Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Was just checking the morning post, and I had to say something....Maybe I am mistaken, but I have never been told by anyone that gatorade is a good, healthy drink for a tegu?? Mine drinks water.

Leyla x (confused???)

Personally, I would only use it on a severely undernourished or malnourished and/or dehydrated animal. Common sense would say that there are just way too many additives like sugar, that their systems are not equipped to handle over time. I mean, dogs and cats don't drink it, birds don't drink it, snakes don't drink it so I don't see why Tegus should drink it either. If anyone can shed some light on this please let me know the reasoning behind this.

Billy

>>Was just checking the morning post, and I had to say something....Maybe I am mistaken, but I have never been told by anyone that gatorade is a good, healthy drink for a tegu?? Mine drinks water.
>>
>>Leyla x (confused???)

Even in the case of severely dehydrated animals, my vet told me to use unflavored pedialyte, thanks for the backup though billy, just seemed kind of odd to me? Hopefully if xardion is back for good this time, he takes the advice that we all offer

Ley x

I used to give my water dragon gatorade baths. I was told is was a good thing to do every so often, because it contains electrolytes and is very good for their skin. She was beautiful after each bath too! I was never told to offer it as a drink though, I agree that their systems would not handle it well over time. I don't think there's anything wrong with a gatorade bath though.
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-reptilian9

BTW I was given the gatorade bath advice by a women (my neighbor) who worked at the Baton Rouge Zoo.
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-reptilian9

This issue around Gatorade is really confounding.

Do any of these people know why a Tegu can dehydrate?
Lizards of all species work very hard at removing salts and excess minerals from their systems, adding the excess Sodium and Potassium present in drinks like Gatorade means the animal has to work harder at removing these elements.

If the problem being resolved is about keeping a Tegu properly hydrated
then there are many more desireable ways of accomplishing that. Soaking, moist hideboxes,
allowing the Tegu to make deep burrows to that they can retain more of their body moisture all of which will contribute to their overall health appear to be more effective than giving them a processed beverage.

Vets sometimes recommend Pedialyte or Gatorade to severely malnourished and dehydrated animals that, in the case of reptiles, are usually knocking on deaths door.
For those out there are giving their Tegus Gatorade, please ask yourself why you are doing this, and ask yourself if this is good for your pet.

Regards,

Kit

Kit,

I completely agree with you, my waterdragon was severely dehydrated as a result of internal parasites. My vetrinarian gave me instructions to soak her in unflavored pedialyte, until the next morning when I could promptly take her into his office. She spent a week at the vet's office and although he did everything he could, she did die (unfortunately she had a hookworm type of parasite that not only takes away their nutrition, it also takes fluid and blood). I would never suggest that someone use any commercial product made for humans, I just happened to be following Dr's orders, and the thought of gatorade being used for rehydration just felt very wrong to me.

Therapy is one thing, incorporating Therapy into everyday husbandry practice is quite another.
Your situation makes sense, a critically ill reptile can require some unconventional methods in order to restore it to health, or at least bring it to a state where it can accept more conventional methods of treatment.
This talk of using Gatorade as an everyday item, really makes my skin crawl. I try not to judge what others do, but this is one of those instances where I want to scream and shout.
As this is the Tegu forum I will refrain from screaming and shouting, but I will respectfully recommend that anyone doing this needs to apply some common sense.

Off the soapbox I will go now,

-Kit

PS: My condolences on the passing of your Water Dragon.

-K

the vet GAVE me a syringe that i can use to give my lizards gaorade. he said that gatorade is fine for them as long as its not usd all the time. he said 2 syringes full a day and yr lizard will be happy. also the reptile expert i talk about sometimes said its completly ok cuz they love it. i have a giant pool in my cage about a foot and a half deep and 2 feet in circle. they get water form there. so before u critisize me again why dont u do some research

