# MBD and tremors



## bella60407 (May 5, 2009)

Ok I've been doing everything by the book, treating my Columbian Tegu like a king and now my little man is sick!!! How could this of happened what did I do wrong?!! 

He is about 5 mo. old I've had him for about 2 mo.
I hold him everyday and he falls asleep in my hand and hides in my hair
I have a heat lamp 100 w Sun Glo tight beam by Exo Terra andthe red night light 12 hr day and 12 hr night, his hot side is around 90 and his coo side is 75-80 with his hide on cool side, but he is always on the hot side, 
he has fresh water everyday
substrate is Eco Earth that I soak with water everyday, and mist the Tegu himself, he rally enjoys it licking at the air, also every other day spray him with Zilla humidifying spray ( Tropical Mist ) he had a very good shed this last time almost all together
his diet is crickets with Rep-Cal Calcium with vitamin D3
ground turkey
strawberries, mango, 
and JUST YESTERDAY BEEF LIVER
I dont believe it was the liver but its the only new thing and I htink I'm doing everything else right???
I'm kind of in a panic so if there's something I missed....
Please help I really love this little guy......


----------



## ZEKE (May 5, 2009)

what are his symptoms that make you think he is sick?

the only thing that i noticed is that you didnt mention any kind of UV light. im no pro so i probably cant help you much but if you say what his symptoms are it would be easier for someone more experienced to help you.


----------



## bella60407 (May 5, 2009)

I'm sorry, I'm so stressed I knew I would forget something... he had tremors in his front and back legs but he was still able to walk around. He was puffing at me too and he has never done this beofre so I tried to leave him alone. 
The bulb I use is a basking spot lamp light, it says its a has the UVA
The guy we bought him from said to shut off his light and put his red night light on and see how he does that maybe he was too hot! But if he was too hot wouldn't he know it and move to cool side of his tank? He is always in his basking spot when resting, well I did what he said and he went straight into his borrowing state. I know I'm not suppose to dig him out of his hide but I had to check on him, and the Tremors have stopped. He seems fine now but I'm sooo worried!!! His hot side is at 90 so what could I be doing wrong???? 
Thanks for responding...


----------



## jor71 (May 5, 2009)

Nothing beats taking him/her to a vet. 

Sun glo is only UVA. You need to get a UVB bulb like ZooMed Reptisun or a MVB bulb. You may want to get him/her outside during the day for some natural sunlight. 

Some say not to give them Vitamin D-3. I for one do not, but it is up to the individual.

I am sure others here will be able to give you more advice.

But, as I said earlier, try to take him/her to a vet.


Good luck and I hope everything turns up fine.


----------



## bella60407 (May 5, 2009)

I frickin knew it, the guy at the shop kept tellin us that these bulbs were fine and I kept reading stuff from here and getting contradictions. He is not a breeder just a reptile pet shop, I hate that I never know who is telling me what the true right thing is...ya know. He doesn't even have those kind of bulbs in his store, how is it that his animals in his shop are ok, not saying I don't believe u I just don't get it, I'm for sure taking him to this good reptle vet that I know, and in the mean time going to get the UVB. So the calcium shake SHOULDNT have the d3 in it????
Thanks for helping me in the meantime with of all this it really helps...helps me anyway, I'm a wreck right now


----------



## jor71 (May 5, 2009)

I am sure everything will be fine. Get a UVB bulb and try to get an appointment with a Vet that is familiar with reptiles.

Here is a post you should read from the Owner of this site and well respected breeder Bobby:
http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=541&p=35078&hilit=vitamin#p35078

Be sure to start from the top of the page.


----------



## dragonqueen4 (May 6, 2009)

U DONT HAVE A UVB LIGHT??? :doh


----------



## Jer723 (May 6, 2009)

i know it wasnt the beef liver my little guy loves beef liver, he eats it all the time and hes fine!


----------



## jor71 (May 6, 2009)

Hey Bella, please keep us updated and try to get him/her outside for some natural sunlight. I do not know your living situation, but do it if it is safe for both you and the Tegu.

Good luck!!


----------



## dragonqueen4 (May 6, 2009)

sunlight makes a world of difference.. i put my tegu out in the sun yesterday and he was like a totally different tegu.. so alert and happy... it will make the twitching go away


----------



## jor71 (May 6, 2009)

One more thing Bella, you should not do the strawberries too often. They are high in Oxalate and Goitrogens.

