# Itching, and itching, and itching.....



## Boagonetegu (Oct 16, 2018)

Hello there, it's only my second post but so far my tegu has been both rewarding and head scratching (pun intended). I'll run this through the easy way, temps basking 105 low end 83, night high 85 low 81. Coco and orchid bark. T5 high output new uvb with reflector, humidity around 80 (morning and night misting) food ground turkey with calcium plus once a week multivitamins with d3, no tap water just mineral for this guy. He tiny still but growing, I think when I got him he was really young. Well it hit the fan. handlings great, awesome animal but I'm stumped here. He was in a 6x2x2 vivarium (all the above apply to both). He didn't eat for a week when I got him, previous owner had him on a locust diet. I kept trying but lean ground turkey he went for, I've got and keep trying blackberry's, grapes, strawberry, chicken heart, chicken liver, pinkies no luck on those yet though. Then he stops eating less once every 3 days or so, comes out less, sleeps more, being the season I thought hibernation but a pet shop chap and a vet tell me cold spots in the viv. I didn't think tegus had issue with too much space hence the large viv. So I moved the chap to a 4by2by2 with all the above kit. Now all of a sudden he's up more, eating more (every day), hes active and already telling me when he wants to come out, and when he doesn't lol. I think great but within a few days of pick up he keeps scratching his face. He did this for two days and I raised the humidity, gave a bath, and used a little coconut oil. Next mornng noticed his eye was looking puffy and not as open as the other. Vet trip. Looks a bit red and irritated she said gave me some eye drops twice a day. Thing is I think he was just scratching and got his eye. He's had the drops for 5 days, the eye seems to slowly be getting better, but he still will not burrow, still scratching, and still can't sleep, he keeps jumping and scratching just as he falls off, I mean he is litterally asleep on his feet and then jumps then 2mins later does it again and repeats. There's no signs of mites, same substrate he had in the 6x2x2, I'm bathing every day, no signs of stuck shed.. .... . Stumped here, it might be worth another vet run but does anyone know of anything for this? Anyone had this behaviour before? Any help would be great fully received.
Many thanks,. Richard


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## Walter1 (Oct 16, 2018)

Well, I'm not sure. Somehow , basking need s to be 110-115f. Ambient in low-mid 80s. His hide mimust be in mid-upper 70s for relief. Come wintere 10f cooler. He hurt his eye. Maybe something in it. I wonder if his jumping is from no relief from heat.


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## Zyn (Oct 17, 2018)

Yeah agree with Walter sounds like he can’t properly thermoregulate


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## Boagonetegu (Oct 17, 2018)

Right I've upped the temp for basking and I'll be installing a light fan on the cool side to ensure that gradient gets a little bigger today to see if that helps, fingers crossed....


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## battyrubble (Oct 24, 2018)

you might need to get oral antibiotics if the eye drops dont knock it out of him. I have been going through the same issue and on waking wash his eye lids with warm teabags, then drops and he has stopped scratching but I am also doing oral antibiotics. Is yours a Colombian or Argentine? Colombians prefer a slightly cooler temp. which is why he is jumping and nor resting.


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## Boagonetegu (Oct 24, 2018)

I have an update now  so the eye drops have pretty much sorted the eye issue out I think he scratched them in his madness. I went through everything that I had changed. Well..... I had him on a ceramic at night and basking bulb for day (with t5). When I moved him I didn't bother with the ceramic as the basking bulb was barely on overnight (night temp stat) and he was always burrowed away. So I though sod it and got another ceramic and guard on the off chance and rigged it up as I had before. That daft amount of light was apparently what was hacking him off. That night the ceramic took over and that puny amount of light from the basking turned off...... Hey presto, straight to sleep, stops scratching, problem solved. It was either a coincidence or he really didn't like that light. All been fine so I dropped a moss hide in which he loves and more substrate for him to rearrange lol


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## Walter1 (Oct 24, 2018)

Boagonetegu said:


> I have an update now  so the eye drops have pretty much sorted the eye issue out I think he scratched them in his madness. I went through everything that I had changed. Well..... I had him on a ceramic at night and basking bulb for day (with t5). When I moved him I didn't bother with the ceramic as the basking bulb was barely on overnight (night temp stat) and he was always burrowed away. So I though sod it and got another ceramic and guard on the off chance and rigged it up as I had before. That daft amount of light was apparently what was hacking him off. That night the ceramic took over and that puny amount of light from the basking turned off...... Hey presto, straight to sleep, stops scratching, problem solved. It was either a coincidence or he really didn't like that light. All been fine so I dropped a moss hide in which he loves and more substrate for him to rearrange lol


Nice going. Good to hear.


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