Brian - LCRC
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Leeway Corucia Research Center (LCRC)
(Posted by request on this forum)
If one has a sick Corucia or has rescued a poorly maintained one.
Here are some objective
guidelines to follow.
GENERAL BODY:
A compromised Corucia will have the spinal column prominently displayed.
The area where the hip bones and spinal column will be well sunkin in (Tresplod sign)
the thighs will be flabby and lack muscle tone.
HEAD:
The occipital rear area of the head when observed from the top may have a sunkin triangular area in a low weight individual Corucia.
SKIN:
Crater like pits in the skin (the 'moon' condition) is a sign of psuedomonas infection (DuPont- 2001). Neosporin applied to the skin will clear this condition.
EYES:
Sunkin eyes is a VERY bad sign in Corucia and possibilty of turnaround when in this state is very low.
Use a penlight and check pupil dilation and constriction.
WEIGHT:
For an adult Czz Corucia a weight in the low 300's (gram wise) is a very low weight skink.
TAIL:
The prehensile Monkey tail of a Corucia can be checked in the following way:
While holding the Corucia, run one's forefinger along the inner (abaxial) side of the tail. The tail should curl up with good vigor. A sick Corucia will be more limp.
GENERAL MOVEMENT:
Although Corucia are the Solomon Islands's reptilian equivalent of Sloths, they do dart with short, quick movements and should be alert. A listless animal that reacts slowly can be recognized if one becomes familar with the general healthy reaction in this species.
MOUTH:
Check the inside of the mouth. There should be no excess white coloration. Lightly tapping the Corucia on top of the head should get the individual to open the mouth.
FEEDING:
Is the animal eating on it's own? If hand feeding or force feeding, bear in mind if the digestive system is compromised and bowel movement is slow or non existent, you might be heading down the wrong road. Check the passage of stools and their form, coloration, and smell. A healthy Corucia stool will usually have a smokey smell.
Discussion:
When housing your charges, remember, although Corucia need high humidity, stagnant non-circulating fresh air is deterimental. The moon condition scenario is an example of this as many imported Corucia developed this in tight air contained containers. Make sure there is some kind of air flow without compromising humidity levels below the accepted range. ->filtered<- sunlight seems beneficial for this species but not direct sun. frsh air, filtered sunlight and occasional natural rainshowers have been seen to do wonders A semi-complete outdoor housing say hardware cloth enclosures (better surface area for climbing) within a screen enclosure may be the best set up. The SFCRC had over 30 births without a loss with this kind of set up. With all the many neonate losses in the Corucia world as of late, this might be one line of consideration to explore. In neonate losses, many other factors need to be considered as well.
One should maintain an individual log sheet with each individual Corucia recording all conditions and treatments given.
Sorry this is a short version> I need to be elsewhere right now.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Brian
LCRC
(Posted by request on this forum)
If one has a sick Corucia or has rescued a poorly maintained one.
Here are some objective
guidelines to follow.
GENERAL BODY:
A compromised Corucia will have the spinal column prominently displayed.
The area where the hip bones and spinal column will be well sunkin in (Tresplod sign)
the thighs will be flabby and lack muscle tone.
HEAD:
The occipital rear area of the head when observed from the top may have a sunkin triangular area in a low weight individual Corucia.
SKIN:
Crater like pits in the skin (the 'moon' condition) is a sign of psuedomonas infection (DuPont- 2001). Neosporin applied to the skin will clear this condition.
EYES:
Sunkin eyes is a VERY bad sign in Corucia and possibilty of turnaround when in this state is very low.
Use a penlight and check pupil dilation and constriction.
WEIGHT:
For an adult Czz Corucia a weight in the low 300's (gram wise) is a very low weight skink.
TAIL:
The prehensile Monkey tail of a Corucia can be checked in the following way:
While holding the Corucia, run one's forefinger along the inner (abaxial) side of the tail. The tail should curl up with good vigor. A sick Corucia will be more limp.
GENERAL MOVEMENT:
Although Corucia are the Solomon Islands's reptilian equivalent of Sloths, they do dart with short, quick movements and should be alert. A listless animal that reacts slowly can be recognized if one becomes familar with the general healthy reaction in this species.
MOUTH:
Check the inside of the mouth. There should be no excess white coloration. Lightly tapping the Corucia on top of the head should get the individual to open the mouth.
FEEDING:
Is the animal eating on it's own? If hand feeding or force feeding, bear in mind if the digestive system is compromised and bowel movement is slow or non existent, you might be heading down the wrong road. Check the passage of stools and their form, coloration, and smell. A healthy Corucia stool will usually have a smokey smell.
Discussion:
When housing your charges, remember, although Corucia need high humidity, stagnant non-circulating fresh air is deterimental. The moon condition scenario is an example of this as many imported Corucia developed this in tight air contained containers. Make sure there is some kind of air flow without compromising humidity levels below the accepted range. ->filtered<- sunlight seems beneficial for this species but not direct sun. frsh air, filtered sunlight and occasional natural rainshowers have been seen to do wonders A semi-complete outdoor housing say hardware cloth enclosures (better surface area for climbing) within a screen enclosure may be the best set up. The SFCRC had over 30 births without a loss with this kind of set up. With all the many neonate losses in the Corucia world as of late, this might be one line of consideration to explore. In neonate losses, many other factors need to be considered as well.
One should maintain an individual log sheet with each individual Corucia recording all conditions and treatments given.
Sorry this is a short version> I need to be elsewhere right now.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Brian
LCRC