Big problem

[MadameButterfly]

My tegu has stopped eating and I checked today and she has these two lumps on her back, now at the start I thought it was a parasite or something but I remembered about a year ago my son's snake got substrate caught in it's throat and this might be what that is too. It is sticking up from under her skin, it's on her neck about an inch down from her head, she won't eat so if I am right is there a way for me to remove it without hurting her?

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Is the lump in the throat or on the back? It's a little confusing from your post. I suggest a trip to the vet rather than risk injuring your tegu further.

 

[MadameButterfly]

They are on the back of her neck, I can't do anything tomorrow (Sunday) but on Monday I'll be getting someone to look at her because it isn't normal, it's like she can't swallow anymore

 

[MadameButterfly]

The lumps are gone now but she still isn't eating solids, she's picking at raw eggs at the moment so something is going in and she doesn't look sick, like her skin isn't clammy or anything and she is still very active and bouncing around like a lunatic she just doesn't seem to want to eat crickets or locusts right now

 

[Draco D Tegu]

Well they don't really sweat through thier skin, so it wouldn't be clammy, but take a blender, mix the raw egg and just a smidge of turkey till it becomes the consistency of gruel / oatmeal. Raw eggs are difficult for them to consume because they kind of just ooze back out of the mouth.

What are your temps and humidity at?

What is her light cycle?

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Although lizards don't have lymph nodes per say, I wonder if the perivascular lymph channels lie along the area you're describing? I would think so as the tissue is very vascular around the neck and head. Could be a minute infection going on.

 

[Draco D Tegu]

Wondering how this gu is doing?

 

[MadameButterfly]

She seems fine now, she is shedding so that may be part of the problem but she is eating boiled eggs but has no intrest in crickets it seems but she is very active and the lumps are gone now, she's out basking and walking around between 6 and 8 hours a day

 

[Draco D Tegu]

Ok well you need to watch the eggs. Tegus will develop a preference for a particular food (and most of them LOVE EGGS) and will refuse anything BUT eggs, which is very bad for the tegu.

Eggs should be given occassionally.

 

[james.w]

How often were you feeding eggs prior to this problem?

 

[MadameButterfly]

I was feeding her them about once a week but since she won't eat crickets I was worried that she wasn't eating enough so basically fed her them every other day but today she ate a pinkie (baby mouse) so I might move to that instead. I've tried fruit and veg too but she just ignores it and she is getting bigger

This is how big she was when I bought her

and this is how big she is now

So she's not starving or anything, she just seems to have gone off live food at the moment, to be honest the problem started when I started feeding her minced chicken so I'd rather stick with the pinkies and the eggs at the moment because they are working. I realise you all know more but the way I see it is as long as she is eating, hydrated and active then she is fine