HELP! Injured lizard!!

well yet again my cat has brought another lizard into the house. The little guy is an alligator lizard. His upper body is working fine but about half way down his body its almost as if he has his back snapped (not visually) but he isn't able to move most of his lower half. when i touch its tail, he will flicker it. and his back legs are kinda laid back. i have soaked him and put a heat lamp on him. he flicks his tongue around and is very alert. but i need some help with what to do with this guy? try not to mention the vet because they wont do crap for him, he is wild. and suggestions are appreciated, thanks! :):P;)

:( Sounds like he has a spinal injury. Poor guy. May be best to put him down...

Yea i was semi thinking about that. im going to give him a few days. if no improvements ill get some co2 to put him down humanly.:(

There is probably little that can be done for this guy. The fact that he seems unable to move his lower half sounds like a spinal injury.

I'm not sure if CO2 works well for putting down reptiles. Since they have a slower metabolism, it might take a long time, which would probably not be considered humane. I don't know what the best option is.

There is something you can do to prevent things like this from continuing to happen. Don't let your cat outside...

Cats will be cats but I don't think I'd wait a few days to end the lizard's suffering. As far as the CO2, kc261- good point. I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it. I'd probably just choose something quick and easy...but that is just me.

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Originally Posted by Jonas

well yet again my cat has brought another lizard into the house. The little guy is an alligator lizard. His upper body is working fine but about half way down his body its almost as if he has his back snapped (not visually) but he isn't able to move most of his lower half. when i touch its tail, he will flicker it. and his back legs are kinda laid back. i have soaked him and put a heat lamp on him. he flicks his tongue around and is very alert. but i need some help with what to do with this guy? try not to mention the vet because they wont do crap for him, he is wild. and suggestions are appreciated, thanks! :):P;)

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Umm, it may sound harsh but, how about keeping your cat inside.
Unless you happen to be farming and rely on cats to reduce pests of course.

Freezing is considered humane for reptilians under 1 Lb. Not sure how comfortable I am with that but it is accepted as a method for small reptiles still.

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Originally Posted by Raven01

Umm, it may sound harsh but, how about keeping your cat inside.
Unless you happen to be farming and rely on cats to reduce pests of course.

Freezing is considered humane for reptilians under 1 Lb. Not sure how comfortable I am with that but it is accepted as a method for small reptiles still.

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Well i dont think i will be ending him anytime soo. within a day he has improved much! i fed him meal worms and he chased them! he has some difficulty but he did it. i would tap on the mealy to squirm and he would get it. he is doing loads better :):D:oops:

Great to hear! Maybe he had some swelling trauma that has subsided and allowed his improvement. You've done great to care for the little fellow and make him comfy. Hope he heals up :)

Keep your cat inside.

Annual bird mortality rate from cats in the U.S.: 1.4 - 3.7 billion
Annual mammal mortality rate from cats in the U.S.: 6.9 -20.7 billion
Free ranging cats have caused or contributed to 14% of modern bird, mammal and REPTILE extinctions.

If you have a cat and let it outside then you are an irresponsible cat owner, period, and IMO should be allowed to keep them.

Just keep an eye out for internal problems, but it is hopeful that he is eating. Does he have any puncture wounds?

That should have said shouldn't be allowed to keep them.

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Originally Posted by elbee

Just keep an eye out for internal problems, but it is hopeful that he is eating. Does he have any puncture wounds?

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nope no puncture wounds. my cat doesnt kill it he just hits it with his paws. but to get him inside i think he mustve put it in his mouth and kinda crushed his lower half. Yes i do not agree with the cat being let out but my family thinks its nature.....trust me i try to keep him in my room most of the time.

If you let your cat out, and lets say worst case scenario happens.....
it's chasing a snake. and your cat catches it. well guess what, it's a venomous snake. your cat gets bitten. your beloved family cat passes away a painful death.
Sorry, but it's a dumb risk to let your cat out

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Originally Posted by Jonas

Yes i do not agree with the cat being let out but my family thinks its nature.....trust me i try to keep him in my room most of the time.

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Thanks for doing what you can to keep him inside.

As far as it being "nature"... the cat is a domesticated species...there is very little "natural" about it. And it doesn't belong in Louisiana (or is LA Los Angeles?)...it is an invasive species. I don't know about the exact stats that gsarchie posted, but I do know that cats are responsible for a lot of damage to the environment due to them being allowed to range free and hunt whatever they happen to hunt.

Oops, I almost forgot to say, I'm glad the little lizard seems to be doing better.

Good on you for trying to keep him in. What are your plans for the little lizard if he makes a full recovery? Any pictures of the little one?

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Originally Posted by gsarchie

Good on you for trying to keep him in. What are your plans for the little lizard if he makes a full recovery? Any pictures of the little one?

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if he fully recovers i will let him back outside, but if he doesnt i will either keep him or put him down. (probably keep him) and ill upload a picture in a few.

[IMG]jpeg image[/IMG]

since the thing was a fail ill just give a link to photobucket http://s1349.photobucket.com/

Link is not working for me...

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Originally Posted by Jonas

since the thing was a fail ill just give a link to photobucket http://s1349.photobucket.com/

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You'll have to take the Direct Link from the links on the right side of the photo, not from the actual URL bar. :)

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

You'll have to take the Direct Link from the links on the right side of the photo, not from the actual URL bar. :)

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thanks :) http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/...psef9d0d4f.jpg i hope it works now :D:P

It's a skink, of some sort. By the way it's sitting, it probably has lost control of its hind end.

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Originally Posted by Jonas

Well i dont think i will be ending him anytime soo. within a day he has improved much! i fed him meal worms and he chased them! he has some difficulty but he did it. i would tap on the mealy to squirm and he would get it. he is doing loads better :):D:oops:

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Originally Posted by Kodieh

By the way it's sitting, it probably has lost control of its hind end.

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I'm not so sure. I've seen skinks in my back yard sitting like that when they were just relaxing. Since it has actually chased and eaten mealworms, I'd say there's a pretty decent chance it'll survive.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

I'm not so sure. I've seen skinks in my back yard sitting like that when they were just relaxing. Since it has actually chased and eaten mealworms, I'd say there's a pretty decent chance it'll survive.

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yea thats what i was thinking and no i dont think its a skink. at first i did and then i saw something called a alligator lizard, very common in Southern California, and it pretty much matched. look it up, maybe i wrong but its just a thought. Thanks for your guys's comments and helping :):P:oops::D:pinkele:

I've seen lizards that have given up trying to get away from me while field helping sit like that only to scurry away once I put them down and they realize that they're free. How long is that one?

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Originally Posted by Jonas

yea thats what i was thinking and no i dont think its a skink. at first i did and then i saw something called a alligator lizard, very common in Southern California, and it pretty much matched. look it up, maybe i wrong but its just a thought. Thanks for your guys's comments and helping :):P:oops::D:pinkele:

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That's an allie lizard for sure...why is everyone saying it's a skink lol?

Thanks for helping it out! I hope it does okay.

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Originally Posted by gsarchie

I've seen lizards that have given up trying to get away from me while field helping sit like that only to scurry away once I put them down and they realize that they're free. How long is that one?

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with or without tail?