# Need Help, I suspect a calcium deficiency



## Snags (Dec 21, 2015)

I've had my columbian tegu a little over a year now. She was a rescue, and I did a lot of research after I got her. I've never had an issue with temperature, or behavior, or feeding, etc. She eats a diet of unseasoned cooked fish, eggs, chicken and ham, and canned tuna/chicken, as well as some mashed blackberries, the occassional raw egg, and some vegetables here and there. She seems to like bell peppers and carrots some times. She's never eaten live food, i've tried a few times, and shes not interested, she won't even go near it. She has no enclosure, shes free roam in a room of her own, with a basking area made up of a small heater (she cant get to it) and a pile of blankets. the room is kept around 75-85 degrees, depending on night/day. She loves to swim and gets a few hours a day to swim in the tub, and shes got a little custom thing a friend made, so that there is a shallow and deep end, and she can rest if she wants/needs to. Shes always been very friendly, very sweet, very social. Shes gone to conventions of over 10k people with me and lets anyone and everyone handle her. Of course I ask people to clean their hands before they hold her. She goes with me to town and sits on my shoulders while i run errands and do my shopping. 

Saying all this so you have a little background on her behavior and our situation. 2.5 weeks ago, She stopped eating. I figured she was being finicky and left her alone (food wise) for the rest of the day. The next day she still wouldnt eat, so I changed up her diet from eggs, to tuna, which she has always really loved and dug into. She wouldnt touch it. after a week of her not eating anything i offered, I tried to "force feed" her. I would rub a piece of food along her lips till she would open her mouth, then i'd slide it in. I wasnt ham handed about it, i was very careful and soft, but she spat out anything i gave her. At that point, I called the vet and asked for some advice. They told me she was cold (i doubted it, but i was willing to try anything) and to increase the temperature of her "tank" and to get back to them after 3 days if she still didnt eat. Well, she still didnt eat, so I called them up, and they asked me to collect her stools and bring them in to test for parasites. I brought her, and the stools, to the vet, and they noted her behavior (curious, trying to crawl from one person to another, very friendly and active). They said they'd give me a call after they tested things. 

After the call, they said that she had no parasites, and that it must be an infection or heat issues, but an infection was unlikely, so watch her and keep offering food. Well, its been about another 4 days since that, and shes still not eating.

She spends a large amount of time walking around with me and wandering around my lap and work area (i work from home). This morning, she was wandering around my lap and acting like she usually does, but shes been sleeping a lot today and yesterday. A lot more than usual. The past hour or so, i've had her in my lap, and she constantly sleeps, unless i pet her and pick her up, the minute I stop petting, she goes back to sleep. But the part that disturbs me the most, is when I picked her up for our evening cuddle after trying to feed her again, her back legs dont move. They were working fine this morning, but now it seems like she cant move them at all. I'll pet her and be kind of annoying, to try and see if she can move them, and she'll push herself forward with her tail, instead of using her legs. the most that I see happen, involving her hind legs, is that her longest toes will curl up like shes flexing really hard to move her legs, but nothing else happens. 

I'm really worried, and wondering what I can do, until I can get a ride to take her to the vet. I'm assuming that this is a calcium deficiency? I've never had any issue with her until she stopped eating, and I was worried about that, but this really has me scared even more so. 

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.


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## Walter1 (Dec 22, 2015)

Legs that don't work is usually either injury or vacuum def. 

Sleep and not eat sounds more like brumation.


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## Snags (Dec 22, 2015)

Walter1 said:


> Legs that don't work is usually either injury or vacuum def.
> 
> Sleep and not eat sounds more like brumation.





I didn't realize that she would go into brumation with the room as warm as it is, and I dont know how to help her calcium deficiency if she won't eat. The vet wasn't interested in giving her a shot, and told me to pick up a calcium supplement and "push it down her throat, if you can." 

This makes me feel really iffy about that specific vet (the only reptile/exotics vet within 3 hours drive of me), and I've called two zoos asking for advice. I've left a message, and I hope they call me back soon. 

If you've got any advice for what i should, or could, do to help out my girl, I would really appreciate it.


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## Walter1 (Dec 22, 2015)

Day length has a lot to do with beginning and end of brumating. 

I woul do my best about finding a good herp vet.


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## Snags (Dec 22, 2015)

Walter1 said:


> Day length has a lot to do with beginning and end of brumating.
> 
> I woul do my best about finding a good herp vet.




Sadly, the exotics vet i did see (the only one close to me, and i dont have a car) only told me to call the zoo, and to try and force feed her a calcium supplement. I'm going into town tomorrow to see if anyone else has any more advice, we've a place that has a regular reptile show, and I'm going to talk to them, if they're open, or at least get their phone info to call later. 

here is a vid i took of her this morning. shes trying so hard.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pokswl1x0swu1ui/VIDEO0164.mp4?dl=0

I've tired mixing calcium powder with raw egg and trying to use a dropper to feed her, and i've tried getting her to lick it off my finger. Before (a week or so ago) i got her to lick some off my finger, but now she wont lick at all if there is anything on my hand. I've managed to get her to open her mouth enough for me to stick some small bits of egg or ham in, but she just spits them out.


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## Walter1 (Dec 23, 2015)

If she drinks, mix into water bowl. Make sure access to UV to process it.


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## Snags (Dec 25, 2015)

she died about an hour ago, thank you for all your help.


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## Walter1 (Dec 25, 2015)

Very sad. Sorry you lost her.


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## beantickler (Dec 26, 2015)

Awe man... That's too bad. Sorry to hear that.


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## Kruger (Dec 27, 2015)

Very sorry to hear about your loss.


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