DoctorPotterWho
Active Member
eHi, everyone!
We have an 8 month old Red Foot named Flash. We got Flash from a reptile show a little over 2 months ago (if not longer). He weighs 60 grams. For the first couple months of having Flash he had a voracious appetite. A little over 2 weeks ago I noticed that Flash wasn't eating as much as he had. I figured maybe it wasn't getting hot enough in his enclosure - 23 x 18 and 12 inches height Zoomed tank with a screen top and doors that open in the front (adding a picture and a link to the picture on my facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...12285381439.2001939.1054147616&type=3&theater
As you can see from the picture the heat light and uvb light Is set up on the left side of tank. The water is close to that side as well. On the right side of the tank is where I keep the food dish (outside with him at the moment) and his hide hut (outside with him at the moment too). I also keep the temp and humidity gage on the right side (colder side of the tank). When we first got him we were running a 50 watt day light bulb for heat and I can not remember the UVB one (but he gets outside time). The humidity wasn't maintaining because of the top of the enclosure being screen so my husband decided to place some cellophane over the top of the screen. This kept the humidity around 70 to 80%. The temp, on the cool side stayed around 70 degrees, sometimes a little higher. Some days Flash would stay under his light for most of the day, so I figured it wasn't hot enough. We went to a local pet store and purchased a 100 watt day bulb and that got the temp on the cool side to stay around 85 degrees and sometimes higher.
Fast forward to the past week when Flash started blowing bubbles from his nose. I immediately took the cellophane off of the tank thinking the humidity was too high. I also took him into the vet and let her know about his appetite going away, the bubbles and the tank conditions. She agreed it was most likely the cellophane and humidity being too high that caused it. She first placed him on Ampiciilan to be injected once a day. We tried doing this at home and failed so she changed it to Amikacin 0.2ml mixed with 10ml of sterile saline and then nebulized in a 10 gallon chamber constructed from a 10 gallon Tupperware container with a hole drilled in it for the nebulizer tube to be inserted. He stays in the chamber for 30 minutes twice a day for 5 days. I took him to the vet after 3 days of nebulizing because he is still not eating and he now has fluid draining from his nose and mouth. I also let her know that the 30 minute treatment is not using all of the mixed solution and it's leaving about 1/2 of it. She changed the solution to the 0.2ml Amikacin with only 5ml sterile saline for 30 minutes twice a day. She also gave me critical care to mix with water and try to give him a drop of the mixed food about 4 times a day. This has proven to be very difficult because I cannot force his mouth open. I have to try to wait for his mouth to open and then put a drop in, which I've only managed twice in 2 days. She told me to bring him in Wednesday for a G.I. tube if he isn't getting his appetite back. He still is not eating and isn't drinking water now. I am soaking him once a day in warm water for close to 20 minutes.
Today I checked the temperature under the basking light by placing a book on the area and putting the temp and humidity gauge (they are connected) on top of the book. With the 100 watt light it got to 120 degrees F. I immediately swapped it out for the 50 watt light and waited until the gauge went back down then placed it on top of the book. The temp read 110 degrees. I am now concerned that he is getting too hot. Even the vet was wondering if he was burning himself because he has a white mark on the top of his head. Should I be using a different watt or light all together? I have it sitting right on top of his tank, but I can hang it a little higher if needed.
We are in the process of setting an 8 foot by 4 foot outside enclose for him so he won't have to be inside. We are in south west area of Florida.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this little guy is a member of our family and I want to get him better.
Thank you!
Candi
We have an 8 month old Red Foot named Flash. We got Flash from a reptile show a little over 2 months ago (if not longer). He weighs 60 grams. For the first couple months of having Flash he had a voracious appetite. A little over 2 weeks ago I noticed that Flash wasn't eating as much as he had. I figured maybe it wasn't getting hot enough in his enclosure - 23 x 18 and 12 inches height Zoomed tank with a screen top and doors that open in the front (adding a picture and a link to the picture on my facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...12285381439.2001939.1054147616&type=3&theater
As you can see from the picture the heat light and uvb light Is set up on the left side of tank. The water is close to that side as well. On the right side of the tank is where I keep the food dish (outside with him at the moment) and his hide hut (outside with him at the moment too). I also keep the temp and humidity gage on the right side (colder side of the tank). When we first got him we were running a 50 watt day light bulb for heat and I can not remember the UVB one (but he gets outside time). The humidity wasn't maintaining because of the top of the enclosure being screen so my husband decided to place some cellophane over the top of the screen. This kept the humidity around 70 to 80%. The temp, on the cool side stayed around 70 degrees, sometimes a little higher. Some days Flash would stay under his light for most of the day, so I figured it wasn't hot enough. We went to a local pet store and purchased a 100 watt day bulb and that got the temp on the cool side to stay around 85 degrees and sometimes higher.
Fast forward to the past week when Flash started blowing bubbles from his nose. I immediately took the cellophane off of the tank thinking the humidity was too high. I also took him into the vet and let her know about his appetite going away, the bubbles and the tank conditions. She agreed it was most likely the cellophane and humidity being too high that caused it. She first placed him on Ampiciilan to be injected once a day. We tried doing this at home and failed so she changed it to Amikacin 0.2ml mixed with 10ml of sterile saline and then nebulized in a 10 gallon chamber constructed from a 10 gallon Tupperware container with a hole drilled in it for the nebulizer tube to be inserted. He stays in the chamber for 30 minutes twice a day for 5 days. I took him to the vet after 3 days of nebulizing because he is still not eating and he now has fluid draining from his nose and mouth. I also let her know that the 30 minute treatment is not using all of the mixed solution and it's leaving about 1/2 of it. She changed the solution to the 0.2ml Amikacin with only 5ml sterile saline for 30 minutes twice a day. She also gave me critical care to mix with water and try to give him a drop of the mixed food about 4 times a day. This has proven to be very difficult because I cannot force his mouth open. I have to try to wait for his mouth to open and then put a drop in, which I've only managed twice in 2 days. She told me to bring him in Wednesday for a G.I. tube if he isn't getting his appetite back. He still is not eating and isn't drinking water now. I am soaking him once a day in warm water for close to 20 minutes.
Today I checked the temperature under the basking light by placing a book on the area and putting the temp and humidity gauge (they are connected) on top of the book. With the 100 watt light it got to 120 degrees F. I immediately swapped it out for the 50 watt light and waited until the gauge went back down then placed it on top of the book. The temp read 110 degrees. I am now concerned that he is getting too hot. Even the vet was wondering if he was burning himself because he has a white mark on the top of his head. Should I be using a different watt or light all together? I have it sitting right on top of his tank, but I can hang it a little higher if needed.
We are in the process of setting an 8 foot by 4 foot outside enclose for him so he won't have to be inside. We are in south west area of Florida.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this little guy is a member of our family and I want to get him better.
Thank you!
Candi
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