Tegu stoped eating.

Wolf · New Member Joined: Oct 01, 2007 Posts: 3

Few month ago he would eat anything now all of a sudden he has stoped eating any thing and started to lose weight. The docter said to force feed him which I tryed once. Not only that but all he wants to do is stay under things and when I take him out the get some exerice all he does is try to find shelter. Right now he is in a 55gallen cage, the heat is around 100 on one half of the cage and the substrate is a mixture of bedabeast and cypress mulch. What am I doing wrong.

tegulevi · Respected Member Joined: Mar 10, 2005 Posts: 489

your not listening to what he is telling you.

hes not eating and hiding all the time= trying to hibernate. turn the lights off and keep water available. see him in the spring. my reds are going down now too.

welcome to the off season.

Nyarlathotep · Member Joined: Sep 11, 2007 Posts: 24

Please try and give as much detail as you can and people will better able to help. (There are dozens of possible issues)

What's the temperature on the cool side?
Too hot can be as bad as too cold (or worse). If your critter can't thermoregulate (warm AND cold), that can play hell on his metabolic systems. Humidity is also important.

What species of tegu? (arg or col)
Not sure? Colombians cost less than $100 and have one (loreal) scale in between their eye and nostril. Argentines cost over $100 and have two scales.

Age? Size? How long have you had him? Where did you buy him?

What have you been feeding him?
Different tegus have different appetites and nutritional requirements. All require fresh food free of pathogens and parasites (nothing you caught outside, no turned meat, no old pizza). Colombians are notorious for becoming "egg spoiled" (I've done this SFE).

Is your vet familiar with reptiles? Has a fecal exam been performed? (if so, what were the results?) If your vet has not asked for poop, I'd be concerned (with the vet).

Force feeding (a tegu) seems like an extreme step to me. Reptile "booster" paste, vitamin B down a tube, ...

(disregard most all of this if he's an Argentine, read one of the "hibernation howtos")
_________________
1.0 T. Teguixin (Speedy)
0.1 Sumatran Blood Python (Makeda)
1.0 Borneo Blood (Solomon)
1.0 Savu Python (Sam)
1.0 Ball Python (Kaa)
1.0 Timor Monitor (Zim)
0.1 IJ BT Skink (Sapphire)
0.0.1 Redfoot Tortoise (Francis)
1.1 Leopard Gecko
...

Wolf · New Member Joined: Oct 01, 2007 Posts: 3

I got him at a reptile show in March. The man said he was born Last Nov and his size seemed to comfirm this. He is a arg. Not including his tail he is a about 9 and a half inches. Would include his tail but during an insent he last about 4 inches. It grow back ok. I used to feed him caned tegu food, goldfish ,chrickets, dried cranberrys he loved those, a small mouse once a month, old roy dog food as a training treat, and he got into and ate some dry dog food.His cool side can get to 50 degress and I have a heat pade under some rocks so he can not burn his slef. I have placed my hand on the rocks it was worm so I cheacked the themp it was 40-50 degrees. The docter I took his to does a lot with reptiles such as crocks moniters , and snakes.

Nyarlathotep · Member Joined: Sep 11, 2007 Posts: 24

I think tegulevi might be right on the money here calling "arg hibernation" (doh, that doesn't normally occur to me since I haven't owned an arg in about 10 years).

Wolf, how long ago did he start slowing down? (if it was in the last month, I wouldn't worry too much)
_________________
1.0 T. Teguixin (Speedy)
0.1 Sumatran Blood Python (Makeda)
1.0 Borneo Blood (Solomon)
1.0 Savu Python (Sam)
1.0 Ball Python (Kaa)
1.0 Timor Monitor (Zim)
0.1 IJ BT Skink (Sapphire)
0.0.1 Redfoot Tortoise (Francis)
1.1 Leopard Gecko
...

Wolf · New Member Joined: Oct 01, 2007 Posts: 3

I think you guys are right. Thanks. I found him this moring with all the dirt and the water dish on him. All I did was turn on his UV light on and filled up his water dish. How many months will he be like this?