# My Tegu Is Pooping Rocks...



## Alec Bennett (Jul 2, 2019)

Hello Tegu Talk,

I just got back from Idaho three days ago (after a month), and apparently my sister took good care of my Tegu. He is a big boy now! He grew at least 5" longer and 1" wider, and his joules are starting to come in! When I was soaking him today, he peed more than usual. After emptying the water and refilling it with a luke warm replacement two times in 30 minutes, I kind of assumed he was trying to pass something that might have him constipated. The third refill of bath water, I made sure to increase the temperature so loosen him up a bit which did the trick. He pooped out a combination of normal feces, a little bit of dirt, and three rocks (two were very small, the other was a size a bit smaller than the average thumb nail). At first I freaked out, but I read that reptile will sometimes swallow rocks and dirt for the contents such as iron, calcium, etc. that they need to help digest whole foods that contain bones, and full organ systems (I feed my guy pinkies every week, and super worms every two days). 

If anyone can give me insight on this, don't be afraid to tell me that my research was completely wrong. Has this happened to you guys before?


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## Walter1 (Jul 2, 2019)

Sometimes they're eaten accidentally. Perhaps, consider feeding in a bowl or outisede of enclosure? Always add powdered calcium to food.


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## Merlot (Jul 3, 2019)

And put your gu in a long bath and go through the substrate and pick those rocks out as best you can. My freaking tegu just loves to pick em up and toss em around and I hear it, and it’s like he’s eating some hard candy and it’s pisses me off. Then just gulps it down. Some/lots of substrates have small rocks mixed in. I learned this when I had to change the substrates in the winter one time and had to buy some garbage, it had rocks, compost, plastic and other types of crap. Read the labels! Lol


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## AlphaAlpha (Jul 3, 2019)

Yes I also believe its for the vits / minerals in them the stones..... just bump up on your supplements


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