Lump on tegus back

[jumper123]

im gonna bring my Dedrick to the vet for some radiographs, however...anyone have any ideas on this weird lump on my 10mon old b&w's back. he has had a history of MBD but it was a long time ago. he is very much strong and mbd free. loves his food!

 

[hanniebann]

I would say MBD by looking at it. was he a rescue from someone else? Or did you have a lighting problem when he was smaller?

 

[txrepgirl]

I saw a blue Tegu like this before but he was born like this. I have a Tegu who had very MBD when we first got him and he doesn't look like he didn't had a MBD problem. Please let me ( us ) know what the vet says. How big is his enclosure and what kind of lighting are you using ?

 

[jumper123]

He has an exoterra 160wt professional bulb. He's 20in long and in a 50gal tank currently. He eats daily. Starting to develop the two bb's near his vent. He was bought as a baby from a very horrible pet store who breeds tegus like a puppy mill. (I try not buy animals) he's always had great lighting now sure how he developed MBD. I have a uvb reader so I monitor the amount he's getting. He never hibernated this winter either..

 

[Toby_H]

If your Tegu is 10 months old... and had a MVB issue in the past... it was not a long time ago... he hasn't even been alive for a long time...

I feel you have reason to beleive it is MVB related... give him proper calcium intake and natural sunlight (as well as artificial UVB)...

 

[txrepgirl]

How often do you feed him some frozen/thawed rodents and food with the calcium powder on it ? If you take him outside to get some natural UVB please make sure you put him on a reptile leash or he will take off. Do you by any chance have a bigger enclosure for him ? If you want to you can check out craigslist.org under the pet section. I have found some great deals on there for some of our enclosures.

 

[Rhetoric]

I second the craigslist idea. I find some killer deals on reptile stuff.. And washer/dryers.. And tv stands.. And everything in general lol. I'm a CL nerd..

Make sure you're giving it a calcium supplement, you might consider upping it a bit just in case. Taking it outside is also a great idea if its warm enough outside. I got a couple rubbermaid tubs, when it gets nicer out I would like to take my tegu and savy out for some natural sun. Eventually get them used to a leash/harness.

Is that the only bulb you are currently using? It might be beneficial to get another fixture and add a reptisun 10.0 (or similar bulb, not sure what powersun's equivalent is) that way your tegu is exposed to uvb all across the enclosure and not just on the hot end.

It might sound like a silly question but are you confident that your uv reader is showing you the proper readings?

Have you noticed any twitching or problems moving around? Is your mvb bulb sitting on top of a screen? If it is on top of a screen, the screen tends to filter out the uv rays. If possible try to find a way to have at least part, if not all, shining directly into the enclosure.

Its good to hear that your tegu is still eating daily. Maybe another member can give some input but would it be beneficial to feed more whole prey (calcium)? I would hate to give advice that leads to another issue, like impaction. Not sure if this would work either, someone give their opinion, what about mixing some baby food (something that will have a decent amount of calcium/vitamins/nutrients) into the daily meals?

Hopefully the vet can give you more info, I wish the best for you and your tegu. Keep us posted!

---

I saw a blue Tegu like this before but he was born like this. I have a Tegu who had very MBD when we first got him and he doesn't look like he didn't had a MBD problem. Please let me ( us ) know what the vet says. How big is his enclosure and what kind of lighting are you using ?

Are you referring to.. (I think) Davedragons old blue with the ribs? As far as I read, it was perfectly healthy it just had a birth deformity.

 

[jumper123]

he eats frozen thawed fuzzies twice a week (he cant eat anything bigger yet). i dust with calcium + d3 twice a week (vets orders) regular calcium w/o d3 3 times a week and vitamins 2ce a week. You guys really think he needs a bigger cage? i mean his 7ft enclosure is ready (i have two one my 3ft female is in) but i didnt think he was ready for that.. his light has no screen between him and the light. he actually hates basking which may be his down fall??? as soon as the light comes on he hides, and sleeps all night as well! its very rare i see him basking even though hes up all day.his tank is only 85 in the hot spot? humidity is 70 currently..?

i have 2 custom cages for when hes big. my 3ft tegu is in the other one (female). i guess i didnt word it correctly (sorry guys..), as far as it being a while since he had MBD it was the day i got him (1 month old) that i brought him to work and they did radiographs and his bones showed no signs of any deficiency.. however after doing a CBC and Chem it came back slightly under average calcium in his blood. which is why i say possible mbd in the past.

was it a while ago? when you live the life i do.. i cant remember back 9 months ago with a baby and all the animals. lol!

unfortunately in New England we got crap weather even now its only 55degrees, so its not quite nice enough to bring him out yet! i wish it was! id be out every day while kids were in schooL! thanks guys! i might do the rubbermaid tub thing in couple weeks when it warms up.

 

[Rhetoric]

I know what you mean as far as how fast time seems to go by. When their that young though it really hasn't been too long.

Good to hear that there isn't any screen covering the rays. 85 at the basking spot? The temp should be significantly higher.. Do you think its the light your tegu does not like? I would find it odd that a reptile wouldn't like the heat since they're cold blooded. You could try getting a ceramic heat emitter, they don't emit any extra light. At night, when its cold, my tegu tends to sleep under his. It's the lowest wattage they sell, he stays nice and toasty and theres no light to bother him.

Humidity is kind of a tough one, some members keep the entire enclosures at a high humidity level. I've found that what works best for me is to have a large soaking dish. I've been using one since my tegu first came home. Right now its a large litter pan. The water gets changed daily, of course. So far my tegu hasn't had any shedding issues, generally all the shed comes off in nice big sheets.

As far as the enclosure goes, I would definetly try to get it into a larger one. Generally speaking the length of the enclosure should be at least twice as long as the tegus length (if that makes sense) and the width should be a minimum of 1x tegu length, though I think that 1.5x is more preferred. My tegu started off in his 7.5x3.5x3.5 from the day I brought it home. He growing so quickly! I think I might even need to figure out something larger if he keeps ballooning like this lol.


Yeah the heats a bummer this time of year, we started warming up in oregon, I think one day it was mid 60's and it ended up dropping down into the 30's last night. I wish it would just stay sunny already!!

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you're trying to seek out proper treatment for your tegu. Hopefully I am giving you the right info, I think I am, no one has corrected me so far lol.

 

[jumper123]

Thanks so much! I know he should be at a higher temp for basking.. but when it was at 95 he started wheezing.. ya I know weird.. pretty sure I just have a disaster tegu on my hands. I really love my tegus I might just be overreacting. The vet said he was growing too fast at one point so maybe that is the reason he's got the lump? I have no idea just trying to make sense of this... find out tomorrow! Thanks for your help rhetoricx!!

 

[got10]

He must be an import . Nobody is breeding tegus on a regular basis for them to be cheap like puppy mills (thank GOd ) But with the right care you will have a great lizard . good luck

 

[jumper123]

He must be an import . Nobody is breeding tegus on a regular basis for them to be cheap like puppy mills (thank GOd ) But with the right care you will have a great lizard . good luck

no import. i know the mother and father. im not talking like breeding 500 tegus they have like 6 or 7 they continuously breed. the owner is a close friend. just not a fan of his care for animals.

 

[Rhetoric]

Any news yet?!

 

[jumper123]

Spine deformitiy.. probbably genetic, should be ok but may need to file in the future. Its not affecting his movement or causing pain so he should be ok for now Go figure.. thanks guys!!