AboutThea Expertise I can answer questions on the proper husbandry and diet of Iguanas, bearded dragons, geckoes, skinks, chameleons, tortoises, box turtles, treefrogs, non-venomous snakes and tarantulas. Also the breeding of some species of feeder insects.
I have no experience with venonmous snakes and only limited experience with aquatic turtles.
Experience I have been keeping and breeding reptiles for over 30 years. In addition to my regular job in the medical field I also worked for several years in a pet store that specialized only in exotics. The job entailed both caring for and answering questions on innumerable species. It required constant, extensive research into a wide range of reptiles. I have been called to appear on televised national media (CBC, CTV and Life Channel) as well as CBC radio to discuss the proper care of reptiles and other exotics in captivity. I currently own one or more species of those listed under my expertise with the exception of chameleons. I owned chameleons for years but keep none currently. I keep over 20 snakes comprising 5 species, both Colubridae and Boidae. I bred corn snakes for several years. I have a particular interest in treefrogs and currently have 5 different species. I've raised redfoot tortoises for 10 years and have two iguanas, one for 12 years.
Publications A small and now defunct local magazine called "Pet Vue"
Education/Credentials Diagnostic medical microbiology with some parasitology experience.
yeah last night I put two globs of the yogurt/fruit mix on her hammock where she was laying, and when I returned both times she had eaten both piles completely. So that's a good sign. And this morning she's up hanging from her vines with her feet dangling like she used to do. So I'm hoping she's doing better. her back feet may look a little swollen but I'm not sure. At least her toes seem to of completely stopped twitching now. And I bought the cheaper non fat/sugar yogurt because it was about 20% calcium which I figured she needed. So I'm optimistic she's improving
ANSWER: Hi Dan, If the twitching has stopped then that means her blood calcium levels are improving, that's exactly what you are aiming for. That's great news.
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QUESTION: Awesome, yeah that's great news. Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it. Do you think she'll just take a while to get back to normal. Because she's still not eating any crickets as far as I can tell nor eating much fruit. And at night she hardly moves around much.
Answer Hi Dan, If there was skeletal involvement with some weakening of the bones then that will take a while longer to resolve. The body's first priority is the blood calcium level and when that is sufficient it will start moving calcium into the bones. Hunting and climbing puts a lot of stress on the skeleton. I hope that in the next couple weeks that you notice her moving and hunting more as her bone strength increases. You can also take a peek inside her mouth to assess her calcium levels. The calcium sacs on cresteds are the two white "bumps' at the back of the roof of the mouth. Cresteds are actually considered diurnal rather then nocturnal (not always as easy to tell with them.)