It is unfortunate you are not taking advantage of the information which you read here, it may go far towards giving your Tegu a life it may thrive in.
I have read each of your posts, always mindful of your age and experience, and your defensiveness is understandable. It is fortunate that you opted to get a Tegu, had you purchased a Monitor lizard and come to the Monitor or other Varanid Forums on the Web with your stories, people wouldn't be as nice to you as they are here.
I am going to say something uncharacteristic of this Forum, and I do so for the sake of your Tegu.
At the current rate I will be surprised if your Tegu survives another year of the stress and abuse you are putting it through. I understand from your point of view that you think you are doing right by "Badger", but it is simply not so based on the information you have so far shared.
Your Tegu is not a Dog nor a Kitten, it does not "watch" TV with you nor does it want Gatorade. Tegus are however survivors, and will make due in a variety of situations.
Something isn't right with your lizard when the following occurs:
1) Does not eat consistantly.
2) Requires force feeding of a fluid with a syringe.
3) Seems disinterested in exploring.
The Vet recommended the Gatorade for a reason, but I really have my doubts that it was supposed to be given on a dialy basis. IF that is true, please find another Vet ASAP as the one you have is not giving you good advice. The three things I mentioned alone are signs that something is amiss with your husbandry.
Now you are free to do as you are doing now, but realize it is your animal that is paying the price. Ignorance is understandable, but when many point out ways you can change the situation and you choose to ignore them, then that is being stupid.
Please listen, stop trying to justify yourself. Take in what is being said to you, and know that it is not comming from people who want to be mean to you, simply people who want you to be successful with your Tegu.

Take Care of Yourself,

-Kit

omg kit are u retarded or jsut blind. my lizards pass all of those qwestions and are not in the least bit stressed out. they run around here cage together all day, and swim alot too. they love the syringe, i do not make them drink it. the minute they see the syringe they come running over to drink form it. it looks liek a baby using a bottle. the LOVE there gatorade! they also dont need to be froce fed. my 1 inch black and white tegu, just ate 13 superworms last night. and badger ate 7. im taking care of m lizards fine, u jsut like to critisice

I have read all the posts on this site and some of them several times. So I say now to you Xardion I do not feel like any one is being mean or picking on you. I also think that how anybody may feel about you is beside the point they simply want the best for your lizards. May I ask a question if you are not willing to listen to anyone on this forum then why do you post questions here. If you do not want to listen to the answers you get do not ask the question. This is just my thoughts as I do not know you from anyone else you can take this as you want. Just out of curiosity what is your age as I have seen that referred to?
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Beau W.

All I can say is I have seen the end result of the kind of care you are giving your Tegus.
It's sad really, to watch them just fade away because someone refuses to acknowledge they are dealing with a large predatory reptile and instead tries to turn them into something they are not.
I fear for your animals Xardion, and hope that in the end you will prove me and others wrong.

That is the challenge I give to you.

-Kit

Just kidding! Don't get so upset with us Xardion. Can't you understand how we don't think it's good to give your tegu Gatorade? Forgive me if I'm wrong I'm not a big Gatorade fan but doesn't it contain SUGER and other artificial sweeteners etc..? Most people won't even give their dog suger/gatoraid (ok maybe beer) and dogs are much closer related to us then lizards are. I'm sure they like it but I don't know what the effects are, do they get sugar highs? How about long term effects? I know that regular old water has worked long-term for people keeping tegus and tegus in the wild. It's probably a safer bet to just use that.

okay, just take a deep breath and count to 100...
here's what i think...

first of all, to all the concerned parties... remember, you can lead a horse to water(or gatorade, beer, etc.{i just had to toss that in!}), but you can't make it drink.

XARDION... hey, i know it sounds like these guys just want to jump on you for any little thing, but i don't really think that's the case. they can't see how well your tegus are doing, you can. the only one who can tell how your lizards are doing is you. and i think you can do a great job at it, just so long as you pay close attention to the tegus and listen (i didn't say agree) to and remember what other people (the vet, the pet shop guy, others on this forum) think/know about taking care of tegus. some of these folks REALLY know their stuff.

others... i know you love tegus. i do, too. and i know we all feel like its a moral obligation to get every captive tegu the best care it can get. but we can't do that. all we can do is tell others what we've learned. we can't make them do it, nor should we try to. all we can do is present our caches of knowledge and hope they can help others. i agree with most of the stuff thats being said... i do think that we could be a little more mindful of how we say it though. don't any of you remember what it's like to be a kid? why can't he hold his tegu while he watches TV and enjoy spending time with it? what he thinks about that time, or we think about it, or the tegu thinks about it... that's what they'll think. he obviously wants the best for his tegu. some people learn best through experiences. he's going to have experiences that help him learn how his tegus need to be taken care of. we can't and shouldn't be the ones to beat these lessons down his throat.

