argentine black and white tegu

Question
QUESTION: My question is regarding feeding , this tego is about 7 months old acording to the person that we bought it from i'd say is about 2 feet long from the tip of the tail to the nouse , is being kept in a 30 gal tank with mulch in it , has a heating bulb in it but don't know the detail about it , all i can tell you is that is blue , this bad boy sure can eat , usually we been feeding it 24 crickets every 2 or 3 days , apple and grapes until my stupid roomate decided to add yard lizard to it's diet , he feed it 2 whole lizards within 8 hrs and he did tell me until after I feed it crickets , my question is should I be worry about it overeating ? and could the yard lizard be hazardous to the tegu's health ?

ANSWER: Hello Luis, the problem with feeding live lizards is the risk of parasites. If that lizard had parasites it is likely now in your tegu. As for overeating, just lay off for a day or two. The problem wont be that day and over feeding that one day shouldn't be a problem. Just be sure he doesn't get over weight. So accidental over feeding can happen but dont over feed every day. He will be fine just watch and be sure he doesn't keep eating. So give him a break and he will be fine. As long as there isn't an overeating problem everyday. Make sense?

Good luck

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QUESTION: awesome thanks a lot I was really worried , I thought it could  cause impaction or something . how could I tell if my tegu has parasites ?? and if so what can I give it to get rid of them ?

Answer
Hello Luis, you will notice if he has parasites by great loss of appetite, and an alarming amount of weight loss. In this case you would have to see a vet to get it diagnosed properly. You would take 2-3 samples of the fecal matter in a sealable sandwich bag and take it to the vet with you. They will test it for parasites. The veterinarian would then perscribe a medication for you to give him. It is treatable and he should be fine after medication if he in fact has it. So some common symptoms include: weight loss, worms in stools, and runny stools. If he keeps defecating normal and keeps eating the way he always did you probably have little to worry about.