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Thread: Juvenile Red Hasnt eaten in 6 months! Need help badly!!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Chatham, Ontario Canada
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    4

    Default Juvenile Red Hasnt eaten in 6 months! Need help badly!!!

    Hey,

    I have a young red that i have had since he was a baby. He ate fine all the way though until last December. As i read through i heard about the hibernation and just blamed that for the lack of eating. But by mid April still nothing. Now, he used to be a crack head for super worms now he wont even touch them. He also used to eat ground turkey, assorted fruit and occasional fuzzies. Now i put anything in front of him and he could care less. I have had him for a year and half and is only about 18 inches. He's in a 5x3x2 tank with a hot end at 95-100 deg and a cool side at around 75. I'm also running a 10.0 Florescent bulb. All the lights are on a 12 hour timer. So far i have tried everything to get him to eat but nothing is working at all. I don't think his cage can get more perfect for his size. I need help big time he has lost a bunch of weight and is looking very skinny. I tried force feeding and it didn't work he just spit it right out. Also over the last 2-3 weeks he randomly defecates white looking liquidy stuff. I have no idea what it could be. He has shed and is active. I'm completly lost i need help badly! I'm very worried he is very sick and may die. Please someone i need some help.

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

    Default

    All the food mentioned is low in calcium and high in phosphorous. The fuzzies may be OK if they have bone development. The hot side needs to be increased to about 110ish for proper metabolism and some calcium rich foods offered. The 10.0 only lasts about 6 months and if it placed 2 feet away, he isn't getting very much UVB from it. What he may be passing is urates (white solid wastes).

    To be honest, if he is at a point of severe weight loss (bones showing) and not eating, a vet appointment is best. Calcium is important for proper muscle and organ function, not just bones. And if he isn't eating, the kidneys can begin to suffer. Is he skinny in the middle/gut area, or skinny enough that his hip bones and spine are showing?

    In the meantime, get him into some sunshine to bask for at least 30min each day. Get some chicken baby food and put 1/2 teaspoon in a 2oz jar. Warm it up and get him to lap some up from a bowl, spoon, etc. I'm not a vet, but this will get some nutrition, protein, and calcium in him. The sun will help him manufacture Vit D to he can use the calcium from the food. Without the calcium from the diet, his brain is signaling his body to release calcium from his bones so that there is enough calcium in his bloodstream for his heart to beat and muscles to work. Being off kilter like that cause the appetite to go down and the lizard to become lethargic.
    Laura R (FL)
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV
    Posts
    746

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    Can you post pics so we can get an idea of his body condition. I would get him outside in natural sun to bask for a while and see how he reacts. Once he starts to warm up and become more active try feeding him, you can use what Laurarfl suggested. But you have to get some food in him for it to help, hopefully natural sun will assist with that. It may be your lights need to be replaced, causing him not to eat and leading to other issues.
    0.1.0 BP (Spiral) aka Rita Wayward
    2.1. Dogs (White Boys "Powder", Paw Paws "Achilles" & Panini)

    " 14 July 2010,..Always Remembered"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    San Antonio,TX
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    Hi mcunningham. Welcome to our Tegu forum family. I'm very sorry to hear about your Tegu. Laura took the words out of my mouth. I would bring him to a Vet also. I do would like to add that if you take your Tegu outside to put a reptile leash on him so he doesn't run off ( they can be very fast ). Also, if the baby food hasn't been in the fridge yet then you don't have to warm it up since it's at room temperature. If it has been in the fridge then don't warm it up to much so it's not to hot for him. I recommend getting a bulb like the one in the link below. It's heat, UVA/UVB all in one. Since Tegus bask for the most part he will benefil more of the UVA/UVB then from a bulb that is of to the side. Please keep us posted.

    http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/En...D=2&SearchID=1

    It's on sale on amazon:

    http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-PowerS.../dp/B0002AQDJK

    Free shipping:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZOO-MED-POWE...item1c2490c2cf
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Chatham, Ontario Canada
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    Thanks for the response guys.

