Why does he poop so much!

[Tiki0505]

Hi, I’m a new argentine black and white tegu owner. Recently I’ve noticed that my tegu Darwin constantly poops little bits throughout the day... maybe three or four times. He is only a year old and has an amazing appetite. Anyone possibly know why this is?? Also he loves to drag his body through the poop and run around my room till I can catch and bathe him. Please help!

 

[rantology]

What are you currently feeding? It could be something in the diet that doesn't agree with him. Or perhaps even a parasite issue if you think that may be possible... Does he get a proper poops worth out per day despite it being in several episodes? How long has it been going on?

 

[Tiki0505]

What are you currently feeding? It could be something in the diet that doesn't agree with him. Or perhaps even a parasite issue if you think that may be possible... Does he get a proper poops worth out per day despite it being in several episodes? How long has it been going on?

I feed him hard boiled eggs, cooked turkey and chicken, tuna, super worms, crickets, blue berries, raspberries, and spinach. His poops are whole and regular consistency. I have many other reptiles and am not new to reptile keeping just tegus. Maybe I feed him too much? But when I skip a day he gets very hangry and will try to eat anything he can find.

 

[Roadkill]

Well, you've kind of answered your own question. You feed every day...so your tegu is going to defecate near constantly. I'd have to look into the digestive efficiency to be more accurate, but most animals are actually not as efficient as we'd like to think, so therefore....what goes in will mostly come out the other end in a changed form. You might be feeding too much, as it is not only about frequency but also portion size. These are reptiles and their metabolism is no where near what we are used to with a mammal. Obesity is a common problem with captive tegus so you may want to keep an eye on things, but at a year of age there's still likely growth and development taking place.

Now having said this...looking through your answer, I am concerned with something I frequently see in captive tegus: a diet extremely low in calcium. Are you using calcium supplements, and if so, how much? Some people will complain about the cooked protein, but that's a case of 6 of one, half a dozen of another. There are pros and cons to doing so, and as long as you aren't frying or otherwise cooking in an unhealthy manner (adding oils, etc.) it's probably not much to worry about.

 

[Tiki0505]

Well, you've kind of answered your own question. You feed every day...so your tegu is going to defecate near constantly. I'd have to look into the digestive efficiency to be more accurate, but most animals are actually not as efficient as we'd like to think, so therefore....what goes in will mostly come out the other end in a changed form. You might be feeding too much, as it is not only about frequency but also portion size. These are reptiles and their metabolism is no where near what we are used to with a mammal. Obesity is a common problem with captive tegus so you may want to keep an eye on things, but at a year of age there's still likely growth and development taking place.

Now having said this...looking through your answer, I am concerned with something I frequently see in captive tegus: a diet extremely low in calcium. Are you using calcium supplements, and if so, how much? Some people will complain about the cooked protein, but that's a case of 6 of one, half a dozen of another. There are pros and cons to doing so, and as long as you aren't frying or otherwise cooking in an unhealthy manner (adding oils, etc.) it's probably not much to worry about.
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[Tiki0505]

So far I dust three of his meals throughout the week with just a small pinch of calcium with d3. As for the cooked meat I never use oil or spray and the meat has no seasoning. So far Darwin (tegu) isn’t that big he’s not chunky either. I’ve read to feed him only every other day but the few times I’ve tried that he gets very moody and will walk around my house till he can find me to nip at my toes to let me know he’s hungry and it’s food time... any reason for this or just a bossy tegu? I will try feeding him less food and less frequent. Thank you for your help!

 

[Roadkill]

Toe nipping is common in reptiles, not just tegus.

As for the calcium content, sounds inadequate. "A dusting" a few times a week on food that in general doesn't have any...simply put, any meal without intrinsic calcium levels of sufficient quantity needs to be supplemented. Whole prey vertebrates don't need to be because of the bones, but meat is just protein. Eggs are protein. Invertebrates are low calcium protein. See a pattern? Lots of protein tends to promote rapid growth. Rapid growth requires calcium to support bone growth. Rapid growth without sufficient calcium leads to a number of health issues, such as muscle tremors and bone deformity.

 

[Tiki0505]

Ok perfect thank you, I will get right on that!

 

[Barbara Whyman]

Reptilinks that has whole prey ground up into sausage like links and frozen rats or mice will give him a better balanced diet

 

[Dylan koch]

I wouldnt cook anything they dont have acid like we do to break down cooked food.. I keep mine on 100% raw diet and they have been amazingly healthy. And fed mine daily for a about 5months but about 2 months ago I switch to every other day or just 3 times a week but bigger mortions it gives them plenty of time to digest. And my blues and very admit about not going to bathroom in their encloser they wait till they come outside in morning or night time to go in yard.

 

[Dylan koch]

Your tegu will need to get used to eating every few days. Also is your tegu in a enclosures or does it free roam your house? Because unless done right could cause lack of uvb/heat and ect. Plus I've heard tons of monitor and tegu owners say if they mostly get uvb and ect from bulbs natural sunlight makes them a little kooky and that's true with 3 of my 4 tegus

 

[Tiki0505]

I let him free roam everyday during the afternoon and put him back in his enclosure during night time and early morning. Could you please further explain to as what you mean natural sunlight makes them kooky? I’ve read that letting them get as much natural light as possible is healthy.

 

[Barbara Whyman]

I do not know why Dylan said that about natural sunlight but my tegu loves to bask in the sun with no problem or change in him

 

[Dylan koch]

If reptiles arent used to natural sunlight when in natural sunlight can make them spastic! It's like meth or cocaine to reptiles who are used to natural sunlight! Many reptile owners talk about it. Like kamp Kenan on YouTube