Unusual behavior.....

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Posted by JohnT on March 18, 2002 at 12:33:50:

When Bug was about 18 months old, he suddenly went into a fit of chewing on himself. I attributed this to his first brush with breeding season, but it was a traumatic experience, because within a couple of days, he had chewed off the last 6 or 7 inches of his tail. Considering his present size, this would equate to about a foot of tail gone. He also chewed on the front of his thighs, and still has a few deformed scales there. We monitored him closely, but, of course, it's impossible to be with them 24/7. At any rate, the behavior stopped within a few days, and has never recurred, until today.

At lunchtime toady, I found Bug with his tail in his mouth again. He didn't seem to be chewing, just holding it. As I made him let go, however, I found that he was using some pressure. When I served his bowl, he ate normally, then turned and grabbed his tail again. Once again, I made him let it go. So far, no recurrence.

I have inspected his tail thoroughly, and other than two tiny wounds, which I believe are tooth marks, there's no damage, and nothing wrong with his tail. I'm really concerned about a recurrence of this problem, since he doesn't have any extra tail to be losing.

Have any of you experienced anything like this? Do you think it's a physical or psychological problem? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

JohnT

Follow Ups:

my 1st thought is ... iZ's mom 03/18/02 (0)
Re: Unusual behavior..... xta 03/18/02 (0)
As Travis said, check for parasites... vet trip! np Mark 03/18/02 (0)
Good Luck with this one! nm Samcin 03/18/02 (0)
Re: Unusual behavior..... Travis 03/18/02 (4)
- Re: Unusual behavior..... JohnT 03/18/02 (3)
  - Re: Unusual behavior..... Travis 03/18/02 (2)
    - Re: Unusual behavior..... PE 03/18/02 (1)
      - Re: Unusual behavior..... Travis 03/18/02 (0)

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: When Bug was about 18 months old, he suddenly went into a fit of chewing on himself. I attributed this to his first brush with breeding season, but it was a traumatic experience, because within a couple of days, he had chewed off the last 6 or 7 inches of his tail. Considering his present size, this would equate to about a foot of tail gone. He also chewed on the front of his thighs, and still has a few deformed scales there. We monitored him closely, but, of course, it's impossible to be with them 24/7. At any rate, the behavior stopped within a few days, and has never recurred, until today. : At lunchtime toady, I found Bug with his tail in his mouth again. He didn't seem to be chewing, just holding it. As I made him let go, however, I found that he was using some pressure. When I served his bowl, he ate normally, then turned and grabbed his tail again. Once again, I made him let it go. So far, no recurrence. : I have inspected his tail thoroughly, and other than two tiny wounds, which I believe are tooth marks, there's no damage, and nothing wrong with his tail. I'm really concerned about a recurrence of this problem, since he doesn't have any extra tail to be losing. : Have any of you experienced anything like this? Do you think it's a physical or psychological problem? Any help is appreciated. : Thanks, : JohnT

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