Rat fur impaction?

[ashesc212]

That's great news!!!

What did you use to get the cypress mulch out of your male in the past btw?

 

[DaveDragon]

That's great news!!!

What did you use to get the cypress mulch out of your male in the past btw?

They've been to the vet 3 Saturdays straight, but this past Saturday was just x-rays to check their progress. They give them fluids under the skin and mineral oil with a tube down their throat. And long daily soaks!!! The male normally likes them and falls asleep (I don't know how he's never drowned!). I think the cypress eventually dissolves, but he can't eat much while he's plugged up or he throws it up. He's eaten 3 times in the past week and hasn't had a problem, other than he hasn't had a good BM in the past month.

We'll see what happens tonight.

 

[DaRealJoker]

Hey awesome news Dave Glad to hear your lil Lady is doin well. Hope your young man gets better soon too. They're so lucky to have a good handler like you. Great job.

 

[DaveDragon]

Hey awesome news Dave Glad to hear your lil Lady is doin well. Hope your young man gets better soon too. They're so lucky to have a good handler like you. Great job.

Thanks!! The main thing to do is learn what caused this in the first place.

The female was fed a small rat every 2 days to put weight back on her after laying eggs. She normally would only get 1 small rat per week. Action - Feed only large adult mice to reduce the possibility of fur impaction.

The male has a habit of eating his substrate. He has no substrate right now. It looks on the x-rays that he may have a kink in his intestines that prevents the passing a hard objects. Action - Feed only large adult mice to reduce the possibility of fur impaction. Find a substrate that is impaction resistant, mold resistant, is easy to burrow in, and is inexpensive.

 

[jor71]

Find a substrate that is impaction resistant, mold resistant, is easy to burrow in, and is inexpensive.

If you find one, please let me know.

 

[DaveDragon]

Find a substrate that is impaction resistant, mold resistant, is easy to burrow in, and is inexpensive.

If you find one, please let me know.

The vinyl he's on right now has all the qualities except burrowing!

 

[jor71]

Oh, how about humidity?

 

[DaveDragon]

Oh, how about humidity?

OH!!! It "holds" water well!! :mrgreen:

 

[ashesc212]

Are you still going to use Cypress Mulch at all? I'm just wondering because I bought cypress mulch in advance for down the road...(I'm taking all my cues from you lol)

 

[DaveDragon]

Are you still going to use Cypress Mulch at all? I'm just wondering because I bought cypress mulch in advance for down the road...(I'm taking all my cues from you lol)

The female is fine with it but the male likes to eat it. The female was impacted with rodent fur only. The vet suggested rabbit pellets or hay but they mold easily and must be cleaned often. I don't think we'll be using cypress with HIM again. We have the pellets and he'll be getting it soon. He also suggested staying away from rodents and feed more fruits & veggies with turkey for protein. I think this would only apply to adults Tegu's, younger Tegu's need lots of protein to grow.

Any type or particle substrate has the risk of impaction. It seems most Tegu's have no problem with it, just our male Blue.

 

[Harveysherps]

This is just something I'm gonna throw out there. But this problem is why I am against feeding F/T. Their isn't enough fiber in them. Prekilled has more muscle fibers because the cells haven't been broken down in the freezing process. A lot of your problem stems from lack of fiber in the diet. F/T tends to dry out the gut also. Which will let the hair stick and get the problem started. Kinda like arteries clogging. I can't back it up with scientific proof. But this is my opinion based on my experiences. I know most don't agree with me. But this is the way I see it.