i'm just rambling on now... but here's the thing... i can see both sides of the coin here, and i don't think that there's gonna be any sort of beneficial exchange unless everyone lightens up a bit and just tries to listen and communicate peacefully. there's no need to take anything personally here (or to make anything personal, either). ideally, everyone here just wants to help and learn. let's give that a shot, and maybe (if we can all play nice, and show eachother that we mean no harm) those who can help will help, and those who can learn will learn.

but honestly... the world is full of the people who make the monitor forum what it is, and i have no hope for any of us. we'll all just be converted or consumed! MWA HA HA HA!!!

>>okay, just take a deep breath and count to 100...
>>here's what i think...
>>
>>first of all, to all the concerned parties... remember, you can lead a horse to water(or gatorade, beer, etc.{i just had to toss that in!}), but you can't make it drink.
>>
>>XARDION... hey, i know it sounds like these guys just want to jump on you for any little thing, but i don't really think that's the case. they can't see how well your tegus are doing, you can. the only one who can tell how your lizards are doing is you. and i think you can do a great job at it, just so long as you pay close attention to the tegus and listen (i didn't say agree) to and remember what other people (the vet, the pet shop guy, others on this forum) think/know about taking care of tegus. some of these folks REALLY know their stuff.
>>
>>others... i know you love tegus. i do, too. and i know we all feel like its a moral obligation to get every captive tegu the best care it can get. but we can't do that. all we can do is tell others what we've learned. we can't make them do it, nor should we try to. all we can do is present our caches of knowledge and hope they can help others. i agree with most of the stuff thats being said... i do think that we could be a little more mindful of how we say it though. don't any of you remember what it's like to be a kid? why can't he hold his tegu while he watches TV and enjoy spending time with it? what he thinks about that time, or we think about it, or the tegu thinks about it... that's what they'll think. he obviously wants the best for his tegu. some people learn best through experiences. he's going to have experiences that help him learn how his tegus need to be taken care of. we can't and shouldn't be the ones to beat these lessons down his throat.
>>
>>i'm just rambling on now... but here's the thing... i can see both sides of the coin here, and i don't think that there's gonna be any sort of beneficial exchange unless everyone lightens up a bit and just tries to listen and communicate peacefully. there's no need to take anything personally here (or to make anything personal, either). ideally, everyone here just wants to help and learn. let's give that a shot, and maybe (if we can all play nice, and show eachother that we mean no harm) those who can help will help, and those who can learn will learn.
>>
>>but honestly... the world is full of the people who make the monitor forum what it is, and i have no hope for any of us. we'll all just be converted or consumed! MWA HA HA HA!!!

I think you have said it very well. I think sometimes we get so swept up in our passion and love for the tegus that we may be a little strong in our opinion as to the best care they can get. Xardion if you read this please accept my apology if I have hurt your feelings or offended you in any way. I hope you and your tegus are very happy. I wish all of you the best of luck with your animals. We are all here to learn and grow as reptile keepers. But also we are here to support and help each other. I am sorry that temporarily I forgot that.
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Beau W.

Thanks Kit, it is still quite a fresh wound, she only passed away a few weeks ago. I'm just glad to have had the time with her that I did.

Ley x

here's my synapses firing...
tegus (especially argentine reds & black and whites {i.e. badger and zoey}) eat fruit in the wild. on bert's site, it mentions that in a mature wild tegu, the stomach content is about 60% plant matter, much of which is fruit (but he also mentions that he thinks its best to feed tegus solely animal matter for their first year). now fruit has tons of sugars (admittedly not the same sugars as in gatorade) so they are pretty darn likely to be equipped to be able to digest a good amount of sugar. how much? uh... i dunno, does anybody? i doubt it. but again... we're not talking about the same sugars, not that i want to go into the chemistry of it. but what could be more of an issue than the sugars are all the things in gatorade that make it great for the athletes. i got hooked on gatorade playing football for my school, and i swear by it... nothing gets and keeps you going like gatorade after busting your @$$ for four quarters, water (the next best thing) just can't compare. now... my tegus at least, never seem to be busting their @$$es doing anything! so... they're obviously not sweating off all the fluid and chemicals that athletes are (heck, they can't even sweat!), so they probably don't need to be replenished with electrolytes, sodium and potassium like athletes. but honestly, i must admit... i do not know of any conclusive studies that have been performed with tegus running on treadmills being given water or gatorade, like in the commercials (but with people obviously). until i see the results of that study, i think i'll stick with water... it's what they've been getting by on in the wild, so i'll give it a shot in captivity. or maybe... i'll just give 'em some cuban coffee, that'll get 'em goin' on that treadmill!!!

