Starved tegu refusing to eat

[Seth Lewis]

I have a tegu less than a year old that went into brumation and he hasn't came out until today when he did he was nothing but skin and bone and barely moving I always kept his water filled and I always left dubias in his feeder bowl constantly replacing them because he wasn't eating them and now he still won't eat I've warmed him up put him in a separate container to try and feed and he just won't eat or drink anything he wasn't moving at much at first when I picked him up to handle him he moved around a lot more in my hands like he used to then when I put him back in the cage he just stopped moving again is there anything I did wrong or anything I can do I don't wanna lose him

 

[rantology]

Can you give us some basic info on his setup? Do you know the temperature of his basking spot? Ambient temperature? what kind of enclosure is he in? How long was brumation, and did he eat before he went into brumation? maybe a picture of the animal?

 

[Seth Lewis]

Can you give us some basic info on his setup? Do you know the temperature of his basking spot? Ambient temperature? what kind of enclosure is he in? How long was brumation, and did he eat before he went into brumation? maybe a picture of the animal?

He went into it in Novemberish ambient is 90ish I cant tell you basking right this second my thermometer went out and haven't had a chance to get a new one yet he's in a 75 gallon long aquarium right now till we build his forever home he also hasn't grown like hardly at all since ive got him but someone told me that it wasn't too unusual if he brunates but hes only 10 and a half inches long and I know thats not normal he barely ate ever since I got him and I got him from a reputable breeder named laura roberts 2 weeks after he was born and its not that I wasn't feeding him he just doesn't eat hardly and he slowed down eating before he went to brumation until he just quit eating all together

 

[rantology]

He's likely not fully awake yet if he *just* came out today. They do come out periodically during brumation to bask briefly but aren't actually "awake" - they can go right back to sleep after a day or so. You'll know when they're fully awake as they'll be pretty active and very excited to eat. It's normal for them to refuse food while brumating, they need heat to digest food and since they slow down/ usually become cooler when they brumate, a full stomach can actually become toxic to them. Trust your tegu - he may not be finished brumating and thus does not want to eat. They'll usually be up for a couple of days consistently when they're done- that's how you'll know. Hatchlings don't grow much if they brumate but that is normal. It does not affect their adult size in the end.

Beyond that- You could try offering a wider variety of food- perhaps he's a bit of a picky eater- do you know what the breeder was feeding?

I'll let the more experienced members here chime in beyond this though.

 

[Seth Lewis]

He's likely not fully awake yet if he *just* came out today. They do come out periodically during brumation to bask briefly but aren't actually "awake" - they can go right back to sleep after a day or so. You'll know when they're fully awake as they'll be pretty active and very excited to eat. It's normal for them to refuse food while brumating, they need heat to digest food and since they slow down/ usually become cooler when they brumate, a full stomach can actually become toxic to them. Trust your tegu - he may not be finished brumating and thus does not want to eat. They'll usually be up for a couple of days consistently when they're done- that's how you'll know. Hatchlings don't grow much if they brumate but that is normal. It does not affect their adult size in the end.

Beyond that- You could try offering a wider variety of food- perhaps he's a bit of a picky eater- do you know what the breeder was feeding?

I'll let the more experienced members here chime in beyond this though.

That made me feel a lot better thank you i am not ashamed to admit the brumating process im very unfamiliar with I have other reptiles so I know how to take care of them but none of them brumate but what worries me is I've read that they don't look as skinny as he does after they finish brumating which was my biggest reason for seeking help because if he wasn't so skinny I wouldn't be so worried

 

[Walter1]

I have several questions.

When did you get him?
Why is/was the ambient in the 90s? Very hot.
Why did he need to be warmed up?
Does he have a cool hide?

A two-week old tegu should've been ravenous.

 

[Seth Lewis]

I have several questions.

When did you get him?
Why is/was the ambient in the 90s? Very hot.
Why did he need to be warmed up?
Does he have a cool hide?

A two-week old tegu should've been ravenous.

We got him July of last year and my thermometer was not directly in the basking spot but it was closer than it was further so the further away from the bask he goes it gets cooler its a 4ft long aquarium and all the heat comes from just one end so he has plenty of temp gradient with the opposite end being almost room temp he doesn't have a cool hide but he has a burrow on the cool end and when he did eat he was very food motivated he just didnt eat normal portions when he did he would tear into one or 2 roaches then leave the rest alone and I'd feed him as many roaches as he'd eat daily and I've tried experimenting with other foods but before he went to sleep he would only eat dubias

 

[rantology]

A future suggestion for you: instead of getting one of those reptile thermometers which can be a little unreliable, get yourself a temperature gun for about 30 bucks on amazon. Way more reliable and you can clearly see temps on any part of your setup. The ambient temp should ideally be about 80 and the basking spot about 105-110 for young tegus, and 110-120 for adults.

 

[Walter1]

A future suggestion for you: instead of getting one of those reptile thermometers which can be a little unreliable, get yourself a temperature gun for about 30 bucks on amazon. Way more reliable and you can clearly see temps on any part of your setup. The ambient temp should ideally be about 80 and the basking spot about 105-110 for young tegus, and 110-120 for adults.

Good advice as temperature balances along a Goldilocks optimum. For ex., was he too heat stressed to eat or too cold to eat? If neither, then could he have arrived compromised in some way? Or perhaps he arrived just fine but picked up a physical blockage in his digestive tract? Ultimately, a vet visit is in order, but impractical at this time?

 

[Dylan koch]

Sounds like he isn't fully out of brumation give him some time.

 

[Merlot]

And definitely try to use some quail eggs with a little calcium mixed him for him to slurp up

 

[Debita]

Seems awfully small for an almost year old Tegu. Even if he brumated, I feel like that's exceptionally small.
Def time for a vet visit. Good luck...let us know how he is.

 

[Dylan koch]

Have you tried live pinkies? I know it's not the best but my red female stopped eating for like 5 days and I finally got her to eat yesterday live crickets died the trick

 

[Godzilla Earth]

I know that some tegus can be picky so offer him lots of differant foods until he eats.

 

[Chris & Stitches]

what kind of substrate is he being kept in??

 

[Wickedtactical]

Time! Heat, will prob. do the trick as already mentioned here.

 

[Wickedtactical]

I put a couple of Eggooz in my blue tegus habitat for they are like eggs. when they are gone , He is up! EGGOOZ for tegus lol.

 

[Debita]

I had a Beardie die after coming out of brumation, and after going back in for a couple days, just died. No idea what I did wrong. She was a sweet gem - very calm gentle animal.

So - with your guy being so small still, I'd say the vet is in order.

 

[Wickedtactical]

How is he doing?