# Dull patches of scales?



## tresh (Mar 15, 2012)

My tegu Ammy, an '11 black and white tegu from Bobby, recently went through a major shed. Her entire back, head and belly all came off as one large shed, it was actually kind of epic seeing how it came off just like a jacket. Anyways. Underneath the shed, instead of healthy shiny scales, we've seen patches of dull scales. She's got a major streak along her back down her spine, one patch on her neck, and several streaks on her sides. She's also got three of the major scales on her head/above her eye that show the dullness. I searched on here and didn't find any reference to what this could mean, so I'm hoping people here will. 

I'm sorry some of these are blurry...it's hard to get a photo of a moving cranky angry lizard. 

Pictures:







































She's been acting very weird lately (I'm told by the vet that this could basically her hitting puberty), where she won't stay in her cage (125 gallon reptile tank), doesn't want to take a bath, won't poo in the bath, messes up her water dish, won't eat anything that isn't warm (the fun of warming up dead rats...not fun), basically just being a brat. 

She's got a wound on her nose because she bumps at the tank until she hurts herself. I've started letting her loose in the apartment, but it's not easy because she gets into small spaces very quickly. And trying to get ahold of her again, she actually has started lunging at me. THe only way I've been able to get ahold of her is to drop a towel over her and pick her up that way. 

She's turned into this biting tailwhipping cranky lizard who doesn't want to bask (maybe she's mad we got rid of the electric heat rock and switched to a heat bulb?), doesn't want to eat any of her old favorites, and most of all she doesn't want to stay in her cage. She's making me crazy, trying to take proper care of her. 

We had an issue with her humidifier, but we've since got the humidity back where it needs to be, all the temps are in the recommended ranges, she's just got those patches that I don't know what they mean or what could be causing them. Any help?


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Mar 15, 2012)

_ Reminds me of damaged scales from trying to get out. If it's just along the top of her head and back I would check to see what she could be rubbing up against. 

How big is she and what sized enclosure is she in?_


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## reptastic (Mar 15, 2012)

I recently had the same problem with my female, since she isn't even a year yet I can tell you it isn't puberty, that dosnt happen til around 2 y/o, if you are letting her free roam chances are she likes it and tried getting out on her own, definately looks like she rubbed something the wrong way


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## monstruo-the-tegu (Mar 15, 2012)

i had that problem the first time my tegu shed it is probably because of the humidity and temp what is the temp and humidty


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## RamblinRose (Mar 15, 2012)

Is she getting to the light in her cage? Is it to close to her? Hard to tell from the pictures but almost looks like perhaps burns starting from her bulbs. The head scales do look like either they just have not shed off yet, or as bubblz stated, her damaging them trying to get out. Something is not right and she is trying to tell you. You may want to rethink the tank thing and put her into a new enclosure, something where you are reaching in the front, instead of reaching in from above her. Doing that makes her think you are a predator that is after her. That right there will make her run into the glass to try and escape being eaten by you, and in turn injuring her nose. What type of lid do you have on the tank? If it is wire, is she perhaps getting scratched up on it trying to get out?
Bottom line is, she has no trust in you and that is why she lunges for you. She is most frightened by you.
These are just some things for you to ask yourself and to help you better understand what she may be feeling. : )


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## tresh (Mar 15, 2012)

It hadn't occured to me that those could be burns, but that's actually very possible. The last two times she has escaped, it's directly under the lamp that she's crawled out. So it's quite possible she brushed against the heat bulb. How do I help heal that, or is that just going ot be like a burn scar on a human? Does she need to go to the vet? She doesn't appear to be in any pain, but I don't know how to treat this. 

One of our heat lamps is actually directly in her cage because she likes to be very close to it, but I'll be moving that now. 

The marks weren't there before she shed her scales, they've only appeared since her last major shed, w hich was, like I said, a really good shed. 

