NEED HELP TEGU IS DRAGGING ITS BELLY!

Hellbound

I have a B/W Argentine tegu. He is about 10 months old and doesnt walk like other tegus i have seen. He constantly drags his belly every where he goes. He still has his curiousity when taking a stroll around the house but doesnt really walk. Has anyone every had a problem like this. Im really worried that it is some sign of MBD. I have a UVB repti pro 100w fixture in his cage. I give him Minerall vitamin dust along with calcium powder on all his superworms and crickets, and in his ground turkey and bannana meatballs. When he was younger he walked fine but slowly this problem is getting worse.

The only time i see him move normal is when i throw a mouse in his cage. Which has me wondering if hes just shy, when i walk by his cage he lays down and stares at me. Mabey this is why he walks that way, mabey its just when im around? PLEASE HELP! I'm taking him to the vet as soon as i can afford the visit, and im guessin x-rays.

Bill_S · Member Joined: Dec 10, 2004 Posts: 56

Did he ever jump from your hands, fall a few feet and land on a hard floor?

B.

mike · Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:20 pm Post subject:

I don't really get what you're saying. Does he walk normally, with all legs, with his belly dragging, or does he look like he is purposely pushing his belly to the floor?
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Animals: Too many.

DaveDragon · Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:49 pm Post subject:

You might be right about the MBD, maybe the beginning stage. Superworms and bananas are high in potassium throwing off his potassium/calcium balance. Even though you dust the superworms with calcium, the bananas are possible too much for his system. They should be a treat only. Cut out the bananas and exchange them with another soft fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or any other berries (our Tegu's like berries!), etc.

What is his weight/length?? You could give him a few drops of liquid calcium every day for a week and see if that helps. You'd probably be best to see a reptile vet if you suspect MBD but it won't hurt to give him the drops for a week and see it that helps.
_________________
1.1 Blue Tegu +23 EGGS, 1.0 Red Tegu, 0.1 B&W Arg. Tegu
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa, 0.1 Dumeril Boa, 1.0 Suriname Boa
1.2 Ball Pythons, 1.0 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Cuban Rock Iguana
2.1.3 Bearded Dragons, 1.0 Veiled Chameleon, 0.0.1 Tokay Gecko

Hellbound · Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 9:07 pm Post subject:

When i said not walkin right i mean that he uses all legs. They go threw the motion of walkin, he just doesnt get himself off the floor. The only time he does get himself off the florr is to catch a fuzzy i put in there. Then he lies down to eat it.

For size, id say hes about 20-24" long.(Thats tip of nose to tip of tail) As far as weight goes i dont really know how to measure him. But he has weight too him, almost a little chubby looking in the stomach area. The thing that worries me also is his legs look a little skinny for his body.

Thanks for the advice dave dragon. Ill cut the bannanas and supers out and mix in some berries with his ground turkey. Is ground turkey good to mix the berries with or is there a better source for meat? Because when i tried to give him bananas he wouldnt eat them alone i had to hide them in the meat.

Also is there a specific brand for the calcium liquid drops you prefer or are they all pretty much ok?

Thanks again!

tupinambis · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:34 am Post subject:

It's not the calcium/potassium ratio. Potassium doesn't directly affect calcium metabolism. It's the calcium/PHOSPHOROUS ratio, which needs to be about 2/1 or 3/1. And most fruits are usually higher in phosphorous than calcium. You need to check the entire diet and balance accordingly.

Your tegu may have several problems going at the same time. A variant of MBD and obesity are likely, but may not be all. "Dragging" the body is a typical MBD sign for some chelonians, but tegus typically demonstrate different symptoms first. I would recommend taking your tegu to a specialist vet to rule out anything serious.

DaveDragon · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:21 am Post subject:

Hellbound · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks again for all the info! I just need to find a good vet in my area that has experience with reptiles.

I was watching him walk around the room today, or drag, and i put two fingers under his belly while he was walking to get him to walk normal. When i did this i notice that his limbs didnt move smoothly, they shake almost like they are fatigued or weak. Also after about 5 minutes of walkin around the room he was wipped out. He laid under is heat lamp holding one of his legs off the ground and it was just trembling. Is this a sign of MBD? or could it be something else? Should i take him out and get him to walk more, or is that doing more damage that good? Im gonna try to get him to the vet today.

As far as his diet goes he only gets about 3-4 mice a week, 2 at a time. When said fuzzies i meant hoppers, thats just what the local reptile stores refers to them as. Small mice. From what ive seen on youtube on mbd in reptiles im pretty sure that is the problem. Obesity, now that you mention it could also be a problem. He doesnt seem to be preportioned the same as most healthy lookin tegus i see in pictures, ect. Is there a better source of meat i could be using as a base in his diet? Such as chicken? or fish? And what about hard boiled eggs? I appreciate you guys helpin me out so much, its my first tegu and i love him to death. Want him to get better quick

I feel like a jerk now that i realize hes not living a healthy good life.

