Help! I''m seriously worried..

[MorganT]

My blue tongue skink Goji has not been a very happy girl. Last week she was eating fine, alert, etc.
I noticed she was not herself a few days ago and today when i was cleaning her cage she started doing the weirdest thing.
It was almost as if she was choking, she would open her mouth and almost gag....and her tongue would stay curled up.
I put her in her water bowl and she proceeded to regurgitate the water that she drank. She's sluggish,thinner, her eyes look almost sunken
and she's not interested in her food either. (normally she's a giant piggy about food)
I would take her to the vet but my car is snowed into my driveway and there are severe weather alerts....most of the highway is closed. The vet who i see is 2 towns over and as a result i can't get her out there for atleast.......another week. I feel terrible for her, and i REALLY don't want her to die! It's very clear she's not happy. Any ideas on what to do or what might be wrong with her?!

[Katrina]

Can you post pictures?

Loss of appetite in the winter is completely normal, as is some water coming up after a big drink on occasion. They sometimes open their mouths wide and tilt their heads up almost to stuff food or water down their throats... so all of that could be normal, but sunken eyes and lethargy isn't normal at all. The first few things sound totally fine and nothing to be concerned about, but it is difficult to tell from a post. Maybe if you post pictures we can help.

Is she lethargic at all? Or just lazy. Lethargic / apathetic is a big concern, generally laziness is normal for lizards, especially in the winter.

[MorganT]

I'll try to take some photos. The only camera i have is my phone... She's definatley worryingly thin, and kind of weak.
She currently looks to be attempting to drown herself in the water bowl....I'll go pull her out.
I would say she's dehydrated from the sunken eyes....and from the amount of water she's currently trying to drink. But she's always had access to it, so i don't understand that.
Also, there are some very strange noises coming from her... I think she's going to give ME a heart attack.

[MorganT]

Could it be a respitory infection?

[Linnea]

they dont suddenly go thin, it takes time, has she been developing a respiratory infection over a long time? skinks just as birds hide weakness, so its very hard to see the signs if youve never been in the situation before.

sunken eyes are indeed sign of not drinking well, but also a general sign of unwellness in skinks, i think. though im not sure how to differentiate between this and the regular tired eyes you sometimes see. but im sure you see this yourself and know when something is wrong.

of course this doesnt have to be anything dangerous as RI, but make sure she hasnt got anything stuck in her throat. substrate or whatever. being a bit violent while trying to pick something out is better than choking to death, if you see something that shouldnt be there like a piece of wood or a plastic object or anything, remove it.

check the temps, keep her warm at night. make sure the room isnt stuffy or the air is bad (you need good ventilation but no draft). since you cant get to a vet for a week make sure you do this. im hoping others will help you more.

you could try mixing honey in the water too. a lot of it. directly. kills off some bacterias and keeps sugar levels a little higher, makes the water easier to drink for an ill animal/child. WAIT FOR THE OTHERS TO SAY OKAY TO THIS. i have never tried it or heard of it here before so i wouldnt dare giving the advice away just like that if it might be a bad idea.

try anything you would do if a kid had a respiratory infection. give her something to lean her head on in an easy to breath position. my skink prefers to keep his head in a line with his body when relaxing.

it can be your skink didnt drink since it felt uncomfortable about drinking while having problems with breathing. this may absolutely not be true too since i dont know how skinks react to such things at all.....

is there any way you can snap a clear photo of her, one from above and one of her face with eyes in focus and then try to record the sound?

if your bts needs a lot of humidity ( indonesian species) you should up the humidity a lot. if there is so much snow the humidity in the air has sunken drastically quick. wet towel over the terrarium, but make sure its ventilated. if its a species with drier climate dont do this, since if its RI it can make it worse if the animal is made for drier climate.

i have no more ideas. and most of my ideas are not something i have ever tried out myself, and i only have one skink to compare with (and he has never been ill). but i think you need more time to observe after you checked for blockage in the throat, hopefully it will clear by itself and get better soon and be nothing of worry.


also, check for mites. reptiles going into the water bowl can have a serious mite problem and trying to drown them, ive seen snakes do this....

[MorganT]

Good news, the local vets office has someone who is willing to take a look. Im going to drive over there now, it's stopped snowing at the moment so it's lucky they could squeeze me in.

[Linnea]

be careful D: its no good to stress while driving on slippery roads. just take a quick look in the throat and for mites, could save you trouble.

in any case it really hope it goes well and its just something random or minor.

[El Lobo]

Since she is now going to be seen by a vet this may be irrelevant. However, how long has it been since she defecated?

[MorganT]

Hey guys, so the vet who saw her was just passing through temporarily but was surprisingly knowledgeable. She used to be a vet for the reptiles at a zoo nearby, so that was very lucky.
They gave Goji a vitamin B shot and a fluid injection. She's sent me home with anti-biotics to give her everyday for 10 days. She's also instructed me to puree food and syringe feed her 2cc at a time for a total of 6cc a day, working up to 12cc a day when she can handle it. They've asked for a fecal sample to test and have already determined that there is no blockages.
I think poor Goji is going to give me a heart attack because I'm so on edge. I feel terrible for the poor girl. She's been throwing up whenever i get some food into her and she makes the most awful sounds and faces, it almost appears she's seizing and dying on the spot she thrashes and twists so much. The last feeding i gave she only threw up about half it, so atleast that's some progress? I'm so terrified that i'm going to wake up and find that she's choked on her vomit and died or something equally as awful. I really hope she can recover from whatever this is...

[Lea]

Don't feed. I know she's thin, but she may be getting sicker with the effort. Wait until she settles, but make sure she has adequate water. Find a shallower dish, one she can her head in without risking sucking water up. Something like an upturned plastic lid for Tupperware, just place a stone in the centre si it won't turn. You'll just need to check on it regularly, as it will get dirty.

As a suggestion, as she improves, purée some high fluid food- watermelon and a protein source, wet dog food. Only feed a small teaspoonful. It needs to be a lickable consistency, like thick honey. As El Lobo said, she may be constipated, which will add to her issues. Resting her gut for a few days will be good. Wait at least 48 hours before attempting food though.

Are your temperatures ok? They will naturally drop a little in winter, so you may find that although she was alert enough to show hunger, the temps are too cool for her to digest her food adequately.

This along with an infection creates a sorry situation, I sure hope things improve quickly.

Oh, keep your heat on at night, if you don't already. You don't want to "heat" her up, just give her a chance for her
Physiological processes to fight the infection, digest leftover food in her gut and body to get back in balance.

[Bird_Brain]

Don't feed. I know she's thin, but she may be getting sicker with the effort.

I personally would not change ANYTHING the vet prescribed without first consulting with the vet.

Hopefully she turns around soon!

[MorganT]

Hi guys,

I went to give Goji her mid-day food and medicine and discovered she'd passed away sometime between 3 and 5. Poor girl, she seemed to be perking up and i really thought she might've turned around for the better. Well, hopefully wherever she is in skinky heaven she's happy and healthy.

[WanderingChai]

So so sorry. Just know you did everything to help her. <3

[Katrina]

I'm so sorry to hear this.

[Fatal_S]

So sorry for your loss.

[RosiePosie06]

I am so sorry for your loss. That must be so hard... You have the sympathy and companionship of all your fellow reptile lovers <3

[Kbell31]

Sorry to hear this , I wish there was more of an explanation. Does anyone know what the cause of death could have been? It seems very sudden by the description. I would think some of the warning signs would have shown up more gradual than this.

[Roheryn]

Sorry to hear about your loss.....

[Susann]