We figured the marks above her eye and on her nose were from her escaping. She's been trying to escape since we got her as a tiny baby. It's only now that she's big enough to force her way out. I've been trying to let her out more, but I'm afraid she'll get into something, or get into a fight with the cat. I'm home alone most day, so I can't rely on my husband to come and haul her out from wherever she gets herself in. I had to wait several hours today for her to emerge from under the couch. 

She doesn't run into the glass when I"m trying to pick her up. She's never done that. She's normally a very social lizard, she still loves to be held after her bath. It's just when she's actually allowed out and allowed to roam that she turns into a wild lizard. I think I realized what part of the problem is. I come to pick her up from such a height, it probably scares her. Big giant person reaching down adn grabbing you...yeah, I'd be scared too. So I probably need to figure out a better way to handle her. she does just fine when i drop a towel on her first before picking her up. 

Part of the problem is that we live in an apartment, several floors up, so I don't have the yard to let her roam around in. And I think maybe she's longing for sunlight? She seems to always head for the warmest spots. She also always heads for places to hide (she managed to climb inside a box half her size today). 

Do tegus need more things to move around and mess with in their enclosures? She's in a 125 gallon tank, there's two rocks and a log in there, but maybe she needs more to move around and mess with? I can't help but feel she's just bored, but I'm not sure how to make things better for her.


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## AP27 (Mar 16, 2012)

Is your apartment very open where she roams? From my experience sometimes younger tegus can become nervous when exploring open spaces. They may not be completely confident yet and can feel insecure in a big room and so immediately look for somewhere to hide. I would suggest letting her roam in a tegu proof room, like the bathroom where she can feel a little more secure, or to use a leash when you let her roam other rooms to prevent her from hiding under things for hours or getting stuck under or behind something. Having to 'haul' your tegu out from somewhere is never a pleasant experience for them. I don't know what would be causing the dull patches. Rubbing could be a likely cause, especially if she is frequently getting under things.


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## tresh (Mar 16, 2012)

I got a leash/harness for her a few days ago, one designed for a ferret. It fits her just fine and she can't get it off, but she freaked out when I put it on her and kept rolling until she was hopelessly tangled. So she doesn't seem to tolerate being on a leash very well.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Mar 16, 2012)

[size=small]_It's not natural for any animal to be restrained or in a harness so it takes some getting use to. Start with short sessions in the beginning and work up to longer periods of time. When and where ever you allow them to free roam make sure you tegu proof that area. Bathroom, kitchen or where ever check along cabinet bases for any open spaces. 

Especially in the corners, I have one in the kitchen that Natsuki knows he can't fit into but that doesn't keep him from trying every time he comes across it. On the other hand Korben could fit in there in a heart beat if I let him get to close harness and leash or not.

If for what ever reason he made it, I doubt it would be easy to get him out even with the leash attached._[/size]


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## m3s4 (Mar 16, 2012)

It sounds to me like she doesn't like being in her cage at all. 

Now that she's been able to roam freely, can you blame her? 

Option: you can use her cage as her sleeping/resting quarters and let her roam a tegu-proofed part of your apartment like others have stated. 

I don't know what you do with her when you pick her up, but if you're putting her back in her cage and she doesn't like it - chances are she's letting you know she doesn't want to go back in and she's resisting. 

If she likes to go under the couch, that's ok and it's never been a problem with my tegus. 

When mine go under anything, I put their uvb/heat lamp at one end and leave it on. They always, and I mean always (eventually) come out to bask under it. Couches seem to be alluring to tegus as well as beds and under throw-rugs. When they find a favorite spot, they'll go through a lot of trouble to get into it. 

With some tegu-proofing, if you can incorporate her into your personal space a lot more I think you'll both have a better relationship and she just might stop throwing those fits. 

I'm no expert, but I've had some great luck letting my tegus roam. They're pretty simple. Bask, potty, eat and sleep. Sleeping should get the honorary award for top % at around 75% haha. 

When she's ready for bed, chances are she'll have no problem letting you put her back in her cage.

