# arg. black and white tegu expelling mucus from mouth!!!



## COWHER (Nov 29, 2007)

i have been giving baths every day with the Zilla Reptile Shed Ease in it . he swims in it and goes underwater just like normal. 
Today I gave him a bath with the same water / shed ease mixture and then gave him a olive oil rub down to moisturize his skin (stuck scales on his head and small bits of stuck shed on his tail and feet) it was applied by a cotton ball and a very thin coat was used so he was not soaked in oil.
After he was done i dabbed him off with a towel and as i brought him back to his enclosure he spit up a clear mucus there was no coughing no gaging or sneezing it just seemed to come up it fell to the substrate and it was about a half of a tsp.He huffed a few times maybe like 7 or 8 times and his breaths sounded clear then he walked away and is basking now and seems fine. should i be worried and any ideas what happened or what is happening please help I'm sorta frantic!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:


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## MMRR - jif (Nov 29, 2007)

Most likely he drank a bunch of water in the tub and maybe you put a little pressure on his abdomen that made him regurge some of that water. I've seen the same thing happen in iguanas after they've had a good long drink in the tub and then are picked up and sometimes held in a slightly head down position. If he's still acting normally I don't think I'd be worried about it.


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## COWHER (Nov 29, 2007)

thats makes sense because he wasn't doing it but i picked him up and angeled him a little head down and tapped lightly on his back and a tiny bit more came up. but he is acting fine now.


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## COWHER (Nov 29, 2007)

is the fact that there was Shed Ease in the water bad if he drank it?


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## ApriliaRufo (Nov 29, 2007)

COWHER said:


> is the fact that there was Shed Ease in the water bad if he drank it?



I can't imagine them putting something highly toxic in it, but there could have been something that didn't agree with his stomach and he decided to get rid of it. I wouldn't worry about it too much myself. I would just monitor him and keep an eye out for any strange behavior.


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## MMRR - jif (Nov 29, 2007)

I don't know exactly what is in Shed Ease so I can't answer that question. I probably wouldn't want to have my animals drinking it.

Have you made any changes in his diet and environment to help prevent shedding problems in the future. Bobby has covered those subjects pretty well here. The only thing that I can add is that I've had good luck using some Vitamin A&D ointment on areas that are having a tough time shedding.


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## COWHER (Nov 29, 2007)

yeah I have to put 2 gallons of water in there every day and i wasn't mixing the substrate around so the top was moist but the bottom was bone dry. kinda a dumb move on my part. but its all better now not to wet not to dry. Thanks guys for helpin me out I'll keep ya posted on Barbossa.


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## Mike (Nov 29, 2007)

Edit:

Oops, I didn't read enough. I've never had an animal cough up mucous before, some have coughed up water, but no problems came from it. I would tend to agree with AB, don't give baths that often. I don't know what would happen if it ate some of that zilla stuff.

I hope it's water, keep us updated.


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## AB^ (Nov 29, 2007)

COWHER said:


> i have been giving baths every day with the Zilla Reptile Shed Ease in it . he swims in it and goes underwater just like normal.
> Today I gave him a bath with the same water / shed ease mixture and then gave him a olive oil rub down to moisturize his skin (stuck scales on his head and small bits of stuck shed on his tail and feet) it was applied by a cotton ball and a very thin coat was used so he was not soaked in oil.
> After he was done i dabbed him off with a towel and as i brought him back to his enclosure he spit up a clear mucus there was no coughing no gaging or sneezing it just seemed to come up it fell to the substrate and it was about a half of a tsp.He huffed a few times maybe like 7 or 8 times and his breaths sounded clear then he walked away and is basking now and seems fine. should i be worried and any ideas what happened or what is happening please help I'm sorta frantic!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:




Was it mucus or water??
Last time I had an animal regurgitate clear bile it died a few days later :? 

anywho, I am curious to why you give your tegu baths??
especially on a daily basis.

