New Tegu, possibly malnourished?

[Smith95]

Howdy, first time poster here.

Just received an argentine black and white tegu. "She" is about 12 inches head to tail, the person I got "her" from claimed she is 14 months old and I immediately noticed she was small for her age, I think. This is my first Tegu but I have kept reptiles for quite some time now. The seller also said he brumated her for a while, so that attributes to her size which makes sense to me. He said he has been feeding berries and insects and my initial though was she should not be eating only insects for protein at this point in her life, but again my first tegu im learning. She readily accepted 3 frozen pinkies having been offered only insects before.

Now for my concern, she seems to not be very energetic, and walks with some insecurity, almost a little shaky. The guy had her in a 40 gallon, I am wondering if this tegu has been stuck in 40 gallons its whole life and that attributes to it being weak/shaky ? I sent a video of her to my buddy he said he couldnt notice the shake in her stride, maybe i am paranoid and not used to tegus? I had her out on the couch and she was docile, and then took a nasty very runny poo that looked like a whole piece of undigested mango... I only have had her for one day, going to the grocery store to get some girthy foods, maybe also a fuzzie or hopper.

any thoughts? I am watching her closely, and looking for the best foods to make up on her possible lack of nutrition. I also want to have her out a good amount of time to coax her to walk around a bit, she walks like an old man which is my concern and main reason for posting. she has crafted an impressive burrow though, so she is strong enough for that.

 

[Smith95]

update: think she had some blockage, her stool was what i would think is abnormally large. Nearly a solid 6 inches with more to go that she couldnt get out. it was shocking to see that come out of a rather small lizard. soaked her immediately after that and she seemed to like it. possibly changing her diet has released some build up she had?

 

[DreamsOfTegus]

Could be MBD, I think that can cause shaking. Have you had her to a vet?

 

[Smith95]

that was my initial thought. I'm going to give it a few days and see how she comes along before i jump to the vet. As of now I am noticing minimal improvements in her behavior and activity. she is soaking up some toasty natural sun right now, so that should help giver her some energy and appetite, I want her to bulk up she needs it. after seeing other tegus her size on youtube i can tell now she is a lil thin. The vet is probably in order tho, I assume she was neglected for some time.

 

[dpjm]

A calcium deficiency will cause shaking because calcium is necessary for muscle contractions including those that move food along in the bowels, which may explain the stool issue. I'd feed some foods with a high calcium to phosphorus ratio (or use calcium supplement) and see if you get improvement, also make sure to use quality UVB. Pinkies are not very high in calcium, try hoppers.

 

[Smith95]

I have been looking up videos of various reptiles with MBD and it does look like she could have a very mild case, all of her limbs move full range tho and there is no noticeable bones that have formed with deformation, she just is a little stiff it seems. I noticed she also smells like a dirty cage, so needless to say I'm glad the tegu is in my care now. After having her in some natural unfiltered sunlight she was doing laps around my living room, I would notice she would get a burst of energy and speed up, and then have to slow down and take a breather. I think and hope she should be able to get back to full health after some tlc. her situation appears to be not nearly as bad as some MBD cases I've seen online.
Thanks for the replies, I am focusing on getting calcium into her every way possible. no more pinkies, and adding supplements to her diet. I am giving her as much arizona sun as she wants to take, (making sure she isnt burning cause the sun here is HOT, also misting her while she basks)

 

[Walter1]

I have been looking up videos of various reptiles with MBD and it does look like she could have a very mild case, all of her limbs move full range tho and there is no noticeable bones that have formed with deformation, she just is a little stiff it seems. I noticed she also smells like a dirty cage, so needless to say I'm glad the tegu is in my care now. After having her in some natural unfiltered sunlight she was doing laps around my living room, I would notice she would get a burst of energy and speed up, and then have to slow down and take a breather. I think and hope she should be able to get back to full health after some tlc. her situation appears to be not nearly as bad as some MBD cases I've seen online.
Thanks for the replies, I am focusing on getting calcium into her every way possible. no more pinkies, and adding supplements to her diet. I am giving her as much arizona sun as she wants to take, (making sure she isnt burning cause the sun here is HOT, also misting her while she basks)

Good deal.

