Strax the second chance tegu

[Vastra]

A few of you have seen my introduction about Strax. He was a bit of a rescue/hard case that my husband and I took on for our first tegu. Maybe not the wisest decision for new tegu owners, but he really needed someone. He has been with us for 2 weeks now. He came to us under weight and unsocialized. He is really starting to come around now though. Just to give you guys an idea, I am including pictures from his first day home and from now to give you a bit of comparison. So if any of you have suggestions on good foods to build healthy weight or handling/taming it would be appreciated. We don't know much about him. From what we can tell, our best guess is he is a male chacoan who is approximately a year old (ish) He is missing a pretty large chunk of tail from before, though it is mostly healed and luckily healed cleanly. The first two pictures are from when he first came home to us. He was all bony and malnourished. (9/14) The second two pictures are from today (9/28) Currently he is eating well and starting to come around to being handled more.

 

[Walter1]

You absolutely saved his life. He's beautiful, too.

 

[Vastra]

Thank you I hope he realizes that, he is still grumpy when you first try to handle him (though he is starting to come around) He is still on the thin side but getting better every day. I just spent the last couple hours watching Doctor Who with him asleep under a blanket on my chest. I was excited because for the first time since we brought him home he had an actual poop. Which sounds like a strange thing to be excited about, but we had been treating him for parasites and he finally has enough nutrients in his system to have some to spare. He is making progress every day.

 

[Vastra]

Cuddle time in our favorite blanket. <3

 

[Vastra]

Tonight I tried something new and strange but it worked fantastically. After work I have things I need to get done, but I also want to spend time bonding with Strax. I had an idea and it works great. Essentially it is like one of those Moby wrap baby things, but with a lizard in it. I have a surrong bathing suit cover that is light material with nothing to get toes caught on and I fashion it into a sling and basically wear Strax around. He slept in the hammock and I got stuff done. Then we (I) ate supper and watched tv. Using the sling thingy made me able to spend a few hours with Strax close to me. It looks funny but works like a charm

 

[Vastra]

Strax is doing great! He is up to a normal weight and just finished his round of wormer/parasite stuff. He is adjusting really well. I am going to post more pics soon for his 30 day change. He looks like a totally different animal. So glad to have him home with us.

 

[Munea]

I'm relieved to see you've brought him back to good health! His poor tail... well, thank you for being an awesome person (as well as your husband) and saving this tegu's precious life!

 

[Jomatty]

Awesome to see his progress! Very brave of you to take on a tegu with some issues for your first. I'm glad you were able to turn this ones life around.

 

[Walter1]

Well put, Jomatty.

 

[Vastra]

Thanks everyone! Strax is doing great He is up to his proper weight, eating well, and growing fast! He has shed twice and grown probably an inch or more since we brought him home. Now that he is getting good food he is just 180 degrees different. He is still a little stand off-ish when first approached but he doesn't close his eyes and disassociate anymore. Now he just arches his back a little and then is like "eh, whatever" He hangs out with us (and my dogs actually like him lol) so in the evenings he gets to run around a while. He hangs out in my hoodie pocket while I do things around the house sometimes. He is very relaxed now that he has adjusted to the chaos that is out home. I love my Straxy <3 I hope to get a fresh pic up soon but school and work have kept me busy.

 

[Vastra]

My study buddy enjoying his supper

 

[Vastra]

He doesn't even look like the same animal

 

[Vastra]

 

[Walter1]

I swear, really nice going.

 

[Vastra]

Thank you. For only 30 days, I just couldn't believe the difference a little food and some love can make. He is such a good boy.

 

[Vastra]

Two month update on Strax. He is doing fantastic!! He is eating fantastically, he is becoming very social and even starting to come to the edge of the cage for attention. He still won't eat fruits, and he absolutely HATES bath time, but other than that he is really doing marvelously. I am so happy with his progress. I can't believe how far he has come and how much he has grown. Even his tail is looking a 1000% better. I love my Straxy boy!!

 

[Walter1]

Three cheers to you and the Straxman!

 

[Vastra]

Thank you Walter. I am so glad that he is doing so well. Honestly when we got him I was afraid he wouldn't make it between his poor condition and my inexperience. I am so glad we decided to take him home. Even on his days when he is infinitely frustrating. (which was definitely last night lol) Thank you for all of your support. Here soon my husband and I are making him a larger enclosure. We are in the design phase right now, but it is going to be an 8x4 with shelving underneath. My husband does amazing work (you should see our double stacked oak beardie cabinet with sliding plexi glass doors) So I am really excited to get started on Strax's new home.

 

[Vastra]

So last night, Strax decided to give me a heart attack. I swear he is a velociraptor. He figured a way to push one of the boards on the side of the door of his enclosure until it popped off at the bottom. So not only did he escape last night, but it looked like the cage was untouched. Luckily we keep the door to the room closed when we aren't in it to keep dogs away from the lizards unsupervised. While there was only one room he could be in, I basically had to destroy the room and spend almost 2 hours moving every piece of furniture I have and even cutting a hole in my box spring looking for my adventurous little man. I eventually did find him, unscathed, behind/under my dresser. We had a bit of a go-round trying to get him out, but eventually I got him with no harm to either of us. Soon he will have a new, larger enclosure to call his home. Until then, maybe I should get a game camera in case he decides to find some other "creative" way to escape.

 

[Walter1]

I'm thinking a Strax-cam mounted on his head. See what he's up to. Seiously, though, it's always a nailbiter for me when I read on this site about an escape. His new digs sound like they'll be fantastic. Is he slowing down any for winter?