# Tegu not lifting herself up



## andii530 (Feb 6, 2012)

Last week I have notice that when I pick up my tegu, she is limp, her arms dangle and she is too weak to catch the crickets in her cage. I hate seeing her like this. What can I do to help her get better?


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## Keeps (Feb 6, 2012)

Sounds like it could be MBD (metabolic bone disease) do you have her under UVB lights, and on a proper diet, aswell as being supplemented with a calcium powder? I'd look for a reptile vet, problems like this don't happen over night. Should have took her in at the first sign of a problem.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Feb 6, 2012)

_For future reference anytime you need help the more info you provide the better. We need a full run down of your set up, what you feed and how often.

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=9678#axzz1ldTF69Dm

If you're at home, for now and weather permitting natural sun does wonders. But won't completely fix the problem so we need (link posted above) more info._


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## andii530 (Feb 6, 2012)

I have a UVA light and I feed her gut-loaded crickets,grapes,watermelons and strawberries all with calcium every week. I going to try to find a reptile vet this week, I just hope it's not too expensive


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Feb 6, 2012)

_Still more info,.. is your light just a UVA or is it both UVA/B or do you have a separate light for both? What are you feeding other than fruits and crickets? Help us help you at least until you can get her to a Vet but we can't do that with out more info._


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## andii530 (Feb 6, 2012)

Well I have a black and white tegu that's about a ylear and a half old, she's a little bit longer than 1 foot, I have her in a 20 gallon tank


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## Keeps (Feb 6, 2012)

Year and a half old, and only 1 foot doesn't seem right. 20 gallon tank is way too small to begin with. I wouldn't recommend anything less than 40gallon long for hatchlings - 8 months or so. Was this your Tegu, or was she given to you?


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## andii530 (Feb 6, 2012)

she was a gift for me last year and I'm just guessing on her age. I using a uva bulb for now but i have been taking her outside everyday when i get back from school. What other information do you need?


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Feb 6, 2012)

_Click on the link I posted above and answer as many questions as you can. If you only have a UVA light she needs UVB as well, they make two in one lights for both. But getting her outside will help with that until you get a new light. 

Never mind c&p'd for you, just truthfully answer as many of the questions below that you can.

What kind of tegu do you have?
How old is your tegu?
How large is your tegu?
What is the sex of your tegu?
How long have you had your tegu?
Does your tegu brumate or hibernate?
What size enclosure do you have?
What kind of substrate is used?
What kind of UVB do you use (brand and coil vs bulb vs tube)?
What is the wattage of your bulb?
How old is your bulb?
How far away is the UVB?
Do you use a separate bulb for heat? What is the wattage?
What are the temps (basking and cool side)?
What do you use to measure the temps?
What is your humidity? What do you use to measure it?
What do you feed your tegu?
How often do you feed and what time do you feed (morning, afternoon, night)?
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? How many days a week do you use each of them?
Does your tegu have regular BM's?
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal done?
Does your tegu share and enclosure with another tegu?

Read more: http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=9678#ixzz1ldfg8RlK_


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## reptastic (Feb 6, 2012)

Also a pic would help, a yearling tegu should be nowere near 12", crickets are good as a snack but s/he need whole prey like rodents/chicks, meat like ground turkey, chicken parts, turkey parts ect.


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## TeguBuzz (Feb 6, 2012)

Smh..


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## ilovelizards (Feb 6, 2012)

wow.My tegus the same age about i think(would have to look at pic. dates) &he is about 3-3 1/2 feet long....just saying.Somethings not right like the others are saying somethings not right at all.


