# Not eating



## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

Hey guys, my girl's been awake for a couple weeks, still sleeping a good 12-16 hours a day though. I have raised her temps to summer-like conditions as we're not concerned with breeding & like having her around. I have been offering her a variety of foods (turkey, fruit, mice [f&t], etc.) but she isn't showing any interest. I know she won't starve herself but I'm wondering if I should be concerned about parasites or if anyone has any suggestions, I'm more than open...


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## james.w (Dec 29, 2011)

I wouldn't worry about it. Mine is up at least 10 hours a day and only eats about every 4-5 days.


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## jumper123 (Dec 29, 2011)

some slow down going into shed or during shed? i have one that wont eat for weeks when shedding, one that slows down and one that wont stop no matter what. all tegus are different, but.. she may be trying to go back into hibernation.. unfortunately you cant really stop that they do what they want. is she drinking? active? is it too hot for her? i find that some dont like it too hot even on a basking side they refuse to bask unless its a little lower. as you know if she isnt basking she cant digest or eat or get energy.


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

jumper123 said:


> some slow down going into shed or during shed? i have one that wont eat for weeks when shedding, one that slows down and one that wont stop no matter what. all tegus are different, but.. she may be trying to go back into hibernation.. unfortunately you cant really stop that they do what they want. is she drinking? active? is it too hot for her? i find that some dont like it too hot even on a basking side they refuse to bask unless its a little lower. as you know if she isnt basking she cant digest or eat or get energy.



She's basking as we chat. I was hoping to get her basking spot a little higher as it's at 82f right now. She is very active, drinking water a little...


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## jumper123 (Dec 29, 2011)

is she young? is she shedding? yah little higher than 82 would be good. one of mine wont tolerate anything higher than 93 degrees to be precise.. is she defecating? or has she? maybe a nice warm bath will make her want to eat.. or to run around the room? just throwing stuff out there. i would tell you not to stress but who am i to talk, they take a weird breathe and i rush them to the emergency room..


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

jumper123 said:


> is she young? is she shedding? yah little higher than 82 would be good. one of mine wont tolerate anything higher than 93 degrees to be precise.. is she defecating? or has she? maybe a nice warm bath will make her want to eat.. or to run around the room? just throwing stuff out there. i would tell you not to stress but who am i to talk, they take a weird breathe and i rush them to the emergency room..



I appreciate it, that's why I posted lol. I've done all that, bath, exercise. How would u suggest getting the temp up? I'm using a 50w basking bulb about a foot & a half away from the rock... Everytime I put a plate in the tub for feeding with her, she just spends her hour in there trying to get out lol. So I try the bathroom floor with the door shut & she ends up curling up somewhere on the cold floor. I just may be paranoid, but better safe than sorry. I have not seen her sh!t since I got her (2 months ago) either.


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## jumper123 (Dec 29, 2011)

she may be burying it, sometimes they are like dogs.. how big is the cage? get a 75w bulb or maybe a little higher. whats her UVB your using?


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

Burying what? Got a 100w on one side (uva/b) & 50w basking.


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## jumper123 (Dec 29, 2011)

she may be burying her poop.


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

oh, gotcha.


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

went & bought another fixture & setup another bulb. Basking spot is at 90! Perfect!


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## james.w (Dec 29, 2011)

90 is a bit low for basking. Can you post some pics of your enclosure? Have you tried offering food in the enclosure? What bulb are you using for uvb, is it a PowerSun?


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

It is a PowerSun. The last reading was 90 when i shut the top. Standby for pics... I have not offered food in the cage, I'm trying to avoid cage feeding.


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## jumper123 (Dec 29, 2011)

Technically 90 is still low try higher.. Some won't tolerate much higher though most like it really hot though like 100


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

[attachment=3778][attachment=3779][attachment=3780][attachment=3781]


james.w said:


> 90 is a bit low for basking. Can you post some pics of your enclosure? Have you tried offering food in the enclosure? What bulb are you using for uvb, is it a PowerSun?



Here's some pics...



I'm pretty sure it's because I have her basking spot towards the front of her enclosure. The heat is probably escaping out of one of the doors. I'll move them to the back of the enclosure in the morning. Trial & error, wanna keep her happy, thanx for the help too.


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## james.w (Dec 29, 2011)

I am gonna guess it is way too hot in the enclosure. I would recommend putting plexiglass on the doors as well. Can you lower the light fixtures to bring the bulbs down? 

Why are you trying to avoid feeding in the enclosure?


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

james.w said:


> I am gonna guess it is way too hot in the enclosure. I would recommend putting plexiglass on the doors as well. Can you lower the light fixtures to bring the bulbs down?
> 
> Why are you trying to avoid feeding in the enclosure?



Feeding them in their enclosures can cause food aggression & cause them to associate you opening their enclosures with food. I also know that good ventilation is important for tegus, hence the mesh. the gradient temp in the cage is 70-95 right now, so it's not too hot. The basking bulbs are just over a foot away from the rock, plenty close.


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## james.w (Dec 29, 2011)

Realitynh said:


> james.w said:
> 
> 
> > I am gonna guess it is way too hot in the enclosure. I would recommend putting plexiglass on the doors as well. Can you lower the light fixtures to bring the bulbs down?
> ...


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## Realitynh (Dec 29, 2011)

Thanx 4 the input bro. 6x3x3, 2 50w basking, 100w PowerSun & just standard thermostat for now. Getting a digital from a friend tomorrow. I am gonna measure heat with the digital therm. tomorrow & try moving the basking lamps/rock towards the back, away from the doors. Hopefully that helps cuz I'd like to be able to keep the mesh, but whatever it takes to get it perfect in there. Thanx for the credit on the cage too, made it myself. Feel like it's too small now that I added the pool for her lol.


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## Realitynh (Dec 30, 2011)

Basking temps near 100 now - moved the lamps/rock.


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