BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I only have enough money to take ONE reptile to the vet at the moment but after wednsday next week I get paid $20 and I can afford it so I still have alot to do but which herp needs medicare first???

Marvin's feet? only 2 LIVE toes and two DEAD toes on the frount feet.

OR


Miles's black head scales that never seem to go away?

Isn't Marvin also loosing weight?

Im not going to tell you which one to take into the vet first, as I feel they both need to go. If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford owning animals. Seems like you're trying to gamble with the health of your animals!

Vet care is an IMPORTANT part of pet ownership. Ask your parents to help, see if the vet offers a discount on talking multiple pets in at same time, etc.

I recall you asking/looking at different animals to add to your collection, however, I highly recommend you reconsider getting any more until you can properly care for the ones you have.

Is my post harsh? Probably, but my biggest "pet peeve" (no pun intended) is when people can't provide their animal the proper care.

We have not seen the condition of either animal nor are we qualified to determine who needs to see the vet first.

I would understand with a cat or dog where they need shots and such BUT Reptiles do not need rabies shots,de-wormers and such. I am living off my allowance-.- My parents have stopped helping me with my reptiles and the money I save goes down $5 when I go grocery shopping for them. I'm going to call the vet office and ask about discounts.

As for not being properly cared for-If they were not being cared for would I be worried about there being enough to even try to save up for a vet?

Here in the U.S. we have a program called Care Credit. I would check with vets around the area to see if they have something similar. Your parents may have to apply because it's based on credit. Your vet may have a program where you can pay in installments even.

Justin

phaemas wrote:I would understand with a cat or dog where they need shots and such BUT Reptiles do not need rabies shots,de-wormers and such. I am living off my allowance-.- My parents have stopped helping me with my reptiles and the money I save goes down $5 when I go grocery shopping for them. I'm going to call the vet office and ask about discounts.

As for not being properly cared for-If they were not being cared for would I be worried about there being enough to even try to save up for a vet?

Phaemas - I have to agree completely with Reptile King. It sounds like you can't afford to own them if you can't afford vet care.

Please post pictures (as we have requested many times) and then perhaps we can help assess how badly Marvin needs a vet or if it is something else can be done.

I'm not picking sides because I have been battling something similar(Tea Cup yearly checkup or save up for a bigger tank for her birthday...), but I 100% agree with ReptileKing and Katrina.
Depending on your age, just as long as you're above 10 y.o., you can get a job doing SOMETHING, like mowing lawns, pet-sitting, etc. If you aren't old enough to drive you can take the bus to local areas or ride your bike.
What I do is I have a summer job and I save up all summer and only spend what I need to(for mice for my snakes, etc.) so I can afford winter expenses. I grow my own organic food for Tea Cup and collect snails and earthworms for her meat.

Those are just a few ideas to make the cost less. But really, take both of your animals to vet. They may have a discount if you bring them in at the same time.

I'm really sorry this is happening to you.

Katrina wrote:Please post pictures (as we have requested many times) and then perhaps we can help assess how badly Marvin needs a vet or if it is something else can be done.

Yes, please post pictures of Marvin here. Also you should really post some pictures of your beardie in the off topic section or a bearded dragon forum so that someone who knows beardies can get a look. I believe there is one at http://www.beardeddragon.org/ but someone here may know a better one. If you don't have a working camera maybe a friend or relative has one?

Justin

sorry if this is harsh but i'd sell one of them on craigslist and then use that money to spend on a vet visit. and don't get any more reptiles until you have money to pay for them.

it may be so that your one skink made your other one sick - black toes that fall of and black scales? its a similarity. but impossible to tell without pictures. both things sound very odd to me.

in my calculations(im very good at not paying too much), with an insurance, it wont cost much for a vet visit at all, even if you happen to need medications as well. sell game consoles or the other pet if you wish to keep them.

reptiles may not be on the illegal list for not taking them to a vet, but id say youre still a bit on the line here if you know theyre ill....so be responsible whichever you choose to do.

when buying a pet, or pretty much anything that needs to be cared for......first thing to think about is to have an emergency purse with money, thus making sure you always have plenty of money for anything and often.

Miles black head scales were before I got marvin and from when my brother had him. They went away for awhile but now they've come back.

I think this would be an excellent opportunity to prove a case in point; before acquiring a BTS or any other exotic animal that requires more than just your average pet-veterinarian, LOOK INTO THE COST OF CARING FOR THE ANIMAL, and that ABSOLUTELY includes looking into veterinary care!

We have had quite a few new members on this site lately who are responsibly looking into the cost of owning a BTS. Anybody looking into getting an animal, who asks for my advice, directly or indirectly, I always tell them:
1) find a veterinarian who is qualified to care for the animal. It may have to be a specialized veterinarian.
2) call the vet’s office and find out how much they charge for check-up visits, x-rays, fecal tests, and blood work, as those tend to be the most common vet-expenditures.
3) now SET ASIDE an initial amount that would cover at least the check-up, but preferably enough to cover those common tests, then I suggest adding a bit to your "emergency fund" every month.

Do all this BEFORE acquiring the animal. Whether the pet is given to you for free, or you pay top dollar for it, makes no difference!

If you can not afford to keep an emergency fund, or in some other way pay for vet-exams, you REALLY should re-think your pet-ownership. It is not fair to ANY animal to have to suffer for the owner’s inability to properly care for it. And proper care includes veterinary expenses.

This is my opinion, but I have no problem voicing it.

Phaemas - I don't want you to think that everyone is being mean or anything. I promise we are only worried about your reptiles and want what is best for them.

If you can post pictures then maybe we can help you determine whether or not the problems are serious enough to need a vet visit (and maybe save you some money). But if you do go to the vet, there will likely be other costs for medications or procedures and not just the cost of the check up.

Please do what is best for your pets though - try to post pictures so we can help, but if they both need to see the vet then you have to figure something out.