Help: sudden aggresion and what to do?

[evan k]

Hi, I would like ask for some helps or tips from you guys if I may.

Currently I have one bw tegu (unknown sex) that is 98 cm long. I have kept it since 6,4 years ago I think but I got no idea for its biological age (probably 7 years old judging by the size when I bought it was 40 cm long?). In these past 2 months, my tegu got sick and diagnosed by my local vet as a case of ascites or bloating I think? The exact cause is unknown but I think and admit it is mostly my own fault since I only fed him one boiled egg once per two or three days and sometimes 2 mices at the end of the week. It doesn't want to accept other food. I am very afraid to overfeed him and cause obese but I guess now I am underfeeding it.

So because I noticed that its belly is swollen but feel squishy because of fluid accumulation, I took it to the vet and my vet doctor already suck its belly fluid twice that made my tegu looks like a balloon that got deflated. Doctor gave me a medicine to improve the metabolism or so she said. Everything had been okay since the therapy begun except one thing.

My tegu become REALLY REALLY active and aggresive. I am thankful that for the past 2 months my tegu want to eat boiled chicken, beef, shrimp, and fish again like back when it was younger. But now it is very hard to pick it because it will try to bite and lunge my hand whenever I want to pick it from its favorite hid box. I let it roam freely inside my small garden that is located inside my house. But as long as my tegu have been put outside its box, it is very easy to pick it and put at my lap when I want to help its shedding.

Is it food aggresion and because the medicine and fluid suction make it more hungry? Or is it purely spiteful aggresion since it hate me for disturbing it and keep giving medicine that I am sure it doesn't like? It is kinda worrying since the way this guy look at foot toes is the way it looks at the food..

Really need for help from you guys. Thank you very much and I am sorry for taking your time with my blabbing and awful english..

Oh yeah, I live in Indonesia so it is mostly hot and humid all year around.

 

[Rodney Irwin]

Hi,

Have you made any changes to the enclosure or temp ? You may want to add some fruit (bananas, mango etc) to the diet.

He will tell you what he likes.

 

[evan k]

Hi,

Have you made any changes to the enclosure or temp ? You may want to add some fruit (bananas, mango etc) to the diet.

He will tell you what he likes.

Hmm. I guess the temperature and humidty is changing since it is rainy season now and its a lot more humid and cold than usual in Indonesia. For the enclosure, I think I haven't make any significant changes since for the past 4 years, I have let my tegu roam freely inside my house.

Okay. I will try add some fruits again. But it usually refuse it. Do you have any tips to introduce fruit to a tegu?

 

[Debita]

It's not hard to add fruits and veggies to ground turkey balls. I buy the fattiest variety of ground turkey, and put fruit and veggies inside them. They go right down.

So sorry your guy got so sick. There are calcium and multi-vitamin supplements you might want to consider too.

 

[Debita]

Hi,

Have you made any changes to the enclosure or temp ? You may want to add some fruit (bananas, mango etc) to the diet.

He will tell you what he likes.

Are you the actual Rodney Irwin from Florida that rescues Tegus?????

 

[Dylan koch]

Try repltilinks or whole prey. It needs a better diet and Tegu food shouldn't be cook except eggs rarely imo their bodys aren't meant to digest cooked food

 

[Dylan koch]

I feed mine raw, quail,chicken,mice veggies greens fruits and ect but most are fine on protein and supplements

 

[evan k]

It's not hard to add fruits and veggies to ground turkey balls. I buy the fattiest variety of ground turkey, and put fruit and veggies inside them. They go right down.

So sorry your guy got so sick. There are calcium and multi-vitamin supplements you might want to consider too.

Sorry for my late reply. Aah I see. I will give it a try then. And thank you very much for your sympathy..

 

[evan k]

I feed mine raw, quail,chicken,mice veggies greens fruits and ect but most are fine on protein and supplements

I dont think my country dont have any seller that sell reptilinks. Aah I see. I will keep it raw then. Should I feed it everyday? I am really afraid of going overboard and cause some trouble for its body system. But my tegu is restless and kinda aggresive if havent been fed at that day

 

[LizardStudent]

I dont think my country dont have any seller that sell reptilinks. Aah I see. I will keep it raw then. Should I feed it everyday? I am really afraid of going overboard and cause some trouble for its body system. But my tegu is restless and kinda aggresive if havent been fed at that day

If your tegu is an adult, I think you said maybe 7 years old, then I would not feed it every day. Every 3-4 days should be adequate, so long as you feed it until it is full when it gets a meal

 

[evan k]

If your tegu is an adult, I think you said maybe 7 years old, then I would not feed it every day. Every 3-4 days should be adequate, so long as you feed it until it is full when it gets a meal

Okay I will try to reduce the frequency then. But when should I know if it is full enough? Because from what I observed, my tegu always restless and hungry every day ever since I brought it to vet and going on treatment. It likes to look at my toes in the same way it looks at a food

 

[LizardStudent]

Okay I will try to reduce the frequency then. But when should I know if it is full enough? Because from what I observed, my tegu always restless and hungry every day ever since I brought it to vet and going on treatment. It likes to look at my toes in the same way it looks at a food

I would say that when you feed your tegu a meal, just let it eat until it won't anymore and presumably that is when it is full. They will stop eating when they're not hungry anymore. The food aggression might be a result of how you're feeding your lizard, instead of how much you're feeding it. Do you use tongs to feed? Do you remove it from its hide area to feed? If it associates your hand or a certain behavior that you're doing when you feed it, this aggressive behavior could be the result

 

[evan k]

I would say that when you feed your tegu a meal, just let it eat until it won't anymore and presumably that is when it is full. They will stop eating when they're not hungry anymore. The food aggression might be a result of how you're feeding your lizard, instead of how much you're feeding it. Do you use tongs to feed? Do you remove it from its hide area to feed? If it associates your hand or a certain behavior that you're doing when you feed it, this aggressive behavior could be the result

Aah I see. I usually feed it with tongs and I feed it outside its hiding area since I let it roam freely at my garden that is located inside my house. Is there something wrong with how I treat it that result in its recently aggresive behavior?