one month old columbian tegu

[arianametz]

I've done alot of research on columbian tegus before i got lucky and i know they can swim so i put him in a bucket of warm water with a rock (for him to stand on) sticking out to see how he was in water and he was darting around like crazy and then all the sudden he went belly up i took him out and his eyes were closed but when i put him back in his cage he was fine but i'm very concerned (theres a reason his name is lucky) does anyone know why this happened :/

 

[BatGirl1]

That sounds familiar... did someone else have something similar happen to them? Is it the water temp or depth or a stress reaction maybe? I can't remember what became of the other tegu this happened to. Anyone recall? I know niles doesn't particularly enjoy ' water. He swims and tries to get out quickly... and this is with water no deeper than his body height. He could literally walk around if he wanted to
But acts like I'm trying to drown him. :/

 

[arianametz]

i think he might have been stressed the person i bought him from seemed to know his stuff but i quickly found out he didnt he had this poor baby in a huge cage with one heating lamp no basking area probably around 80 top tempurate no humidity at all and the bedding was just paper towels.. and all he was feeding him was cat food and dog food...
here he has a 30 gallon tank with a mulch type bedding i spray his cage three times a day and his basking area is 90-95 degrees and his diet consists of eggs pinky mice and deer meat i think the dramatic change might be stressing him.. his tail dropped the other day too :/ poor thing..

 

[BatGirl1]

Oh no! Wow...yeah sounds like major stress issues. :/

 

[arianametz]

i just hope he ends up making it. i'm taking it to the local pet breeder hes got an argentine he knows everything there is to know about them and hes gonna check him out and make sure hes alright

 

[bfb345]

i wouldnt move him if he has stress isues already it will only stress him more

 

[arianametz]

your probably right but if hes in worse shape than i think john will nurse him back to health for me. i feel like its best for him he should be fine i'm gonna keep him really warm and comfortablein the transport cage

 

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Colombians are frequently found swimming in the wild.

 

[arianametz]

well thats good to know

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

I know this is a thread from a few weeks ago but I'm surprised no one told you to bump up the heat. You have him too cold, don't let his cage drop below 80, even at night and that basking spot needs a surface temp of 110. Try feeding less eggs or he might get hooked on them and too many isn't good, rodents and ground turkey are better. I hope he's okay but it sounds like you just got him and he's overly stressed, best to leave him be for a few weeks.

 

[laurarfl]

This little guy has had a rough start already. On top of what SnakeCharmer has said, add plenty of calcium to his diet and a UVB bulb. Hands off for a while and let this little guy recover. Yes they swim in the wild, but generally not after being driven around and switching homes, lol. Heck, they die in the wild, too (not to sound so harsh). Just sounds like too much going on too soon with a really young tegu.

Hope he's doing well for you.

 

[Elizabeth Stallard]

I've done alot of research on columbian tegus before i got lucky and i know they can swim so i put him in a bucket of warm water with a rock (for him to stand on) sticking out to see how he was in water and he was darting around like crazy and then all the sudden he went belly up i took him out and his eyes were closed but when i put him back in his cage he was fine but i'm very concerned (theres a reason his name is lucky) does anyone know why this happened :/

Hello,I am new to this Tegu "world" as well. I purchased a hatchling black&white Columbian about three weeks ago. I have many reptiles and not new to the game(48 years old) I truly was tempted to buy a 1 1/2 Chacoan giant. It was not monetary in deciding in choosing a hatchling . After much research , we took the chance , even though from everything I read they seemed slightly sketchy at best. I am VERY happy to say Ackmad is so personable and intelligent, he is thriving and trusting more each day. I have not put hm in water, as I mist his critter-cage frequently and he shed successfully without problem. He eats like the wee-beastie that he is raw turkey (bones ground in,organic locally) eggs. And , bonus he defecates after he eats, which is in a seperate container. He is jumpy, which is understandable.. And he bit me as hard as he could. A little bloody knuckle (I just let him go to town, with no reaction, seriously have you ever been bit by blood or Burmese python???) So he gave up and chilled out, I take him out everyday twice, once before eating and later just to get use to it. Persistent's and patience works, I will post photo's as soon as I learn how!!!

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

Hello,I am new to this Tegu "world" as well. I purchased a hatchling black&white Columbian about three weeks ago. I have many reptiles and not new to the game(48 years old) I truly was tempted to buy a 1 1/2 Chacoan giant. It was not monetary in deciding in choosing a hatchling . After much research , we took the chance , even though from everything I read they seemed slightly sketchy at best. I am VERY happy to say Ackmad is so personable and intelligent, he is thriving and trusting more each day. I have not put hm in water, as I mist his critter-cage frequently and he shed successfully without problem. He eats like the wee-beastie that he is raw turkey (bones ground in,organic locally) eggs. And , bonus he defecates after he eats, which is in a seperate container. He is jumpy, which is understandable.. And he bit me as hard as he could. A little bloody knuckle (I just let him go to town, with no reaction, seriously have you ever been bit by blood or Burmese python???) So he gave up and chilled out, I take him out everyday twice, once before eating and later just to get use to it. Persistent's and patience works, I will post photo's as soon as I learn how!!!

You could always start your own thread, that way we dont get comments mixed up.