# Can some one help me?



## Guest (Oct 11, 2010)

Hey, I am new to this forum & to Tegu's.

I have a Tegu (Columbian) a guy gave me, I can tell he hasn't been taken as good of care of as we all would like. He is calm. Kinda jumpy, opens his mouth to try to scare me, but I have been around reptiles for some time now. He is around 15-16 inches long. I have been slowly handling him, not trying to rush our relationship, because I plan on keeping him he really is a cool guy. But I noticed today his fingers twitch. This worries me. I had a Savannaha for 5 years & she & I was best of friends. I had to move back home with my parents for awhile several years ago & gave her to a friend.. Now he loves her to death & they are inseparable. :lol: 

I am worried about my new best friend to be. I use a ZooMed 5.0 36 inch UVB light & I have his baskin spots temp. set at 100-105 depending on time of day. Morning it is 100 3 pm it peaks at 105. He has all he could want & ask for. The bashfulness will go away. I can see that as each day passes. But his twitching is what worries me.

Can any one please help?

Thanks, Justin


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2010)

P.S I work crazy hours during the day.

If wants to email me I will get them ASAP & will respond ASAP!

<!-- e --><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><!-- e -->


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

Well, right off the bat, I would "upgrade" to a Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb, or a MVB if you can afford it. Right on the heels of that, I would increase his "whole prey" food, such as pinkies or hoppers, or even feed him chicken necks that have been chopped up into easily swallowed pieces. It *sounds* like the beginnings of MBD, but I'm no Vet. Do you perhaps know that care that he previously received? What was he fed? What was the UVB lighting being provided to him? Were his (and ARE his) meals dusted with calcium powder?


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

Okay, I just ordered the UVB you suggested. I tried to give him pinkies and I have tried to give him hoppers. He has nothing to do with them. I put about 5 crickets in his cage & he backed away from them, so I took them out & all I have gotten him to eat is a few bites (each day) of scrambled eggs mashed up with some ground turkey with Flukers Calcium with D3. I have also read that this isn't a good suppliment?
If it isn't I will order the kind other successful reptile owners use. Just let me know. 
I do not think he was physically abused, just nutricially over looked. The guy said he was scared of him ??? He hasn't offered to bite me!
He said he was feeding him the pre-powdered crickets?
I guess they are already dead. I do not know, haven't heard of those. 

But I do put the calcium powder into the egg/turkey & I ordered the new UVB you told me about. 

:roon


nordica said:


> Well, right off the bat, I would "upgrade" to a Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb, or a MVB if you can afford it. Right on the heels of that, I would increase his "whole prey" food, such as pinkies or hoppers, or even feed him chicken necks that have been chopped up into easily swallowed pieces. It *sounds* like the beginnings of MBD, but I'm no Vet. Do you perhaps know that care that he previously received? What was he fed? What was the UVB lighting being provided to him? Were his (and ARE his) meals dusted with calcium powder?


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

hmm i agree with nordica.if hes is not eating u can get some eye droppers and pick up a liquid form of calcium supplement and make a type or pureed food and give it to him then.the calcium should help with the tremors.u can also give him a warm bath just in case he is impacted. hope this helps =]


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

I am @ work right now. But I am calling my wife to see if she will bathe him.

I really appreciate the helpful responces! I am a little shocked. Most people would have been hatful to me or said some BS.

Again... Thanks forum members. 



frost said:


> hmm i agree with nordica.if hes is not eating u can get some eye droppers and pick up a liquid form of calcium supplement and make a type or pureed food and give it to him then.the calcium should help with the tremors.u can also give him a warm bath just in case he is impacted. hope this helps =]


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## brutus13 (Oct 12, 2010)

I'm with nordica too about the 10.0 that will help alot. Also make sure he can't get within a few inches of the UVB. Being outside with natural light is the best. I soak my gu's outside. Good luck


