egyptian uromastyx with URI

Question
QUESTION: hello, i purchased an egyptian uromastyx from a pet store about 2 weeks ago.  they gave me a warranty on him for 30 days which is the warranty they give for captive bred animals, although the pet store owner could not guarantee he was captive bred.  regardless, i have a mali uromastyx at home and i decided i could handle him and i put the egyptian in my 40 gallon tank with my mali.  

about 5 days after i had him i noticed he was breathing funny, and immediately knew it was an URI from the research i do. i was very concerned about both my lizards as a resultt, and took them to a vet the next day.  my mali checked out fine, even though he had been exposed to the egyptian, who the vet agreed had a minor URI.

devastated that i bought a sick lizard, yet bc i already am attached to it, i took antibiotics in the form of 10 syringes from the vet and been giving them to the egyptian every day.  i take excellent care of both of them and do lots of research about the habitat and diet, so i know that this is not bc of something i did or something i should change.

it has been over a week that ih ave been giving the egyptian the antibiotics, and he still has minor crackly breathing and today i saw him open mouth breathing.  he eats very normally, is extremely active, and shows no signs of illness or listlessness aside from the slight but evident crackly sound and that i saw him open mouth breathing today.

i am so attached to this lizard already but i feel that since i have been giving him antibiotics for a week he should be better now.  he seems so healthy otherwise i would be devastated to have to return him,and i feel like returning a sick lizard to a pet store is a death sentence.

please, any advice on what you would do in my postition from this point.

THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP

ANSWER: Hello Kim,

What type of tank setup are you using right now?  
What are the temps in the tank, & what are you using to measure them with?
For uro species, the basking temps should be 125-130 & the cooler area around 78-82 with a temperature gradient of 85 or so.  They need to be able to thermoregulate when necessary.  It also needs to be very dry for them, also.  They don't need baths, or to be misted.  The humidity should be relatively low, under 25% for them to decrease the incidences of respiratory infections.  He most likely was not kept in optimal conditions at the petstore.
What antibiotic was he given, & what was the dosage given?  Do you know his weight?
I think though a 40 gallon is too small for both uros, as they will eventually need more space as they grow.
Let me know how he is doing.  You will want to use a probiotic while he is on the meds though to help keep his GI tract in check during this time.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i understand the tank is small but for the time being i think it will be okay.  i intend to purchase a bigger tank within the next year or so.

my egyptian is 34 g and my mali is 80 g.  i have a uva/uvb light that sits on one side of the tank, and a basking heat spot lamp on the other side.  it is only 3 inches high so it has alot of floor space, and there is definitely a temperature gradient bc i have several places for them to hide under and cool down.  i do not measure the heat because the guy at the pet store said that wasn't going to be necessary with the setup i have, and my mali has thrived under these conditions, so i do not believe my setup is what is responsible for my egyptians uri.

the bag that the vet gave me said batnyl injections, and it was a VERY small dose.  what is a probiotic?  i know he has been, well, pooping very regularly.  i didn't know how else to put that, lol.  

he seems to be doing very well i am just nervous because i saw the open mouth breathing again yesterday.  i watch them ALL the time and that was the first time i saw him doing it since i brought him to the vet a week ago.

do you think i should just return him to the pet store? should i bring him back to the vet for a check up? more antibiotics? special food? i am so attached i just want him to be okay.

ANSWER: Hello Kim,

You will need to adjust the heating & lighting a bit.  The UVB light, what brand & what type is it?  Is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?  The basking light needs to be directly beside the UVB light in order to protect his eyes.  
I disagree with not measuring the heating.  This is very important when working with high heating.  You need to measure the temps with a digital probe or a temp gun.  You can't just guess at it, because the temps of Uros need to be between 120-130 for basking & then another cooler gradient of 78-82 or so, as well, as a few other gradients surrounding the basking spot.  
What is only 3 inches high, your basking light, or your enclosure?  If your enclosure is only 3 inches high then the basking light is too close to him & he could be getting overheated by being too close to the light.  Can you post a picture of your tank for me?  How many inches away are the lights from your Uros?
Baytril is the recommended drug for respiratory infections.  I hope that he dosed him according to his weight.  
He most likely does not need anymore antibiotics.  You should get some probiotics, though.  They are products that help restore the gut flora in the GI tract when they are destroyed by antibiotics.  
Try to make the lighting & heating adjustments & get your temps measured before deciding to just return him.  It could be something as simple as the lighting or heating.  

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: both lights are solar glo lights. one is a sun stimulating lamp 125 W daylight (uva/uvb), and the other is a sunglo 150 W Tight beam basking spot lamp.  on the box it says exo-terra is the brand name as well.  

i will take ur advice and start measuring my temps asap.  you think i need to put the basking lamp beside the uvb/uva lamp? because the whole purpose of the second lamp (the basking lamp) was because the tank was too long and the 1 light was not heating up both sides of the cage.  is the basking lamp a risk? should i lose it all together? or get a different bulb?

do i need to get probiotics from the vet?  thank you so much for your help. he is doing so well except hes still sounds like hes got some clicky breathing which worries me but other than that he eats and is extremely active and i'd hate to have to give him back

Answer
Hello Kim,
GREAT, the Solar Glo is a Mercury vapor bulb & a decent bulb with good UVB output.  At 125watts, it should be at 12 inches minimum away from them at the basking spot.  The Sun Glo is the basking light, so that is fine.  
I am used to people using a flourescent tube light with a basking light.  
So no the way you have them setup is fine then, since the Solar Glo is UVB & heat, & the basking is just heat.  That sounds fine.  
The only thing you need to do is to get a temp gauge.  The Solar Glo may get the basking hot enough but am not sure.  You just need to make sure that you have a focused basking spot of 120-130 & then it doesn't have to be as hot in other areas, so a temp gun would be a good idea.
If he is still clicking or popping when breathing, he still has some respiratory issues.  It is most likely caused by either too much humidity or improper temps.  What is the humidity, do you know?
You can get probiotics from online.  
Use either acidophiliz, which you can get from:
www.reptilesupply.com
Or benebac which you can get from either a petstore in the cat or bird section or from  reptile supply (above link)
Or nutribac you can get from:
www.reptileuv.com

There is a product that helps with respiratory issues, if you want to try that, here is a link to where you can purchase it.  It is just powder so you can sprinkle it on the food, daily.  Here is a link for it:
http://www.calvetsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1240

You could try that to see if it may help out, & it is less harsh on their system since it is all natural & not a medicine.  

What types of foods do you feed them?
Keep me posted on him.

Tracie