Rescued Blue Tongue after Butcher Bird Attack!

[Richard.C]

It isnt nessacarilly blind,a slight scratch to the eye makes bright light hurt,still early days so at the moment try not to stress it overly,touching eye area probably hurts it

Food wise stick to dog /catfood,its easy for them to smell,my lot even if tucked away in hide boxes ect smell it and come flying out,another option is snails if any are about,there like the ducks guts to blueys,they rarely knock one back if hungry

It will be important to get temps in cage right,they need a hotspot to get there bodies up to preffered body temp,earlier u said hot spot was 25ish,thats way to low,outside on a 25 degree day basking spot temps will be way hotter,well over 40 degrees ,main thing is giving them options,but they need to be able to raise preffered body temp and hold it,which is low to mid 30,s,a 25 degree hot spot doesnt allow that,and they will be sluggish,and a sick lizard needs warmth to allow immune system to work at full potential

Sick ones needs extra special care,first thing is getting conditions spot on,giving it the options it needs

[Vegasarah]

It isnt nessacarilly blind,a slight scratch to the eye makes bright light hurt,still early days so at the moment try not to stress it overly,touching eye area probably hurts it

I am not suggesting to stress the animal, that would not be worth the information gained by the closer inspection, I just know a vet would do something similar. The skink's eyes are totally shut, so I would see it as a good sign if it moved away from the light or reacted to it at all. The lack of reaction is not something to be worried about, it was just a simple test. Richard is totally right, it is not necessarily blind.

And if you think at any time what you are doing is causing the animal too much stress, just stop and leave him be. Again, it's not worth the stress to gain some info so that we might be able to better guide you.

[Uly]

Ok I'm having massive dramas with the lights today. I was changing his tank over to the towel and removing the dirt substrate and the lamp stopped working. So I went down to the shops looking for another lamp. Brought one and took it home and found it used the smaller light globes. So took it back and couldn't find a lamp and any where in the center that would fit my red light. So next went to the pet shop. Brought a new ceramic ES fitting and put the red light in and nothing works. So back to the pet shop and I brought a 60w purple day / night light and it worked for 10 mins and and then stopped working. I tried a normal light in the old lamp and in the ceramic ES fitting and it works. So there must be something wrong with the purple and red lights? They are both the same brand and not working. Should I try to return them?

At the moment I have the old lamp above the tank with a normal 60 watt clear bulb in it. That will be ok for now but I need something for tonight to leave on all night.

Also if I get another brand of purple light what wattage should I get for a 2 ft long glass tank?

Uly

[Vegasarah]

Wow, what a headache. Try screwing the bulbs you think are broken into a regular light socket like in a normal lamp to see if it's your bulb. Don't leave it in there, just turn it on for a second. If it comes on than it's your lamp. If not, and it is the bulb, return the bulbs to the store. They should work for months on end. If you're going to return the blubs anyway, I would recommend getting one with higher wattage so it gets really warm in there. I don't know what kind of bulbs they sell at the pet shop, but any 'heat lamp' bulb will work just fine. The white light is better than the colored lights because it is more like sunlight.

You don't need one to leave on all night, the under-tank heat pad should keep it warm enough when kept on constantly. If he gets cold at night, the rock on top of the heat pad will be nice and warm for him. Keep the light on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours, so it is more natural. Using a timer really helps with getting this right so you don't forget or have to wake up at the crack of dawn. But it's not necessary, you can just manually turn it on.

Could you tell us the brand of bulbs and the brand of lamp you are using? Some work better than others, but I'm not sure what is avaliable in AUS.

[Uly]

The heat pad doesn't seem to be getting that hot. maybe heating an extra 3 or 4 degrees. At night / early morning it's getting down to 10 degrees Celsius. So that would mean on 14 degrees of warmth over the hot pad at night with the light off. Bit too cold?

Ok Brand is URS infra-red 40 watt and URS OZ purple 60w on special for $11.95 and $12.95 respectively.

I like the normal clear 60 w bulb...temp is now 30.8 in the hot spot with the light & the heat pad on. I have a little cloth over the rock so he doesn't burn him self on the rock.

I think both the Red & purple light are faulty. The normal 60 watt bulb works fine in the old lamp & ceramic ES Fitting. I will go to the pet shop and return them and try to get a better brand purple light and a higher wattage!

Uly

[Uly]

Well he is moving around more and looking more alert now that the temp is warmer in the tank! 31.4 degrees.

I offer him some chicken cat food and a bit of banana but he didn't want it.

Uly

[El Lobo]

The wattage of the lamp depends on how much distance there is between the bottom of the lamp and where the bluey basks. In my case the enclosures are only 45cms high with the light mounted internally so a 60 watt lamp on a dimming thermostat is plenty. I use spotlights the same as in the link which I buy from the local hardware shop. I can't remember the price as I usually buy 6 at a time for somewhere under $10. They are made by Philips and I have seen them in Bunnings even cheaper in twin packs.

http://www.brilliantlighting.com.au/pro ... reflector/

[Uly]

Does the colour matter? I can use the normal clear 60 watt bulb during the day. But at night I need a purple or red bulb to keep him warm. White light at night keeps them awake I read and the heat pad isn't going to be enough to keep him warm at night.