Here is a list of foods
http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1353


----------



## bella60407 (May 6, 2009)

Thank you eveyone for your support...and the smack in the head dragonqueen LOL I really deserve it, I took him outside today, but the tremors had already stopped last night when I turned his light out ???? So I got the UVB Repti Glo 5.0 13w so hopefully no more suffering for little guy. When I first got him I found this sight and read a lot, and when I went back I asked this guy if I needed the UVB and he sid no as long a I had the suppliments, well I passed on the knowledge of wat has hppened...personally I don't think he belongs selling the tegus if he doesn't even know the basics, but thats my opinion. So again thanks a bunch I feel so sheepish...Know I'm wondering what else I could be doing wrong. I swore I was doing sooo good with him. I will still keepu posted on his progress, if u guys think of anything I'm open for suggestion....
TY,
Deb


----------



## TehPenguin (May 6, 2009)

Is it a coil kind? If so, those are really bad, infact, any repti-glo is bad.


----------



## jor71 (May 6, 2009)

Hi Deb, I really suggest you get atleast the ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent bulb. 

Can you describe your enclosure or better yet, show us pictures of it?

Is the top mesh? How are your lights set up? What kind of bedding are you using? What are the temps (including humidity)? How are you gauging the temps? You get the point


----------



## jor71 (May 6, 2009)

Here is some more information on caring for your Tegu. 

This was written by Bobby (Owner of this forum) of Varnyard Herps, Inc.

Read more at http://www.varnyard-herps-inc.com/


Written By: Varnyard Herps Inc.

Care sheet for the Tegu or (Tupinambis). Note some species will differ some on requirements. This care sheet will be for four of the common species available in the pet trade. 

Hatchling tegus will all take the same food up until about one year in age. Of these the Tupinambis merianae, Common name (Argentine Black and White), (Giant Tegu) And the Tupinambis rufescens, Common name (Argentine red Tegu), (Red tegu) will change feeding habits. The Blue Tegu is also a form of the Tupinambis merianae, but the Tupinambis teguixin, Common name (Colombian Black and White), or (Gold Tegu) Will stay on a carnivorous diet throughout their life. 

Food: 
All Tegus are carnivores as hatchlings, which means they only eat meat. I do allow baby tegus to eat as much as they want to, except rodents. I feed them one once or twice a week, and also make sure they are the size that can swallow without too much trouble. Crickets dusted with vitamins dust, Captive raised roaches, Mealworms, Super mealworms, ground turkey dusted with vitamin dust, Pinkie mice and cooked egg (Not raw) scrambled or hard-boiled. The only reptile supplement I have any faith in is Zoo-Med Repti Calcium without D3. Most other products are made from crushed oyster shells, and are not able to be absorbed. Therefore, being a poor product for a good healthy tegu.
As for my adults, I feed them everyday, as in the babies, the get one whole rodent, chick or duckling once or twice a week. However, my tegus do hibernate up to 7 months out of the year. If you have a tegu that does not hibernate, you can cut back on feeding him as much, or as frequent. Judged by the animal keeping good body weight, and a fat round tail base. If he starts to look like he might be loosing body mass, you can always add more to the diet.
Please remember to remove any food that is not eaten right after your tegu has eaten his/her fill. Insects are well known for stressing reptiles. This also will help keep their cage cleaner. 
Adult tegus, for the Argentine Black and White and the Argentine red Tegu, the Blue Tegu and as well as the Extreme Giant tegus, they will take ground turkey; cooked egg (Not raw) scrambled or hard-boiled, rodents, fresh fish (Not from a pet shop, due to the chemicals used in these tanks), baby chickens, grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, melons, and just about any other soft fruits. Bananas can be given as well, but not as a staple diet, only in moderation. This is due to the high content of potassium (Known for not binding with calcium). Not more than once every couple of weeks. They also tend to have very high phosphorous levels. Some of my Argentine tegus will not eat fruit. They are just as healthy as any tegus that have fruit in the diet; they also have no shedding problems at all. The more I look into this, the more I see feeding fruit as being a waste of time and money. There are many things out there to feed your tegu that is much better than fruit. The Colombian Black and White, or (Gold Tegu) will take all of the above, except fruit. Also I suggest feeding only killed rodents. Live rodents can bite your animal. Dead do not; it is just not worth the chance. My choice of vitamin dust is Zoo-Med Repti Calcium without D3; it is made with calcium carbonate and not crushed oyster shell.

A side note on feeding: Tegus can get cage aggressive. They can get to where they will associate their keeper with food. There are a couple of ways to keep this from happening. The first is to feed your tegu in a separate cage or area than his home. Have the food there when you put him with it. 
Another way, would be to feed him at night or when he is in his hide. Then he will not see you with food. The first suggestion is the best for a few reasons. One you handle him every day, which helps with the taming process. Another reason would be to remove all chances of him ingesting substrate. And last, but not least, the food would be fresher than feeding at night. 

