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Thread: Fungal/Bacterial Infection

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Manchester, NH
    Posts
    238

    Default Fungal/Bacterial Infection

    I'm back.....again.

    We've got a young red tegu in the shop who came in with the same thing as the last one and maybe some of the more seasoned 'gu owners here can help me unravel the mystery. About a year ago I had a red come in with some yellowing to his scales and a very tough time shedding. After a vet visit it was deemed bacterial and fungal and he was treated daily for one month with silver sulfadiazine and miconosol, while disinfecting his no humidity hospital tank after each treatment (twice a day). He cleared up and is great!

    Then three months later we received another tegu with the same problem. We've been through the round of treatments twice now, and I'm about to start a third, but this poor guy hasn't had a good clean shed in over six months. Appetite is still fantastic, he's been growing and seems fine but this skin problem is a real kicker. Could it be genetic? Has anyone else heard of anything like this?

    I'll post some pictures when I get into the shop this morning. Thanksabunch!
    0.1 B&W Tegu (Remington Steel)
    1.0 Extreme Giant Tegu (Smallz)
    1.0 Blue Tegu (Shakespeare)

    0.1 Red Tegu (Izma)
    0.0.1 Caiman Lizard (Bubba)
    0.1 Black Throat Monitor (Tanin)
    1.1 Emerald Tree Boas (Buddy & Ezzy)
    0.1 Lavender Albino Reticulated Python (Leelu)
    1.0 Granite Burmese Python (Reaper)
    --
    Too Many. Ball Pythons
    Too Many. Jungle Carpet Pythons

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    I would think it is more likely to be poor husbandry than genetic. Are they coming from the same supplier? Maybe they are "contaminated"
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Manchester, NH
    Posts
    238

    Default

    They are from the same supplier and I chalked it up to that in the beginning. Contamination is definitely something to wonder about and they may have had a score of them, but we've gotten six (2 batches of 3) and in each one there was only 1 with this problem. We will definitely no longer be using that supplier, but as far as husbandry is concerned the one we still have has been with us for about 8 months now, so I figured he'd clear up by now.
    0.1 B&W Tegu (Remington Steel)
    1.0 Extreme Giant Tegu (Smallz)
    1.0 Blue Tegu (Shakespeare)

    0.1 Red Tegu (Izma)
    0.0.1 Caiman Lizard (Bubba)
    0.1 Black Throat Monitor (Tanin)
    1.1 Emerald Tree Boas (Buddy & Ezzy)
    0.1 Lavender Albino Reticulated Python (Leelu)
    1.0 Granite Burmese Python (Reaper)
    --
    Too Many. Ball Pythons
    Too Many. Jungle Carpet Pythons

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Manchester, NH
    Posts
    238

    Default

    Here are some photos - it's a pain to see, but this is the color he is all the time and when combined with him shedding it's near impossible to keep his skin from cracking and bleeding.

    DSCN2723.jpg

    DSCN2725.jpgDSCN2724.jpg

    He started treatment course #3 today. We disinfect with F10SC.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by lilwyhunter; 05-24-2012 at 03:57 PM. Reason: - Wrong Picture :P
    0.1 B&W Tegu (Remington Steel)
    1.0 Extreme Giant Tegu (Smallz)
    1.0 Blue Tegu (Shakespeare)

    0.1 Red Tegu (Izma)
    0.0.1 Caiman Lizard (Bubba)
    0.1 Black Throat Monitor (Tanin)
    1.1 Emerald Tree Boas (Buddy & Ezzy)
    0.1 Lavender Albino Reticulated Python (Leelu)
    1.0 Granite Burmese Python (Reaper)
    --
    Too Many. Ball Pythons
    Too Many. Jungle Carpet Pythons

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    76

    Default

    In what kind of conditions is he being kept? I see above you mention a "no humidity hospital tank"?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Manchester, NH
    Posts
    238

    Default

    36x18x24 - 100W Powersun - Paper Towel Substrate (Cleaned and Sanitized 2x/day) - Humid Hide Box - UTH - 95 degree basking spot

