Eye Crusty's

[LKoehler]

Hi
This is my first post andd i am new to this forum so i hope this is the right place to post this. I'm looking for some guidance as i am a newer BTS owner.

My BTS is about 2 years old. I've had him (not really sure if he's a male but refer to him as such), since he was a baby. So far we have had no health issues. that is up until about 2 weeks ago, i noticed it seemed like he was scratching his eyes with his feet. I thought maybe he was just beginning to shed and it was itchy, however, i then noticed the next day he would barely open his eyes, and he was breathing heavier than normal.

I took him to the vet about a week ago and a few hundred dollars later they told me he had a respiratory infection and provided several doses of antibiotics which we have been giving. He seems to be doing okay, but his eyes still don't look great. they are crusty, and i went to give him a rinse today and the one had a little blood i think from the crusts. Is there anything else i should be doing?

The vet also recommended we get him a bigger tank (which we immediately went out and got him), and suggested we mainly give him green reptile liner and just a small area to burrow. That seemed weird to me because i know my skink loves to burrow. Should i up his tank with more space to burrow?
He also is not really eating less but perhaps this is because it is winter time? His tank is still 95 in his basking area.

If anyone has experienced experience i'd love to hear your advise. I want to do what is best for my BTS, but i'm not sure what that is. Or maybe i'm being to much of a worry wart and just need to let him heal.

[splashy07]

I have to ask a few questions, first what type BTS? What substrate do you use? I would not under any circumstances use carpet tank liner as their continuous scratching and digging could cause the fibers to wrap around their toes. I've seen this cause toe loss, and you don't want any new problems. Could you post a picture of your skink and setup? This could greatly help us figure out things that could have gone wrong.

[Janella]

Ha,..I was basically going to say the same thing Susan. Please provide us with some pictures and more information. Thanks.

[Ozzy29]

I just got a Indonesian bts he’s 7 months old I got him at 2 months old when I bought him he would sneeze i couldn’t figure out if it was normal so I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with respiratory issues, his other symptoms were heavy breathing, out stretched neck, whistling while breathing and breathing with his mouth open.He’s been on ingestion antibiotics for the last 3 weeks he was supposed to only be on them for 2 but his sneezing continued so he was then give them for 4 weeks with only a few days of medication left he’s still sneezing. I’m not sure if relevant but was sitting with his tongue out and he sometimes makes a wet clicking noise when he breaths. He still eats and drinks fine he is over weight too on a diet at the moment. Should I still be worried, should I trust the vet? Could it be a viral infection? Could anybody tell me if they’ve had this issue and how long it normally takes skinks to get over respiratory issues I’ve read that it could be weeks or months if anyone could help it would be appreciated