Handfeeding a special needs B/W with severe MBD

AneesasMuse · New Member Joined: Jan 25, 2008 Posts: 4

Hi all!! My name is Aminah and I have a Zoo.. ...wait, that sounded a lot like ..umm, nevermind. Yeah.. so I have a few reptiles here and I am thinking of adopting a 5 year old B/W Tegu with severe MBD. He is in such bad shape, apparently, that he needs to be handfed and cannot walk very well.

I have the time and the desire, as well as, knowledge and experience to deal with such a special needs animal, but.. I have some concern with HANDFEEDING A TEGU on a regular basis.

I haven't met the Tegu just yet.. only doing some correspondence for now ...and trying to find out as much as I can before bringing him home. Saying this, to say... I don't know for certain that handfeeding this guy with his issues is even a "bad" thing, per se. I also don't know if "there's just no other way around it" and I am looking at jeopardizing my fingers/hand/arm with every feeding ...and "just be careful and alert".

So.. any suggestions, ideas, advice.. I would love to hear it!

Thanks!

dpjm · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:22 am Post subject:

Normally you don't want to handfeed a tegu because they begin to associate you with food and, like you said, fingers are nice things to have. Your case is an exception, and good for you on taking on such a task. You might want to use some gardening gloves or even a pair of long plastic tongs. Good luck.

AneesasMuse · New Member Joined: Jan 25, 2008 Posts: 4

Thank you for the response!

I just sent a few more questions to the foster parent and am waiting to hear back. If everything goes well, I may pick him up as early as this weekend.

I think gloves and/or tongs is a great idea.. hadn't even considered the gloves, actually. Great!

Thanks again!

Btw, I may be blind and just missing it... I mean, I am typing without proper blood:caffeine levels ...but I can't find an elaborate nutrition sheet on these guys. I would like to know proper percentages of proteins/meats to veggies/fruits and so on. (I did read one site that mentioned vaguely, 35% meat/bugs/rodents and 65% veggies/fruits) Is there a good reference on here that I am just missing ...or elsewhere in cyberville, perhaps?

Thanks!

txrepgirl · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:15 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the Tegu forum ( family ).Since you have never met the Tegu I would recommend wearing the gloves,too.I have a baby Tegu and I had to hand feed him for a week.He never bit me.Not even when I had to use my bare finger to force him to open his mouth.But we already knew each other.Now if I would get a new Tegu that is big like yours I would be careful,too.What I usually do is I put some meat ( raw chicken breast cut up, lean ground turkey, a fuzzy or some fish filets cut up from the store ), next to it some veggies and next to that some fruit on a plate and let him eat what he wants.I mixed it all together ones and he wouldn't eat at all.Some times there is something on the plate that he doesn't like and he will not touch the rest of the food either.I put some vitamine and calcium powder on it.Go to the main menu and go to the forum.There is a menu on there that you could use.Good luck with the Tegu.Please keep us posted.Thanks.

meanah · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:31 pm Post subject:

congrats on thinking about rescuing a tegu.. i have already done it once.. and i had to force feed mine with a baby suringe (spelling) i fed her babyfood chicken and gravy warmed up with a lil water and some calcuim/multivit. powder. i had to do that for about a week. now shes running around and is a huge pic... congrats. tho

txrepgirl · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:39 pm Post subject:

I for got to mentioned that I had to force feed him with the chicken or turkey baby food with a little bitt of warm water and a syringe,too.

AneesasMuse · New Member Joined: Jan 25, 2008 Posts: 4

Thanks...

This guy will not need assistance in handfeeding in the same manner... not necessary to syringe feed or "mush" his food... just pick up his food and offer it directly to him or "hand it to him" ..sorry I wasn't specific.

I've been given a few more details about the Tegu... it's like pulling teeth, dealing with this "rescue" ..and he's being fed with 3ft. tongs, to avoid getting your hand ripped off. Apparently, his feeding response is sooo strong that he is always in feeding mode. (Reading between the lines of their emails, this could be due to the diet and the little amount of food he is given.... but we all know where "ass-u-me" -ing things can take you.)

He also has to be tricked or distracted in order to be removed from his cage... otherwise that good 'ol feeding response deal will GET YA!!

His gait.. umm, walking or mobility... is so poor that he wobbles, staggers and falls over on his back frequently. When I read this, it just killed me to think of someone letting his condition get to this point. (I am convinced that people can absolutely SUCK!)

Anyway... I am hoping to be able to set up a time to see him, before I make any definite decisions.