If your tegu just drank a lot of water and you handled it it wouldnt be an uncommon thing for it to spit some water up


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## COWHER (Nov 29, 2007)

it was thicker than water kinda like... not to be gross but it was like KY lube. also i give him baths every day because thats just his routine he eats then goes for a little swim he usually loves it and i never saw a reason to not give him a daily bath he liked it so why not. also to be mentioned, his bath is usually just water, i put the Shed Ease in only for the last two days.


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## greentriple (Nov 29, 2007)

He does not love it, he tolerates it. Love is a human emotion. I don't remember reading anywhere that tegus are semi-aquatic. I could be wrong. I'm curious, how do you know he likes it? Sorry Cower, but you are anthropomorphizing this little guy into puking up god knows what.


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## olympus (Nov 30, 2007)

How do you know he doesn't love it, did you ask him? I never heard that animals can't love something. A cowher your gu will be cool man don't worry I think he probably drank something that didn't settle right with him.


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## COWHER (Nov 30, 2007)

greentriple said:


> Sorry Cower, but you are anthropomorphizing this little guy into puking up god knows what.


 First off my name is Cowher not cower and don't make the mistake of thinking that cowering is a trait I ever exibit! Second off you are telling me that because I applied a human feeling such as love to an animal that's why he was "puking"? You really 'think that I am applying a human emotion to a animal and that's what's making this little guy puke up god knows what?'
Thanks man Thanks a lot you have helped me deal with my "sick" tegu more than anyone here. Your kind and helpful input has shed a new light on how to calm my nervs and how to fix the problem I had. Wow you are truely a blessing to me.
Ok extreme sarcasim there! Dude what is your point? You wanna turn this into another phillophophical discussion on the differance between human emotion and animal.... whatever? Do it on your own post and unless you are trying to help someone with the health problem that they have posted then stay out of it.


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## redtail2426 (Nov 30, 2007)

I would think you should cut back the baths to twice a week everyday sounds a little excessive in my book (opinion). I also wouldnt use that shed ease stuff in the water. If your gu is having shed problems try gutloading your insects with carrots or sweet potato's High in vitamin A or see if he will take the carrots by them selves but I wouldnt give them to him all the time as you can OD on vitamin A. Also when you are pouring 2 gallons of water in your cage everyday which also sounds like alot just make sure you dont have any water collecting on the bottom as it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and if your tegu is digging in at night it would not be good for him. And the best thing to do now is just keep an eye on the little guy and make sure he is acting normal. My .02 cents


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## AB^ (Nov 30, 2007)

Personally, I dont reccomend bathing reptiles unless there is a need to do so i.e. shedding issue,dehydration etc.

I didnt mean to start a fight but that was what I was getting at (what I just stated above) saying any animal likes or loves something is anthropomorphic. Anyone saying their animals likes or loves something is mistaken. Those are human emotions, and a lot of time many keeper errors can attributed to anthropomorphic assumptions. A great example of this is green iguanas (and I know someone is going to disagree so bring it on  ) people will pet their heads and of course the iguana will close its eyes. Then it is assumed that the iguana likes it or that it makes the animal relaxed. When I see this I think stress. 

anywho, I have to return to work, there's something to ponder about.
Come on people think outside the box. 8)


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## olympus (Nov 30, 2007)

Cowher do what you think your tegu LOVES. I put mine in the bath tub like every other day and it's cool. Actually whaen I stopped putting her in the bath shedding problems started. Do you man.


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## COWHER (Nov 30, 2007)

olympus said:


> Cowher do what you think your tegu LOVES. I put mine in the bath tub like every other day and it's cool. Actually whaen I stopped putting her in the bath shedding problems started. Do you man.


Thank for the support bro! :lol: Barbossa seems normal today. He came out at the same times he does everyday to bask and is drinking his water ect I'll let yall know if he eats tonight its beef liver on the menu.


