There is a white crust forming on my leopard lizards nostrils. I have wiped it off with a cotton wool bud but it keeps re-forming. Has anyone got any idea what it mite be and if so how do i cure it?
He's doing fine, very active, veracious appetite, It looks like very fine grains of salt/sugar forming a circle around the rim of his nostrils, it first appeared about 2 days ago. He lives in an Exo-terra terrarium, Heat at about 31 degrees c , 88-89 degrees f. Humidity at 32%
A picture would definately help. What is the substrate? Does it seem to be affecting him in any way? Nasal discharge can be a sign of a respiratory infection, in which case its better to catch these as early as possible, and contact your local herp vet specialist (www.herpvetconnection.com has a good list of these.) Hope this helps, oh, and welcome to the forums!
He said that the terrarium is at 32% humidity. Since leos are desert lizards, shouldn't there be no humidity? Other than a humid hide, i'm pretty sure you shouldn't keep the tank humid that's why there could be respiratory problems.
Thanks for the advice. i've attached a couple of pictures (hopefully), I don't keep the tank humid, thats the way it has settled. I feed him on live crickets and grass hoppers and only put water in his terrarium once a week for half a day as advised on several web sites and in a couple of books.
Hi, I dont think you have anything to worry about here. From the picture it looks like "snalt" (snot and salt). Have you noticed him sneeze at all and spray out this snalt, they usually do it over the glass so easy to see. Leopard lizards live in similar enviroment to Uromastyx, dry arid desert type habitat. You say you feed him crickets and grasshoppers (locust). What do you gutload them with ?, if you are using greens or veg etc, they may be containing a lot of salt and this is getting into his system and the only way to rid himself of the excess is to sneeze it out. This is perfectly normal, same as a uro. Try gutloading the insects with dry food such as dog-food, fish flakes, cereals and gutload mix. For water use a small dish with a sponge in it so as not to create a damp atmosphere for the insects. The humidity is ok, it's hard to get it low but 32% is fine. I think a change in insect diet will reduce it. Just like to add, you have a very nice looking lizard there, looks good and healthy.
Thanks for that Bruno, i feel a little less anxious now.His food is shop brought, we get them in a small plastic tub.There is dry food in with them already, He appears to be very healthy although he was very thin when we brought him, We were going to call him Speedy Gonzales when we first got him because he doesnt stop running around his terrarium when we feed him until every cricket is eaten.
Hi, The fact he's running round and eating everything in sight is a good sign he's OK. A sick lizard with respiratory or other problems would normally be sluggish and hide a lot. My Uro does get this problem of snalt a lot as he's a strict veggie eater. Often see him rubbing his head/nose etc of rocks to remove it, if it builds up too much, I use a wet cotton-bud and help him out. If you see any change in his behaviour, eat habits, then that it the time to consider a vet trip. I am now convinced it's this "snalt" and not serious.
Definately keep an eye out for RI symptoms though. I have been reading a few articles from science direct and while i know your lizard is not producing any of these, but may be an idea to keep an eye open for any breathing difficulties, mouth being held open while breathing, wheezes or other unusual sounds while breathing further discharge from the mouth and/or nose, lethargy, loss of appetite and weight loss. The cases i have read in the past seem to confirm that the only lizards to have been tested for salt discharge from the nose (which contains sodium potassium chloride and bicarbonate) are species of iguanas, uromastyx and chuckwallas. Leopard lizards arent so common so maybe they were not included for the study, but these tests seemed to show that it was mostly down to the herbivorous diet. Something like that anyway, it was a while ago i read them. Anyway, a leopard lizard has a carnivorous diet. And while your leopard lizard looks very healthy, i just wanted to point out its something to look out for in the future, regardless of what species you have Right theres my little wealth of information for the night, think its bed time soon!
Thanks for the advice everyone. It's been about a week since i first noticed the "snalt" and it seems a lot better today, He,s just eaten 8 crickets in under two minutes which is good. I'll ask at the shop where we buy his food from what the crickets are fed on, and if any other animals have had this problem. I'll keep you informed.
