Azarath ate a snail & Trip to the Vet

[IchliebeTiere]

I took my baby to the vet today and she got a clean bill of health!:) to the tune of $105.40:p no mouth rot or parasites:) So backwaterreptils was true to their word as far as her being parasite free.
On our way back we got a small golden mystery snail cuz she acted so well:) she ate first snail without any hesitation and enjoyed it very much:)
*the snail was $3, should we just start breeding them? How often do we give them to her? If we are to breed them do ya'll have any advice?:)
**The vet took a beautiful picture of Azarath for their facebook page, my baby was the first BTW they've seen! ( but they've seen plenty of other skinks) If you wanna see their picture of her you can go to the Erlanger Veterinary Hospital facebook page:)

I wish I had weighed her when I first got her but I didn't. She has shed twice and now weighs 149.0 grams

[BruinsEv]

She's adorable! It's nice to see that you have a veterinary clinic that gets excited enough abotu your BTS to take pictures!

[IchliebeTiere]

She is having trouble shedding and lost some toes on her first shed which really made me feel awful. Especially after I posted pics of her when I first got her and felt intimidated by some of the replys I got regarding backwaterreptiles.
********************** I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER! *************************

She's finishing her 2nd shed with me and it went much better. I changed her cage from aspen to eco-earth and spray it daily. I am really enjoying my new pet and she is really enjoying me.

[BruinsEv]

She is having trouble shedding and lost some toes on her first shed which really made me feel awful. Especially after I posted pics of her when I first got her and felt intimidated by some of the replys I got regarding backwaterreptiles.
********************** I DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER! *************************

She's finishing her 2nd shed with me and it went much better. I changed her cage from aspen to eco-earth and spray it daily. I am really enjoying my new pet and she is really enjoying me.

That's so good to hear ! Regardless, she needed to go to a home and it's good she ended up with someone who sounds as caring as you. Why did you switch off aspen if you don't mind me asking/?

[IchliebeTiere]

Her first shed was horrible. She lost some toes. Even though they said it wasn't my fault I felt like she probably needed more humidity ( and I was really scared waiting for her next shed ) So I switched to eco earth so I could spray it daily and keep her in a more humid environment. This shed went better but the vet said to still soak her every other day til it was 100% gone.

[BruinsEv]

Her first shed was horrible. She lost some toes. Even though they said it wasn't my fault I felt like she probably needed more humidity ( and I was really scared waiting for her next shed ) So I switched to eco earth so I could spray it daily and keep her in a more humid environment. This shed went better but the vet said to still soak her every other day til it was 100% gone.

Makes sense, thanks! Good luck

[NOP]

I myself have just decided to start breeding the Golden Mystery Snail (Apple snail) and just purchased my aquarium for them and have started putting everything together here in the next week. From what i have read the little snails can lay 200 eggs above the water lvl of the tank which hatch in a few weeks i believe. I have a 29gal aquarium and i expect to have a ton of snails. Also you may want to be wary of just buying a snail from a place like Petland as they take rather poor care of their aquatic pets and a lot of them are in poor health or just die. When i bought snails from i kept them alive for around a Month before i fed them to my guy Indiana just to be sure that they were in good health and well fed. Of course that was before i decided to start breeding them and its not terribly difficult to care for them and if interested in learning more about them you can check here:
http://www.applesnail.net/

[IchliebeTiere]

I read your post last night and that's what made me think about raising them myself. I thought I better give her one before I went to all the touble. I have an extra 5 gallon tank that I thought I would use. Do I set it up like a regular fresh water tank?

And are snails a regular part of the diet or just a treat?

[Hazeee]

One bad shed caused your bts to lose toes?

[IchliebeTiere]

I thought so! But no, they say it takes a few bad sheds. When she had her first shed with me I took her out of a bath with shed ease and a toe came right off!

