How to tell if impacted?

[Kasmut]

My tegu hasn't been eating as much as he did the first few days I had him. And he no longer will eat in front of me. I've been giving him ground turkey/beef liver w/ cod oil and either fruits or veggies on the side everyday with maybe a cricket or two thrown in. He'll eat any crickets i tong-feed him but yesterday he kicked a bunch of his substrate all over his food and in his water bowl. I haven't seen him poop for about 2-3 days now. He had two solid poops then a watery poop and now just white urates at the most. I haven't seen him wiggling his butt trying to poop but I do know he has ingested some mulch. How can you tell for sure if he's impacted, and what can I do to help him pass it?

I read about the baths but he is new and still skittish and will not let me touch him/pick him up without a tail whip and lots of huffing. Should I try feeding him just fruit or a baby laxative or man-handle into the tub for a soak anyway?

 

[Murkve]

Try mixing up some mustard greens into turkey. The fiber will help. Otherwise just make sure he is hydrated. Tegus are pretty tough critters, and don't get impacted very often.

 

[james.w]

The only way to be 100% sure is an xray. You say he hasn't been eating much, so that would explain the not pooping. They will often drag their back half when they are impacted as well. Just try to get him to eat and go from there.

 

[Kasmut]

Ok. I mixed some collard greens into his turkey. Hoping it'll work x_x He might also be burying it under his substrate as he burrows around a lot, but I haven't really smelled anything to attest to that.

 

[Kasmut]

Well he pooped. It was small and semi-watery but... some poop is better than no poop lol

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Mud butt or watery poop = too much meaty meals and not enough whole prey or fiber. Switch it up and his poop will go back to normal. Watery poop can lead to dehydration as well as other issues.

 

[Kasmut]

I'm still waiting for his pinkies to be shipped in, and he doesn't seem to like any of his vegetables at all. x_x What should I do?

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

I would skip the pinks all together but that's just me, and they're on the way now so use them and make sure they're dusted with calcium. Pinks have nutritional value they're just low on calcium. Cut up rat pups or small mice would be higher on my list, if you don't have a problem with doing that sort of thing. Along with a variety of insects from worms to roaches, what ever available feeders you have access to. Seafood as well,.. from krill to salmon there's a variety of things they can eat and actually like.

With fruits I have yet to have a tegu refuse fruit if they were over ripe or sweet enough. Which most fruit in stores these days are not. Cut'em up and add a little sugar or honey, then let it sit in the fridge for a day or even two. Then add that to his meaty meals with some chopped veggies.

You can also offer the fruit solo to make sure he likes it. When you're adding different foods to his diet use the fruit as a treat. Yesterday and today's (meal for those who were still hungry) was ground turkey, beef kidney (added today), crawlers and meal worms with strawberries and blackberries. Korben (golden) took right to it, I haven't seen him (or his sausage belly )this morning yet and probably won't other than to bask for a bit.

You can also use cut up meat with the bones in it like chicken neck, back, wings and tips for more calcium in it's natural form. With the bone they get vitamins and minerals from the marrow as well.

 

[Kasmut]

Well I've been giving him a mix of ground turkey with beef liver and cod oil every day. He lovesss mango and always eats all of it, even if he doesn't finish the meat. I tried kiwi but he wasn't as keen, and I've tried leeks and collard greens but he refuses even if its mixed in the meat. I've been feeding him 1-2 crickets a day along with the meat mixture and his fruit. It might be the continued use of the ground turkey mix that is making his poop soft and semi-watery though? I'm not sure. I'm going to put in an order of fuzzies when I can find a good website (rodentpro is sold out atm) If I go to the store I will pick up some salmon for him to try.

He has been eating a lot less lately like I stated, and I wonder if he's just sick of the mix? I've been giving it to him for about 5-6 days. Today I'm thawing out some gizzards and hearts and will try that with some veggies and fruit to see if he likes it. I was hoping to find a dubia breeder nearby but there's nothing. When I get home I'm planning on starting a colony for him. Until then all I can do is crickets and various meats/veggies/fruits until my mice arrive.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

I'd put money on it that it's the consistent ground turkey that's making his stool watery, no fiber.That's where variety comes in, you have to switch up the meat too.

Yep they also get tired of eating the same thing after a while and will refuse it all together. The same way they can get picky over certain favorite foods. Sometimes when adding new foods start off with small quantities in the mix and work your way up. To give them time to get use to it and learned that it's a new food and okay to eat.

Especially with younger tegus, they're still learning and have to be taught to a degree what's okay and or good to eat.

 

[Scott Hogge]

Very possible he is just sick of the mix. I've noticed that Mac prefers to eat something different every meal. I had been feeding him mostly whole prey (pinky mice / rat pups) until about a week ago he started being less interested in eating till being full. I started giving him different ground meat+bones+organs from hare-today and he loved them, eating until full again. Yesterday he wasn't displaying much interest in the ground meats again though, so I gave him a couple rat pups that he was very excited about. A few days ago he wasn't interested in eating anything until I cut up a raw scallop and he gobbled it up until it looked like he was gonna explode. Really watery poop after the huge scallop meal though.

So lately, anytime he isn't completely full looking, I just keep trying to give different things... eventually I find something he is really excited about.

I was planning on mixing all the meats he likes up until a staple food supply for every day, but I don't think I'm going to do that anymore.

 

[Kasmut]

OK I tong fed him some hearts and gizzards and mango he went after it like he hadn't eaten in a week lol. I tried more leeks but he really just hates the stuff e_e