Skinny Tegu

[Justsomedude]

lol why thank you! Every animal I've owned has been literally brought back from the brink, no animal deserves to be kept in a plastic bowel soaked in their own urine like my baby was.

I'll toke to that!

 

[StygianChild]

So I'm have him eating every day, so i think he's on the mend. Still haven't seen any poop tho...

 

[Walter1]

He will. When he does, stand back.

 

[Roadkill]

This is encouraging news. Just remember, keep the meals on the small side. Right now, your tegu is in recovery, anything can stress it and reverse the process including overeating. Small frequent meals are key. The other thing is to consider the lack of defecation. It's hard at this stage to say exactly what's going on, undernourishment is definite, but parasite load is another possibility, as is simple blockage. You probably want to consider something to help with gut motility. While many advocate the use of mineral oil, this is something you would basically have to force the tegu to take, and at this stage I think you want to be a little more gentle. I'd personally recommend the addition of basic fiber laxative to the food. In some cases, that's as simple as ensuring there's vegetation in the meals. In your case, I'd recommend buying unflavoured fiber laxative supplement (like Metamucil) and adding it to the cat food you've been feeding.

 

[dpjm]

Another laxative I've had success with for lizards is lactulose. Don't use it if you suspect your animal is dehydrated but other than that it is safe. It is basically a non-digestible sugar that draws fluids into the intestines, increasing the water content of stools.

I've used mineral oil also with success but I'm not a big fan of that product. The name "mineral oil" makes it sound safe and natural but it is anything but. It's actually a by-product of the distilation process used to produce gasoline from petroleum. Not really something you would want to consume.

If you're feeding wet cat food at this point, I would try mixing in very finely chopped vegetables and a bit of fruit. These will provide not just fiber but also beneficial nutrition that your tegu really needs right now.

Great to hear that your tegu is on the mend, good work!

 

[StygianChild]

Walter….. you jinxed me….. he just pooped all over my lap…….actually more like my groin. off to the shower and then to find clean pants. But at least he finally pooped!

 

[viejo]

Walter….. you jinxed me….. he just pooped all over my lap…….actually more like my groin. off to the shower and then to find clean pants. But at least he finally pooped!

Murphey's law @ work! Good that he pooped in any case!

 

[Walter1]

Walter….. you jinxed me….. he just pooped all over my lap…….actually more like my groin. off to the shower and then to find clean pants. But at least he finally pooped!

Stop! Are you shi@@ing me?

 

[StygianChild]

ZIIINNNGGG lol but yes he did that. in his defense he tried to find a place that wasn't me, but we were in a hammock so my leg is better than my head.

 

[StygianChild]

So I have Rorschach eating cat food daily and he's pooping again. He hasn't changed to the naked eye, but i wouldn't expect a visible weight change for a few more weeks at least. I have noticed him twitching his toes. He was doing that when i first got him, but i got a UVB bulb and it stopped for ~4 months. He does eat eggs, shell and all and he get calcium supplement.

Could this have something to do with his weight loss?

When i went to the vet they said he looked good, just skinny. And i mentioned the twitching, but he didn't seem to concerned because it had stopped.

I'm not worried about a form of MBD as i am a neurological problem or a liver problem

 

[dpjm]

Be a bit careful with eggshells. First, they are dirty unless you are buying from a good source. Supermarket eggshells are filthy. Second, they are 90% calcium which could be more than your tegu needs.

We all know that vitamin D regulates calcium absorption from the gut into the blood. So if vitamin D production is regulated by UV light and not received in significant amounts in the diet, a route in which it is not regulated, then calcium levels should automatically be regulated simply by eating some of it and by exposing yourself to enough UVB from the sun. That is what you often read, and it makes people comfortable to supplement with huge mounts of calcium, because the body will just take what it needs.

However, at least I think so and please correct me if I'm wrong anyone, calcium absorption is only regulated by vitamin D in the first section of the gut. Further down the gut, calcium can be passively absorbed independently of vitamin D. This route of absorption is especially prominent if large amounts of calcium (e.g., eggshell) is consumed.

So it is very possible to overdose on calcium, even with well-regulated D3 levels. Calcium oversupplementation is thought to be one of the causes of hypercalcaemia (toxic levels of calcium in the blood).

 

[StygianChild]

Well he seemed to be doing better. he started gaining a bit of weight and he died some time today or last night.

 

[Dee-Dee Idrais]

I'm so sorry to hear that

 

[StygianChild]

thanks. i'm going to necropsy him and see if i can't find a reason for his death. (i'm a biology major, i'm weird that way)

 

[dpjm]

Very sorry to hear that, you put in a great effort.

Make sure you get his body refrigerated or the necropsy will not yield any results. Let us know what you find.

 

[StygianChild]

yeah i put him in the freezer right away. I can't run his blood but i can check for abnormalities and parasites and such. I may articulate his skeleton if i feel up to it.

on a side note, i was talking to a guy in florida that traps them about what was wrong with Rorschach and i let him know that he died and he offered to send me another tegu for free. I'm debating if i should take him up on the offer. I may be doing a 6 mo internship in Utah and they don't allow pets. I'm worried that if i get this new one and have him for a few months and leave him with my brother, that the new tegu will be more attached to my brother than me.

Do you guys know if they form a bond with one main human usually or are they not really the kind of animal to make a bond?

 

[beardeddragon111]

I think that they definetly can like the company of people, but I dont think they "bond" to specific individuals.

 

[dpjm]

Don't freeze him, you just want to keep him cold, at fridge temperature. Freezing destroys a lot of tissues, limiting what the necropsy can show.