# EGT constipation or hibernation?



## reptileprincess (Oct 1, 2011)

Okay so I am really new to tegu ownership. I am babysitting my husbands EGT while he is at training for the army and I am terrified I am going to kill it. Sully is his baby and lately he has been slowing down. I feed him a chicken breast every two days and try to feed him veggies about the same. He always has fresh water and I spray his cage down every day to keep the humidity up. He is getting big, he's almost a year old. He's from VarnYards 2010 hatchlings and we got him this time last year. Recently he lost his tail....oops. Long story but it has grown back and looks ugly but he has a tail so that's all I care about. 
Ok so a few weeks ago he slowed down and I thought he was starting to hibernate but then I found out he was constipated and I made him poop and since then he's been eating a ton. I fed him two days ago and he hasn't moved since. He's alive and breathing and will move but his stomach looks distended a little bit. He ate half he normally does and all he wants to do is sleep. Is he constipated again? Or is this him going into hibernation? Oh did I mention this lizard now hates me since I made him lose his tail? He won't let me touch him. Please help my husband will never forgive me if I kill his baby.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Oct 1, 2011)

_Hi and  welcome to the site. Some of these questions are N/A but answering what you can honestly,.. will better help us help you. Just from what you posted his diet is inadequate and is just one of the things that can cause constipation and impactions.

What kind of tegu do you have?
How old is your tegu?
How large is your tegu?
What is the sex of your tegu?
How long have you had your tegu?
Does your tegu brumate or hibernate?
What size enclosure do you have?
What kind of substrate is used?
What kind of UVB do you use (brand and coil vs bulb vs tube)?
What is the wattage of your bulb?
How old is your bulb?
How far away is the UVB?
Do you use a separate bulb for heat? What is the wattage?
What are the temps (basking and cool side)?
What do you use to measure the temps?
What is your humidity? What do you use to measure it?
What do you feed your tegu?
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Does your tegu have regular BM's?
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Does your tegu share and enclosure with another tegu?

Read more: http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=9678#ixzz1ZaCQOsiE
_


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## reptileprincess (Oct 1, 2011)

Bubblz Calhoun said:


> _Hi and  welcome to the site. Some of these questions are N/A but answering what you can honestly,.. will better help us help you. Just from what you posted his diet is inadequate and is just one of the things that can cause constipation and impactions.
> 
> What kind of tegu do you have?
> How old is your tegu?
> ...



I have an extreme giant tegu
He's a little over a year old
He's like three feet long
I think he's a boy but we're not too sure
We've had him since Bobby sent him to us right after he hatched
He did not hibernate last year
He is currently in a 40 gallon breeder with sliding glass front
I'm using half eco-earth half cypress mulch
I have no idea what kind of UVB it is but it looks like a florescent bulb
I have no idea what the wattage is
The UVB bulb is about a year old
The UVB bulb is 12 inches away from the floor
We are using a heat emitter and I think its Zoo Med, I think its a 100 watt
We don't have thermometers, so I don't know how hot it is
I don't measure the humidity, I just spray it to keep it moist feeling
I feed him chicken breasts, occasionally chicken livers and some veggies like kale when he'll eat them
I feed him at night every other day
I use Repti Calcium every other time I feed him
He usually has regular BM's
We haven't taken him to the vet at all
He is the only animal in his tank

I think I answered all the questions. I'm starting to think I know nothing about this lizard. Please help me so I don't kill him!


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Oct 1, 2011)

_To start, here's a food list to give you an idea of what they can eat. 

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=6452

There should be some whole prey in his diet and add calcium every time you feed meaty meals that don't have any since he's still growing. A temp gun or thermometer and hygrometer is needed to measure ambient, surface temperatures and humidity.

This second thread is a care sheet for basic info.

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7712#axzz1ZaUKgVIx

Inadequate temps and diet can cause constipation and or impaction if either one is off. Since they need proper temps, humidity and hydration for all around health and digestion.

What kind of training is your husband doing better yet is he reachable to answer questions that you may not know?_


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## james.w (Oct 1, 2011)

reptileprincess said:


> He is currently in a 40 gallon breeder with sliding glass front
> *40 gallon is WAY too small for a 3' lizard*
> I have no idea what kind of UVB it is but it looks like a florescent bulb
> I have no idea what the wattage is
> ...


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## new2tegus (Oct 4, 2011)

Also just a heads up, unless he's going to be back soon, you might have to start thinking about a larger enclosure. At close to 3ft he's got to be cramped. Probably not helping his temperament either.


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## laurarfl (Oct 7, 2011)

Constipation can come from too little moisture and fiber in the diet, low temps, low calcium and UVB, and little exercise. You have a few of these things going on. Here's what I would recommend, specifically.

1. Buy a thermometer and hygrometer. I don't usually use gauges, but I found this one to be the most accurate. I have two and have been using them for a while. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=zoo+med+temp+humidity&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&rlz=1I7SKPT_enUS429&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17797711192366497387&sa=X&ei=8faOTsmPFNOitgecra2rDA&ved=0CDgQ8gIwBQ#

2. Get the basking area up to 110-115 and the hunmidity up to 70%. That might mean a higher wattage bulb. If there is a screen lid, cover it to increase humidity. You can also put moist sphagmum moss in his hide box to increase humidity in that area. If the humidity stays low, the tegu gets a bit dehydrated. Then the large intestine draws more water from the feces and the stool gets hard and difficult to pass.

3. Time for a new UVB bulb. If it is the long type, get a 10.0. If it looks like a flood light, it is a mercury vapor.

4. The diet can be tweaked to help him out. It would be best to feed him frozen and thawed rodents 2-3 times a week. On the other days, feed ground turkey or livers. The calcium supplementation dosage is 1/2-1 tablespoon per pound of meat. That needs to be added to any food that does not have bones. You can add a bit of fruit to his diet, whatever fresh produce you have around. The plant fiber, moisture, vitamins, and phytonutrients will help. But fruit needs calcium adeed, too.

5. He needs to move around so that his muscles stay in shape and his GI tract is active. If it is a 40breeder, then that means it is a 4ft cage which is too small. A 3ft tegu is ready for an adult sized, 8ft cage. I'm sure that is something that your husband will have to address when he gets home. In the meantime, he needs to come out a free roam for a bit somewhere in the house. If you soak him in the tub first, he should poo there which makes clean up and accidents easier to deal with.


I'm sure with your husband gone, dealing with this tegu is stressful, but he'll appreciate it.


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