As an FYI the sugars found in fruit are different than the sugars found in processed foods.
Fructose (sugars found in fruit) is metabolized very differently than Sucrose (processed sugars). A sad fact is that cases of diabetes has been reported with increasing regularity in Bearded Dragons, the culprit has been linked to the feeding of processed foods branded for Beardies.
No reptile or mammal for that matter is designed to cope with huge amounts of Sucrose. Soda, Gatorade, Doritos, are not good for us to consume, why on earth would we give these items to our Tegus?

Food for Thought,

-Kit

yeah, i didn't have the evidence that you had to back me up in any of my statements, so i didn't want to brandish my unsupported opinion as fact. by the way, where did you get that information? it's sad... we (americans especially) do the same things to ourselves... and now to our pets. misery loves company, i suppose.

It's funny I work for a company that produces Blood Glucose meters for diabetics. My job specifically is to test the imbedded software that gets installed to these devices.
In order for me to know if the device and the software is working I had to research volumes of information about Blood Glucose measurements, Glucose reactions, metabolic processing within the body, metrics for gauging how different sugars impact various Blood Glucose readings..the list goes on.
It is the first time my work as a Software Engineer actually has furthered my understanding of reptile husbandry.

Take Care,

-Kit

You said that someone's site said that feeding baby tegus meatstuffs only for the first year is good.. does anyone agree with this? i'd like to know what people's opinion on this is

i finally got Scraps to eat some egg (what a mess) and a bit of banana/pea mash! but am still curious on this topic

that somebody would be bert langerwerf, of agama international, he's the guy who's bred nearly half of our pet tegus. he's one of the big 2 (agama int. and blue tegu). i bought mine from him, and that's how he raises his, so if it works for him, i'm using it too. anyhow... bert suggests that for the first year of their life, you feed them only animal matter in the widest sense (i.e. insects, cheese, eggs, rodents, fish, fowl, meat, etc.). he mentions this in the article he wrote for reptiles magazine in november 2002. i'm also pretty sure that he mentions it on his website as well (www.agamainternational.com).
of course, he's only talking about argentine black and whites. remember that baby tegus have really different needs from adult tegus. babies are still growing like weeds and need lots of protein and calcium to make them strong.
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if nothing else, i at least amuse myself!

I think this is what he's talking about from http://www.agamainternational.com/merianae.shtml
"Up till one year of age they eat animal-matter (eggs, catfood, insects, fish, cheese etc), and after they reached a year of age they start eating plant-matter too"
One thing is he raises his outside and hibernates them so I don't think he's talking about 1 year of growth but more like one summer period when they eat (4 months), from that same site;
" They have a 4 month activity burst in April, May, June, and July. During this time, they eat all they can find and catch."
Now I've just got to tell you if yours is eating fruit vegetables I would suggest you keep feeding them it as a small part of their diet. I can't help but to think if I would have done that then maybe they wouldn't shun fruit now when they should to be eating it. I don't think they even realize its food. (actually I've had a little success getting them to eat fruit plain as of lately. After a lot of work stuffing it in meat.)

Amigo is 4 months old now, and I was wondering whether or not to try the fruits yet, so far I have tried banana by itself, and failed miserably. But now I know that he is not too young, I will keep encouraging him

Leyla x

ps) he is still getting more and more white on his head!! New pics coming soon

this is what i tried, i made a hrd boiled egg and tried feeding him that, he went right for the yolk part.. then i rubbed some banana and other things in the egg so the first taste was of egg when he licked them, and it worked

try that, it might work for you