Compnerd7
Member
- Messages
- 190
Hi all,
I haven't posted on this board in a while, however now I have come across a a rescue and I am looking for a few pointers.
I have had an Argentine red for 2 years now, and I just picked up a rescue. Here is his story.
My brother sent me a picture yesterday of a lizard and asked "what kind of monitor is this?"; but obviously to me that was no monitor, but a Tegu! Here is the picture that was sent to me:
Of course, the picture was appalling to me and made me angry about the condition of the lizard... Then I heard the story behind him. A friend of my brother had rented out a house to a family, and they had a few different large lizards and different animals. They up and just left one day, and also left behind lots of animal supplies, along with their Black and White Tegu. He was stuck in that cage for a month, with no food, water, heat, or UV. He was just left in that wire crate for 6 weeks alone. My brother was sent out to check on the house, found the lizard, and sent me a picture. He felt so bad for the lizard he went and got him 3 mice which he ate right down, and changed out his was which he said was basically just 1" of poo water. He asked if I would be willing to go and pick him up the following day, but I wasn't going to let the lizard suffer for another day and I just immediately left and picked him up. When I got to him he was skin and bones, so skinny that his hip bones stick out of his back like spikes, and his back bone protrudes out like an iron rod.
He is one of the sweetest Tegus i've meet, and he is just a lover. I know he has a long road to recovery, but I believe that he will be ok. Yesterday, my brother gave him 3 mice, which is quite a bit for a lizard that is almost starved to death. I soaked him in water that entire day, and I also gave him some small portions of turkey with vitamins, and a few bugs ( super worms and crickets ). Today I have laid out some more turkey, and some liver. All of them wrapped in supplements.
My one real question that I have is how much food should I be offering him every day. Since he was literally SKIN AND BONES, I know you shouldn't just start giving him mass amounts of food right off the bat, and ease him back onto a healthy diet. Right now he isn't eating, but he had a little too much to eat yesterday.
If anyone has any tips on helping this guy recover, that would be great. Anything to add that isn't usually covered in basic Tegu care. I am not new to caring for these lizards, but I have had Tegus for only 2 years. I have him now in a 6'X4' cage that is built for Tegus. It is water sealed on 3 sides with 2 doors on the front. I have a 150W heat bulb and 2 UV/UVB strips in his cage. A good, high humidity, warm cage for him.
I have a nice kiddy pool I like to soak my lizards in, and i'd like to take him out there tomorrow to soak him and let him get some sun (since he was left in a garage for 6 weeks with no light). The weather here is around 102 in the day so I believe that should be plenty warm for him as I watch him in my lizard kiddy pool.
Any other advice I would gladly soak up, thanks!
He is a picture of him now, about 12 hours after I rescued him. He is looking 100% better than he was, but he still has a long road ahead of him.
I haven't posted on this board in a while, however now I have come across a a rescue and I am looking for a few pointers.
I have had an Argentine red for 2 years now, and I just picked up a rescue. Here is his story.
My brother sent me a picture yesterday of a lizard and asked "what kind of monitor is this?"; but obviously to me that was no monitor, but a Tegu! Here is the picture that was sent to me:
Of course, the picture was appalling to me and made me angry about the condition of the lizard... Then I heard the story behind him. A friend of my brother had rented out a house to a family, and they had a few different large lizards and different animals. They up and just left one day, and also left behind lots of animal supplies, along with their Black and White Tegu. He was stuck in that cage for a month, with no food, water, heat, or UV. He was just left in that wire crate for 6 weeks alone. My brother was sent out to check on the house, found the lizard, and sent me a picture. He felt so bad for the lizard he went and got him 3 mice which he ate right down, and changed out his was which he said was basically just 1" of poo water. He asked if I would be willing to go and pick him up the following day, but I wasn't going to let the lizard suffer for another day and I just immediately left and picked him up. When I got to him he was skin and bones, so skinny that his hip bones stick out of his back like spikes, and his back bone protrudes out like an iron rod.
He is one of the sweetest Tegus i've meet, and he is just a lover. I know he has a long road to recovery, but I believe that he will be ok. Yesterday, my brother gave him 3 mice, which is quite a bit for a lizard that is almost starved to death. I soaked him in water that entire day, and I also gave him some small portions of turkey with vitamins, and a few bugs ( super worms and crickets ). Today I have laid out some more turkey, and some liver. All of them wrapped in supplements.
My one real question that I have is how much food should I be offering him every day. Since he was literally SKIN AND BONES, I know you shouldn't just start giving him mass amounts of food right off the bat, and ease him back onto a healthy diet. Right now he isn't eating, but he had a little too much to eat yesterday.
If anyone has any tips on helping this guy recover, that would be great. Anything to add that isn't usually covered in basic Tegu care. I am not new to caring for these lizards, but I have had Tegus for only 2 years. I have him now in a 6'X4' cage that is built for Tegus. It is water sealed on 3 sides with 2 doors on the front. I have a 150W heat bulb and 2 UV/UVB strips in his cage. A good, high humidity, warm cage for him.
I have a nice kiddy pool I like to soak my lizards in, and i'd like to take him out there tomorrow to soak him and let him get some sun (since he was left in a garage for 6 weeks with no light). The weather here is around 102 in the day so I believe that should be plenty warm for him as I watch him in my lizard kiddy pool.
Any other advice I would gladly soak up, thanks!
He is a picture of him now, about 12 hours after I rescued him. He is looking 100% better than he was, but he still has a long road ahead of him.
