[Furless-Friends]

Hey Folks,

Long story ( and this is second time typing as first time didn't post) so please bare with me.

Last week Lucifer, my 3 year old Green Iggie, managed to get to his UV tube, drag it down and smash it.

I got home and saw the mess, cleaned it all up and thought nothing else of it. Took a couple of days to get a replacement and then it was only a compact UV right at his basking area as waiting on 42 inch tubes arriving. During this time I noticed a HUGE appetite drop that didn't improve once the UV was replaced like i thought it would be.

Had Lucifer out tonight and he seemed really weird. He was still active ( but nit quite AS active) but seemed to have trouble keeping eyes opened. He then lay on the back of the chair and closed his eyes again. I went over to check on him and petted him.... normally he would be VERY alert and eyes would open once you got close to him. This time however the eyes remained closed and he barely knew i was there.

My worries now is that there was something in the tube that was toxic? Is the power inside the tube highly toxic? ( It was cleaned up but it might have been in there for a little while. Just a bit stressed now that he might have managed to poison himself somehow.

So basically I need to know if the inside of the UV tube be it the powder or a gas is toxic to reptiles?

Thanks for any input

Andy

 

[BELIAL]

Found this:

Ultraviolet light is created by a fluorescent tube, containing a mixture of inert gases, a phosphor coating and a tiny amount of mercury (only 3 to 3 mgs.)

phosphor and mercury are both poisonous...mercury being the worst...i would go see a vet cos he could be poisoned if he breathed any in...

 

[BELIAL]

having to look this up and apparantly phospher/phospherous can cause liver damage...can't seem to find how they treat it though..mercury is evil stuff but i don't think the amounts in a tube are high enough..so it's got to be the phospherous..he didn't ingest any glass did he?

 

[Furless-Friends]

Not that i saw but i was at work all day. Going to bathe again in the morning and see how he is!

Thanks for the input m8

 

[BELIAL]

no worries..maybe someone else has some ideas!? never happened to me so no experience of it! sorry couldn't be more helpful!

 

[DeanThorpe]

cant add anything to it... i would be worried myself, its obvious mercury is very bad news..
but you dont know the iggy was in close contact at the time.. i dont even know how long itd linger...
urd think if it was highly toxic they would have a stronger casing... but then maybe the uv wouldnt go through...

mercury vapour bulbs must be worse... yet theyhavent any "warning..if one breaks run for the hills" on it... perhaps they should have??

im a bit worried now, for you and for in general..

 

[BELIAL]

Think the glass is pretty tough and would take something like an iguana pull it down and smash it..is worrying though to think potentially poisonous gases are lighting our vivs! mercury vapour like you said dean must be evil stuff if released!!?
hmmm makes you think~!

 

[DeanThorpe]

which is why i wont buy any exo terra ones if they start making them..there reflector bulbs blow up so im never gona risk a mvb from them

 

[weeminx]

awww mate gutted for you..please take him to the vet asap.i know u will do the right thing.im thinking glass or the toxins.let us know what the vet says.hope all goes well