im concerned about my b&w godzilla

[Guest]

Well he's about a year old I'm guessing judging by his size(about 2 feet) does that sound right? Anyways, he seems to have a swollen vent. Its really small compared to some of the pics and vids I've seen but it still concerns me. I gave him a sugar bath tonight but it didn't seem to make a difference. I had seen it before on him but thought is was just stress so I thought little of it, but after reading a few posts I checked him and its still there. It doesn't seem dried out so I'm not sure what the deal is. I also noticed that while in the sugar bath his longest toe on both back feet was twitching. He hasn't been eating as much and sleeping later but I just figured he was getting ready to hibernate, but now I'm concerned that there is more to it. Any thoughts guys? He's eating mostly ground turky and beef liver, with an occasional dudia roach or two calcium pretty regular. He has uvb and a infared heat lamp. Uvb on about twelve hrs a day.

 

[Guest]

Sounds kind of like what I'm going through right now with mine. Can you get some pictures of the vent?

 

[txrepgirl]

I do not recomend using the infrared light. I would use those lights just on nocturnal reptiles. I would use a ceramic heat emitter. How old is the UVB light ? I would try to feed your Tegu some small frozen/thawed rodents. The calcium in those bones are much better then the calcium powder. Can you check and see if your calcium powder maybe expired. The twitching sounds to me like he has MBD. How far away is the UVB light from him and what kind do you use ? The sugar bath sometimes doesn't work right away. I would give him a few baths a day.

 

[Guest]

My uvb is only about 3 months old, I got it the same day I got him. It is a little less than a foot away from him. The repti calcium with d3 actually doesn't have a expiration date, it was a sample that I got from my buddy at zoo med on the same day. His vent actually looks just like the picks of yours but ill try and get some in a little bit when he wakes up. Ceramic heat emiter eh. As far as the toe twitch I must say its the first time I've seem it

 

[Guest]

Oh and I always feed him in an empty tank to aviod substrate ingetion so I don't think that it would be inpaction.

 

[Guest]

My uvb is reptisun 5.0

 

[Pikey]

well i wouldn't use the 5.0 it's not stong enough i think. i'd use a 10.0 or even a 5.0 w/ a 10.0

 

[Guest]

He's only in a 20 long at ther moment does that make an difference?

 

[Guest]

this is a pic of his vent

 

[Guest]

I might still suggest the 10.0.

 

[Guest]

I put in the 10 today any other suggestion?
and what about the prolapse

 

[Guest]

Keep the prolapse moist with either Vaseline or a very basic KY jelly. I do this after soaking the tegu in a sugar bath for about half an hour. I use a q-tip to apply the Vaseline, and rub it in gently. In my case this has also caused the prolapse to suck itself back into the vent from time to time, though it seems to come back out again later. Maybe you'll have more luck.

Also, what are your temps and humidity in the tank?

 

[Guest]

Ther temp is usualy around 90 or 95 day and humidity has been a pain in my ass. We have a very hard time getting it up past 50 and even then it seems to dry out overnight. Not really sure what to do. I keep a wet towel over the cage everywhere that doesn't have lights. He is on cypress mulch so I don't know what's up with it

 

[txrepgirl]

I like to use the basking, UVA and UVB light all in one. When the UVA/UVB light is of to the side while the Tegu is basking he will not get much of the UVB light. You got some good tips about the prolapse above. I also would keep the enclosure clean right now ( no mulch in it ). In case it pops back in you don't want any mulch/dirt sticking on the vent ( when he has the Vaseline or KY on the vent ) and getting inside him. I also would have the temps between 100 and 115. This is the light I use.

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[Guest]

Well i took him to the vet today. She said that there were no parasites. She said that she felt no impaction and said that she suspected that the prolapse was just deit related. Said I needed to get more fiber in his diet. according to her I dont need to worry about the small prolapse becase it is cloacle and its just the tissue that connects the intestines to the skin outside. If more comes out however it would be an issue. She said that I needed to get him more natural sunlight though. So i took him out on the leash today... this didnt turn out to be a pleasent experience. He turned into a monster. He actually bit me. Ive only taken him out one other time and the same thing happened except without the bite. I spoke to my boss at the reptile shop and he says this is common. Reptiles in the sun turn nasty. Whats up with this? And how can I train him to behave outdoors?

 

[chelvis]

That sounds like a normal first experiance with tegus and outdoor time. The more you work with him the better. As for your humidity problem most people try and keep the whole cage and air humidity at 80% which is impossible unless that is the humidity where you live. Just try and keep the mulch moist )not too much otherwise it will start to mold) and build a humidity hut this way you creat a small inclosed area that makes that the tegu can chose to enter or not and your not driving yourself crazy trying to keep the tank at 80%.

Also a 20 long is way way too small for a tegu that size, this along with no fiber can cause a prolaps. Without room to move it slows down digestion which cause lose stool. Add more fruits, veggies and whole foods (mice, rats or chicks) and move him to a bigger cage good chance things will correct themselves.

 

[AB^]

I would try a new hygrometer as well. With the top being covered the humidity should stay above 50%. Are you using an analog hygrometer? If yes, toss it.. they are crap. But really as long as the burrow is humid you are good.
Many reptile species are known to switch from docile to flighty etc when exposed to natural sunlight. Very common. A great example would be water dragons.

 

[Guest]

Did Godzilla's vent issue ever clear up?