# HELP! What's wrong with this picture?



## Beasty (Apr 4, 2009)

Besides it being blurry.






She's got a pronounced hump in her back! It's not soft, but hard and almost like her spine is kinked! The temps are good. On cypress. Fed out of the enclosure. She hardly eats anything and her belly is all caved in. Her boyfriend is doing fine in the same enclosure. (eats well and all) They both hibernated and they have had a MVB from day one.
The first thing that comes to mind is MBD but I simply do NOT see how!
Ideas?


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## dragonqueen4 (Apr 4, 2009)

I had an adult mali uromastyx once, that had the exact same thing, a huge lump on the middle of his spine. it wasnt mbd, i have no idea what it was though.


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## VARNYARD (Apr 4, 2009)

Looks like a broken back to me, is there anything in there she could have hurt it on?


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## ashesc212 (Apr 4, 2009)

VARNYARD said:


> Looks like a broken back to me, is there anything in there she could have hurt it on?



Is there any way to treat this?

Beasty - can she walk?


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## Beasty (Apr 4, 2009)

Just cypress and large plastic light weight water bowl. I recently put a half log in there after I had noticed her back. She moves just fine and everything. All appendages working, all that. Just won't eat much. She'd bask all day and night if I left the light on. (left lights on late at night a couple times, he was crashed she was still basking) When I get her out she's warm to the touch. Umm.. I can't think of anything I could do wrong.
The boy is fine though.

Bobby,
Do you think it could _possibly_ have happened in transit to here in the box somehow? She never has eaten right but they went down almost immediately. I guess you pulled them from hibernation to ship to me didn't you? So they got here, ate _very_ little (him more than her) and crashed right away.(not to say _you_ did anything wrong, I'm just trying to figure things out) And that probably would have healed over during hibernation. Which is likely best case scenario as she'd be immobile for months, it just healed crooked. Her back seems to be fairly straight -side to side at least.

I have no idea but she ain't right and I dunno how to fix her and my monetary situation has gone to crap just recently so...unless the vet will work for free movie tickets I'm kinda out of luck I guess.
What would the vet do for a broken back anyway? Probably put her down hunh?

:hifit :rant :bawl


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## ashesc212 (Apr 4, 2009)

If she can walk right now, and everything else seems fine with her, PLEASE don't put her down.


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## VARNYARD (Apr 4, 2009)

Beasty said:


> Just cypress and large plastic light weight water bowl. I recently put a half log in there after I had noticed her back. She moves just fine and everything. All appendages working, all that. Just won't eat much. She'd bask all day and night if I left the light on. (left lights on late at night a couple times, he was crashed she was still basking) When I get her out she's warm to the touch. Umm.. I can't think of anything I could do wrong.
> The boy is fine though.
> 
> Bobby,
> ...



I don't think it was done in shipping, her back looks normal in these pictues you took right after you got her:















There is something that happen after, the back is not normal looking like it is in the first three pictures above:






You also said she ate a mouse hopper the day you got her, I don't think she would have ate if she just broke her back.


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## Beasty (Apr 4, 2009)

Well I paid entirely too much to just kill her off because she's been injured.
I'd bet IF her back has been broken and healed while in hibernation she's still in a lot of pain. That would explain the lack of appetite. Hopefully I can get her to eat more. She's only had a few roach legs and a couple bites of turkey and a roach yesterday I think(didn't see her eat it but it wasn't in there after so...) in the past couple days. Her back has been more pronounced today though that's why I posted.

Yeah, I guess you're right, Bobby. So, what to do now?

Obviously something happened but I can't imagine what or when. It would have to have been fairly serious to break her back. _Maybe_ my roommate got in after them but he won't cop to it if he did. She eats and moves fine. Chased some roaches around and picked the legs off so she can't be THAT bad, right? Though she chomped on 'em but acted like it was hard to crunch them up and take 'em down. Tiny ackie finished one off and it was bigger than his head!


