# possible problem



## steve1 (Jul 4, 2012)

my new little guy has been doing great up until about an hour ago.
i noticed he was laying halfway outside of his hide box breathing hard with his tongue hanging out. i can only assume that it got too hot inside his box. well what seemed touch and go for a little while he seems ok now in the sense that hes alert and acting normal except his body is twitching when hes at rest. he is still very active otherwise and seems ok other than that. i really dont know if it was a heat issue or if the box i put in for him had something that wasn't good for him in it. i had just put that box in for him yesterday as he has already outgrown the box i had for him when i got him 3 weeks ago. has this happened to anyone else?
Im really worried he wont make it through the night....


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## james.w (Jul 4, 2012)

What is the box made of?


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 4, 2012)

what are his temperatures on his hot side cool side and basking site?
what bulbs are you using for heating and UVB (include brand and wattage)
are you using a temp gun?
what is his diet?
how much is he eating at what intrevals?
you are giving him a clean water source? are you aware of him drinking?
are you using vitamins or supplements? If so which ones how often?
you keep saying box, what exactly is his caging situation? (material)


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## steve1 (Jul 4, 2012)

james.w said:


> What is the box made of?



cardboard much like the other box that he had no problem with.....
he is outside atm in his screen cage under the misting system and seems just fine now. i just dont know if it was aheat issue or a box issue or both
his cage as of the moment is a 20 gallon aquarium he has a under the tank heat pad and a 100 watt i think che, he has a zoomed uvb uva bulb one of the screw in florescent types, but he gets alot of real sun every day filtered through a screen cage. i have him eating ground turkey which he loves and chicken gizzards and hearts and beef liver all ground together which he isn't so crazy about, he packs it in though, i supp it with calcium powder and all i currently have is some herptevite left over from when i had Iguanas. his temps in the aquarium have been in the 90s on the hot side to the mid 80s on the cooler side, not much of a thermal gradient i realize, but i have yet to find a 55 gallon for the time being of course much longer and ill just have to make something out of wood cuz hes just about outgrown the 20 already. this is the first time he has acted like this so im really wondering if there was a problem with the carboard box ...
clean water source yes and he is given fresh food 3 to 4 times daily, he does not always he all the food i put in there but i give him more than i know he can consume in one sitting lest he explodes


right now the twitching has stopped and he is acting normal


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 4, 2012)

are you measuring surface temperatures?
what are you using to measure any temps?
how often are you supplementing?
does your supplement contain D3?
you had him in a card board box before and an aquarium now?
are your temp measurements coming from the former of the later?


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## steve1 (Jul 4, 2012)

temp measurements come from a temp gun, cardboard box is just a hiding box, and enclosure is the 20 gallon aquarium, apparently the vit powder does not contain d3, i just read the ingredients


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 4, 2012)

how often are you giving him the calcium?
And you say he is getting unfiltered sunlight regularly?
Not through the (glass of a) window?
he has a basking spot?
what is the temp of that?


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## steve1 (Jul 4, 2012)

i sprinkle the vits and calcium onto his food daily, he gets real sunlight slightly filtered through a screen cage. i think it was an old Chameleon cage, it is a plastic tube frame with black screen mesh that zips open, he is usually out in that for a couple hours every afternoon with the porch misting system running to keep him from overheating outdoors. i have already said that he has a basking spot though he typically likes to be inside the cardboard box, i know he drinks and have seen him do on some occasions. though im usually at work all day and dont see what he does when im not here. i handle him daily and although hes quite a squirmer he does settle down and is getting better about being out. he has grown considerably in the 3 weeks ive had him measuring from 11 inches total to all of 16 now, very alert and very active when out. this has been the first time i have seen this behavior and as i said he seems fine now hes acting normal again, i have removed the cardboard hide box and will be going to get him some cypress mulch tomorrow.


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 4, 2012)

I know you said he had a basking spot but you never stated the temp.
If it is not high enough he is not able to metabolize the calcium he is ingesting.
but it sounds like the problem might be too much calcium
you should not be supplementing everyday with calcium.
I think your Tegu might be suffering from Hypervitaminosis.
In short - too much calcium.
He only needs 2-3 doses per week.
Too much calcium can mimic the symptoms of MBD which I think might be the case based on what youve said and being the rest of your husbandry seems in order (assuming your basking temps are appropriate.)


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## steve1 (Jul 4, 2012)

apparently its just too hot in the tank for him, he was not back in it for more than a couple minutes and he was laying there with his mouth caped open, usually the house temp is so cold that its just right in the aquarium for him we keep the house at 72, but this afternoon we were moving alot of furniture in and out of the house and the door was open for extended periods of time and its been over 90 degrees all day outside, i believe at this point it was just too hot for him in the tank, so for now i have unplugged all heat sources and put him in the tub with skin warm water. i will prob just turn on the che later and keep the under tank heater off. or do you think he would be ok to just be in the house temp for the night?
i will lay off the dusting of vits and calcium to twice a week for now, and i know i need better vits cuz hes not a herbavore



Thelegendofcharlie said:


> I know you said he had a basking spot but you never stated the temp.
> If it is not high enough he is not able to metabolize the calcium he is ingesting.
> but it sounds like the problem might be too much calcium
> you should not be supplementing everyday with calcium.
> ...



basking temps i stated were in the high 90s or higher in some spots


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 4, 2012)

almost forgot,
an UTH is really not appropriate for a Tegu as they burrow to escape heat so heat from that direction is unnatural and inappropriate. so you should really ditch that it very well may be contributing to the problem you are experiencing.
And are you turning your CHE off at night?
You should be, a natural temp drop not ever getting below 65ish (ambient) at any given time is fine and natural for them.


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## steve1 (Jul 4, 2012)

ya im gonna discontinue the use of the uth and i have not been shutting the che off but i am as of tonight, i defiantly firmly believe he was overheating and im glad i was here when it happened or i may have come home to a dead tegu, as i said with the door being open for as long as it was it really warmed up in this house and i believe that was the cause of the overheating, it was just too much.


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 4, 2012)

Sounds winning to me
Im glad youre little guys ok
dont forget what I said about the calcium tho
and I personally recommend zoo med brand (no D3) , as its a more complete form of calcium and less likely to contain toxins
good luck and I hope all remains well


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