Healthy yesterday....... Sick today

[Vayjining22]

I'm freaking out. I just bought what i though was a healthy... Eating... Energetic young red tegu...... Yesterday.

Size: maybe 6" snout to vent
Basking temp 105-112 varies
Uvb: reptisun 10.0 tube 15 inches away unobstructed.
Cool side: 70-75
Middle: 80
Humidity: 70%
Water tub offered
Ate some dusted crickets and chicken gizzard when it came home. Walked around fine was normal.
Supplements: repashy supervite. Flukers calcium with d3 until repashy supercal comes in stock.

As I was typing my introduction post he came out to bask and I was super excited..... Until I saw his toes wiggling a bit...... By the time I went on Google in freak out mode it moved to his legs. Thing can barely walk. It's walking around well if you can call it walking with its mouth open.... Tail up in the air... It's been dragging itself on the landscape pavers I have scattered in the enclosure and rubbing it's snout on things....... It can barely stick it's tongue out. It looks like it has to pass a bowel movements sometimes...or puke.... Like its struggling with something.

I'm so embarrassed. But i don't know what to do. Could I have really hurt this guy in under 24hrs??

 

[Vayjining22]

Update: passed a bowel moment.... Which looked normal. Still acting very strangely.... Should I try and get my money back for it?

 

[Vayjining22]

Update #2: p.s I'm sorry for spamming my own thread.

Went to the local reptile supply in town. He has a breeding stock of tegus and said that these symptoms are very strange to happen in such a short time. I did buy a nice 160w MVB and added it to the enclosure.... Trying to cover the uv bases I guess.

So I now have the 10.0 tube and the 160w MVB along with another 150 w basking light. Sounds like alot I know. But temps are stable in the 110-118 in the basking zone. (cage is built on the recommended dimensions I see in alot of care sheets so I need the light quantity.)

Called the place I bought it from to touch base with them and let them know what's going on in such a short time after purchase (per recommendation of the local shop owner).............. And they kinda told me to get bent.... I let them know I'm willing to work with the animal and what not. And all they cared to tell me was " he was fine when he was here" and shame on you for putting a juvie tegu in an adult enclosure. Which if that truly is the case..... Then I guess shame on me.

I've been leaving it alone and just observing.. And I still see twitchy toes and a lethargic lizard. I'm still embarrassed because I felt like I was prepared for a tegu...... And now this.

Will continue to update as we go.

 

[SamBobCat]

I don't know what it could be, but did the seller tell you if they had UV for them or not? I would say take him to the vet, or take in a fresh fecal sample. How is he with eating and what has he been eating? What does he do when you put your hand in the cage? Does he act the same way if you take him out? Give him a soak and see how he reacts to that.

 

[Vayjining22]

Thanks for the reply. It ate well at the pets tore, and at my house yesterday It ended up eating a couple dusted crickets and a very dusted piece of calf liver even while trembling and acting strange .

The MVB seems to have helped. Today it came out and no trembling, no crazy walking, it's not 100% like the day I brought it home active, but it has been Definately soaking up that basking zones for a majority of the day.

Had a decent size "normal reptile" BM and returned to the basking zone. It isn't interested in food today though. Not crickets, hornworm, ground turkey, or diced watermelon.... But it has eaten alot the last two days... Not quite the eating machine in was expecting just yet.

Havent taken him out yet because I want to wait the week or whatever is recommended before I put my grubs on him. Unless that's a non issue. And it's a new thing to me I'm personally working up to touch as well as it to me. Stiff learning curve.
When I'm in there misting or spot cleaning he doesn't seem to mind..... Sometimes it's sketched out.... But it doesn't run away or bluff or anything like that. He does seem to be well improved. I tossed some dusted crickets in there that it ran down around 8 of them 1 by 1 like a mad man. So maybe I'm just over reacting and trying to hard.

 

[SamBobCat]

I'm wondering if the store's bulb was old enough to where it wasn't producing enough UV for him to absorb, but it was barely enough to get him to walk normally and act like nothing was wrong, then when you brought him home, the new light "surprised" his body if you will, and maybe his brain didn't want to absorb the UV? I'm pretty new at this so I don't know how accurate any of it is. He's really pretty BTW.

 

[Roadkill]

I wouldn't say this "sudden" appearance of symptoms was strange at all. Many times, animals are kept in such a way that they are "barely" healthy, just skirting along the edge so that to the "naked eye" they seem fine, but are really just borderline and it only takes a disturbance to push them over that edge and markedly show problems. There's actually a big difference between "good" husbandry and "sufficient" husbandry. Hopefully with appropriate diet and husbandry you'll head off any problems before it leads to permanent conditions.

 

[Vayjining22]

Thanks for the replies. It's putting me at ease.

Also, I'd like to give another update. After giving him some quality supplements. And adding the MVB it seems to be doing so much better!

Vast improvement. It's burrowing, eating being rambunctious and seeming happy! Lots of tongue flicking and curiosity! No more tremors. I'm so relieved. But still watching to see if anything creeps back in.

Hopefully it's reds will start coming out soon! What do you guys think?

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Ugh, my stomack was just churning and imagining your panic. Then I saw photos of the baby and then I reaaally got upset for you cause it looks so perfect and healthy. I wonder what in the world is/was going on? Please keep updating us.

 

[Vayjining22]

I'd be willing to say, that at this point, we're all better. The symptoms haven't came back, and it seems to be unaffected by the symptoms that it did have. His walking is normal, tongue flicking is normal, appetite is much increased, and I believe we moved on from what was going on with just some supplements and an extra Uvb source.

Thanks so much for the concern and help/suggestions. Good group of people here, and I'm much relieved about the whole situation........... Now if I could just get him to take ground turkey lol.

 

[SamBobCat]

Glad to hear, thanks for sharing!

 

[khris1972]

Glad to hear he is doing better now! but i would suggest making sure there is no cedar chips in the substrate the oils are like a nerve agent to them.

 

[Vayjining22]

Good suggestion. Any way to easily identify it? The cypress I purchased was pure and not labeled as a "blend". But anything is possible

 

[khris1972]

should be fine if its not a blend, but safer is best I would change it out if you feel the need to

 

[Josh]

Glad to hear everything seems better. I know it's stressful when you feel like a new animal isn't doing well. Just check and double check all your environmental conditions (lights, temps, humidity, etc) and pay attention to how he's behaving. Pretty soon you'll have a good idea of what's normal for your tegu and what is not. We're here to help you when you need it!