Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi im new to the tegu scene.i just got a little argentine red tegu from the local reptile shop around here.they have healthy reptilens there.hes fat but since i got him(last thursday)he hasnt eaten much maby 1 tablespoon of zoomed tegu diet and like 5 2/3 inch crickets.is he sick or still kinda stressed from the move???

For a tegu not to eat that much there may be a little problem.
Not eating for a day or two is common, but they typically will acclimate, especially to food. The first thing is to check his temps and make sure they are okay. 110-120 basking spot, 85 degrees for mid-cage areas and 75 or so for the cool area. This allows their body to regulate body temps. Without this regulation, their digestive systems do not function properly.

Another aspect could be parasites. Tegus, especially CB are generally hardy and can deal w/ mild parasites, though do not rule this out! It would be wise anywise to get a stool sample checked out by a vet who is experienced with reptiles/lizards.

One last thing is to try different food. What was he eating in the petshop? The zoomed tegu food is okay, but most do not like this very much. I would suggest to boil chicken and cut it up into pieces that is appropirate for his size. Make sure to dust the chicken w/ a Calcium/Vit D3 supplement. Most tegus love chicken and should trigger his appetite. The San Diego Zoo Diet is terrific as well and most tegus love it. Especially the fruit in it is needed by reds to help them with shedding. you can find the recipe on the old tegu forum here on kingsnake.
Bonemeal maybe difficult to find in health stores any more, so you may subsititue herpivite (1 tbs per lb of meat) & the same measurements for calicum/vit D3 supplement as well.

Good luck!!!

Greg

How big is he? What kind of incloser do you have him in? What are your settings( basking temp- ambiant temp - humidity, ect). This will help me help you.Thanks Russ

;

I have been having the same problem with my new Red- Keep this going b/c its helpful to many of us.

3 weeks (yesterday) since he/she has been home and only been able to get her to eat 1/2 grape. I have a cheesy thermometer strip in her temporary 20 gal tank. (Her new 7 foot home is almost done.) Based on your responses to "poophead", I am getting a digital therm today to verify temps.

I've offered ground turkey, crickets, strawberries, grapes, a couple of diffent baby foods- nothing!!

How long do you think a couple of month old (10-12 inch) Red can go without eating??????
Thanks for all the help.

Michael

what you are trying to feed him sounds good. just give your new tegu some 'alone time' and be very patient, but keep offering the food. if he still does not eat after another 4-5 days, i'd take him to the vet to make sure he isn't sick or parasitic. yes, double check your temps and make sure he feels comfy (i.e. he can borrough or have a place to hide) good luck and keep us updated -k

yeouch 3 weeks without hardly any food it sounds to me like he might be trying to hibernate. Does he come out of his hide spot on his own? BTW there's no reliable way to stop them from hibernating that I know of. Well once they get in the hibernating mode anyways. I'd put a digital thermometers probe directly under the light and get it to at least 120, if you haven't already.

I put the digital therm in there yesterday - its only 95 degrees!!! I'll increase the heat - The odd thing is that she seems to spend more time on the cold side of the tank burrowed under the water dish of the wood chips/spaghnum moss in the moisture. Won't come out much without prompting when we try to interest her in food. I'll try more heat. Thanks for your help....and I hope "poopoohead" has better results too.
Michael

When I get 120 degrees it's with a rock or something under the light so it warms up underneath too. Both of mine spend by far most of the day buried in their hide spot, they come out for a couple hours per day... I think that's normal. I don't ever dig them up anymore, I let them come out on their own. When I first got mine she stopped eating, I would dig her up, and she still wouldn't eat until I stopped digging her up and let her hibernate. She was still a baby looking like skin and bones, I didn't even know if she had enough to make it threw hibernation. She came out 6 months later fine and dandy eating like crazy and hasn't went back into hibernation yet. Back to your question how long can a red go without eatting: They can go a long time if they're hibernating (70-75 degrees) but I don't think they can go that long if they warm up and start using energy. G luck!

my juvenile red hibernated, well slowed down, for about 2 months, at least. no food, finally she is a mad eater and healthy. good luck -k

Thanks for all the info Rollin and Kristin. I haven't been able to find ANY literature (or discussions here) about hybernation patterns. Is it common for young hatchlings to hybernate....do they always do it at the same time of year....for how long etc??

Do you know of any good resources. With a little knowledge, its easier to keep the stress level down. "Maggie" is a pet for my 2, 4, & 6 year old daughters - (although my wife seems to have adopted her for the most part) - The girls already have their own corn snakes. But everybody is worried that Maggie is going to starve. Thanks for all the help. Let me know if you have any recommended resources.
Michael.

When my Tegu was young and his temps fell below 75F at night, he would not eat the following day. This may be your problem too if in fact your temps are dropping too low at night. As others have suggested, it would be a good idea to post your setup and be as specific as possible. If we know how your Tegu is housed someone may be able to help. Best of luck!

Peace,
K

sorry for not getting back quicker.i raised his temps up to like 105 on the basking spot like 1 of u said.hes temproarly in a 30 gallon tank.he has a water bowl and a food bowl.im getting superworms tommorow cuz bert langwerf the guy from agamas international said it might tickle his fancy and make him eat.he has a 2 level cage.the top level where his food,water and basking site is has woodchips for a substrate.his "underground den"is moist all the time but not wet to the touch.it is beda beast mixed wity wood chips.its a pretty cool setup i think.maby later ill ask my mom to borow her friends digi cam.he comes out and baskes for about 3 to 4 hours depending o how cold it is in the house.thanks for all the help