# My New Rescue Adult - Arg. Tegu



## devine* (Sep 6, 2008)

Hey everyone! I've been in touch with a lady who needed to find a good home for an adult 4 year old tegu in rough shape. She gave him away 6 months ago, but the people returned him to her in even worse shape  She didn't have the cage, money, food or time for him anymore... so I took him in! He arrived last night:











He's very skinny, sunken in stomach but his legs or tail arn't caving in so he hasn't been starving for too long hopefully... It's hard to see in pics how sunken in his tummy is, pattern kind of hides the folds. He is missing lots of toes on his front feet and walks pretty hard on them. I've been giving him feet massages, his feet are very stiff. It's hard to explain or show in pictures, you can tell they hurt him though  He aslo has remains from a bad shed on his back toes and the tip of his tail. The skin is very thick, dry and constricting, it looks as though he has a few sheds that havn't come off and have built up. Hopefully a few baths & good humidity will help.






Other than that he is eating like a tegu! And his tempermant seems good so far, a little nervous to be held (does the whole tail swilring thing) but I can kiss him on the nose & he fell asleep on me in bed and curled right into my neck... but again, he could be still weak, broken and hasn't had a "real" territory yet. So we'll see how it goes  Anyways, here are some pics... I'll get more once the little sleepy head wakes up. Apparently he has never hibernated before either (she didn't know they hibernated...)






more pictures & videos to come soon! Still have to think of a name for the lil guy  can't wait till he's fat & healthy!


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## KoreanDeathKid (Sep 6, 2008)

he does seem to be in a bad shape for a 4 year old tegu, but he doesn't seem to be a male to me, oh well, at least he's in good hands now


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## devine* (Sep 6, 2008)

yah to be honest I'm not sure about the sex either but I'm leaning towards male because I beleive his jowls are just "deflated" so to speak. I did find fermoral pores (little stick like line of bumps along his vent and under his legs), not sure what the "buttons" should look like though.

He'll look as great as any Tegu soon enough


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## PuffDragon (Sep 6, 2008)

Here's what the buttons should look like.


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## devine* (Sep 6, 2008)

Thanks puff! I deffinately don't see those. Just the stripe of little spikey things on the underside of the legs in the picture. 

sooo is it safe to say this one is a little girl then  ?? she is rather small for 4 years!


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## olympus (Sep 7, 2008)

That tegu looks like it has been through hell. It will all be worth it when it recovers and it will all be because of you...


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## devine* (Sep 7, 2008)

Thank you! She will be a stunner in no time, I promise!


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## devine* (Sep 7, 2008)

more pictures! she has a peice of skin on top of her head that's trying to shed off. It's her little hat in the first pics


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## devine* (Sep 7, 2008)

forgot this one!!!


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## VARNYARD (Sep 8, 2008)

It is a female, and she is thin. She looks like she will be a stunner when she gets back healthy. I would offer her some rodents about twice a week and let her have all of the ground turkey she cares to eat. The tomatoes and fruit are not going to help too much at building her body mass back up.


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## devine* (Sep 8, 2008)

She had her first ASF rat this morning, pre-killed. She loved it!

I know she will be beautiful when she's fattened up again, she seems like such an intelligent little lizard... & she's been such a sweetheart to me through all these big changes, I think she knows I've saved her and given her a shot at life. 

She slept all of the first day she was here and pretty much basked all day yesterday then came out later in the afternoon for some tegu adventures, deffinately more energy! But it was all positive, she crawled over me, behind me, slept beside my leg.... she's great!


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## Bubba (Sep 10, 2008)

Hi, 
I saw the pictures yesterday, but I had no idea it was you.
I'm sure you will take good care of her.


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## devine* (Sep 11, 2008)

tis me! this is my "big aggressive male tegu" lol...

turns out she's female, and a drop dead sweetheart. all she needed was a good meal and some love


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