    ** Note - everytime he clears up we placed eco-earth and cypress mulch back in as a substrate and rasie the humidity levels back to 65-70 percent. Unfortunately, each time we do that the problem returns.
    0.1 B&W Tegu (Remington Steel)
    1.0 Extreme Giant Tegu (Smallz)
    1.0 Blue Tegu (Shakespeare)

    0.1 Red Tegu (Izma)
    0.0.1 Caiman Lizard (Bubba)
    0.1 Black Throat Monitor (Tanin)
    1.1 Emerald Tree Boas (Buddy & Ezzy)
    0.1 Lavender Albino Reticulated Python (Leelu)
    1.0 Granite Burmese Python (Reaper)
    --
    Too Many. Ball Pythons
    Too Many. Jungle Carpet Pythons

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    San Antonio,TX
    Posts
    9,505

    Default

    Tegus can also have a shedding problem if they are stressed out. Or if they were fed some live insects inside the enclosure and what ever the Tegu didn't eat was left in the enclosure. The left over feeders can bite the Tegu and can cause a skin infection. Our Leonidas had to get a shot one time and on that spot he had a shedding problem until last year. We have him since 2007.

    When our Venus came out of hibernation her skin was very dry and had the some of the same problems as your Tegu does. I thought she was going to loose half of her tail. I know it sounds strange. But I thought " well if the chap stick works well on my chaped lips and cracked hand ( I get that when it's very cold outside ) then this could work on her. I called my Exotic Vet and talked to him about it. To make sure it's not toxic for her in case she licks it. He sad that it's a good idea. I put her in a big plastic storage bin with alot of small holes in the lid ( 1st link below ) with a moist towel and a human heat mat and put the setting on low. Put the chap stick on her and put her in there. Two weeks later she looked great and she was so soft . On the bigger wounds ( the ones that were bleeding ) I put some Panalog on it. You can get it from your Vet. It lasts for a long time and it doesn't expire. Vets also call it the liquid gold. Because you can use it for so many different things. I used it on our Tegus for a nose rub, prolapse and with the wounds on Veus.

    The bin I used :

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-...ndingMethod=rr

    I used the liquid Panalog not the paste:

    http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=17903
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    1,233

    Default

    While contamination definitely sounds to be the likely culprit, the genetic possibility shouldn't be discounted either. What I mean by this is not that genetics are making this happen, but that there might be a genetic basis that makes these animals susceptible. For instance, we see many people parrotting the "don't use pine or cedar shavings as they are toxic". This is not technically true. Most animals can handle pine and cedar aromatics without any problem whatsoever. However, there are a small subset of organisms that are, due to their genetics, highly sensitive to certain compounds. Basically, they have an allergy. We don't say "dogs are toxic" because a few people are allergic to dogs. Their genetics make them susceptible to dogs. This MIGHT be a similar sort of situation.

    The chapstick idea isn't bad, basically similar to using cow salve or other anti-dessication ointments. Non-anaesthetic polysporin would possibly be better, not only having similar properties, but also antibacterial and antifungal components.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    I would also try increasing the basking site temps from 95 to 105-110.
    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

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Manchester, NH
    Posts
    238

    Default

    Thank you Tupinambis - so essentially these particular tegus may just have 'sensitive' skin? Does that mean the after care for this individual tegu may be different then the general population? He does excellent when kept in a no humidity enclosure with a simple high humidity hide box. I keep my savannah's the same exact way, since there's so many different 'opinions' on savannah care, but it's done the best for me.

    When I increased his basking area to around 105 he went off feed, I found this to be universal with all the red tegus we were keeping, so we dropped the temperatures and they do excellent now. Thank you all for the help - chapstick for now it is
    0.1 B&W Tegu (Remington Steel)
    1.0 Extreme Giant Tegu (Smallz)
    1.0 Blue Tegu (Shakespeare)

    0.1 Red Tegu (Izma)
    0.0.1 Caiman Lizard (Bubba)
    0.1 Black Throat Monitor (Tanin)
    1.1 Emerald Tree Boas (Buddy & Ezzy)
    0.1 Lavender Albino Reticulated Python (Leelu)
    1.0 Granite Burmese Python (Reaper)
    --
    Too Many. Ball Pythons
    Too Many. Jungle Carpet Pythons

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