I wish i knew how to post pics! That way you guys could see what he looks like.

DaveDragon · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:36 pm Post subject:

Sounds like the beginning of MDB. You should feed him hoppers only as the meat source, dusted with calcium. Get the liquid calcium (can't remember the name) at any pet store that sells reptile supplies. Maybe 3 to 4 drops per day?? I'm not sure. Get the extra calcium into him and you should see an improvement in a few days. And get him to a good reptile vet.

http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/
_________________
1.1 Blue Tegu +23 EGGS, 1.0 Red Tegu, 0.1 B&W Arg. Tegu
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa, 0.1 Dumeril Boa, 1.0 Suriname Boa
1.2 Ball Pythons, 1.0 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Cuban Rock Iguana
2.1.3 Bearded Dragons, 1.0 Veiled Chameleon, 0.0.1 Tokay Gecko

Hellbound · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks so much Dave Dragon, you've been a huge help. Ill go stock up on fuzzies tomorrow, as far as the liquid calcium i cant find it anywhere. Went to both my local reptile stores, and petco/petsmart. I just cant find the stuff. Im gonna try to see if any of my local vets carry it. Hopefully they do, and at the end of the week i should have to money to take him to the vet i talked to earlier today. Sounds like hes has plenty of experience, and hopefully wont take me to the cleaners with x-rays ect. I replaced is bananas with strawberries, HE LOVED EM! Thanks again for all the advice.

Oh yea, if i do find the liquid calcium, how do i apply it? On food or straight to his mouth? I also read somewhere about keeping him on 24/7 uvb light? do you think this is a good idea or will it stress him out too much? Hope im not buggin you with all these questions, it just seems you know alot about the subject and i trust your advice. Thanks!

DaveDragon · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 10:13 pm Post subject:

Hellbound · Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:20 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the info! What a great site!

tupinambis · Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:33 pm Post subject:

The muscle trembling is indeed a typical symptom of MBD in tegus. However, it's still always best to take your tegu to an experienced vet. The MBD is usually associated with diet, but not always as there are other areas associated with the vit.D3/calcium metabolic pathway, such as vit.D3 gets hydroxylated in the liver and the kidneys before becoming biologically active. Therefore liver or kidney disfunction may be the root of the problem and not diet, hence why I recommend having a veterinarian check up.

Your best immediate step is to get proper UVB exposure for your tegu. Black-lights used to be the better option, but there has been significant advances in recent years in reptile lighting. Any of the reptile bulbs at sale at decent pet shops with 5% or greater UVB rating will do you good (anything less than 5% and you're wasting your money, cheap plant grow bulbs will be just as strong). The expensive self-ballasted UVB/spotlight bulbs are even better with greater UVB intensity. Keep in mind that UVB is absorbed by ozone in the atmosphere, so the further away the bulb is from the tegu, the less UVB your tegu will receive. The recommended distance is 12-18", and the weaker the UVB rating of the bulb, the closer it should be to the tegu. You also want to make sure there isn't anything between the bulb and the tegu (glass, plexiglass, etc.) as these will filter out all the UVB.

As an immediate therapy, if you have access to a tanning bed or tanning lights, give it a try. About 15-30 minute exposure will give a good strong dose and help a lot. And no, I'm not joking.

Hellbound · Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject:

Thanks tupinambis! I bought him a self ballast uvb bulb about a week and a half ago. It is made by repti pro, they told me at prehistoric pets that it was the best one they stalked. I also put him on a straight hopper mouse diet, which i apply 3 drops of liquid calcium to each mouse, 1 mouse a day. I just started this today so hopefully it helps out.

Haha as far a tanning beds go....I live in Orange County man! There everywhere, ill call around, hopefully one of them wont mind giving my tegu a tan. Thats a great idea, i never would have thought of that. I'm taking him to the vet at the end of the week when i get paid. Ill keep you guys posted on how my buddy Zeek recovers. Thanks for all the help!

O ya, ill try to figure out how to post a picture of him ive got a bunch of great ones id like you guys to see.

Hellbound · Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:25 pm Post subject:

Only 2 days in on the liquid calcium and a couple hours of straight sunlight a day and Zeek is already making a huge comeback! Hes walking around the room, thats right walking! Hes already starting to get his belly off the floor, sure his legs shake a little still but its only been 2 days! imagine a week, a month! He seems to know im trying my best to help him get better because everytime i open the cage and set my hand in there he crawls aboard and cruises up to my shoulder and snuggles my neck. Thank you soooooo much for the advice dave dragon and tupinambis hes doin great thanks to you guys! Im still gonna take him into the vet at the end of the week, just to confirm that what im doin is right, and get an exact messurement for the liquid calcium, i hear you can give them to much. Thanks again!