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

Well, if it *is* the beginnings of MBD, then you should get him into a reptile Vet as soon as you can if possible. MBD happens when a reptile's calcium level drops low enough that the body starts to draw it from their bones and muscles (if I remember correctly) in order to try to maintain the needed balance. Vitamin D3 is needed to properly utilize calcium, which is why proper UVB lighting is needed; it's where they get their Vit D3 from. Ordering the Reptisun 10.0 is a great start (make sure when you install it, that your tegu is within 6" to 8" of it). Natural sunlight (if it's still warm enough outside) is the best. In addition to plenty of usable UVB, you'll need to bump up his calcium intake. Here's the stuff that we use:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm#Calcium" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm#Calcium</a><!-- m -->

We dust ALL meals with this stuff. We even lightly dust the pinkies (as their bone structure has fully calcified yet). We use the calcium WITH Vit D3 once or twice a week, and then the calcium WITHOUT Vit D3 for all of the other days. In addition, we also use the multi-vitamin once or twice a week.

Getting your tegu to eat his rodents is very important. You can try thawing them and either chopping them in half or slicing open the gut to expose the entrails. It sounds a little gross, but the smell can sometimes entice them to eat. I'm unfamiliar with the care of Columbians, as we have Argentines, but along with the ground turkey and scrambled eggs (eggs should be used as a weekly treat, and not a staple of their diet, I've been told), you can try chicken hearts and gizzards, chicken necks (which are a GREAT source of natural calcium, just make sure you chop them up small enough so that they're easy to swallow) beef hearts, tilapia, salmon, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, dubia roaches, wax worms (they're very fatty, but at least it's something), calciworms, human baby foods... all of which should be dusted with a calcium powder, and any bugs you feed should be "gut-loaded" for at least 24 hours before feeding them to your tegu. You can find any number of great cricket and other feeder bug gut-load foods at pretty much any pet store.

If it comes down to it, you may need to force-feed him. Eye droppers work, or even the feeding syringes found on this site:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bug-de-lite.com/Products%20Page.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bug-de-lite.com/Products%20Page.html</a><!-- m -->

If what your tegu is suffering from IS MBD, don't take things lightly; it can be very serious, and can kill him quickly depending on how advanced his state is. Like I said, a Vet would be best, but in the meantime, you can try all of these suggestions. Please keep us posted!!


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

I got the light ordered. It will be here tomorrow. My local pet store owner let me borrow one until mine arrives.
I feed him eggs because thats all I can get him to eat. I offered him a dead hopper tonight. I cut its belly open & he licked the guts out of it. Didn't eat the body. Just guts. LOL! He is soaking in a warm bath right now. He pooped a little. That is all he has done. I have the number to 3 vets who are good with reptiles. I am currently doing some home work to make sure they are not BS'ing me.

It is starting to get cool here. It is 70 one day & high 80's the next. LOL! Gotta love that N. Ga weather.

I thank you all very much. He does seem to be more active. I hope he can bounce back from this. I am taking him out of the custom "tank" I built for him & I am putting him in a smaller tank. One I can take outside with out having to call the neighbors to help me move. :lol: 

I will keep you all posted. After I figure out how to post pics I will show how he looks.

Anyone think he could have parasites? If so do you think it would hurt to rid him of these? I am open to suggestions. This so far has proven itself to be a very helpful place.



nordica said:


> Well, if it *is* the beginnings of MBD, then you should get him into a reptile Vet as soon as you can if possible. MBD happens when a reptile's calcium level drops low enough that the body starts to draw it from their bones and muscles (if I remember correctly) in order to try to maintain the needed balance. Vitamin D3 is needed to properly utilize calcium, which is why proper UVB lighting is needed; it's where they get their Vit D3 from. Ordering the Reptisun 10.0 is a great start (make sure when you install it, that your tegu is within 6" to 8" of it). Natural sunlight (if it's still warm enough outside) is the best. In addition to plenty of usable UVB, you'll need to bump up his calcium intake. Here's the stuff that we use:
> 
> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm#Calcium" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.repcal.com/supp.htm#Calcium</a><!-- m -->
> 
> ...


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

Well, generally speaking, the twitching is a sign of MBD. But once again, I'm no Vet.  A fecal float done by a Vet WILL be able to tell you if anything parasitic is going on inside of the little guy.

Here's a thought... the ambient daytime temps where you are ARE too cool for him to just chill outside, but is it feasible for you to run a power cord outdoors and set up a simple heat lamp for him so he can get some natural sunlight while still keeping warm?


