Please Help! Mountain Horned Dragon Eye Problems!

[sydneyd143]

I have had my mountain horned dragon, Creole, for approximately 5 months. He lives in a 29 gallon glass tank with a hammock, branches, and a water bowl. He is offered earth worms every 1-2 days and, along with having a humidifier, is misted down at least once per day. Just over a month ago I noticed a liquid filled pocket above his eye and I thought it was a piece of stuck shed. As I gave him a bath and attempted to loosen it it popped and a clear liquid came out. I was shocked, but he seemed to be in no pain and ate perfectly. Another one appeared but it was much smaller and by the next morning it was gone. A few weeks ago I noticed some white, very small, build up just underneath his eyelid. This was no hindrance to his so I assumed it was calcium and gently wiped it away with a q-tip. Soon, though it stayed the same size, appeared to be preventing him from opening his eye. After letting him sit in a bath and wiping it away with a q-tip every time it occurred his eye would always open back up. Today I found him with one eye swollen shut and the other unable to open due to this build up. Along with this his breathing is very raspy and and leaves it sitting open after making a popping noise. He is able to walk and one eye is slowly opening. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!

[Veronica]

You need a vet. I know it's hard to find one at them moment, but most vets are taking emergency cases, and this is an emergency. Call around until you can find one

[sydneyd143]

Thank you, we assumed that this would not be an at home fix so we made an appointment for Monday since our local exotic vet is closed today. Is there anything that you know of that we can do at home until the appointment?

[chairman]

Hope everything works out at the vet tomorrow. There isn't much first aid that can be done for eye issues. One thing to have the vet look for is a botfly infection, the issue and its progression sounds like it could be that.

One thing you can do is make sure your husbandry is on point for your lizard's recovery.

If you are using a compact fluorescent lightbulb to provide UVB then that can cause eye issues (though I'm not sure if those issues include infections). Tube bulbs provide a safer source of UVB.

You didn't mention what you're using for the basking spot. The dragons prefer lower temperatures, but still need a basking spot between 85 and 95 degrees (surface temperature, as measured with a non-contact thermometer). The trick is providing this spot while keeping the rest of the enclosure cool enough to keep the lizard comfortable. I bet a 40 watt flood bulb would work.

Also, the minimum enclosure size for most lizards is 1.5x body length for width and 3x body length for length. For a lizard that hits 12 inches like a mountain horned dragon, that would be a 18" x 36" at a minimum. Bigger is usually better. You should probably look for a larger enclosure for your lizard.

[sydneyd143]

Thank you for helping out! His basking spot is at the temperature recommended, but I had never heard about the compact vs tube light issue. I will be sure to talk to the vet about it to figure out what is best for Creole. As for the tank size, we were actually planning on upgrading him soon, so it is nice to have confirmation. His eye condition seems to be improving and we have our appointment soon. Thank you all!

[chairman]

The coil style UVB lights can cause conjunctivitis. The manufacturers place a coating on the inside of the glass that helps convert the light produced into visible light, UVA, and UVB, while blocking most UVC. The theory runs that the shape of the coil bulb interferes with the proper application of the coating, allowing UVC to escape in unhealthy concentrations, contributing to conjunctivitis. It doesn't sound like your issue, but it is a known issue (unless they happen to have fixed it in the last couple years).

[chairman]

How did the vet visit go?