Help! Tegu Won't Eat!

[gcd312]

Sorry for the delay in response, i was on vacation. I have had him for 2-3 months, not a few weeks. He ate the day before i left a lot in his cage, then when i was gone ( i had someone taking care of him) he ate twice out of 4 days; only when food was left in his cage for him. He used to eat outside of his cage all the time, for about the first month or two that i had him. Everything is the same: lighting, temp, humidity etc.. - nothing changed. This came out of nowhere. Any more ideas? cause hes still only eating every few days.

Thanks

 

[Piercedcub32]

how does your tegu look? is he thin? looks like he is sick? have you tried offering just his favorite things? Perhaps he just doesn't want to eat every day...? idk..

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can u post a pic?

 

[reptastic]

Well its getting closer to that time of year were tegus are slowing down, both of my tegus are eating 3-4 times a week if that, they were eating huge amounts daily up until about 3 wks ago, they don't even eat a lot when they do eat now

 

[gcd312]

how does your tegu look? is he thin? looks like he is sick? have you tried offering just his favorite things? Perhaps he just doesn't want to eat every day...? idk..

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can u post a pic?

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He looks thin after not eating for a couple days, but when he's eaten he looks pretty plump. He seems healthy, always moving around, still shedding etc... He isn't going to hibernate is he?

 

[tora]

You can tell how healthy a lizard really is by the thickness of base of it's tail. If you are just looking at the belly, they all look fat after they eat, and they all look thin after they poo.

 

[gcd312]

You can tell how healthy a lizard really is by the thickness of base of it's tail. If you are just looking at the belly, they all look fat after they eat, and they all look thin after they poo.

That is great, because the base of his tail does seem pretty thick - it has certainly gotten thicker in the time that I've had him.

 

[Lance]

I agree with James, it needs to be in a minumum 20 Long tank, to give a good temperature gradient across the tank. We always start ours babies in a 20 Long. Make sure all the lights and any heat pad are all on one end so that there isnt any heat for the cool side. Since it is relatively new to its habitat, leave it alone for a few days up to a week before getting hands on. Spot clean his cage and change his water, make sure you give him a nice sauna bath at least once a week, by that we put ours in a tupperware container, with a lid, holes drilled in the sides for ventilation and warm water about mid shoulder depth. The warm water will increase the humidity and help hydrate him and ensure that he has good sheds. Make sure its substrate is damp ALL the time, either misting or pouring water in it and tilling it up with your hands. All these reptiles can sense a change in the seasons and will start slowing down, if you maintain their temps and everything it will only be temporary thing and they will come back to normal behavior in a few weeks. They sense the shorting of daylight hours and barimetric pressure changes which signals them to begin hibernation or brumation.

Hope things are going better for your tegu and he is eating again.

 

[spidersandmonsters]

Bigger enclosure, definitely. But it also sounds like it may be going down for the winter, since he was acting fine until recently. Of course, it goes without saying that you need a much bigger enclosure ASAP regardless. You may also want to make a habit of keeping good track of the exact brand/model of all your lights, as well as how old they are. They generally should be replaced every six months or so to be safe.