Wonky Gippsland Water Dragon

[Naga_Kanya]

Being some sort of nexus for abandoned and unwanted animals, I have recently (last week!) come into possession of a juvenile Gippsland Water Dragon who was given to me because she seems to have some sort of balance issue that makes her unable to swim. She was going to be euthanised by the breeder because of this, but was saved at the last moment. When she's in water she thrashes about and ***** upside-down. She also has a little head-wobble when she moves which I am told isn't normal. I've never kept water dragons before, so I don't know heaps about the intricacies of their movement/habits. She doesn't seem to have any trouble climbing or sitting on vines/branches. She does sleep incredibly deeply - so much so that she's given me a scare a couple of times as I've managed to pick her up gently, hold her for a while and even turn her over a couple of times before she wakes. When she does, she's very lively. She sleeps on land and in her water dish (a large glass casserole dish which she can only just submerge herself in, and which has a vine in it to make it easy for her to grab something if she becomes disoriented). She fed well at her previous place and appears to be feeding well for me on crickets and fruit/vegies. At the moment because she's small (and only just arrived with no warning) she's in a glass Exo-Terra tank that seems fine for her size now - she can run a bit and climb. I know they grow huge and plan to house her outdoors when she's older.

I guess I just want to ask if anyone has come across this sort of thing before, and if so, is there anything that good care/feeding can do to help her get over it? If she's stuck with not being able to swim that's no problem. I don't intend to breed from her because of her 'flaw', but would eventually like to get her a friend of the same sex (she's young and I'm not sure how to sex a juvenile lizard; the lady I got her from thought she may be female but wasn't sure) so she's not lonely. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[KaotikJezta]

I don't know if it is the same dragon but I was offered a dragon with the exact same symptoms by the breeder when I purchased my gippies. She most certainly was never going to put it down, she was going to keep it if no-one took it. Last time I spoke to her she was very happy she had found a loving home for it so if it is the same dragon she will be disappointed to learn it has again been passed on. Could be a different one but seeing as we are both in Melbourne it seems likely it is the same one. As the rest of the clutch had no problems she assumed it was an incubation problem and didn't feel it would be transmitted to her offspring. This lady has been breeding for a very long time, probably longer than we've been alive and she said she had not encountered it before.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I have eastern water dragons, when they are turned upside down ie on their back, they lay completely still as if in a trance.
It is a great way to calm them down if you have to handle them when they are hyperactive I used to do the same with wild Jackie lizards we had around home as a kid

 

[KaotikJezta]

They can't breath properly when they are on their backs, not a good idea.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Im sure they can survive 60seconds without a regular breath while they are transferred to a click clack so the enclosure can be cleaned

 

[Naga_Kanya]

I don't know if it is the same dragon ...

That's strange. I can only think it must be a different breeder. The person I got her from only passed her on because her circumstances had changed, but it sounds like a different story. Nevertheless, Lizard (who doesn't have a name yet) has a good home now. I wonder how many Gippy breeders there are in Melbs?

ON a completely different note, is the swear-filter here so sensitive that it has asterisked out the word f l i p s? Dunno what kids are using that words for now, but last I checked it weren't cussing.