In my opinion, feeding fruit for skin problems has no solid ground to back the claims of some keepers. There is nothing in most fruits to promote good sheds but moisture, all though some fruits do contain some vitamins that are good for skin. There are other sources of these vitamins in much higher concentrations, these are found in meats. Feeding fruit seems to be nothing more than a wasted meal, and is not needed to have and keep a healthy tegu. There are other things that do contain the right vitamins, such as beef liver and cod liver oil. These need to be fed in conjunction with each other. Another words feed both of them once a week as a meal. 

The way I mix my beef liver into the ground turkey: 

I use one part of beef liver to three parts ground turkey, just mince the liver, or you can use a food processor. You can mix it together and then portion pack them into meal size zip-lock bags, freeze them and then thaw them as needed to feed. As in the little stamp zip-locks for hatchlings, up to sandwich bags for adults. You can make up a bunch of them and freeze them. Also this is fed raw, I do not cook anything for tegus but eggs. 
Raw beef liver contains:
Vitamin A iu (ug * 5) 35346.000 10020.591 39940.98 706.9% 
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) mg 0.260 0.07371 0.2938 17.3% 
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) mg 2.780 0.78813 3.1414 163.5% 
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) mg 12.780 3.62313 14.4414 63.9% 
Vitamin B5 (Pantotheic Acid) mg 7.620 2.16027 8.6106 76.2% 
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) mg 0.940 0.26649 1.0622 47% 
Vitamin C mg 22.000 6.237 24.86 36.6% 
Vitamin E mg 0.670 0.189945 0.7571 4.4% 
Water g 68.990 19.558665 77.9587 0 
Zinc mg 3.920 1.11132 4.4296 26.1% 

The way I mix my cod liver oil into the ground turkey: 

I use one tablespoon of cod liver oil to one pound of ground turkey. You can mix it together and then portion pack them into meal size zip-lock bags, freeze them and then thaw them as needed to feed. As in the little stamp zip-locks for hatchlings, up to sandwich bags for adults.

Cod liver oil contains more vitamin A and more vitamin D per unit weight than any other common food. One hundred grams of regular cod liver oil provides 100,000 IU of vitamin A, almost three times more than beef liver, the next richest source; and 10,000 IU vitamin D, almost four times more than lard, the next richest source. Of course, cod liver oil is only consumed used in small amounts, but even a tablespoon (about 15 grams) provides well over the recommended daily allowance for both nutrients in humans. Cod liver oil is a natural source of vitamin D3.

In addition, cod liver oil contains 7 percent each of the elongated omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. EPA is the precursor of important prostaglandin, localized tissue hormones that help the body deal with inflammation; and DHA is extremely important for the development and function of the brain and nervous system. So it's no surprise that in numerous studies cod liver oil has proven to be a powerhouse in fighting disease. 

They both must be fed in conjunction with each other, the Cod liver oil is needed to metabolite the vitamin A in the beef liver. 

This diet is the best way to promote good sheds in tegus, if you have a tegu with shedding issues, or even impactions, the combination above will be the best solution.

Water: 
Tegus require fresh water on a daily basis. It also would be recommended that their water dishes/bowls be big enough to soak in.

Housing:
Hatchlings will do great in a 20 long tank, but they will outgrow these fast. As an adult they require a much larger enclosure. I house mine outside in a 8 ft x 8 ft enclosure. Inside I use a 400 gallon showcase. If building your own cage, remember that these lizards are terrestrial (ground dwelling), So height would not be a necessity. I recommend at least a 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high.

Humidity:
Tegus require high humidity level 60%-70% or more for proper shedding as well as proper health. Misting on a daily basis is required. If you have another way to raise the humidity, that is fine. Remember not to have the substrate tacky as to stick to the feet.

Substrate:
I recommend using cypress mulch, orchid bark, Lizard litter, Repti-bark or eucalyptus mulch. These should not be dusty dry or wet. You can mist them a little to keep the dust down, this will also raise the humidity. Make sure it is not tacky, as to stick to their feet. Also your tegu needs to be fed where he will not ingest these substrates. You do not want him to have a intestinal blockage. 

Lighting:
Ultravtegu. It is much better to invest in the proper UV lighting. I recommend using Power-Suns 100 watt or 160 watt, another great bulb is the Repti-Sun 7.5 or 10.0. Both of these types of bulbs can be found anywhere Zoo-Med products are sold.


----------

