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View Full Version : Smokey Is A Mass Of Reptile Muscle..



october
11-21-2008, 10:10 PM
Smokey was looking massive so I grabbed the camera and shot a couple of short vids and a pic.... He is a really happy and healthy tegu..


Rob

Videos:

http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/rcarreau/?action=view&current=MVI_6504.flv

http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/rcarreau/?action=view&current=MVI_6505.flv


Pic:


http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/rcarreau/IMG_6548.jpg

jmiles50
11-22-2008, 12:10 AM
What a stud :!: :wink:

txrepgirl
11-22-2008, 11:44 PM
What is he eating ?

Ben3233
11-23-2008, 12:00 AM
Huge Tegu!

Bigger is better! :D

october
11-24-2008, 08:29 PM
Thanks for the comments everyone

Hello txrepgirl.. He is eating ground raw turkey...I usually buy the Purdue brand, but they didn't have it. I believe that is some Shady brook farm or something like that, brand. The Shady Brook one is a bit stingy looking.

Rob

greentriple
11-24-2008, 08:51 PM
I know I'm in the minority about this, but quite frankly Smokey is too fat, at least the photo and vids seems to show this. A tegu's belly, for that matter most animals, should not be round and distended like that. I'm aware that most like the idea of a "big" tegu, clearly why males and "chacoans" are so popular, but "big" does not need to be fat. A healthy Tegu's abdomen should be trim and when not filled with food even have a slight wrinckle of skin. It's belly should not hang down unless full. The tail is where fat is stored and should be round, firm and thick at the base.

"bigger is NOT better."

Ben3233
11-24-2008, 09:25 PM
I know I'm in the minority about this, but quite frankly Smokey is too fat, at least the photo and vids seems to show this. A tegu's belly, for that matter most animals, should not be round and distended like that. I'm aware that most like the idea of a "big" tegu, clearly why males and "chacoans" are so popular, but "big" does not need to be fat. A healthy Tegu's abdomen should be trim and when not filled with food even have a slight wrinckle of skin. It's belly should not hang down unless full. The tail is where fat is stored and should be round, firm and thick at the base.

"bigger is NOT better."

Oh, I'm sorry greentriple, for me, the word "big" do no relate how "fat" a Tegu can be.

The word "big" (in my opinion) relates to how "long" and "muscular" a reptile can be, not how fat he is. :D

Sorry for the misunderstanding, there was no bad intention about it. In french, the word "big" means "gros". "Gros" is a pejorative adjective to insult somebody (saying that he is fat). I heard many time people saying : This is my "big" brother/sister. I guess that, generally, people don't present their brother/sister in a pejorative form. (Voici mon gros frère/grosse soeur). So that is why I use the word "big" :!:

Then again, sorry for the misunderstanding, like I said, my english suck. :wink:

So I guess I should change my expression to: Taller is better!

greentriple
11-25-2008, 03:56 PM
No worries Ben, and your use if "Big" is correct, it does not always mean fat, I was simply refering to it's use as related to what IMO is an overwieght tegu.

So, in some intances "BIG is better"

october
11-25-2008, 08:27 PM
Thanks for the comments everyone......

Hello greentriple.....lol.. Smokey is actually not too fat....During the 2 days in between feedings, he slims out. What you are seeing is not permanent weight, if he did not eat for 3 days, he would slim right out.

Also, when he went to the vet for his check up, he was , proportion wise, the same as he is now and the vet said that he looked really good....nice and fat and he grabbed smokey's sides when he said it.

Also, the reptile shop that I go to keeps huge tegus like the size of small to medium size dogs and they are both huge in the sides.

I am not denying that he is a little chubby sometimes. However, it is not permanent.

Check out this vid........As you will see, he really isn't that fat...He actually looks perfect for his size..

http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/rcarreau/?action=view&current=MVI_6549.flv

Rob

greentriple
11-25-2008, 11:27 PM
Just offering my opionion, clearly not the end all. I will say that I trust Vet with Reps about as much as I trust a bull in a chinashop. For that matter I turst pet stores a little more, but not much. Most vets and shops have NO idea how to keep these animals, nor what is healthy for them. Vets do most if not all their work on dogs, cats and think it's exotic if they handle birds as well. Shops quite often keep their animals in undersized enclosures, with inadequate heat and horrigle hygene. Now I don't know your vet or your local shop so they could be the exception, but honestly, I dobt it.

In any event anyone who tells you a fat tegu is a health tegu is dead wrong.

october
11-25-2008, 11:56 PM
I agree... I don't think a fat tegu is healthy...If it is permanently fat, not from eating, that is unhealthy.

Also, for the most part, I agree with you about vets and stores. However, the vet that I go to deals with exotics. In fact, they do surgery on tegus, if needed. I am not 100% sure if it is the vet that I saw or a partner. However, I think it is him.

I was told that they operated on a huge tegu for impaction.

He did give me a lot of good advice when I was there. However, he did say to not give him any vitamin D3. I decided to do what I felt is best though. I still give my tegu D3 about once every 8-12 days or so.

Rob

greentriple
11-26-2008, 05:08 AM
It's your lizard, if he makes it over 10 years, I was wrong.

october
11-26-2008, 09:40 PM
I hope so....One benefit of keeping him well fed is that he never eats his cypress mulch....

I do not advocate fat reptiles, to my knoweledge, an animal is not fat if he can slim right down in a few days after crapping.. It is when they are always fat that there is a problem. When they continuously have fat guts and sides because of stored fat.

Smokey is now at the point where he will probably be fed about every 3 days now, instead of every other day.

Rob