# Reallly need advise!!!!



## koikaren (Aug 21, 2009)

I know im new to the world of Gu's but i did alot of research on these guys before i got my two from Bobby...

Well there is a guy a couple of miles from (actually 3hrs from me) who is trying to sell 2 arg tegus...these poor tegu's are suppost to be 7mths old according to him but they are not that much bigger than Draco and he said they both lost their front toes due to a bad shed...and they are nasty skinny and he says they bite when you go to pick them up (but i think that is due to starving in my opinion)

Im about to go tomorrow and give tthis jack *** the money he wants just to save these poor guys...anybody have any suggestions on how to help these guys to recope...(they will be house seperately from Draco and Eragon)....I cant just leave them with that idiot....im attaching pics and you guys tell me what you think....


















My heart breaks everytime i look at those pics... :rant :bang :mad


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## AWD247 (Aug 21, 2009)

wow thats a [email protected] shame, really skinny. 
They probably could use the proper housing, lighting and diet you already follow. Your toughest task will probably be getting these lil guys to trust you and get them out of there current mind set and suffering.

If you pick them up keep me posted ill send you a couple bucks donation through paypal to help out, every little bit helps.


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## koikaren (Aug 21, 2009)

AWD247 said:


> wow thats a [email protected] shame, really skinny.
> They probably could use the proper housing, lighting and diet you already follow. Your toughest task will probably be getting these lil guys to trust you and get them out of there current mind set and suffering.
> 
> If you pick them up keep me posted ill send you a donation through paypal to help out, every little bit helps.





Thanks so much im glad im not the only one that this stuff bothers...Thanks for the offer but money isnt the issue and i have extra lights for incase one burns out and extra light housing...

I think you are right the toughest thing is gonna be to get them to trust me but since im a stay at home mom i got extra time to play with them and get them to trust me...I just wish i had more experience with these little guys...Eragon and Draco was so easy but they came to me healthy and with no issues....Putting weight on them will be the easy part, is the rest i hope i can do...


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## Two Bananas Marinade (Aug 21, 2009)

Koikaren you are awesome! I read this to my wife and she laughed and said " a mother at heart"


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## koikaren (Aug 22, 2009)

Two Bananas Marinade said:


> Koikaren you are awesome! I read this to my wife and she laughed and said " a mother at heart"





Thanks for great comments....I leave in 2hrs to pick them up...Im so excited to help these little guys and very nervous :!:


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## simon021 (Aug 22, 2009)

good luck! Great to see people that care. We need more of that in this world. Post some pics when you get them home!


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## Jefroka (Aug 22, 2009)

Best of luck with this. You may want to consider bringing a fecal sample to your vet to test for parasites, and quarentining them away from your current gus is a must for the time being.

Yes, a mother at heart, you are!


...Jefroka


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## GraphiK (Aug 22, 2009)

I second what Jefroka said, a quarantine until they are taken to the vet is a must. Nothing would be worse then harming your healthy ones with external or internal parasites by try to help the hurt ones in the same enclosure. If you can when feeding them or if you physically open they're mouth some, check for thick, glue like mucus. This is a sign of dehydation. I can't really tell from the pictures if it actually looks malnourished so you'll have to check yourself, just look for sunken in eyes using your healthy tegus in comparison. 

They may also have some muscle deterioration along the spine, this can be identified by the pelvis and spine bones themselves sticking out distinctly beneath the skin. You may have to force feed for a little while if they refuse or are unable to eat, this can be done with a non-needle syringe and a mixture of a little bit of cat food and baby food. You may need to add some room temperature water to help hydrate the tegu. Keep in mind that you need to keep this all at room temperature, anything colder can drop the tegus body temperature which is the last thing they need in this condition. 

Above all else, I recommend a vet. If for some reason you can't make it to the vet I recommend picking this product up Flukers carnivore/insectivore Repta-Aid, you may even want to pick some up even if you do go to the vet, it's something nice to have just around just in case, none of the pet stores in my area carry it so if there is an emergency I would be stuck waiting for it to ship online. 

