Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I've got a two year old male argentine black and white that is around 3.5 feet. For the last few months and through about 2 sheds, half of his tail will not shed. I've tried soaking here and there. Cage has good humidity. He eats an entirely rodent diet. Could it be the lack of fruits? He's housed with a sulcatta, and so the cage always has fruits and vegies in it, but he seems to just wait for his rodents.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

Well as far as shedding goes. the tails are always the hard part for them. a nice soak here and there and some vegetable oil can help that. what is your substrate. i use cypress. and with my blues i notice one night they are about to shed and the come up the next day almost completely shed.

now about housing it with a sulcata. i really think this is a bad idea. there is way to many things that can go wrong. from stress to something as simple as maybe the tort steps on a toes, he puuls away now missing a toe. accidents can happen even if the do get along. sulcatas arent the most careful of creatures

as far as housing goes. i seriously think you should consider giving the tegu or tortoise its own house. they need to be separate. where are you housing them anyway. you need to soak him/her more often in order for it to shed properly. you can also use olive oil to help out a bit. i also think the diet may be part of it. you put one plate of veggies/fruit for both of them to eat out of or separately? do they have a basking light of some kind? it could be stress related. recheck your husbandry and see if there is something off. but honestly i dont think housing them together is the best move.
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0.0.1 frilled dragon- monster
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
0.1.0 crested gecko- crimson
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

I'll try some olive oil. Substrate is cypress mulch, and a pretty large cage. The tegu always seems so laid back it's hard to imagine he is stressed with the sulcatta, but I can try seperating them. This would probably have to be done soon anyway. Is there much chance that the tail could be injured? Or is this pretty normal. I'm a monitor guy, and never had this problem with any of my monitors.
Also, is fruits and vegetable necassary for his diet??
He shows no interest in them, though could be because he gets all the rodents he wants.
Thansk again,
Mike

you should soak him often. helps keep him hydrated and he also will take in water through his cloaca. you can take him outside too in a container to get some sun while soaking. well he is not injured unless something has happened to him before. do you remember anything happening? im pretty sure his diet may be a reason for his shedding problem. he should be getting fruits and veggies. if he wont eat them then try some raw lean ground turkey and put some fruits and veggie pieces in it and see what happens. what is your humidity and temps. like? it is a common occurence to have shedding problems but shouldnt happen if all your husbandry is correct....but things happen. if he keeps on an all rodent diet he could be at risk to get impacted or have digestion problems from the fur. it is best to give him a varied diet. i hope this helps. good luck.
-----
0.0.1 frilled dragon- monster
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
0.1.0 crested gecko- crimson
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

Thank you. I pretty confident my husbandry is very good. The diet could be the problem. I'll try your suggestions.
Thanks,
Mike

ok..let me know how it goes..
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1.0.0 arg. b/w tegu
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
0.1.0 crested gecko- crimson
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante