My uromastyx died this morning

[Tortus]

I noticed a few days ago it developed a lump on its side. The nearest reptile vet is 2 hours away and I was going to make an appointment, but I think it was too late anyway.

This morning it was out before the light was on, which is unusual. It then began to act like it was vomiting and I saw some blood on its mouth. A couple hours later, it died with its mouth open, apparently suffocating on blood. It had lumps all over its abdomen by then.

Any idea what could have caused this? It was hard seeing it suffer during its final moments of life. It sort of looked at me like it wanted help, even getting up on the food dish before it died which it had never done before. But there was nothing I could do.

 

[KTyne]

What type of substrate did you keep it on? Could have been impaction or an infection caused by impaction. That's my first thought.

 

[Floof]

Oh, poor baby. I'm so sorry for your loss.

If you put him in the fridge (NOT the freezer) shortly after death, then you could take him in to have a necropsy done.. It's about the only way you're going to be able to get any real answers on what caused this. It's a good idea, too, in case whatever it was was something contagious... Not that it sounds like it was, but better safe than sorry.

 

[Tortus]

Well I've had him in fine ground walnut shells for the past 10 years. I've since learned that it may not be the best substrate, but it has always done well on this. It was always healthy and eating like a horse. Until this.

I'm not really sure if walnut shells would have caused that growth. I'm thinking it was a tumor and it may have had lung cancer, causing it to cough up blood. Unfortunately I buried it along a nature trail this morning and I'd never be able to find it again (I camouflaged it with pine needles under a tree...no way I could find it).

I'm hoping it's nothing contagious since I have a small leopard tortoise now.

 

[Yvonne G]

No, probably not. They sometimes cause impaction, but I doubt they'd cause tumors.

 

[Floof]

Walnut shells can definitely cause impaction; in fact, it's considered one of the worst substrate choices in that respect. But, I agree, if he had growths (and not just lumps in the abdomen that could be attributed to an impacted intestine), then it probably wasn't a result of the walnut shell. Impaction also seems to affect appetite when it occurs, at least from all that I've read (haven't had the misfortune of experiencing it personally), which it sounds like this didn't.

Again, I'm so very sorry for your loss. I lost my beardie last month and cried like a baby.. Never easy to loose a beloved pet.

 

[wellington]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Tortus]

I should have at least snapped a picture before I took it to the woods. The lump was on its right side on the lung area. I can only assume it was malignant. On the final day it appeared to have other lumps around the belly. Not sure what this could have been. My roommate asked me that morning if I fed it something red, and I said no. It was blood. The breathing was really labored. I'm fairly sure it wasn't impacted. It's always done its business regularly.

Sorry to hear about your dragon, floof. I had two that I raised from hatchlings also on walnut shells (again, I didn't know they were bad at the time), and they did perfectly fine. Talon and Claw. Talon was docile as can be, but Claw was a firecracker. I had them for around 8 years and sold them to someone at a pet shop who wanted adults for breeding (someone I met at the shop, not the owner). I went to their house and saw an amazing set-up, so I felt good about their new home.

 

[DrewsLife727]

Sry for the loss

 

[Tortus]

Just to add, I only sold my dragons because I had too many animals at the time and didn't feel like I could provide a bigger enclosure. They were in a 75 gallon tank but they were large. The new owners had a really big enclosure that looked like a desert and I think they're better off now.

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

R.I.P little guy. So sorry

 

[animalfreak]

Aww I'm so sorry! At least he's not suffering anymore, I've had 3 beardies die on me for no apparent reason... It's hard! I'm so sorry