I'm glad your doing what your doing, I wish more people had a heart like yours. I recently took in a sickly adult bearded dragon for the same reason, I plan on finding a good home for him once he is healthy again but he'll probably grow on me. Best of luck with everything if you need any help at all feel free to pm me and I could even talk to you on the phone if you like but I'm sure you'll find all the help you'll need on these forums.


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## koikaren (Aug 22, 2009)

Okay i just got home about 1hr ago and got them in there new home...I am feeding them in the tub were i can clean it with bleach after...I am going to search for a good reptile vet in my area (because my current vet doesnt see reptile) Will take pics of them tommorrow.

Just a small update of what i found when i got there...they had no basking light, no substrate, no hide...they were in water (so they are not dehydrated at least) but there jaws are messed up which i didnt see til i went there, the ones back legs do not work (Im going to call bobby for advise tomorrow) they totally didnt try to bite me but the way he grabbed and chased them i can totally see why they tried to bite him...He said he dont handle them just feeds them...He got them for his daughter and she wasnt taking care of them so he was saling them....His daughter was 5 *(&&%$ years old!!!!.....She cant even take care of herself i dont know what jack a** gets a 5yr old a pet and expects them to take care of them.....The saddest of all was that he had 3 other lizards (Monitor and 2 tegus) and i tried my heart out to get him to sell them all to me but he said no because he wants to breed the tegus!!! 

So to make a long story short i cried all the way home for the two i got and for the ones i couldnt save  

THESE GUYS ARE NOT GOING NOWHERE NEAR MY BABIES ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! lol


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## Toby_H (Aug 23, 2009)

I can completely see why you felt the drive to save these guys...

My only concern though is that you gave money to the guy which in a way rewards him for his foul actions... In reality he should be paying you to take ove the responsibility he failed to be responsible for...

I would have suggested you take them free of charge and the previous owner pay the first vet bill... but quickly compromise to simply take them off of his hands...


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

tried..he wanted way more for these guys....i didnt want to give him s*** but my foot in his a** but i could only get him down to $130 and i wasnt gonna let money stand in the way of saving these guys.....In a way he was rewarded for being a jack a** but in no way was i leaving these two there with him.....I told him everything he was doing wrong and pointed out everything wrong with these guys but he just got affended and told me that he has had lizards for 10yrs and he knew what he was doing.....all you can do is try to educate but you cant make people listen even reason with them if they are not willing....thats why i cried because i got so fustrated when he wouldnt listen and wouldnt sell me the others...


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## Toby_H (Aug 23, 2009)

I understand where you are coming from... and I agree you were between a rock and a hard place... 

Please do not take my previous comment as a criticism either... just frustration that someone could be such a fool and get away with it...


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

believe me your frustration is nowhere near mine yesterday dealing with that jack a**


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

Okay so here are some pics...I got more of the more healthier more active guy, the other is still hiding. I did manage to get one pic with both of them so here they are....





:cry: 




:app 




:cry: 




:bawl 




:cry: 




:app 




:grno


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## Jefroka (Aug 23, 2009)

I swear that guy comitted a crime against nature, he needs a good old fashioned azz whoopin'! And to think he believes he can breed them. Animal cruelty is no joke. I think I would have lost it on that guy.

Karen, best of luck with these guys, you have a heart of gold. :bawl :bawl :bawl 


...Jefroka


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

any of you would have done the same if you would have seen them...but thank u...gonna need alot of luck with these guys but there moods seemed to have improved already....they love the substrate and are diggin the uvs and i have been sitting in front of enclosure and the healthier one keeps coming over checken me out so at least they feel alittle safer than yesterday...and that makes it well worth the drive and the money....Id have to say that was the best money i have ever spent (and i spend alot of that just ask my husband...lol) because i saved them from more suffering...Im gonna leave the justice to god, he can do way better than i could ever do....

Thank you to everybody and there support...and i will keep posting on there recovery...


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

these guys got mbd bad so if anyone has any experience with this please contact me so i can help these guys!!!


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## AWD247 (Aug 23, 2009)

I wonder if an Anoymous tip ("hint hint") to the proper animal authorities would help with this guys future of ever owning of animals, with the proper pictures and information of negligence im sure they would have to do something, I mean they wouldnt let dogs or cats go through these conditions, should be the same for reptiles..
If you report him, I would keep the info you have on him already, incase he does attempt to breed in the near future.

Good luck to you and those lil guys.


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

He wouldnt give me a name (wonder why????) but he lives in Pleasant Priarie, Wisconson on 125th street...It looked like maybe a noname motel or government apartments...He wouldnt give me much information and he was hard to find because the place had no name and the apartments had no numbers...believe me i was looking!!! I so wanted to turn him in but unless i went with them to show them where it is at they will never find it...he meet me down town Pleasant Priaire and took us back there....



he didnt sign any emails but his email address is <!-- e --><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><!-- e -->
phone number is 262 748 6011


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## AWD247 (Aug 23, 2009)

LOL wow then this guy already knows hes doing wrong, anyway, good luck to you, atleast these lil ones will have a way better life now.


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## ashesc212 (Aug 23, 2009)

ARGH people like that guy should just not exist! :rant :bang 

I'm glad you were able to get ahold of these tegus though. What condition were the other tegus and monitor in? 

I would call the ASPCA and offer to go down there with them. You have the pictures, and you know where his apartment is. It's worth it for those little guys that could be suffering, and to prevent any future suffering if he breeds them.


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## throneofjade (Aug 23, 2009)

Hey props to you koikaren. People like that shouldn't be able to have animals. I can't believe that he wants to breed tegus too. Those poor animals. If you need any help let me know. You did good. You are those little guys angel.


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## rrcoolj (Aug 23, 2009)

It's real easy to buy a breeder quality tegu but it's differnt to take in animals that you know are in bad shape and need extra atention. Great job taking them in, im sure they will be much happier with you!


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## koikaren (Aug 23, 2009)

thank you to everyone and i will keep you updated....Going to call around tomorrow and try to get these little guys into a vet and give them a once over but no matter what i wont let a vet put them down because i am already noticing a big difference in the one that wasnt as bad off...He is more active, curious, eating and drinking...the other is not doing any better but he is way worse and i have had them less then 24hrs...We have named them stubby and notoes....lol...Im teaching my bf how to care for tegus properly and when the better of the two is in full recovery im gonna give it to her and the worse of the two will have a forever home with me where i can make sure nothing else bad happens to him and make sure the extra care he needs will be meet...


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## koikaren (Aug 25, 2009)

Okay so called around to a couple of vets...alot thought it was best to put them down...no way...but got them an appt for next week...hope things turn out good...The heathier of the two (notoes) is eating like a horse and basking...the other (stubby) is drinking but not eating yet and hasnt basked since the first day..but will see once they are more confortable...


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## Jefroka (Aug 25, 2009)

Hey Karen, if you can, every now and then, bring them outside, of course in their enclosure, to allow them to absorb some sun rays. I know we all try and give our gus the best lighting we can but IMO, nothing beats them basking in real sun. I take Beauregard outside in his feeding bin to bask twice a week, and boy they aren't kidding, the sun, or the air, or whatever it is really puts them in a frisky mood, makes 'em a little wild.

As you know the sun will help with the MBD. You have a heart of gold, so does your husband for supporting you. Best of luck with these neglected ones. They have a Mommy now, who cares about them!  :bajo :hug 


...Jefroka


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## koikaren (Aug 25, 2009)

I was going to try that...but the sun hasnt been out to much lately...we have been getting alot of rain and cloudy days but on the next nice day we have i will put them out there...thanks..


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## ashesc212 (Aug 25, 2009)

I agree with Jefroka. Bring them out asap.

Also - I usually don't advocate this...but I would force the other one on the basking spot. Furthermore, if you can get some liquid calcium that should help out a little.


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## koikaren (Aug 25, 2009)

sun poked out for about 20 min or so....gave them a soak and took them out for uv rays...


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## throneofjade (Aug 25, 2009)

Looks like you are taking very good care of them.


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## tracyanderson777 (Aug 25, 2009)

dude thats terrible. these things have been totally neglected man. 

im glad u went and got them... 

i say you keep them on a steady fattening diet. and handle them excessively (whether they like it or not))


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## simon021 (Aug 26, 2009)

I agree with whoever said to force the one that cant move his back legs to bask. I would almost say you should put him in a feeding bin with a UVB bulb over top of it so that all he can do is sit there and bask. Obviously I wouldnt leave him there all day, but for a hour or two. If you have an IR temp device, you can keep tabs on his temps to make sure he doesnt get overheated. I picked up one of those PE-1s from tempgun.com and it's been one of the best things i've bought for my tegus. I use that thing 10 times a day probably haha. It's really great to see you taking on these 2 poor tegus. It's good to know that they are in good hands now. Good luck at the vet. keep us posted! I'm sure if you call Bobby up he will have some good advice to give you.


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## koikaren (Aug 26, 2009)

thanks you to everyone and there support....


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## 4Horse (Aug 26, 2009)

God bless you for rescuing those little Tegus!


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## koikaren (Sep 5, 2009)

Just a small update...both gus are doing great...They are completely calm now when held and get daily uv and exercise outside...They are going through there first shed with me so we are doing alot of bath time which they love and all is well...Thanks for everyones support...

I will post updated pics soon.


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## crox (Sep 5, 2009)

I would have named them something uplifting, like awesomness, or supercool. 

No need to call attention to the bad things. :chin


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## Meg90 (Sep 5, 2009)

Oh my goodness---I am SOOOO HAPPY that you have these boys.

Where are you located?

I'm in Wausau, WI. I am getting my first tegu on Friday from a friend of mine. He has decided to give me his youngest ( 6mos) as a gift, because he knew how hard of a time I was having finding one in this state.

I looked at those tegus on Craigslist. I recognized the pictures. 

Again, I applaud you for your efforts. I felt so bad that they were sickly, but I am 100% new to tegus, I didn't think I could handle two, let alone two sickly ones. I keep and raise torts, geckos, and Ball pythons, so I not new to reptiles, just GUs.

(Now--I'm putting all my care tips in green)

It does look like they have MVB very badly. I would dose them up with pure extra calcium on every meal (no D3 added), dust all their meats, etc.

Also, something that can help establish trust, is to wear a t-shirt for a few days/nights and either sleep or exercise in it (don't use any body sprays or deodorant) so that the shirt accumulates a good amount of your scent. Then put the shirt in their hide, so that they associate your scent with safety, and security. Its the same psychology as associating a seperate bin to mean dinner....

Another trick to get them healthy is to soak them in water and bird vitamins. You can get a bottle in the bird isle of any pet store. Its a liquid vit, that you add to the water. You want to add enough that the water turns a pale, pale yellow color. This is a trick used for unhealthy torts--All reptiles soak up at least some percentage of nutrients through their skin, especially near the vent. I also have soaked torts before in babyfood and water. Use something with natural nutrients, like one jar each meat baby food, and a veggie, such as squash. The aroma also encourages them to drink more.

I would love for you to shoot me an email. I rescue reptiles too, and I would love to talk to someone with the same passions. Its hard to find rep people in WI. It'd be great to have another tegu outlet too. my email is <!-- e --><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><!-- e -->

I hope you and the new babies are doing well.