    The food i chose was what i have learned online. I uses a suppliment as well. Most of the fuzzies i get are more along the way to a hopper. Im not a fan of small mice as they are high in fat. I will definitely get on heating up the basking side to 110ish I have a covered lamp that i can raise and lower also another bulb. The UVB 10.0 is right beside the heat lamp no more than 8 inches from where he basks and its brand new. I have been replacing them every 3 months due to this thinking it may have something to do with it.

    He isnt showing bones yet. Hes just not as full as he used to be quite wrinkled. The vet is a good idea i just really wanted to get an opinion from you guys.

    I will definitely get him outside to bask. We have started him on baby food. He seems to be taking to it well. Is there anything i can make that could be super smooth and watery like that.

    I will put everything into motion hopefully he will gain his appetite back. Again thanks a lot guys. Ill keep you posted on his condition. Ill post a pick in the next few hours. Any idea what would have started this?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Chatham, Ontario Canada
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    4

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    Here is a present pick. Look closely at his stomach and tail. They are my worry spots. Also his front legs looks swollen to me? Am i just making that up. Also remember this has stunted his growing big time. I went back and found that he is 2 years old.Otis may 2012.jpg

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    San Antonio,TX
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    I think you making the basking temps higher will help. If you want to you can ask your Vet if they have the Carnivore Diet that I posted in the link below. I have used it before and I like it alot. Or you could order it online. You can put any food that you usually would give him into a blender and make it into baby food. Have you ever got him checked for parasites ?

    http://www.healthychoicepetproducts....vore-Care.html
    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

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    My tegu had a severe dietary issue that led to some serious decalcification of his skeleton. He's fully recovered now but it took a long time.

    My secret weapons in getting him to eat were to give him hard boiled eggs, boiled enough that the white was solid but the yolk was still a little goopy. Mash it up with the shell still on and busted up really well.

    I don't know how yours was, but my tegu loves drained sardines mashed up with tomatoes. Sardines with the bones in them are a great source of calcium as well. Dust it with Reptical.

    If you are having trouble with getting him to eat mice, or anything really, then try dipping it in some raw egg yolks scrambled up. That's how I first got my tegu onto mice.

    My vet told me one of the biggest issues is usually the bulb. Find yourself a Mercury Vapor Bulb. They are a bit more expensive, but they generate a great deal more heat and UVB than the fluorescent ones.

    I notice your photo tag says "Otis May 2012." If your lizard is named Otis too then I may have to give you props

    Hope he feels better.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Chatham, Ontario Canada
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    Hey guys,

    Just an update for you. Otis is eating well on baby food mixed with sardines and reptical. It's still a force feed but at least I'm getting something in his system. He is still very fussy and moves a lot but when you actually start feeding him he seems to quite enjoy it stops moving about and pretty much licks the stuff off his lips. I have also ordered the carnivore powder. I think that will be of great help thanks so much for that link. That combined with what I'm doing i think will make a massive difference. Also i have moved all his lights around the UVB florescent is now pointing directly at the basking area and the heat lamp has been moved and i have attained 108. Thanks for the food tips on eggs, sardines, and mice. I will be trying those as soon as he decides he wants to eat on his own.

    For all of you that have put some of your time into this i greatly appreciate it. You have gotten right to the issue and provided me with the best info possible. Again thanks so much.

    P.S. Bazzlines - Otis is his name i assume yours is too? Is yours a red as well?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    San Antonio,TX
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    Your welcome . Any time. This is what we are here for. We are glad that we can help. It's OK to feed him some Sardines, but please make sure it's not out of the can. There are to many bad things in there like the Sodium part. Fresh or frozen fish blended up in a blender is better. Smelts are very cheap. You can find those in the fresh fish department. I recommend giving your Tegu some different baby food, like beef, fruit, veggies. To much potein isn't good either. Is he drinking enough water ? If not you can try to give him some pedialyte for babies. It has some electrolytes in it to help him be hydrated.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

    Our videos :

    http://www.youtube.com/user/txrepgirl

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