Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone my name is James and i'm concerned about my red argentine. I've had her ( yes it's a girl) for 2 years and i've never had any problems with her but recently she's showing less and less enthusiasm towards eating. I've read that the older they get the less animal proteins they will eat so i've been trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into her diet but she doesnt seem interested. When i try a thawed rodent or chick she will show great enthusiasm and rush up to the food but then inches away from the food she loses all interest. I will take her to the vet if nessecary but i wanted to run this by anyone who might have had experience with this so i could get a few pointers? She's not getting noticeably skinnier but i know that she's not eating enough for long term wellness and i'm starting to get worried any help is greatly appreciated you can contact me at crochuntermyhero@hotmail.com or through aim at MyPetsCanEatYou once again thanks in advance for any advice
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he who makes a beast of himself is free from the pains of humanity

how is your enclosure set-up. temps and what not. somethng could just be stressing her. or maybe you gave her a treat or something she is wanting again, and mice arent hitting the spot. a vet trip sounds like the best idea

her hot spot reads 115-120 at the highest and she has a low temp of 70-75 during the day. She'll eat the fruits just not very much i'm thawing a chick right now to see if that sparks anything in her. I agree that a vet trip is the best route i was just trying to correct the situation or better it until i can get her in. There's nothing new in the room with her except for some baby tarantula's which i can't see those stressing her out, I wonder if the cage is too small? it's a 4 foot vision and she's 3foot. I was told it was plenty of room but i do have a 5 and a half footer i could put her in to try things out any idea's? Oh and before anyone jumps the gun her 3 foot is still very lanky she has not put on much bulk yet. I did not plan on keeping her in the vision for life just a few more months.

>>how is your enclosure set-up. temps and what not. somethng could just be stressing her. or maybe you gave her a treat or something she is wanting again, and mice arent hitting the spot. a vet trip sounds like the best idea
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he who makes a beast of himself is free from the pains of humanity

that vision is way too small for her. she will need and 8x4 so you might as well start building. the stres of being in that vision is likely your problem. I dont agree with people using them. they are good for snakes and small lizards but offer very little to tefu's and monitors. there is no room for substrate. speaking of which what are you using

she is on a mixture of cypress mulch and potting soil for the time being about 3-4 inches deep

>>that vision is way too small for her. she will need and 8x4 so you might as well start building. the stres of being in that vision is likely your problem. I dont agree with people using them. they are good for snakes and small lizards but offer very little to tefu's and monitors. there is no room for substrate. speaking of which what are you using
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he who makes a beast of himself is free from the pains of humanity

the substrate sounds great, could be a lil deeper though like 6in. its just the cage. i have yet to see a plastic cage suitable for tegu's or monitors. if i had money i would make them but thats a big if. lol

If this were the fall season I'd say she's going off-feed and getting ready to go down for winter. But at this time of year, and since you've had her for a while, I'd say there's more to it.

Get your cool end up to 80-85 during the day. And since the bigger she gets, the longer it takes her to warm up in the basking area, make sure the basking area is big enough to cover a large portion of her if she curls up. And really consider a bigger cage. If she has a cozy-fitting hide box filled about half way with damp mulch she doesn't need deep substrate. They spend a lot of time curled up in burrows so don't give her a huge hide. And yes, a trip to a good herp vet that knows tegus is in order.

Once she starts eating again, get some fruit in her diet. Sweet fruit.

Bill