy grade mineral oil, it's a very inexpensive lubricating laxative. It won't hurt a thing to wake him up and do this, when he is already more relaxed. He might even poop in the water. It's not likely he will eat for at least a couple hours after the soak, since it will stress him some to do this.

 

[CanadianGirl]

Sounds good, I will definitely give it a try. How deep should he be in the water? And also how much oil should I be giving him. I've heard olive oil and mineral oil, can I do both, or which would be better? Another question, how exactly do I "massage" him afterward? Just rub his belly down, or is there a certain method? Sorry for all the questions, I've researched everything and just can't seem to figure out how to actually DO everything.
I appreciate all this help a lot, thank you.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I use mineral oil per a reptile rehabber I am in contact with. It's in my first aid kit and effective in stubborn shed removal also. Not saying olive oil isn't as good, I don't know, never tried it. As for the soak, shallow water, just so his belly is in it. You don't want him to struggle and possible drown if it's too deep. You can leave the container in the sink, in case he climbs out, so he won't be able to escape (plug the drain hole).

 

[gothra]

A swollen belly is worrisome; although not pooping for 4 days is not something I would get too worried about. If he is still active and eating, maybe you can just let him be; make sure he is well-hydrated.

As long as he is not lethargic, I wouldn't get too worried yet. If you want to get a fecal done by vet, make sure the poop has to be fresh and still moist. You can put it in a zip-lock bag and keep it in the fridge (not freezer); but it has to get to the vet within 48 hrs, otherwise it'll be no good.

 

[CanadianGirl]

Thanks for the advice. Off to go get some oil this morning and then its bath time for Norbert (He's really gonna hate me for this). Status update, his belly is a little less swollen, still no poop though and I know all the food he ate has to go SOMEWHERE. Took him out this morning to give him a little once over and he was as active as ever, exploring everything. One of the things that is really confusing me is how happy he seems, not lethargic or irritable. I don't know.

Anyways, I got some numbers off of the vet finder thing, I'm actually hugely impressed that there ARE vets within 2-3 hours of me, I thought I'd be making a MUCH longer journey. SO if he would just POOP, I could get him checked for parasites.

 

[Dog Shrink]

How do you feed Norbert? Same amount each feeding or until he's full and walks away so he's getting a different amount each feeding? How often? And are you sure he isn't hiding the poo somewhere in the enclosure that you just might be missing?

 

[CanadianGirl]

He's been eating every other day, same amount each time although I increased it because he was seeming very hungry, I am feeding him more crickets than when I brought him home, but I increased it steadily so he has been getting a constant amount. He's supposed to eat again tonight but I'm really scared to feed him, I don't want to put his system into any more stress. Should I still feed him, maybe just less than usual?

And also, I've taken everything out of his cage looking for poop. I have him on paper towel and his humid hide even has paper towel in it so it couldn't be like...buried in anything.

He's totally not into the bath either, he keeps trying to escape and run around. I managed to keep him in mostly though, and got some oil in him. He is NOT a big fan of me today, unsurprisingly.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Be sure the water is warm enough, otherwise he will continually try to bolt and not calm down. Warm, like for an infant. It's always a shock to them at first until they feel how soothing it is. When he's calmed down, that's the time to touch his nose with water to get him licking, then the oil. You don't want to keep him in a state of unrest by moving around him a lot and keeping him stirred up. I keep a small measuring scoop nearby to exchange water discretely in order to keep it nice and warm.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I would continue to feed him because the GI only works if there's constant food going into it, otherwise you get GI stasis and constipation. If you feel more comfortable givinghim a smaller feeding then that shouldbe fine but don't not feed him. Imagine his GI is like sludge backed up in a pipe blocking water... you stop the water flow and the sludge goes nowhere... you keep the water pressure going and it eventually blows the sludge out after it builds enough pressure or it comes back out the end you're putting it into. Either way you'll know exactly how serious your blocakage is. He'll eat and eventually have a bowel movement or he'll eat and regurg. If it can't go one way it'll go the other. If he does regurge because his blockage is that bad... you might want to have a vet on stand by.

 

[CanadianGirl]

Yeah he seemed alright at first with the bath but I think maybe I let it get too cool, I was so nervous about overheating him. Next time I'll try and keep it a bit warmer.
Food thing makes sense, I think I'll just give him 2 or 3 less tonight and try and pick out the smallest ones, I realize he's not going to explode, but I'm still worried about the little guy I'll just give him enough to keep things moving I guess.
Found this kind of strange too, as soon as I finished his soak he made a beeline for his cool hide. I have never once seen him in his cool hide, only his warm hide and humid hide. Is it possible the water heated him up too much or something?

 

[Dog Shrink]

It could have just been the first hide he saw... I wouldn't take it as he was too warm. Does he only eat crickets? How many per feeding? Have you considered something different? Usually fattier foods help alleviate constipation, so maybe try a couple wax worms or a superworm insted of crickets.

 

[CanadianGirl]

He only has crickets for now, I was planning on starting to mix it up with mealworms as well. I have no idea where to find wax or superworms though, I live in a really rural area and all the pet stores have crickets and mealworms if you're lucky. I have no idea how to even go about getting anything else.
I DID just find the site of a reptile vet who is an hour away though, so in a few days I'm gonna give them a call if there's no improvement. Does anyone know how much it would usually cost for an exam? There's nothing on their website, and I know they'll tell me but I just want an idea on what kind of costs everyone has been dealing with in regards to reptile exams.

 

[Dog Shrink]

No idea on the reptile exam costs. My vet charges $40 just for a mammal office visit. Also you could check to see if there's any bait shops near you for fishermen. They usually carry wax worms.

 

[CanadianGirl]

Bait shops....we DEFINITELY have those. Good idea!

 

[Dog Shrink]

Kinda figured ya would you're welcome, but just be forwarned the ones you get at the bait shop aren't as hardy imo as the ones from the petshop. I got a carton from our bait shop and even in the proper substrait I lost half of them overnight. Just remember that waxies are like leo crack so be sure to feed a couple crickets first then the waxie last so your leo doesn't refuse other foods in lieu of the waxies.

 

[CanadianGirl]

Haha yeah, I won't give them to him on a regular basis, I just need to pick up enough to give him a few, like I said, we have fishing and hunting stores EVERYWHERE. Haha. Thanks so much for all this great advice, I'm feeling much more confident, got a bunch of different things to try and I have found some reptile vets and I think I will be able to help my little buddy.