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Thread: Tegu toe twitching

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    California
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    71

    Angry Tegu toe twitching

    I noticed today my tegu's toe was twitching. He is 3 1/2 months old, about 18 inches long. I noticed this about a month ago so I bought him T-Rex Solar Drops. He has been fine up until today when I noticed 2 of his front toes twitching. I don't think it could be MBD because I give him the drops and I dust his crickets. He also has a Zoo Med UVB lamp. What could this be???
    Could it be ants? I found a few ants in his cage and our house has an ant problem every summer -.-

    Additional info: 4ft x 2 1/2ft cage. Eats daily. Goes outside on his leash almost daily. Gets his Sloar Drops every Saturday. Main diet of egg (VERY picky eater)


  2. #2
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    Dec 2004
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    Well, considering your diet and supplementation are completely inadequate, it is very likely early signs of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    It's very good that you take the time to give him a sun bath every day. He is a good looking lizard and hopefully it isn't MBD. I am not an expert, but given the information you presented, that sounds like what is developing.

    A tegu of this size would normally accept fuzzy mice, if not weanlings, with enthusiasm. Day-old quail should also be no problem for him. These should be fresh killed or fully thawed to room temperature. The smell of these prey items would normally drive a tegu crazy. Imagine driving home from a BBQ take-out place with ribs and links in the car; that's how a healthy tegu would feel in a bin with those critters. If you don't have a convenient local pet store with a variety of good quality food, I recommend RodentPro.

    If you have offered these and your tegu has not responded, we need to look at his environment. What is the temperature range from the hottest basking spot (should be 100-110*) to the lowest chill zone? He needs to be able to warm himself up for a few hours daily, and not get lured into a cool zone (below 75-80*) that makes him lethargic during the day and suppresses his appetite. He should also have humidity 70-80% much of the day to help all of his bodily processes.

    Please give him a variety of fruit (berries, grapes, melon, papaya, mango) even if he doesn't show interest at first. They have vitamins and trace enzymes that will help him metabolize nutrients from whatever he eats. Over time, he will associate them as part of his food choices.

    I have no experience with Solar Drops, but every meal should be supplemented with calcium and D3. Just the D3 alone (which is all Sun Drops claims to be) is inadequate with the diet you've had him on, even if you've included the egg shells. I would also spike his prey items with ONE DROP of cod liver oil
    once or twice a week. Once or twice a week add a multivitamin supplement such as Herpevite.

    Is your UVB a florescent or mercury vapor? Florescents need to be replaced about every 3 months or they lose their UVB ability. For a mercury vapor bulb, you need to hang it straight down or the UVB coating burns through quickly. Also, check the recommended distances for whatever bulb you have. If they are hung higher than the recommended distance, it can make the UVB useless.

    If anyone has information to correct or fine tune these suggestions, please post.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    California
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    Thanks guys He has a hot spot of about 107 and a cool spot of about 75-80 depending on the day. I have a repti fogger also. I have offered him pinkies and he ate it once but never again. Is there a way to make him more interested in them? I have a florescent Zoo Med UVB about 5 inches away from him hanging straight down. I also spray his food with repti vitamins from Flukers I think it is.
    Please tell me if I didn't cover anything.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    California
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    Another thing. Would it be smart to cut off egg from his diet completely until he learn other foods are good to? Or is there a way to wean him off (raw eggs mostly is his favorite)

  6. #6

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    My old tegu hated anything considered rodents for a while and then I covered one in an over easy egg one time and it was game over from there. He would take fuzzies all day long. The guy that I recently got I am working on getting to eat rodents as well, but that's after I clear up his digestion problem hes having himself right now :( Eggs are not a good primary source of nutrients for tegus and should almost be given as treats or to entice eating. The younger they are, the more calcium they need. I had to get my first one a surprising amount of calcium when he was growing up. However, don't give him too many rodents (unless maybe some pinkies) because the fur can cause an issue. Like I say though, I am not perfect with these guys any means, it is always a learning experience... but I am working on it with the rest of you

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    Cut back on eggs if not all together for now,.. I have yet to give my new guys eggs. My other tegus rarely had it as well, when they did it was raw or over easy but that's just me and what I prefer. The twitching can be early signs of MBD and or Calcium Deficiency so you tegus diet needs to change before things get worse.

    This thread is a good place to start and give you an idea of what he should be eating;
    http://www.thetegu.com/showthread.ph...Tegu-Caresheet

    It helps to not feed them for a few days when introducing something new so that they'll be more willing to try it. When introducing whole foods like mice it also helps to cut them up or just slit them open a little bit. Feeding a variety of foods is best not just for the tegu but for you as well so that you're not stuck offering or buying just a few things.

    Your tegu's young so it's still learning and trying to figure out what's good and not so good to eat. When you offer food and he doesn't take it that's fine,.. he may not be hungry, so wait a few days or week and offer it again. This doesn't hurt them, when they have enough fat reserves they can go months with out eating. A healthy tegu will not starve itself.


    0.1.0 BP (Spiral) aka Rita Wayward
    2.1. Dogs (White Boys "Powder", Paw Paws "Achilles" & Panini)

    " 14 July 2010,..Always Remembered"

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
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    Colombians are really big on eggs and can get picky. At this point, I wouldn't go for withholding food. The reason why is because of the toe twitching. Instead, I would use the egg in your favor. Dip the fuzzy mouse in raw egg and dust it with calcium. The Solar Drops are only VitD. Vit D is great, but it doesn't do much without calcium. If the calcium is low, the nerve transmission is off, causing the muscles to contract (twitch) constantly. Calcium is pulled from the bones to make sure the proper amount of calcium is available in the blood plasma so that vital muscle organs can function. So the proper calcium rich foods need to be given to the tegu ASAP. So the tegu's body is about 6-7", correct? Then fuzzy or hopper mice should work. Put calcium on any foods that you feed without bones. But for now, I'd even put it on bony mice. Papayas are fruits that are higher in calcium than others.
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
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    California
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    My male b/w tegu had all of his legs twitching and I took him to the vet and they told me to give him a mixture of bananas, calcium, vitamins, and some sort of medication that was supposed to help with absorption. With in a day his legs stopped shaking. The potassium might help a little to get the muscles to relax like they do in us
    You know you are a reptile owner when you can use tissue and duct tape to bandage a bite while you are working with your scaly critters

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    California
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    Thanks guys It has stopped for now and he hasn't eaten all day so I'm going to try and introduce some fruits and maybe raw chicken? He used to eat small bites of it and he LOVED it. Hopefully he eats :l I changed his cage setup a bit so his basking spot is a bit hotter then the 100-105 it was at and hopefully that stimulates him a bit more. I will hopefully have him eating pinkies or a fuzzy by Friday when I have a bit more money.
    Thanks again for all the help :0

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