[NOP]

I would say snails would be a treat type food, and i plan on feeding him a couple maybe once a week after i start getting tons of babies coming in but ill have to wait for them to grow big enough for him

[Hazeee]

I thought so! But no, they say it takes a few bad sheds. When she had her first shed with me I took her out of a bath with shed ease and a toe came right off!

Well I'm hoping my pair haven't had any problems and that doesn't happen.. Sorry to hear about that though.

[Katrina]

Her first shed was horrible. She lost some toes. Even though they said it wasn't my fault I felt like she probably needed more humidity ( and I was really scared waiting for her next shed ) So I switched to eco earth so I could spray it daily and keep her in a more humid environment. This shed went better but the vet said to still soak her every other day til it was 100% gone.

They won't lose toes from one bad shed - it takes many bad sheds to retain enough shed to restrict blood flow and lose toes. This isn't something you did, it happened before you got her and you just saw the results.

To all new owners - you won't lose toes with a day or two of retained shed or one bad shed!!! This takes many months and many bad sheds to occur, they aren't super delicate creatures that if you screw up for a day or a week or two will have health issues resulting (as long as it is no MAJOR issues!).

[IchliebeTiere]

I always appreciate your encouraging words Katrina, Thank you. My daughter wanted this pet and now I think I'm as involved with it as she is. Thinking about getting one for me as well.

[Katrina]

I always appreciate your encouraging words Katrina, Thank you. My daughter wanted this pet and now I think I'm as involved with it as she is. Thinking about getting one for me as well.

No worries - don't get discouraged, you didn't mess up here! Toe loss happens and with you watching the next bunch of sheds I'm sure it won't be an issue again.

I hate to see new owners think they screwed up in their first few weeks or that these are super delicate / touchy creatures. They are really hardy so don't be too hard on yourself.

[Hazeee]

I always appreciate your encouraging words Katrina, Thank you. My daughter wanted this pet and now I think I'm as involved with it as she is. Thinking about getting one for me as well.

No worries - don't get discouraged, you didn't mess up here! Toe loss happens and with you watching the next bunch of sheds I'm sure it won't be an issue again.

I hate to see new owners think they screwed up in their first few weeks or that these are super delicate / touchy creatures. They are really hardy so don't be too hard on yourself.

I had originally thought their feet must be super delicate but from your reassurance I'm glad to know it's not a big deal unless your husbandry is like really off. Glad there's actually a website devoted to these little guys, they're awesome pets to have.

[Lea]

Azarath looks great. It's a good photo in the water bowl.

I'll just second what katrina has already said, but I'll just drop in a side note with "helping your lizard" when he/she sheds. If it isn't ready, don't force it! It's tempting to relieve them of their baggy looking outfits before they are really ready. Remember, some skinks take days or even weeks to shed completely. A week or so with their feet on, won't harm them and resisting pulling at too stuck on shed, may save an accidental injury.

[IchliebeTiere]

Thanks for the tip on shedding. I've searched for time frames and haven't been able to find any. She loses it all over really quick but it tends to hang onto her tail and toes. Because she has lost some toes I'm really cautious about any shed left. I just soak her. I don't pick at the shed at all. I did rub her tail but I'm still hestitant to "rub" anything off those tiny toes.

[Lea]

Give her a small patch of sandpaper to walk on. It will act line an exfoliant and help dislodge any stuck scales on the feet as she moves naturally around the enclosure. Soaks work well, but if you are concerned, you can try an un perfumed, unscented moisturising agent, such as Emu oil cream or natural oil. There are shedding aids available to buy just for reptile use, which are all pretty good. I have one just for kiah, as he tends to hang on to what looks like a double layer of shed and it can be hard for him to start shifting. Emu oil cream seems to sooth him after, as he looks more relaxed after a lathering of it. I think the thick shed somehow stops the scales underneath from toughening up properly, the moisture may be stopping them tightening up too quickly and causing him irritation.

Anyway, I sidetracked a bit. Kiah is kind of unique and you shouldn't need a moisturiser, but it's a good one, should you need to.

[IchliebeTiere]

Here are Azarath's rear feet after her first shed with me...