Help! I think something is wrong with my tegu:UPDATE!

[laurarfl]

I don't think you're the enemy, here, and I think you did a pretty good job of posting without being defensive. Is the light placed above a screen lid, or in the enclosure? Screen can filter out a lot of UV. Was the bulb new?

Another excellent vet in our area is Dr. Orlando Diaz, a reptile and avian vet exclusively, on Lake Howell RD and 436 by Pet Bazaar. His clinic is Lk. Howell Animal Hospital. I take all my exotics there and definitely rocks! He's pretty darn awesome! He's the only vet with an exotic specialty and he works with the Central FL Herp Society, too.

Hey, bottom line, you researched and provided what you thought was good care. You came here asking questions, and now you've got a vet appt. It would be better if you could get in today, but get the guy in the sun today at least.

 

[jor71]

Burke, I do not think anyone here felt you are unworthy of having pets. The suggestion was if you cannot afford to go, it maybe wise to give it to someone who can afford to take him/her to a Vet. I am happy that you will get him/her to a Vet.


I wish you luck and I hope everything works out well for you and your Tegu.

Hey have you ever posted pics of your other animals? I noticed you have a Rhino Ig. and I love Rhino Iguanas. I will eventually get one myself, but will wait until after the holidays.

 

[burke0000]

I will post some pics of the rhino. Hes a tank. He finishes off a plate of veggies in no time at all. So I will post pics tonight if you want to see them.

 

[burke0000]

I will post some pics of the rhino. Hes an awesome iguana and very good eating and appetite.. He finishes off a plate of veggies in no time at all. So I will post pics tonight if you want to see them.

 

[jor71]

Yeah, I would love to see them!

 

[ashesc212]

Hey Burke. Glad to hear that you made an appointment with the vet. I'm wondering if you guys have any 24 hour emergency clinics in your area possibly that might be able to help in the mean time? In NYC there's one, but sometimes they don't have reptile specialists on. It's worth a shot though. Good luck with your tegu!

 

[DaveDragon]

Hey Burke. Glad to hear that you made an appointment with the vet. I'm wondering if you guys have any 24 hour emergency clinics in your area possibly that might be able to help in the mean time? In NYC there's one, but sometimes they don't have reptile specialists on. It's worth a shot though. Good luck with your tegu!

We found one in Connecticut. Even though they'd never seen a Tegu before they had reptile experience and were able to help us.

 

[burke0000]

bump

 

[jor71]

Hey Burke, didn't you have a 2 O'Clock appointment? Please keep us updated.

BTW, love the Rhino pics.

 

[burke0000]

Well I took him to the vet and he has a fracture in his right front leg and has mbd.

This is my opinion of what caused this. I know some of you may disagree so you are intitled to your opinions. I wondered how long his leg was hurt so I looked at some pictures I found on my phone from the first week I got him. I must of took them and never looked for I noticed he was standing on the side of his foot. I believe I never saw it because he always ran away really fast and from then on I gave him space to calm down. He must of either thrased himself in shipping or hurt himself going crazy when I first put him in his new cage. I believe possibly he didnt eat alot due to his injury and therefore did not receive enough calcium.

Also my herp vet said due to the type of food items tegus eat, organ meat and meat in general have a high phosphorus to calcium ratio and that calcium should be provided every day and vitamen supplement twice weekly. Also Im going to try to feed rodents more often each week since they have a high calcium to phosphorus ratio.

But in all I would like to thank you for your help and the vet said he should recover ok with me giving him liquid calcium daily.

 

[teguboy77]

Well its good to hear the little guy is going to make it no matter how it happened.I wish you the best of luck keep us posted on how it does.

 

[MMRR - jif]

Burke, I'm glad that the vet was encouraging about your tegu's prognosis. In addition to following his instructions I would highly suggest that you purchase one of the better quality UVB lights that have been mentioned throughout this thread. Calcium supplements alone are not going to save your tegu. He needs access to a good useable source of UVB.

His injury may very well have occured shortly after you received him but I'm doubtful. My hatchling that came at the same time you received yours was robust and feisty and I think it would have taken a really serious injury to cause broken bones. On the other hand, bones weakened by MBD break quite easily.

My little tegu is doing quite nicely on a high percentage rodent diet. I can't get him to eat much of anything else...maybe a snail or some turkey gizzard once in a while. He even turned his nose up to $9/lb salmon filet!! He will take smaller hornworms still so I get those occasionally but the majority of his diet consists of fuzzy and hopper mice.

It's sad that your tegu is ill but I hope that he makes a quick recovery. The one bright side of all of this is that the time and attention that you spend treating him for his illness will probably speed along the taming process.

(One word of caution...please stick to the dosage that the vet prescribed...some folks think that if a little is good then more is better. You can make your little one worse by overdosing him so stick with the dosage prescribed.)

 

[ashesc212]

My little tegu is doing quite nicely on a high percentage rodent diet. I can't get him to eat much of anything else...maybe a snail or some turkey gizzard once in a while. He even turned his nose up to $9/lb salmon filet!! He will take smaller hornworms still so I get those occasionally but the majority of his diet consists of fuzzy and hopper mice.

That picture isn't actually from 2005, right? He is so handsome!!! How old is he again?