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## olympus (Nov 30, 2007)

That's good to hear I know your gu will be okay. Barbossa will run the black pearl again.


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## AB^ (Nov 30, 2007)

olympus said:


> Cowher do what you think your tegu LOVES. I put mine in the bath tub like every other day and it's cool. Actually whaen I stopped putting her in the bath shedding problems started. Do you man.



Well, In my opinion if you have had problems then something isnt right in your housing conditions (probably a burrow that is too dry) 
things like baths are only fixing signs of something that isnt right.
Kind of like people saying "sand cause impactations" in beardies and leos
so they use tile,slate or other things and not realizing that improper temperatures would play a large part in the animal not being able to pass what was ingested. It should be the keepers goal to fix the primary issues instead on concentrating on the secondary.


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## olympus (Nov 30, 2007)

For real.


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## ApriliaRufo (Nov 30, 2007)

Wow the heat comes quick don't it? My tegu doesn't like to bathe but, sorry Kevin, my iguana demands it. He waits til about 7 o clock when I take my shower and starts running around in his cage. I take his big climb branch and put it in the shower and he loves the steam and will crawl down to the water that I now plug, swim abit, and go back up. I don't hink Cowher meant that his animal displays human emotion, it was simply put that he gets the impression that his teg displays signs of comfort and enjoyment. I think the shed ease and oil must have been ingested with some water and he got rid of it.


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## COWHER (Nov 30, 2007)

AB^ said:


> olympus said:
> 
> 
> > Cowher do what you think your tegu LOVES. I put mine in the bath tub like every other day and it's cool. Actually whaen I stopped putting her in the bath shedding problems started. Do you man.
> ...


I agree with this 100% i have a enviroment that was too wet thus the foot soars that i previously posted about and Bobby suggested


VARNYARD said:


> It looks like he might have what is seen in snakes a belly rot. I don't think he done this by jumping into the tub. I would not worry about the vet just yet, see if it starts clearing up with the neosporin, and make his cage a little dryer. As for the stretch marks, you got me on that one.


 so I over compensated and made it way to dry witch in turn caused more problems ie with his shed.


ApriliaRufo said:


> Wow the heat comes quick don't it? My tegu doesn't like to bathe but, sorry Kevin, my iguana demands it. He waits til about 7 o clock when I take my shower and starts running around in his cage. I take his big climb branch and put it in the shower and he loves the steam and will crawl down to the water that I now plug, swim abit, and go back up. I don't hink Cowher meant that his animal displays human emotion, it was simply put that he gets the impression that his teg displays signs of comfort and enjoyment. I think the shed ease and oil must have been ingested with some water and he got rid of it.


 Again i have to agree 100% with this i will never use the shed ease stuff again! the oil wasn't even applied near the head so i know that that was not a problem. but i do think he drank the water with the shed ease in it BTW shed ease contains Deionized Water, Aloe Vera, Salt, Glycerol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate. i think seeing that it had salt water as its base as mike put it


RehabRalphy said:


> I can picture him stranded on an island telling his friends to drink the saltwater, its good for you, swim in it too. :lol:


 well have you ever drank sea water i almost drown in it and in the process drank a bit of it, what happened about 1 minute after i regained consciousness???? i puked clear snot like fluid!!!! 
going on to the thought that animals can not feel human emotions i disagree!!!! <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.keepersofthewild.org/Pages/eduation/emotion.html">http://www.keepersofthewild.org/Pages/e ... otion.html</a><!-- m -->


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## AB^ (Nov 30, 2007)

> going on to the thought that animals can not feel human emotions i disagree!!!! <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.keepersofthewild.org/Pages/eduation/emotion.html">http://www.keepersofthewild.org/Pages/e ... otion.html</a><!-- m -->




I dont think your article is a fair comparison to the topic of reptiles.
It was talking about higher forms of life (mammalians) and with in that some of the more intelligent species.