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## andii530 (Feb 6, 2012)

She hibernates, I use forest floor bedding, the wattage of the bulb is 65 and I have it on the screen top, the basking side is 90 and the cool side is 75,the humidity is 85 and i measure them both with a thermometer gauge, I use to feed her every morning when I wake up but now I feed her when I get back from school since she's to weak to hunt, I switch between Fluker's calcium with vitamin D3 and Rep-Cal phosphorus-free calcium with vit.D, I have not had the money to get her checked out by a vet yet but IM planning to go soon and she is the only tegu I haveHere is a picture of her [attachment=3962]


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## Keeps (Feb 6, 2012)

Uh...You need to go get pinkies, or load her up on gizzards, hearts, livers, scrambled/hardboiled egg, and stick to the rep-cal calcium, flukers is mainly oyster shell and not easy for them to digest. The hot side should be anywhere from 100-110, atleast my girly's cage is about that, and low is 83-87 if not 90. Your bulb should be a 100 watt UVB/UVA+Heat bulb, at the very minimum. Your Tegu is looking pretty sickly (in my eyes) they shouldn't be rigid and sucked up like that. She's underweight, and probably not getting the proper UV exposure, and calcium intake for her bones to grow properly and be healthy. You need to seriously get her to the vet, or hand her over to someone who can take care of her.


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## Non Crimen Jr. (Feb 6, 2012)

Try the 100w Powersun from Zoo-Med it is UVA/UVB+Heat heres a link. http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=74


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## laurarfl (Feb 6, 2012)

But you also need a proper diet with a proper calcium : phosphorous ratio, proper basking temps, etc. All the UVB in the world won't do a thing without good nutrition. At this point, the tegu may need to see a vet to rule out fractures.


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## got10 (Feb 6, 2012)

From looking at the pic . You can see the spine is high above the ribs almost as if the ribs are degenerating and beginning to sag. I would fill her with calcium and organ meats. It is good that you are getting the animal out into the sunlight as much as possible .But, you are going to need a uv A/B bulb to help out unless you house outside full time.
Good luck to you


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## reptastic (Feb 6, 2012)

You mentioned a 65watt bulb but no uvb? All the supplements and good nutritional food won't help unless she is getting uvb/a to help her bones absorb the nutrients and calcium, a vet visit at this point(judging by the pic) is her only hope, not beat down on you but the condition she is in isn't something that occurred over night, perhaps you need to find her a new home with someone who could provide for her all her needs, she needs medical attention asap


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Feb 6, 2012)

_It's not too late and I know it's a lot to take in from everyone but it's going to take some time and money on your part to get her back on track. If you do decide to stick with it and take care of her. If not I don't know where you're located (no shipping in her condition) but re homing her with someone who's experienced or putting her to sleep may be the best thing for her. 

She's lethargic and under weight so making her chase crickets is not the best option right now. No live prey, for now she needs to conserve energy and not spend it trying to catch food. Until you can get her to a Vet make the changes suggested here starting with the lights and food. I would pick up some Repta Aid with the lights as well to help give her a boost.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/vitamins-medicines-and-cage-cleaners/reptile-medications-mite-sprays-and-cleaners/-/flukers-repta-aid-herbivore-formula/ _


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## Khoilie (Feb 6, 2012)

not to sound rude but if taking your sick pet to the vet is a major financial decision, its probably time that you seriously consider giving her to a new home, someone that both has the time and finances to take care of her and nurse her back to health. its not easy to hear this, especially from strangers but please know that we are only trying to help you and your tegu by saying these things. please dont take it as a personal attack. the blunt and honest truth is that she will be dead soon by the looks of her and it will be slow and painful. i hope you do the right thing by going to the vet or giving her to someone more experienced.

good luck to both of you


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## TeguBuzz (Feb 6, 2012)

Vet check required last week. Plain and simple, this problem didn't happen over night, it's been ongoing. Go to the vet and put her out of her misery. Or re-home her. Did you only just realize these problems last week? It's clear that you didn't do your research before purchasing this animal that is now suffering. If you're gonna keep her, do what has been stated by the other members, get her everything that she needs and more and learn from your mistakes. 

Even with all that she might not make it.


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## RamblinRose (Feb 6, 2012)

Make sure it is an experienced "reptile" vet.


