New Water Dragon

Question
Hi,

I would just like to ask you for some advice if possible.  My husband and I recently purchased a water dragon (2 days ago) from a reptile centre.  We bought her everything they recommended and she is in a 4ft tank.  She was a breeding female and is now 4 years old so they are retiring her and just wanted her to go to a loving home, so we got her.  Since she arrived she hasn't really moved a lot but we understand that is because she is scared of us and she is stressed by being moved to a new environment. We left her for a couple of hours and then put 2 crickets in her tank, one climbed on her and when it got to her head she ate it, the other is still roaming around happy as larry.  We've also put mealworms in for her which she shows no interest in.  The main reason for my email to you is because we put a hopper in for her and it ate one of her little white horns on the side of her neck which caused her to bleed.  We immediately took it out and put her back in her tank.  Could this cause her to get an infection and is there anything we could do to help her, obviously we will not be buying these for her again.

We would really appreciate your advice as we would like her to be as happy as possible in her new home.

Many thanks

Sharleen

Answer
Hello Sharleen,

Keep the enclosure and her water clean to prevent bacteria from getting inside.

You can use a very small amount of anti-bacterial ointment on the area to prevent infection.

BE SURE IT HAS ----NO---- PAIN RELIEVER. Anti-bacterial ointment with pain reliever can cause medical issues in reptiles.

If it doesnt start healing soon, then you may want to call a veterinarian and see what they advise.

Good luck
Yexalen