Want your tegu to take a nice nap? Throw a blanket over her.

Good luck.


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## tresh (Mar 17, 2012)

I figured it out today. Her cage was too warm. She had no 'cool' spot in the cage, it was all the same temp. My thermometer was broken. So yeah, I'm a tegu-owning idiot. 

At least we got it figured out now. She did some major damage to herself before I figured it out, but now we've got the cage cooling down, humidifier going full blast, and I got some zoo med medicine for her damaged nose. Poor poor Ammy...I feel like a horrible horrible pet owner right now. 

I'm just glad i figured it out finally. And we're going to go ahead and work on getting her cage moved, and let her have a room to herself. What I"m going to do tommorrow is empty all the mulch out of her cage and put down newspaper so we can help her nose heal without her getting infection. 

What kind of bedding can I use now? Is the paper bedding used for small animals okay to use for a tegu? like this stuff: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4258930


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## reptastic (Mar 17, 2012)

dont beat yourself up, we all make/made mistakes, we just learn from them, obviosly she is well cared for so your not a tegu owning idiot your doing a great job


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## tresh (Mar 18, 2012)

That's why I like this forum. I'm always learning new things. 

Today, she came out of her burrow and she sat under her lamp and just looked fat and happy.Ate her chicken, wandered around her cage, then plopped her fat butt under her lamp for a few hours, then burrowed back under. Her nose is not nearly as red/inflamed as it was yesturday, so I'm assuming we're doing okay. 

Such a learning curve to having a tegu. But oh, she's turning out to be my baby. She lets me sit with her in the evenings and wrap her in my blanket and just hold her and stroke her face. She's calm as can be, even while i was messing with her nose. Smart smart animal.


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## m3s4 (Mar 18, 2012)

tresh said:


> That's why I like this forum. I'm always learning new things.
> 
> Today, she came out of her burrow and she sat under her lamp and just looked fat and happy.Ate her chicken, wandered around her cage, then plopped her fat butt under her lamp for a few hours, then burrowed back under. Her nose is not nearly as red/inflamed as it was yesturday, so I'm assuming we're doing okay.
> 
> Such a learning curve to having a tegu. But oh, she's turning out to be my baby. She lets me sit with her in the evenings and wrap her in my blanket and just hold her and stroke her face. She's calm as can be, even while i was messing with her nose. Smart smart animal.



Glad to hear things are under control and getting better for you all. 

I wouldn't worry about bedding if it were me - I would avoid it - especially if you're going to make a room for her. 

In that case, all she needs is a nice spot to bask. You can use a normal home humidifier to keep the humidity around 45% - which in my experience, is fine. You can up the humidity when she is shedding and/or rub coconut oil on her known problem areas - toes and tail - to aid in the process. Even when they're not shedding, coconut oil is extremely good for their skin. 

For a sleep hide, you can use one of these - I have 3 and they work great - can fit in the back seat of a car so if you wish, you can take her out and about as well. Fold up nicely to save space too:






Aside from that, they love blankets, pillows, comforters and any combination or variation of these. 

Matter of fact, my 3 year old gold used to put himself to sleep. We'd leave the front of the sleeper open with 2 blankets and one pillow inside at all times. He'd do his thing, mainly bask after his bath and walk around the room a few times. Then, when Sam was ready for bed, he'd make his way over to the sleeper and bury himself beneath the blankets. 

We live in Colorado so when it got cold out, we'd leave a heating pad in there with him. He loved it of course - but nothing over 4 on the thermostat - he didn't like it real warm. 

Interestingly enough, he wouldn't settle down if we didn't have a pillow on top of him either - I think he liked the added weight and security it offered. 

Picky? Yes. 

Spoiled? Definitely. 

Did he know the difference between dirt and blankets? Of course. 

Quality of life is important to me and anything I'm taking care of, tegus are no exception. 

I think any tegu on the planet, given the choice and option, can adapt to living um, plushly and comfortably. 

Hope this helps with your room ideas.


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