Shingleback Help!!!

[reptilife]

I have an old Female Shingleback who appears to be unwell and I just want some advice, as we have no herp Vets here and the Vets here admit to knowing 'nothing' about reptiles!
I don't know how old she is, except that she is 'very mature', She lives outside in a huge enclosure with other Tiliqua species.
She appears to have lost weight... tail thinning, and a pronounced 'hump' running along the length of the spine. She seems flat and listless.
I found her asleep in some light rain the other day, when she would normally have headed for her box. I popped her in the box atop the straw, only to find her two days later in the same spot! She may have been happy there given the cooler days, but then she may have been too weak to move.
All the other inhabitants of the enclosure are doing well, by the way.

Any thoughts?

 

[Wallypod]

Sounds like mbd, are they getting enough uv and calcium?

 

[jack]

mbd? what an interesting diagnosis!?

how would you describe the look of the scales on the animal reptilife?

 

[hornet]

Sounds like mbd, are they getting enough uv and calcium?

i to am interested to know how you got mdb from what reptilife said, none of what he described even hints to mbd.

 

[reptilife]

Scales good. Been shedding fine. Shiny. Just listless and loss of weight.

She is in an outdoor enclosure which is at least partly in full sun all day.

I don't supplement with calcium. Never have. She gets a varied and inclusive diet.

Agreed Hornet. No signs of mbd.

Thanks for replies so far.

Maybe she is just getting old. If so, then ok.

I'd hate for her to be unwell and me do nothing about it!

 

[glassless_mind]

Have you tried worming her? Panacur is good for reptiles, just follow the directions on the back and give her the dose according to her weight.

Other than that I guess you may have to take her out of your local area to see a vet

 

[hornet]

Thats kind of what it sounds like to me with the loss of weight and becoming inactive and the fatc there are no signs of anything else sus going on. May just be her time

 

[beeman]

We have been keeping stumpies for over 25 years, this is basicly what happens to them at the end of their life. They just slowly fade and die.

 

[jack]

what i was thinking too beeman.
i asked you about the scales because in my limited experience with old ones outdoors they get dull as they approach the end

 

[beeman]

For the most part they do but we had an old male die a few year ago at the ripe old age of 18yo (one we bred) whose scale color didnt alter very much, he just faded in condition as usuall.

 

[Wallypod]

Just the lump and inactivity. My bad if I'm wrong

 

[Chris1]

oh, only 18 years, i read somewhere they lived till 50, been looking for info to confirm that tho.
so is the lump also an age thing? (as in did ur 18yr old male have that too Beeman?)

 

[hornet]

oh, only 18 years, i read somewhere they lived till 50, been looking for info to confirm that tho.
so is the lump also an age thing? (as in did ur 18yr old male have that too Beeman?)

by the sounds of it the "lump" would just be the spine becoming more obvious as the animal looses conditions

 

[Chris1]

ahh, good point,...

 

[reptilife]

by the sounds of it the "lump" would just be the spine becoming more obvious as the animal looses conditions

Yep. I think so too.

UPDATE....

Went to the Vet a couple of days ago and grabbed some antibiotics (broad spectrum Baytril) which I am injecting daily.
Hoping this may help the old chook but of course if it's a fungal respiratory infection, the Baytril will be of no use and there is little I can do. Guess now we just hope for the best.
Will try her today on her favorite.... pomegranate, and see if she can be tempted to eat.