I am curious about whether or not I can change some of his behaviour, so my hands will be safer when feeding and handling him. I am familiar with feeding him in a separate environment and not smelling like his food, etc. when handling... I have quite a few reptiles here and almost all of them have had to have some aggro behaviour modification. I guess, I'm most concerned that this guy has been mistreated for 5 years and 5 years is quite a long time to have a habit and then change it. Am I up against the "near impossible" or is it just another situation that needs a little patience and compassion?

I'm sorry I've been so long-winded in my posts, but I am really concerned about this animal and want to do my best for him... or pass on adopting him, so that someone better suited for him can have a chance. The Tegu deserves to have his day, too!

Thanks!

LisaN · Member Joined: Sep 03, 2007 Posts: 69

I would continue with the tongs and still use gloves...that way your hands will always look different when you are feeding him. I'm wondering why he is not fed until he is full? I'd feed this guy until he can't swallow another thing THEN reach in and pick him up. If he starts for your hands, make a corrective sound like you would do with a dog and hold your hands wide open like you are getting ready to push someone. Show him it is just your hands and he is not getting fed.
I saw a guy at a big herp rescue do that with everything he took out of a cage and have been using it on my tegus.
LisaN

AneesasMuse · New Member Joined: Jan 25, 2008 Posts: 4

LisaN... thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

This sounds like solid advice and I totally agree with you on the technique and the "feeding until full" idea. I'm still waiting to hear more about his diet... both ingredients and amounts at given meals. (The info I've received so far has been vague, at best.)

I'm going to order some longer tongs for this guy, if I end up with him, and probably some new gloves to use just with him. I've been researching and reading quite a bit today.. on various techniques and approaches to assisting him with his food.

Selfish or not.. I am just slightly fond of my hands and I think a few of my other "kids" actually need my hands to still be functional and present for their own purposes.

I am hoping to hear back from his foster parent very soon... although, not holding my breath anymore... and setting up an oppurtunity to meet the Tegu and get a one on one feel for him. My heart is pretty set on bringing him in, but I have to be 100% certain all around.

Thanks again!

meanah · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:14 pm Post subject:

well i hope that you can get him soon. and get him up and running.. hopefully you can get him to not be as agressive either.. keep us posted

txrepgirl · Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:01 pm Post subject:

It is good to hear that you have been doing your research and that you already have some experience with reptiles.Did you ask the foster parents if they ever give him some calcium and vitamine powder and what kind ? when you get there let them show it to you to make sure they gave him what they sad they did.Also what about the lighting.Do they have a UVB light and when was the last time they exchanged the UVB light.Also with the basking light.What I would do since he is already a adult Tegu is I also would feed him until he is full. After you take him out of his feeding bin put him in a pillow case.That way he is hiding and feels save.Put him on the couch close to you and pet him.That might help a little with taming him down.Good luck and please keep us posted.Thanks.Take care.

laurarfl · Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:37 am Post subject:

I think his behavior can be changed. Tegus have been shown to be receptive to conditioning. Moving to a new environment might change his habits a bit and you can start a new routine. I agree with everyone else....feed him until he's full. Tegus love to eat and he's probably not eating enough.

I think the most therapeutic thing for him would be an outdoor basking cage. An hour of sunlight a day would be sooo beneficial. Also, be prepared for vet visits if needed and find out what vet care he has already received. Did he receive intervention in the form of calcium gluconate?
_________________
Laura R (FL)
0.1.0 Colombian Tegu
0.2.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
1.0.0 Red Tegu
1.0.0 Green Amevia (yet another teiid)
8 other lizards
1 little gator
13 snakes
4 frogs
some bugs
and a partridge in a pear tree

meanah · Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject:

my isis changed soo much coming from its former owner to my house.
whe she was there she was agressive.. because they never showed her any affection, didnt feed her enough, didnt give her vits/cal. no uvb. she hated life. and the day that she came home. i changed all of that.. ok well the first few days. haha but she is looking soo much better shes eating like a pig. and she is loving life. she only gets a lil agressive when its time for feeding but its cause we are still trying to get her to eat out of her cage. cause theyd only feed her in there. they never took her out. cause everyone was afraid of her. and she has totally come around
_________________
0.1.0 Colombian Tegu
1.0.0 Arg. Tegu
0.1.4 Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Royal Python
1.0.0 Crested Gecko
0.0.1 Kingsnake
0.0.1 Painted Turtle
0.1.1 Spotted Pythons
1.2.0 Tokay Geckos
2.3.0 Leopard Geckos