Uly

[Vegasarah]

The wattage of the lamp depends on how much distance there is between the bottom of the lamp and where the bluey basks. In my case the enclosures are only 45cms high with the light mounted internally so a 60 watt lamp on a dimming thermostat is plenty. I use spotlights the same as in the link which I buy from the local hardware shop. I can't remember the price as I usually buy 6 at a time for somewhere under $10. They are made by Philips and I have seen them in Bunnings even cheaper in twin packs.

http://www.brilliantlighting.com.au/pro ... reflector/

I forgot to ask that. If it's not getting warm enough, you can lower the light down into the tank. Not close enough where he could climb on to it, but that will help get it warmer. In your picture the light is very high up, away from the basking rock. Try moving it down if you can and see if that helps you. The red light would be needed if it gets colder than 75 F in the tank, so try turning it off for just tonight and keep the heating pad on. If in the morning the temp is too cold, you will need an additional red bulb to be on at night. Let us know if moving the light closer helps, though!

[Richard.C]

U shouldnt need to use light at night,heat pad should be fine,an over nite cooling is natural,he was doing it naturally outdoors,if basking rocks only getting to 30 u wont need to cover with a towel,thats still coolish to them,under there preferred body temp for activity,which they need,healthy or not,how can it raise its body temp to the mid 30,s if hottest spot is only 30

Dont waste money on urs bulbs,just get spotlights from bunnings ,u an get 4 for the same price one urs one will cost,plus urs ones offer diddly squat in benefits over bunnings ones

Id be inclined to use the 4 foot tank to,so u can set up a big thermal gradient,2 foot is quite small and harder to set up a thermal gradient,especially in qld,s sub tropical climate,just shut light off at nite and use heat pad,a couple of degrees above ambient is fine,plus hes from your yard,so in your house is possably warmer than outdoors,but even if not hes from there so should be fine with no night heat

[Uly]

Ok well I'm going to the pet shop now. I will have to get an exchange for the 2 blown bulbs. I doubt he'll do complete refund. I might get the 100 watt Red in exchange.

The blue tongue is resting his head on the side of the tank towards the light! He likes the warmth then :-)

Sorry for not understanding all this and getting it wrong...it's all new to me!

Still no word from the wildlife carer people

Uly

[Uly]

Ok The petshop guy gave me a refund and I brought the 100 watt Infra red Bulb. I'm going to have to rig it differently as it got up to 47. 3 degrees before I turned it off!! I think that's way too hot!

Hew seems to like the 60 watt normal light! temp was at 32 degrees:


Eyes 1:This is the side that was watery...


Eyes 2


Wide shot:


Red light a nearly 47 degrees:


Uly

Edited by El Lobo to include IMG code.

[Uly]

Ok I got the Red light rigged up a bit better. It's now 34 degrees at the hot end with the red light and heat pad on. Is this ok. Is it safe for the Lizard and me. I melted the plastic white knob a bit and the pole where the light is hot.

[Uly]

Here are some pics of his eyes after I cleaned it best I could. He let me clean his right eye, the blood eye with a bit of fuss. After a little while I think he started to like it. The left eye he wouldn't let me touch it at all..That was the watery eye. The Right blood eye still looks like the blood has dried up inside the eye and might be stopping him from seeing?

Vegasarah - I live in southern Queensland about 30 mins north of Brisbane :-)

Still no news from the Wildlife. Not real happy with them...how will I find out how the blue tongue is going on a daily basis if they won't even contact me. Might look for another wild life carer.

Richard hopefully I'm getting the tank closer to the proper temp... Thanks for your help so far :-)

El Lobo yeah we have Indian mynah birds here too. Actually one is hanging around with the Butcher bird. It's like his side kick terrorising all the other animals in the area lol. Glad you saved the Eclectus parrot...they are beautiful little birds :-)

Right Blood eye after cleaning:
1.


2.


3.


Left Watery eye
1.


2.


Uly

[Vegasarah]

Okay, that set up looks good and will help keep the risk of infection way down.

If you can maybe lower the light just a bit more than where is is on the pole it should be perfect. 47 too warm, but 40 is really just what you are looking for. After you have a nice constant reading in the hot spot where you want it, take your thermometer and move it to the cool end of the tank to get a good reading there as well and let us know what it is like.

The four foot tank would be great if you could get your hands on it, it will be good for him to have a cool end to retreat to, and that's hard to do in a small tank.

Richard, I agree that he should have a cool down period, but maybe the higher temps could help him heal faster? I know that is the case with other reptiles sometimes. Not as a permanent thing by any means, but just keep it extra warm while he heals? Do you think this would be beneficial or actually hurt him in any way?

