Hi everyone. I am a new member of this forum and this is my first post. I own a 1.5-year-old black and white tegu and lately he has been experiencing an uncommon issue, one which I cannot seem to find others who have shared the same problem before that shared it on the web. I recently noticed that he was kind of wobbling slightly from his limbs whilst moving, however, it's his head movement that mostly caught my attention. He came out of hibernation in the first week of May and this behavior has occurred ever since. This is most noticeable when I'm feeding him. His head kind of bobbles up and down for no reason and when he attempts to feed insects from the tweezers, he tries to bite the food but the bites are nowhere near where the insect actually is. He usually bites the air 10 times before actually grabbing the food. In some cases, he also just gives up and turns away. In addition, the basking spot in his enclosure is located on a bit of elevated area which is connected through a turf patched piece of wood (as one can see on the image attached).
Lately, he is also giving up on taking the ''stairs'' to the basking spot and just sits beneath the basking light on the base. I have noticed him before that he had no problem going up the stairs and bask the whole day there, however, when he notices I open the cage or calls it a day, he does not go down the stairs the same way he goes up, but decides to jump down. The fall is not a long way down however, he sometimes lands upside down which I do not think helps at all. Currently, I blocked the way up the stairs to avoid any further damage. (you can see in the second image). Since he is basking in a different area now, the temperature of the basking spot is 33°C/91.4°F. His usual basking spot was 38°C/100.4°F.
Link to video regarding stated behavior:
https://vimeo.com/user99756516/review/342453281/84d481f792
OR
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7b9pbi
Before anyone asks, yes I have already taken him to a vet yesterday and he prescribed anti-inflammatory liquid which I am injecting in his mouth daily and pills every 48hrs for 20 days for infection purposes. I am due to visit the vet again in 8 days to check regarding progress. So far vet stated that it should not be an MBD issue and that it is more likely to be a nervous system problem that could have occurred from a possible fall, however, it is too early to be sure what the actual problem is. Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior from their tegu before? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am currently worried about my lizard's health. Thanks.
Lately, he is also giving up on taking the ''stairs'' to the basking spot and just sits beneath the basking light on the base. I have noticed him before that he had no problem going up the stairs and bask the whole day there, however, when he notices I open the cage or calls it a day, he does not go down the stairs the same way he goes up, but decides to jump down. The fall is not a long way down however, he sometimes lands upside down which I do not think helps at all. Currently, I blocked the way up the stairs to avoid any further damage. (you can see in the second image). Since he is basking in a different area now, the temperature of the basking spot is 33°C/91.4°F. His usual basking spot was 38°C/100.4°F.
Link to video regarding stated behavior:
https://vimeo.com/user99756516/review/342453281/84d481f792
OR
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7b9pbi
Before anyone asks, yes I have already taken him to a vet yesterday and he prescribed anti-inflammatory liquid which I am injecting in his mouth daily and pills every 48hrs for 20 days for infection purposes. I am due to visit the vet again in 8 days to check regarding progress. So far vet stated that it should not be an MBD issue and that it is more likely to be a nervous system problem that could have occurred from a possible fall, however, it is too early to be sure what the actual problem is. Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior from their tegu before? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am currently worried about my lizard's health. Thanks.