Blue tongues wont open his eyes

[aussie1]

Hello Everyone,

I got a blue tongue of a relative this evening. And It wont open its eyes, this is one of the reasons i took the lizard.

I have cleaned around its eyelids and removed a lot of that red dessert sand from around the eye however it still wont open its eyes.

Priot to tonight my relative was keeping there blue tongues in an enclosure with the very fine powdery red dessert sand. Is it possible this fine sand has got into both its eyes??

Any ideas on what could be wrong with the eyes.

I dont keep blue tongues so i need some advice.

Regards

 

[RedEyeGirl]

sorry 2 here that mate.Just give it a few more minutes and someone will post with advice.Hope you find the solution.!!!!!!

 

[aussie1]

anyone?

 

[mysnakesau]

Not much you can do but keep on bathing them every couple days. I had a wild blue tongue in care after being bitten by a dog. His eyes were sealed closed for weeks, and it was only after shed he showed any more improvement. 1 eye opened up with 2 weeks, the other stayed closed for 6 weeks. Then he still kept closing them often - I can't be 100% certain but could be a sign of depression. I believe it was in my lizard's case. After his wounds healed he laid low and didn't open his eyes unless he had to - like when I moved him.

Is he eating and drinking? If not, start getting some water into him via syringe and release the water sideways into his mouth so you don't choke him.

It is possible the sand has gotten in and scratched his eyes. Its hard to say for sure.

 

[dragon lady]

the red dirt has probably scratched his eyeballs...
by keeping them shut..its slowly naturally healing himself

you could gently mist with luke warm water....letting the water run downwards

but i say a ointment from the vet would be needed....
maybe FRAMIXIN H...
ide see vet

 

[aussie1]

Thanks for your help everyone, turns out it was sand and the dreaded mite in his / her eyes.

I have bathed him / her as well and the eyes are now a tiny bit open.

Anyone know how long it will take for them to heal completely??

I am guessing he will make a full recovery or is it possible he will be permantly damaged in the eyes??

 

[cracksinthepitch]

Dont be afraid to give a daily misting just to help with the gradual shedding and also it will lick its face to have a drink. Keep the temp up a bit for this time of year and provide some food to keep it in good health. Is it an Eastern Bluey or other. Easterns live in fairly cold climates like here in Melb but the will hide away(hibernate?) at this time of year so if its an eastern keep the temps say to 30 to make it remain active and allow its food to digest properly. At this temp make sure you mist lightly a couple times a day and provide a nice water bowl. If you can check the back end for further mite evidence as ive found they tend to hide under the scales in that area. if you are able catch them with tweezers very carefully and Squish. A can of callingtons or the like will solve that problem for you. Good Luck

 

[Jason.G]

This may not be what's wrong with your blue tongue but its worth the read, click on the link.
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor-info.htm#help

 

[aussie1]

Well he appeared to be getting better however in the last 2 days stopped eating and i went out to find him dead today.

I have no idea in the end what killed him although i think more than likely although he had mites this is not what killed him in the end, he probably had an underlying condition.

Anyone have any thoughts??

I will not disinfect the temp enclosure i had him in to be on the safe side.

 

[hodges]

My theory is that he may have swallowed some of the red dessert sand to cause impaction ?, i may be wrong tho just a guess .

 

[antaresia_boy]

hodges, what with the smilie? the thing died, it didnt come back from the dead.

 

[aussie1]

Its ok guys,

It wasnt my lizard i was just trying to help it but sometimes you cant.

It was a relatives of mine.

 

[wood_nymph]

if the mite infection was really bad or very long term the stress of them feeding off him can kill, but he/she would have probably have gotten steadily thinner if this was the case. if he hadn't pooped in a while i would guess impaction from swallowing the desert sand he was housed on. if the eyes were badly infected the infection may have gotten into the blood stream and gone septic? either way i would say it was caused by environmental factors so unless other animals are living in the same condtions he was there's not much danger of a viral infection spreading in yours or your relatives collection.

 

[aussie1]

He was very thin you could see the back hip bones.

People piss me off who dont look after there animals!!!

 

[hodges]

He was very thin you could see the back hip bones.

People piss me off who dont look after there animals!!!

Yes id have to say impaction, do you know what he was feeding on ? excessive amounts of mince can also cause impaction i believe.

 

[aussie1]

No way would i ever let my animals get sick and not treat them.

Plus

I would never have used dessert sand for eastern blue tongues to house them in
And i would never have left mite gone unattended

Well at least i tried to do the right thing.
This time it failed

 

[Dipcdame]

Sory to hear your sad news Aussie............. RIP little one

 

[aussie1]

To be honest i am certain his diet would have been poor.

And mince would have been the staple knowing the owner.

 

[cracksinthepitch]

That is sad news.Unfortunately they sell them in Vic with no license requirred so people can impulse buy them when they have no idea how to look after them.