There's no question in my mind that mammalians can form attachments to people or other animals.
Though IMO the same can not be seen (or proven) in reptiles
(somebody shoot me if ricks video gets brought up)


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## AB^ (Nov 30, 2007)

ApriliaRufo said:


> Wow the heat comes quick don't it? My tegu doesn't like to bathe but, sorry Kevin, my iguana demands it. He waits til about 7 o clock when I take my shower and starts running around in his cage. I take his big climb branch and put it in the shower and he loves the steam and will crawl down to the water that I now plug, swim abit, and go back up. I don't hink Cowher meant that his animal displays human emotion, it was simply put that he gets the impression that his teg displays signs of comfort and enjoyment. I think the shed ease and oil must have been ingested with some water and he got rid of it.




I have no issue with an animal choosing to take a swim at it's own accord, tossing an animal in a bathtub is something completely different. I have offered both my species of tupinambis water vessels large enough to emerse themselves in and they were ignored.


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## COWHER (Nov 30, 2007)

AB^ said:


> I have no issue with an animal choosing to take a swim at it's own accord, tossing an animal in a bathtub is something completely different. I have offered both my species of tupinambis water vessels large enough to emerse themselves in and they were ignored.


 does this mean that no tegus like water, because yours do not? when i had a pool in his enclosure he would soak in it and climb up the cliff i made and jump into the water repeatedly! 
also i understand that most reptiles do not have the intelligence to be likened with animals like the elephant but with what i have seen don't Argentine tegus display a higher intelligence than most other reptiles? Isn't this one of the reasons why people like me and Bobby keep them? 
And flip the coin, has it ever been proven or even studied if tegus display some emotion? not that I know of. Yet what i do know is that tegus like Bobby's actually crave attention from humans isn't that an emotional thing?


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## AB^ (Nov 30, 2007)

> does this mean that no tegus like water, because yours do not? when i had a pool in his enclosure he would soak in it and climb up the cliff i made and jump into the water repeatedly!
> also i understand that most reptiles do not have the intelligence to be likened with animals like the elephant but with what i have seen don't Argentine tegus display a higher intelligence than most other reptiles? Isn't this one of the reasons why people like me and Bobby keep them?
> And flip the coin, has it ever been proven or even studied if tegus display some emotion? not that I know of. Yet what i do know is that tegus like Bobby's actually crave attention from humans isn't that an emotional thing?



Tegus are NOT semi aquatic plain and simple, sure they might swim from time to time but this is by no means the standard. Many reptiles that are not naturally known to soak will to do if other conditions are not right. Take Varanus exanthematicus for example, about a decade ago many people suggested having something for them to soak in even though this is not a natural behaviour. Animals will soak when (including but not limited to( Overheated,Dehydrated and infested with external parasites such as mites.
Tegu are among the smartest reptiles in my opinion But many argue that they do not exceed the intelligence of varanids who are more well known as the "smartest" group of saurians on the planet. No studies have been done on them and there are far many more species of varanidae than tupinambis.
Tegus are curious creatures, they will investigate their surroundings and objects in them (whether it be animal,vegetable or mineral) simply because a tegu does not consider one a threat and will come and investigate you, or associates you with food does not mean that it has formed an emotional connection with you or anyone else for that matter.

as far as assuming bobbys tegus crave his attention (no offense bobby) that is being anthropomorphic


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## COWHER (Nov 30, 2007)

> http://www.petstation.com/reptame.html
> 
> Questions and Answers
> Q: Can reptiles become tame ?
> ...







> http://www.crystalinks.com/reptilianbrain.html
> 
> The brain stem is the oldest and smallest region in the evolving human brain. It evolved hundreds of millions of years ago and is more like the entire brain of present-day reptiles. For this reason, it is often called the 'reptilian brain'. Various clumps of cells in the brain stem determine the brain's general level of alertness and regulate the vegetative processes of the body such as breathing and heartbeat.
> 
> ...


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