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## txrepgirl (Feb 7, 2012)

I recommend the same lighting ( from the link above ). I also would lower the humidity a bit. If the humidity is to high your Tegu could get a respiratory tract infection. Put her mouth by your ear and listen for a poping or wheezing sound. Do you measure the basking temps from the side of the enclosure or right on the basking spot ? Please keep us posted. Good luck with everything. Oh, one more thing. Is she drinking alot of water and is she eating when you give her the food ? 

http://www.anapsid.org/rti.html


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## tommyboy (Mar 7, 2012)

Wondering the status of this poor little girl.......


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## frost (Mar 7, 2012)

whole prey items and sunlight will give a really good boost of the uva/uvb lighting there isnt a bulb around that compares with the suns' rays.


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## laurarfl (Mar 8, 2012)

Agree. I feel very fortunate to live in a place that gets some good rays at good temps.


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## Wendell-X (Mar 8, 2012)

I'm glad some people are being honest with me I guess i should have put up all the info first.
I don't know how old he is and how long the owner we bought him from had him. The owner seemed to know his habits so i though she had to have had him a while but when i notice the bulb wasn't UVB and he was fat and walking up on his feet i knew she didn't because i figured some signs would be showing by now. 

TeguBuzz- I don't think i put on here how long I've had him but it's been 2 days going on 3 now and we bought him off Craigslist and the last owner didn't look they had a PHD in anything so i was amazed he had all his toes and wasn't a skeleton. I understand from other articles that people are real sensitive when it comes to Tegus health and proper care and i didn't mean to sound like I brought some dog home. I do take his health seriously.

I've been on this website for months now planning and researching on these animals and i hope i didn't come off as buying him for entertainment. I understand all their nutritional and UVB and i cant make money come out of the air so unfortunately i cannot get a bulb immediately but within a few days i will have one. When we seen how bad his last home was i couldn't leave him. i understand that if i can't provide good care to him I'm no better then them it was kind of an impulse buy. 

I am going to put more pics of him up and would love anyone who said he looks sick to see if it was the pic. I'm NOT disagreeing with anyone its just that he was pissed the night we brought him home for obvious reasons and he was in a defensive pose. i wanted to get him online here as soon as possible so i could see if he's healthy. I live in MD and I'm looking for vets now and I dont want to re-home but if it means his Health then I will immediately put the ads up now. He is a sweetheart and we've had a humidifier on and have been bathing him regularly. 

Umm..... I have Rep-Cal Phosphorus-free calcium with VIT.D3 that i have been mixing into his food (ground turkey for now but im getting a SMALL FROZEN rat for tonight ). I'm sorry i haven't updated about him, my niece got he finger stuck in a door and the doctor was talking about amputation but thank god everything healed well. It's been a living hell the last 3 days but the best parts were when i would go spend time with the Tegu. I have all day to spend with him and have been working on an area for him outside. i have rocks stacked nice an flat for a basking spot and when i took him outside he was in absolute heaven. 

please ask any questions and fee free to email me at [email protected] for any questions or concerns you have. I dont know if I've left anything out i didn't want to write a novel on here but i wanted to make sure i got to everyone's comments. 

Here are the pics, like i said if you have concerns please let me know i understand his health could be bad but please let me know if there's anything i can do to keep him or if it would be best to find someone on this website who could take care of him. I know getting him better will not take overnight but i need to know if he's in life threatening condition. 




















Hes still shedding 
HOLY CRAP........ im sorry i put all of this on the wrong post. Please ignore all of this. 

I don't know how i ended up on this post but i thought everyone was saying i was killing my Tegu. I was freaking out thinking i was hurting him and not taking proper care of him........ Sorry


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## tommyboy (Mar 8, 2012)

Lol....I thought I was losing my mind. Wendell, your guy looks much better than the one everybody was commenting about. I was looking at the pictures knowing this was not the same tegu. You must have beeen very relieved when you realized we were not talking about you!!


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## Wendell-X (Mar 8, 2012)

Absolutely......... my guy seems to be doing well(knock on wood) and hes already warmed-up to everyone. there really is nothing like petting a 3 foot lizard to sleep in your arms.


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## monstruo-the-tegu (Mar 8, 2012)

o gosh you cans see his or her spine clearly you really need to feed her or him more

im tallking about the older pic


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