Common health problems in pet reptiles and amphibians: causes, signs and prevention

Common health problems in pet reptiles and amphibians: causes, signs and prevention

First confirm which animal you are dealing with. The same disease name is handled differently in different species, and copying what is done for another species can do harm. This article is compiled from the reptiles and amphibians chapter and the fish, aquarium and invertebrates chapter of the veterinary reference, with the source noted entry by entry.

Metabolic bone disease (MBD)

• Cause: Calcium deficiency, lack of UVB
• Signs: Softening and deformity of the shell or skeleton
• Work-up: Palpation, radiography
• Treatment direction: Calcium supplementation and UVB correction need veterinary assessment
• Prevention: Adequate UVB and a calcium-sufficient diet

Thermal burn

• Cause: Heating equipment without thermostatic protection, with the lizard resting directly against the heat source
• Signs: Burned and ulcerated skin
• Work-up: Visual examination
• Treatment direction: Wound management by a veterinarian
• Prevention: Pair heating equipment with a thermostat and a guard

Dysecdysis

• Cause: Insufficient humidity, with old skin retained especially on the toes and eyelids
• Signs: Rings of old skin constricting the toes, retained eyelid skin
• Work-up: Visual examination
• Treatment direction: A veterinarian softens and removes the retained skin; severe cases need treatment
• Prevention: Provide a humid hide

Dehydration

• Applies to: Spiders and scorpions
• Cause: Insufficient ambient humidity or water supply
• Signs: Visibly shrunken, sunken abdomen; sluggish movement of the legs
• Treatment direction (category only): Improve the water supply and humidity immediately
• Prevention: Check the water dish and ambient humidity regularly

Egg binding

• Cause: Females may produce infertile eggs even without mating
• Signs: Persistent digging without producing eggs
• Work-up: Palpation, radiography
• Treatment direction: An emergency; seek veterinary care immediately
• Prevention: Provide a laying site, schedule regular health checks

Endoparasitism

• Cause: Poor environmental hygiene, wild-caught individuals
• Signs: Weight loss, reduced activity
• Work-up: Faecal microscopy
• Treatment direction: Antiparasitic drugs require a prescription
• Prevention: Quarantine, regular faecal examination

Internal parasite infection

• Cause: Wild-caught individuals or poor environmental hygiene
• Signs: Weight loss, abnormal faeces
• Work-up: Faecal microscopy
• Treatment direction: Antiparasitic drugs require a prescription
• Prevention: Quarantine, regular faecal examination

Gout

• Cause: Dehydration, high-protein diet
• Signs: Joint swelling
• Work-up: Blood tests
• Treatment direction: Needs veterinary management
• Prevention: An adequate drinking-water system, a correct diet

Obesity and hepatic lipidosis

• Cause: Common in horned frogs; long-term overfeeding
• Signs: Marked obesity, reduced activity
• Work-up: Blood biochemistry
• Treatment direction: Dietary adjustment plus drugs that require a prescription
• Prevention: Control feeding frequency and portion size

Obesity

• Cause: Overfeeding with oversized prey
• Signs: Rounded body condition, reduced activity
• Work-up: Weight tracking, body condition scoring
• Treatment direction: Adjust feeding frequency and prey size
• Prevention: Control the amount fed according to body size

Limits of this content

This article brings together several entries on the same species from the veterinary reference: 10 entries and 10 source anchors in total (see the evidence chain). The sources listed at the end are the authoritative references cited by the chapters covered here; the mapping is chapter-level and does not mean that every sentence traces back to a particular listed source. This content is for education and does not replace diagnosis and prescription by a practising veterinarian; in an emergency, seek veterinary care immediately. Sources are noted entry by entry from the reference corpus (see the evidence chain at the end); it has not been clinically reviewed by a named veterinarian.