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Red tegu claws look weird!?!?!

Th34cr0ws

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Messages
15
upload_2019-1-19_12-22-5.jpeg

This is him. He basks like this every morning since I upped the temps.
upload_2019-1-19_12-23-53.jpeg

However he won’t eat anything besides egg yolk. And he has lost two claws.

Actually, take back what I said about Ty. After you guys said for me to take him to the vet, I asked Ty. He said he never dealt with this before and doesn’t know what to do, he just said to maybe change the substrate.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
You should feed more than raw egg. My tegu eats more than 10 different food items every week ranging from grapes, blue berries, avacado, meal worms, dubias, crickets, silversides, talpia, day old qauil, hoppers, eggs, ground venison, worms and some other items.

Your post with the picture didn’t load and I just saw you said he’ll only eat egg yolk. Well , I have to ask in the picture is that cooked steak I see? I hope you know you’re not supposed to be feeding cooked items. . .


He lost 2 claws because you’re negelecting to care for him properly. What are your temps? Do you have a temp gun? That substrate looks shallow and is horrible for them to try and bury in as well. I advise you go and do more research about the pet you purchased as you’re showing signs you failed to do so.
 
Last edited:

Th34cr0ws

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15
Excuse me man,
I did do my research. I am trying to feed him a variety but he’ll only eat raw egg yolk. I am not feeding him cooked foods, I called Ty and he said to feed canned puppy food. Which I read you shouldn’t, but Ty said to. However, the tegu did not even touch it. I told you my temps, I upped them up to the 100s and low 80s/high 70s at night. That substrate is not shallow, it’s only the angle of the camera.
 

Walter1

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I understa d the canned puppy food reasoning.

Something's wrong with the tegu. Kept improperly.

I want you and this tegu to succeed. Work your damndest to find a vet that works with exotics. Review everything you're doing to see what should be corrected.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Excuse me man,
I did do my research. I am trying to feed him a variety but he’ll only eat raw egg yolk. I am not feeding him cooked foods, I called Ty and he said to feed canned puppy food. Which I read you shouldn’t, but Ty said to. However, the tegu did not even touch it. I told you my temps, I upped them up to the 100s and low 80s/high 70s at night. That substrate is not shallow, it’s only the angle of the camera.

Try live insects as I stated , make sure humidity levels are at a consistent 70% , and go from there. Trying dog food , which i advise against unless you fully know whats in the food (Now a days dog food is grain filled cancer and shouldn’t even be used for dogs) , and egg yolk do not cut it at all. Thats 2 food items, 1 of which is they would never find in the wild. Your tegu has already lost 2 claws because of neglect of care, and I did predict that it would lose fingers. Now the substrate ,not appropriate for a tegu and it cannot form tunnels/burrows with that. Add another substrate to mix into that. You said you did your research but I keep pointing out red flags. . . . The tegu also looks dehydrated beyond belief, these are all things that are obvious and are all coming from 1 thing; Improper care/caging
 

Walter1

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Griffin,

Partly right on egg yolk. Chicken eggs rare except for tegus near farms, but they otherwise sniff out all sorts of eggs in wild. Ground nesting birds, and, in Florida, gator nests.

A little wet dog food more as bait to get things going on a tegu that needs to eat.

Mine are fed say 80% frozen/thawed medium-sized mice. Also get various organ meats, and occaionally Little Caesar's wet dog food. Dust with calcium.

I don't feed them large mice only because they do better in digestion with smaller meals and because large old female mice are often losing calcium in their bones. Young adults at Goldilocks optimum in size and condition.

Just to sum up, feed anything to get it started if sick.
 

Griffin

Member
Messages
85
Griffin,

Partly right on egg yolk. Chicken eggs rare except for tegus near farms, but they otherwise sniff out all sorts of eggs in wild. Ground nesting birds, and, in Florida, gator nests.

A little wet dog food more as bait to get things going on a tegu that needs to eat.

Mine are fed say 80% frozen/thawed medium-sized mice. Also get various organ meats, and occaionally Little Caesar's wet dog food. Dust with calcium.

I don't feed them large mice only because they do better in digestion with smaller meals and because large old female mice are often losing calcium in their bones. Young adults at Goldilocks optimum in size and condition.

Just to sum up, feed anything to get it started if sick.

Right on! I was trying to stress that just raw egg can be bad as I think I remember reading that raw egg contains a chemical that is bad unless cooked? (Can’t remember the exact deatils) And if only feeding raw egg over time it can turn to bad things. But yeah you’re definitely right, feed anything to get that poor tegu atleast eating and if those 2 items don’t work run to the store and try live insects.
 

AlphaAlpha

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looks totally dehydrated to me and needs to be fed foods with a high amount of water in them and I would suggests plenty of bathing too.
 

EnjoysWine

Member
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108
Location
Ontario, Canada
Just started following this thread . . . any update? In addition to what the others have said, I would try feeding raw meat (try chicken liver) and berries, and use lots of added calcium. Check that your basking spot is greater than 110 F using an infrared temperature gun, change or mix the substrate with something easier to burrow in such as coconut fiber and peat moss, and make sure it is humid (with daily spraying). With some changes I would think you can reverse most of the health issues we're seeing.
 

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