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## alewis0890 (Apr 4, 2009)

no, I really don't think its a broke back bro... 






Shes growing out of hers. and shes eating like MAD! To be honest... I wouldnt do anything, Sadies has gone down, shes eating like a pig, and shes doing everything just fine. give it some time. she will be an amazing pet though. No clue why its there though... for no reason, and it feels like bone. my vets around here just want to kill hurt reptiles so thats a big no to them. anyway... if i find something out on sadies (tho its almost completley gone) I will let you know.


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## VARNYARD (Apr 4, 2009)

Guys this is a new one on me, I have never had a tegu show anything like this.


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## alewis0890 (Apr 4, 2009)

I have no clue Bobby, it was a new one to me too, I thought it might of been a broken back when I recieved it, but she has too much gitty-up to her i would think for a broken back. then I thought maybe mbd tested her and she's fine, everything on her checks out clear but the hump that was on her... bu tas you can see in the new pics and vid, like nothing its almost vanished.... its weird lol


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## PuffDragon (Apr 5, 2009)

The hump on yours and the hump on Beasty's are in too different spots. Making them too very different problems IMO. Both seem very alarming and proper vet care should be sought after.


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## alewis0890 (Apr 5, 2009)

yes puff I would have to agree but, Sadie's is gone. and it could just be the angles of the pictures as well. I do not know for a 100% fact that Beasty's prtoblem is the same as mine was... but the similarities are extremely close, so naturally I gave him the advice as I took... I did nothing but give Sadie proper care, and in time, it is gone or almost gone, you can't notice it unless you know its there now and it is not affecting her in anyway.


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## ashesc212 (Apr 6, 2009)

Beasty - were you able to get her into the vet?


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## Beasty (Apr 6, 2009)

Called 2. One listed as a reptile vet online turns out they're not. The other did not return my call. I posted on the other tegu site and the resident "know-it-all" says it actually could be MBD. I don't see it but maybe. It popped up out of nowhere. I have shots 3-27 where she looks just fine, then all the sudden BAM! big lump. She seems fine still but while she chews on roaches won't swallow them I don't get it. She's not interested in anything else really either short of turkey.

So...
she drinks
chases roaches
moves perfectly fine
basks under a NEW MVB
eats the stray roach or bite or two of turkey
her skin seems to be outgrowing her now... or she's just losing weight from not eating enough.

got NO funds now - personal.. but I'll say an extra $500 a month HAS to be invented or I'll have more problems than with one lizard!

I do have liquid D3 I can give her if it'd make a difference.


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## omgtaylorg (Apr 6, 2009)

I have personally seen and held alewis' tegus many times, they are perfectly healthy and Sadie is deff a very very quick tegu, almost hard to hang on to sometimes, she is in no way being affected by the lump which I first saw when he got her a few months ago...its going down alot and im 100% its not a broken back because shes just way to alert and agile to be in pain from a broken back, its impossible. So not saying I know what it is, but from my experience with holding Sadie and seeing her 2-3 times a week, I dont see it as a problem at the time since she eats, basks, and has proper care daily. With time I think they will outgrow it as their backs stretch out from growing.


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## alewis0890 (Apr 6, 2009)

you can compare that pic I posted, with the new ones, or check their vids out on youtube and see how far it went down so far also.


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## Beasty (Apr 7, 2009)

Well, today she got dosed with a drop of liquid D3 and I put her in the bin which had 1 adult Dubia and 4 nymphs of various size just to be sure she'd find one she was comfortable with. My lil girly picked out the adult male and went to town on him! She ripped off his wings and half his legs and chomped on him and finally did actually swallow him!! Then she went on to grab the smaller of the roaches left and ate it much easier. She then followed suit, like all the other 3 tegus before her, after she got her fill she took a big dump. 
She's also shedding now! Hopefully this was just some form of MBD brought on by being a picky eater. If she keeps this up she'll be gaining weight in no time.
After being presented with the idea that she may possibly actually have MBD, even though I have good husbandry, I thought that it might actually make sense.
She never ate much so she was small. She went into hibernation early so never got the chance to eat much. Now out of hibernation, the warmth, humidity and UV available, she was still being quite picky. She didn't eat enough to fuel her growth and caused the hump? Eh...it's a theory. I'm just glad she's hungry and hope she keeps it up! Tomorrow we'll see if she wants an ASF pinkie! :-D


