Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

miffikins

I went to feed and she was happily chasing and catching crickets. She seemed to get a bit of mud in her mouth when she got one she seemed to get it out but I just thought I would check on her to be sure it wasn't stuck, picked her up put her on my hand and she started shaking, in the fashion of an epileptic fit with her tongue out. After about 10 seconds she stopped and was kind of contorted before relaxing and that was it.

I'm absolutley devastated, I feel so responsible because it feels like it happened because I picked her up. She was only 4 months old, about 8 inches, so she obviously was only handled when neccessary, when her viv was being cleaned and when she had stuck shed on her toes we would put her a cricket tub with damp kitchen roll.

I jus wondered if anyone has any idea why this happened?? I am so unbelievably gutted and I'm kicking myself for picking her up. This is the 2nd lizard I've lost in the last month and I'm now wondering whether I should even bother

Cheers

Kate

kroakykaren · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:26 pm Post subject:

Kate thats really sad news, i am so sorry. I dont know why it happened but i am sure somebody may have an explanation for you.
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lol93 · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:03 am Post subject:

Kate, it might be worth getting a vet to do a postmortem for you. That would hopefully give some indication as to what the problem was.

I am so sorry for your loss. Crying or Very sad

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MJ · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:11 am Post subject:

I'm not sure if this happens in monitors but in dart frogs lack of good nutrition causes spasms and spontaneous death.
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Paul

For all your Tropical plant and Naturalistic Vivarium needs please enjoy Urban Bromeliad

Rick_Albig · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:05 am Post subject:

Very sorry to hear that Kate, i have not heard of anything like this before, sorry. As lol93 said, maybe a postmortem would give you a better idea?

Where there any other symptoms? Anything at all out of the ordinary?

Sorry for your loss,

Rick

miffikins · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:59 am Post subject:

Other than that she was fine, a few minutes before she was running around after crickets. Her crickets and hoppers got dusted with calcium and nutrabol.
I just keep thinking if I hadn't picked her up would it not have happened, but then she had some shed stuck on her toes so I was going to soak her later on so would it have happened then anyway?? Maybe the stress of being picked up triggered something.

I'm not sure the vet will do a PM with her being so small, I might ring today and find out.

Thanks guys Crying or Very sad

MJ · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:55 pm Post subject:

I've had PM on frogs done so an Ackie shouldn't be a problem.

Sorry for the loss and I hope you find out what it was.
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Paul

For all your Tropical plant and Naturalistic Vivarium needs please enjoy Urban Bromeliad

miffikins · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject:

Thanks MJ, i will give them a ring. The vet I use is a zoo vet so hopfully he will be able to shed some light on it.

I would feel much better knowing what happened to her, even if it was something I did wrong, which I hope it isn't, I will know for future reference. I think with the 'fitting' it may have been something neural.

I predict nasty flashbacks for sometime Crying or Very sad

Thanks for the kind words

Kate

mark_w · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:55 pm Post subject:

I've heard of something similar happening when young lizards (esp. beardies) take on crickets that are too large. Can't remember the details, but I think its something to do with pressure on the spinal or sciatic nerve as the prey passes through the gut. I've seen baby beardies swallow a large cricket and go into spasm, but they have recovered...

I suspect that it was coincidence that you picked it up at the time...

Mark.

miffikins · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:09 pm Post subject:

She was on small brown crickets which she has always had no problem with, but then it only has to happen once I guess. I hope so much it was coincidence that I picked her up.

Her spine seemed to almost bend into a weird shape before she relaxed. I just really hope she wasn't in pain for long Crying or Very sad