Stressed Newbie

[hightoli]

Hi all,
I have been researching and wanting a blue tongue skink for about three years. Now that I am more settled down I decided to start casually looking. I came across a rescue about an hour from my place and they happened to have a blue tongue that they had taken in with a large seizure of illegal snakes. There is no information on him/her but I do know that his diet at the rescue was superworms and he was being kept on reptile carpet and had gone through a bad shed right before I met him. I also know that he is a halmahera (aka: high humidity needed... carpet bad). I do not know that it is a he, but I named him Ganymeade and call him a he.

Anyway, I have had him for 3 weeks now and I think he has a respiratory infection. His right eye and nostril are closed and crusty. The left eye and nostril seem fine. I was able to fit him in at the vet and our appointment is in just two hours so I hope they can get him help. I am super stressed and really discouraged because I am trying to keep him in the right conditions. He is currently in a 40g breeder with a hot side that gets to the middle 90s and a cold side in the middle 70s (currently measured with a probe but I just ordered a heat gun from amazon so I can be sure of temps). He is on a mix of cypress mulch and top soil. Humidity has been hard to control but I shoot for 70% and am usually able to maintain a 55-70 range by spraying a couple of times a day. I am worried that the fluctuation of humidity may have caused this. He is also on a staple diet of high quality dog food with calcium and D3 supplement mixed in every other feeding. I just don't understand why this happened and I am getting really stressed about it because I know that if it is something in his environment then it will just happen again. I have owned a leopard gecko and a bearded dragon in the past so I am not completely new to reptiles but I feel like I am failing Gany. Enclosed are a picture of him (he still has some shed on a toe but that has since come off) and his tank.

I am further frustrated and stressed because I called the rescue for advice and he said my problem was too much humidity. He said that a lower humidity is better because they are living in a stagnant tank (no air flow) and so the humidity being so high is actually stressful and is what caused the infection. He suggested I drop the humidity and raise the tank temp to "dry the infection out". I feel like this is bad advice and conflicts with everything I have read on here.

Please, if you guys would be so kind... I am feeling a little defeated!

Gany.jpg

GanyEnclosure.jpg

[hightoli]

Well I just got back from the vet. They said that they could treat lizards but they basically had no idea what they are doing. They settled on Baytril and think that I should try to use a wet washcloth (either wet from water or saline) to get the crusties off his eye and nose. They said if Gany doesn't improve they recommend I take him to an exotic animal clinic. There is one an hour away from me.

I still would appreciate any advice/help you guys have to offer on set up improvements and such. One question I still have is what people's opinions are on the best hydrometer. I know a temp gun is best for measuring the temp but is there a good brand of hydrometer to measure humidity?

Also, since I have no info on his history I don't know how old he is which makes it hard for me to estimate how often I should feed him since the caresheet and such on this website say how much to feed based on age. He currently weighs 238 grams. Any thoughts on age or how much to feed him (i.e. every day or every other day?) I know age is hard to estimate since improper care can lead to slow/halted growth but I am more concerned with feeding him correctly. I don't want an obese skink!

[iamseraplz]

Definitely go to an exotic-specific vet. Regular vets really can't do much when it comes to lizards. I haven't had a sick BTS, but I've been through a sick leopard gecko before and they don't start showing signs of illness until they are sick enough that they /need/ treatment.

As for the cause of the infection, I'm sure some of the members here can help you perfect your setup so that you won't have a repeat.

[splashy07]

The infection could have been manifesting itself before you got him, seems as if he wasn't being cared for properly. Your setup looks very similar to mine for halmaheras except I keep the tank covered. I wrap foil around where the light is leaving a small open area for ventilation and cover the entire other side. Have not had any issues. I spray the substrate morning and evening and use a cigar humidifier (a rectangular 10" sponge set in a plastic casing that attaches to the side with magnets) on the cool side. Bought it on ebay, works great. Could probably buy one in any smoke shop but I don't frequent those places. Await a reply from Dakota, he keeps many halmaheras. Yours appears to be an adult, but mine were that size at 6 months so hard to tell age because they grow very fast. Best of luck with him, he is gorgeous, and glad he found a good, caring home. I'm sorry I couldn't offer any information on how to cure his infection, but it is usually a humidity related issue. Mine have never gotten sick, but await replies from others who have rescued. Bless you for caring so deeply for him.

[Susann]

I just posted a reply on this thread and think it would benefit you as well:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28111

And just for everyone's information, Dakota may be the most knowledgeable person on the BTS Enthusiast page on Facebook but not here; he used to answer every post which is why his post count is so high, but he just barely has two years of experience with correct BTS keeping. He may own several Halmaheras but has to my knowledge not treated any BTS with Mystery Illness.

[Susann]

I would raise temperatures to a warm side of around 100 degrees, especially if the substrate is wet. If substrate is wet I would make sure the cool side is no lower than 80. Cold or cool and wet is your enemy if you are dealing with an R.I. Actually, even warm or hot and wet can be bad if you truly are dealing with an R.I., but if there's question whether it's R.I. or M.I. then it becomes a trickier issue. You may need to see an Exotic vet with reptile experience to get a better answer.
But this may be why the rescue is telling you to lower your humidity; most reptiles are susceptible to R.I's if conditions are too wet, especially if your temps are too low at the same time.

[kl]

Dr. Scott Stahl is one of the better known reptile vets and he's in your states. He is in Fairfax, VA.

KL

[hightoli]

Thanks for the replies, all. I really appreciate it. Ganymeade seems to be on the mend. His nose and eye have cleared up and he continues to eat and poop (never stopped thankfully) normally.

I am happy to finally have a BTS after years of waiting. It is nice to know that there is a community of experienced people out there to assist with questions. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent on this forum searching keywords and looking back at old responses. These are very nice resources. Thanks again, fellow Bluey lovers!