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## Red Earth Exotics (Apr 7, 2009)

I'm SO glad she started eating today. I sure hope she keeps getting better! :fc


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## All_American (Apr 7, 2009)

Beasty said:


> Called 2. One listed as a reptile vet online turns out they're not. The other did not return my call. I posted on the other tegu site and the resident "know-it-all" says it actually could be MBD. I don't see it but maybe. It popped up out of nowhere. I have shots 3-27 where she looks just fine, then all the sudden BAM! big lump. She seems fine still but while she chews on roaches won't swallow them I don't get it. She's not interested in anything else really either short of turkey.
> 
> So...
> she drinks
> ...




I would have an Xray done and diagnosis off that first hand.


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## Beasty (Apr 7, 2009)

All_American said:


> I would have an Xray done and diagnosis off that first hand.


 I hear you. I would totally do that BUT my funds situation being what it is, I'm not going to have us ALL be homeless over getting her seen by a vet. It's THAT tight, unfortunately. 
Now, if you personally know a vet for herps here in Utah that will work for free movie tickets, let me know.
In light of such, she's eating, basking and getting D3 once a week now. I'm hoping that will do the trick. If not, I dunno.


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## alewis0890 (Apr 7, 2009)

Hey bro, we took our cat to the vet today for some shots and stuff, and I asked a few questions on my tegu... He told me temps were to low. yeah well thats not the case lol my temps are 109-112 basking with an 78 cool side.... it great shes eating man.. Personally I think she will pull through just fine as mine did. my vets around here are morons so that could explain alot of it... I apologize for not knowing the exact reason to tell you why it is like that but like I said... Sadie's is almost gone completley, and shes eating like a horse, so it may be something that just needs to be outgrown but can't say for sure. Just take good care of her and hope for the best. good luck!


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## VARNYARD (Apr 7, 2009)

I wish I could help more guys, but I have never had one do this. However, I don't think it is MBD, it just don't look like it to me.


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## Beasty (Apr 8, 2009)

She got a belly full of beef liver today! I dusted it with Nekton-Rep and NutriBACdf which is a pro biotic designed for reptiles "stimulating appetite lost due to effects of stress of moving, poor diet, hostile cage mates, or low level of disease." I had that from a previous local purchase of another tegu and Nekton-Rep I have used for many years as it's some of the best multi-vitamin on the market. 
She also had a soak today and consequent bowel movement so the extra attention is paying off. Within the next day or two she will have completely shed and I'll do another photo shoot of her to show growth progress. 
I wish i had the money to get an X-ray but she seems to be doing incredibly well IF it's a broken back.


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## Beasty (Jul 1, 2009)

*Re: HELP! What's wrong with this picture? UPDATE!*

Update:
"She" is eating like a tegu should now and growing and moving just fine.
I say "she" because at one point when she was having problems and was a bit thinner I could have sworn I saw buttons! Now I can't get her to sit still long enough to discern whether or not I can see them now. The mate doesn't seem to have buttons, that I can tell at least.
At any rate, the lump is all but gone and is almost completely unnoticeable unless you know to look for it by rubbing down the spine. Here's a couple pix from yesterday:

















Feisty as ever, it offered to bite during the shoot. Normally they don't even open their mouths but upon impact of the sun hitting their skin they both were ready to fight. Crazy critters!


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## jmiles50 (Jul 1, 2009)

Looking great!


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## GOT_TEGUS (Jul 2, 2009)

lookin good


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