 

[Lavin45]

Vet ! BIG TIME ! my girl Loki was in the SAME EXACT position ! She was extremely thin and lethargic the first few days I had her. She wouldn't even look at food. Upon taking her to the vet they told me she was more than likely a wild caught, venture will do this A LOT with adolescent Tegus because they're so easy to catch and abundant in Florida. She had her in a tupaware bowl with a piece of paper towel soaked in her own urine.

They gave her an antibiotic and de worming along with her tube feeding and with in three days of that she was uncontrollable! Spunky and wolfing down food like a maniac. To fatten her up quick I used rare ground chuck and eggs. Also because she was so lacking in calcium he wanted me to dust her meals daily for about a week, even with the D3 because it helps them absorb the calcium. In about two weeks she had put on WEIGHT and grew almost over night.

 

[Smith95]

good to hear you had success with the similar situation. I am also glad that she is eating tho! if she wasn't eating I would have been very concerned and to the vet already.

and yea i also noticed from pictures i took the day i got her (2 days ago) compared to now she is thicker already after some solid food, supplements, exercise and sunlight.

 

[Lavin45]

Tegus are so crazy ! You can tell when they're even a
Little hungry just by looking at their tummies. My lokie will get little wrinkles on her side and then she eats and she all bloated and fat lol

 

[Smith95]

She is supposed to be 14 months, small right?

 

[Monica Markel]

Beyond small. Mine is a boy and he is 3 inches shy of 4 ft and 13 lb at 1 year 2 months.

So if she was on only bugs...pinky and solid meats may take a while to digest. Ground turkey and chicken with greens and calcium mixed in it will help a lot. Also give boiled eggs.

Some add chopped liver and various fruits to the meatballs.


I wonder if they lied about her age...

 

[Smith95]

Oh wow, she needs to grow asap. She was supposedly brumated from November till march, I'm not sure if he lied about the age, I think she may just be that under fed. She is eating more and more everyday tho and having a bowel movement everyday. She wants to bask a lot, and when I first got her she wouldn't stay awake for longer than a few seconds without closing her eyes and passing out, like very lethargic, now she is already staying awake longer and moving around. I think I saved this tegus life.

 

[Walter1]

Oh wow, she needs to grow asap. She was supposedly brumated from November till march, I'm not sure if he lied about the age, I think she may just be that under fed. She is eating more and more everyday tho and having a bowel movement everyday. She wants to bask a lot, and when I first got her she wouldn't stay awake for longer than a few seconds without closing her eyes and passing out, like very lethargic, now she is already staying awake longer and moving around. I think I saved this tegus life.

I think you did, too, and I have questions about the qualifications of a seller that kept a tegu like that let alone sell it.

Saying it's Wild Caught is no excuse for the poor health. My suspicion is that his claim of age was nothing more than a guess.

 

[Smith95]

So you think she is really younger? I asked him why she was small and he said "by no means does that indicate she is unhealthy" and he was very assuring she was good to go. I also didn't consider the possibility of wild caught? The seller was actually a craigslist add, so that's why this happened. I usually look on there before going to the reptile shop because if something needs rehoming I would rather go that route than bring another animal into the field while the same one owned by someone who doesn't want it needs rehoming.

 

[Walter1]

Hard to tell. I suppose extent of bone calcification would clinch it.

 

[Monica Markel]

I think you saved her life too. Tegus like to bask and sleep alot, but when they are a wake...you know it. They love scratching to move items and are keen on fitting into tight corners...lol. If she opens your cubbard, she will empty it for you.

Im glad you adopted her but shame on the seller. Just bugs...rediculous!!!

 

[Smith95]

today was the first day she actually woke up on her own! I have been having to wake her up around 2pm to feed her and get her in the sun cause otherwise she will sleep all day. Today she was out of her hide by 10:30 and ready to eat! so happy to be seeing results with her health. Thanks again for all the replies.