Now on to the eyes. Don't touch the 'watery' eye, that looks like a puncture of the eyeball itself. Notice how the socket looks a bit 'sunken'? That means the bird probably just got right to the eyeball, but did not go deep enough to touch anything inside his head probably, which is a good sign. The lack of blood is good in that if it is just the eyeball itself, it might very well heal and he may regain sight in that eye. For now just leave it be and let us know if there are any changes in that eye. Then again, that eye might be in total working order, but I don't think skinks can close one eye lid and keep the other open. So maybe the watering was just a response to injury and the reason it is staying closed is because the other one is closed. Like he is unable to 'wink' kind of. I know that other animals have this problem sometimes, so we will wait and see.

The bloody eye look like the wound might be of the lower eye lid area, and hopefully not the entire inside of the eye. If the blood is coming from INSIDE the socket, that eye was probably plucked out. I know butcher birds are very precise with very sharp beaks, so that is possible. Don't clean it with a swab any more, but if you can, I would like you to try and spray his face with some clean water from a clean spray bottle. This will help loosen the dried blood and may help him to open the eyelid if it is blood keeping it closed. It will also help keep it cleaner, and he may also lick some of the water off his nose so it could help him stay hydrated. He's not going to like it too much, but try and just spray his nose and that whole bloody side of his face a couple times then just leave him be. Try not to spray the 'watery eye' side, but a little moisture probably won't hurt. Do this four times a day if you can, the idea is to help loosen up that dried blood so we can get a better look at the wound. And like I said, it might help his hydration a bit too. Also, you don't have to remove him from the tank to do this. The less you touch him the less he will stress.

Is he dragging his nose around at all as if to burrow into the towels? Or is he moving around at all? The basking is a good sign that he is still active and not trying to hide all the time.

Let's give him a few days till we move back to the food idea, for now he'll be alright without it. Let's just focus on his temperatures and his wounds.

That set up looks great, it should stay clean and warm that way. You can change those towels out if he at any time has a bowel movement on them. Other than they just keep an eye on him. Talk to him, let him get used to the sound of your voice.

You are doing a great job so far, let us know if there are any changes and if you get those temps right!

[Richard.C]

Much better temps,is it possable to aim ligbr away from plastic knob thats melted abit,might be safer,weight wise he looks fine,so not a big deal if he doesnt eat for a bit

Vega sarah,i agree maybe warmer temps at night,but if to hot and not eating they can lose condition fast if to warm,heat pad 3to 5 degrees above ambient is fine,just for over night

[Uly]

Ok I sprayed a very fine mist on the right side of his face (bloody side) He shunned away but wasn't too bad. I did see his tongue come out twice :-) I will do it 4 times a day from tomorrow.

I will muck around with the temps Again tomorrow. Do you want me to turn off the light and just use the heat pad tonight? Its meant to be 13 degrees tonight. I will monitor it for an hour before I go to bed with the light off and heat pad on. I can't see it being any warmer than 17 or 18 in the heat pad area on the rock.

I can get the 4 ft tank any time but I need to know what the Wildlife carer wants me to do? No news from them yet. I believe I can do the same or better job caring for him but I need to go thru the proper channels & law unfortunately. I guess I'll try to contact another carer tomorrow then.

He doesn't move much. Stays mainly on his nice warm rock. Doesn't show any signs of Burrowing or looking for food He is alert tho...every time I move the glass off the top of the tank he pricks his head up for a sec :-)

Thanks Heaps Vegasarah for your help so far :-) and thanks also to Richard, El Lobo & Rani as well for all your help so far :-)

I'm still massively worried about him and I've cried for him (not a good look for a guy) because I don't know how this is all going to turn out and I fear once I give him to the wildlife people that will be the last time I will ever see him again But it must be done the right way I guess.

Cheers

Uly

[Lea]

I would leave things alone for a day or two. All the fiddling about is probably leaving him very stressed and not being able to see anything, would just make things ten times more scary.

I'd turn the lights off at night and let him have a cool period. Your house isn't too cold and just having them off for a short period of night time, will probably allow him some reduced activity and decrease stress. He isn't showing signs of infection, in the way of respiratory or wound infection, so a cool period at night won't hurt, unless the situation changes.

I respect you attempting to help this skink, but if you are not sure, I do urge you to contact the rescue society for your area. Most will come and collect animals from remote locations, so being outside the metro area, isn't a good excuse for not seeking assistance. While we can assist you with set up and lights etc, it can be costly. I encourage you to seek advice as soon as possible, for the best for this skink. In the future, you might be able to take him back when he is well, as if he is blind, he won't survive being released bck in to the wild.

[Uly]

Thanks LeaBilby for your advice :-) The Light is off and the Hot area where he is laying is @ 25 degrees. Should be ok for him even if it goes down to 20 or so.

I'm sure of what I am doing and I have contacted a wildlife Carer, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. I will contact a new Carer tomorrow. I haven't made any excuses for not seeking assistance and I have contact a Wildlife Carer. I do not require any set up or lights as I already have everything that's need for him.

Cheers

Uly

[Lea]

http://www.arrowildlife.org.au/ on 0430 904 415, or http://www.barn.org.au/, on 0405 056 066 are both 24 hour rescue numbers for sick and injured wildlife. They should be able to help you sort this skink out and give him the best care he needs, by allocating him an experienced carer, probably after a short spell under veterinary care.