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## koikaren (Sep 6, 2009)

crox said:


> I would have named them something uplifting, like awesomness, or supercool.
> 
> No need to call attention to the bad things. :chin




I love there names...I dont really look at it as pointing out there "bad things" because there is no bad thing about them...they are super sweet and loving....Its just there names....but thanks for input but i think there names are cute


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## koikaren (Sep 6, 2009)

Meg90 said:


> Oh my goodness---I am SOOOO HAPPY that you have these boys.
> 
> Where are you located?
> 
> ...




thanks for the advise i will try the vitamin soak but they are already getting daily soaks and extra vitamins and are eating well and they have already bonded with me...that was alot easier then i thought but they already look for me in the morning to eat and get there soak so all is going super! Thanks for input :-D


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## Jefroka (Sep 6, 2009)

How about some recent pics? Glad they are doing well. 


...Jefroka


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## xoemkae (Sep 6, 2009)

Pleasepleaseplease tell me you _did_ get a chance to talk to the proper authorities about this man. D: Words can't even express how... augh. He just can't be allowed to keep the other three lizards. :bang 

That aside, you are my new favorite person for saving those beautiful little gus!


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## koikaren (Sep 6, 2009)

Jefroka said:


> How about some recent pics? Glad they are doing well.
> 
> 
> ...Jefroka




I will be glad to show off their progress...but with 4kids, 4mastiffs, getting ready for a dog show, 4 gus and a snake, its not easy but i will soon as possible.....


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## herper9 (Sep 10, 2009)

You are a saint! How was the one with the bad legs? I think that one is notoes. Has he been able to move them at all or is he still a cute slug? You are awesome. I'm new, but from what I've seen on this forum, I would have to agree with you. Everyone on here would do the same thing. You are definitely these guys guardian angel.


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## whoru (Sep 10, 2009)

OMG THAT GUY SHOULD HAVE HIS ASS KICKED


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## koikaren (Sep 14, 2009)

herper9 said:


> You are a saint! How was the one with the bad legs? I think that one is notoes. Has he been able to move them at all or is he still a cute slug? You are awesome. I'm new, but from what I've seen on this forum, I would have to agree with you. Everyone on here would do the same thing. You are definitely these guys guardian angel.




The one having problems moving his back legs is stubby and he is doing great...he can move his legs alittle from the second joint down but not to much at the hips...

Here are updated pics of stubby...He looks like a new gu!!....Will get updated pics up of notoes real soon. :app :roon :mrgreen:


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## crox (Sep 15, 2009)

Im glad they are doing better!


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## FoxxCola (Sep 15, 2009)

Good Luck with those little guys!!! Seeing those first pictures gave me goosebumps... :bawl


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## whoru (Sep 15, 2009)

they are lookin better already with the proper casre


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## koikaren (Sep 15, 2009)

Updated pics of notoes and stubby....


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## Meg90 (Sep 16, 2009)

They look beautiful! No more loose skin. How much weight have they gained with you?


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## koikaren (Sep 16, 2009)

not really sure of exact weight but its been alot...we have been calling stubby "chubs" lol....


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## Meg90 (Sep 16, 2009)

How are their attitudes, now that they have actually been being fed, and are warm enough? Are you keeping them? Or eventually, are you going to rehome them?


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## koikaren (Sep 16, 2009)

they are very loving and enjoy being held...Im keeping stubby and the other one, once healthy and she fully understands how to care for them, is going to my best friend....she already takes part in the care and handling and as soon as im sure these guys are as healthy as they will get we will gradually start seperating them since they have been together from hatchlings...


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## koikaren (Sep 16, 2009)

Also i forgot to post vet results...they are free of perisites and worms...so that was great!!


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## Meg90 (Sep 16, 2009)

Aww, that's awesome news! Good for you! I'm glad they are both getting awesome homes. I'm sure they will turn out to be fantastic pets.


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