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2010)

Okay, today held new turns.

He sat outside for a few hours in a glass tank with Cypress Mulch in the bottom. I put a towl over one side to offer a shaded area. He sat in the sun 90% of the time. He came inside, took a nap then crawled in his water bowl & pooped 5 times!!

He would not eat a cricket, or a super worm. But he ate 2 small hoppers!!!!!!

The first one I cut as nordica suggested. A couple of licks & he decided that it was pretty good. :woot So he decided to eat the whole thing. A few mins later he still acted hungry so I offered him another. Ate it with out hesitation.
I sat for a few hours & watched his fingers and I didn't see any twitching. He is more active & lays in his water a lot. I got him a tupperware dish with 3 inches of water in it so he can stretch out & relax. He was kinda cramped in his water dish.

I have selected a vet & were going to see him Saturday. :fc I hope everything checks out fine.

I cannot thank all of you enough. You guys are truly great people.

Thanks, Justin


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2010)

That's GREAT news!! *happy dance* It's amazing what a little food and natural sunlight can do.  

Something to keep in mind though... letting him bask outside in a glass tank is a little dangerous. The glass will let the heat of the sun IN, but won't let it back OUT. Your poor little guy can literally cook himself. It also filters out most of not all UVB light. I'd pick up one of those clear Sterlite containers to take him outside in.

I'm so happy to hear that he ate a couple hoppers! Perhaps that'll be just the kick-start he needs to really begin to feed on a regular basis. Try offering him a bunch of other things now... ground turkey, tilapia, salmon, chicken hearts and gizzards and liver, beef hearts and liver, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe... and make sure of course to dust everything with the calcium powder.  What we do is make a bunch of "turkey balls" and freeze them. We take regular ground turkey and mix in a bunch of different other things (like fruits and baby foods), then just take a bag out of the freezer when we need it, dust it, and doll it out.  

Definitely keep feeding him the hoppers a few times a week though; sounds like he needs the natural calcium. And since he seems to enjoy water so much, keep up with the regular soakings. 

Keep us updated!! I'm so happy for you!!


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2010)

When he is outside in the glass tank I keep a close eye on him. I never leave more than 5 foot from him. I watch for him to start to vent like a Savannaha. Mine used to open her mouth when she was hot & breath real slow & real deep. I am going to try to feed him the foods you mentioned. I think he is gonna be fine. We are still getting his fecal matter examined & let the doc give him a good once over.

Do you have any suggestions I can do to help build his trust faster?
I got my Savannaha when she was young & held her often. She learned when she was tiny that I wasn't going to hurt her.



nordica said:


> That's GREAT news!! *happy dance* It's amazing what a little food and natural sunlight can do.
> 
> Something to keep in mind though... letting him bask outside in a glass tank is a little dangerous. The glass will let the heat of the sun IN, but won't let it back OUT. Your poor little guy can literally cook himself. It also filters out most of not all UVB light. I'd pick up one of those clear Sterlite containers to take him outside in.
> 
> ...


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## brutus13 (Oct 15, 2010)

Nordica thanks for the turkey ball idea i love it and will start adding that in there diet. They love turkey but addin everything else in it seems so much better. For basking outside I use a kiddie pool and made a thick wire mesh top. He can't get out and birds can't get in also it allows the heat to escape and the get all the uvbs from the sun. I also fill the pool up to there shoulders so they soak and get natural light all at once.


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## Guest (Oct 15, 2010)

You're welcome!

As far as building his trust, it's just gonna take time. Spend as much time with him as you can every day. And that doesn't necessarily mean trying to catch him and hold him every time. Even just being in the room with him, moving around where he can watch you. Pull up a chair by his enclosure, and read a book or something. Let your hand rest in his cage, but don't try to pick him up just yet. Basically, just take it tiny step by tiny step and you'll see progress.


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## Toby_H (Oct 15, 2010)

^^ Good advice...

When my Tegu was a new hatchling I best won his trust by simply going things in his enclosure. I put my hands in teh cage as often as possible, always in a non threatening way. He very quickly realized I was not coming to hurt him and very quickly began interacting with my hands...


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