i want all the facts

[Adam87]

ok so i got an argentine B/w from bobby from what everyone is telling me hes in hibernation this for me sucks so i have a question and i think i may no the answer but i wanna hear it from the experts here should i dig for my tegu to check on him while hes burrowed cuz anytime i do he gets pissed and i dont blame him but i just worry when i dont see him out hes my first tegu and im used to seeing my reptiles basking walking around and stuff and also when do tegus normaly get done and when should i start to offer food thanx and if ur gonna bash on me keep in mind this is my first tegu im still learning here :-D

 

[Toby_H]

I got my female B&W from Bobby as a hatchling in the summer of '08...

She did great all summer. She had a 6' round outdoor enclosure she would spend a few hours in several times a week, other than that she lived in a 4x2x2 cage in a fishroom which was a steady 80*F with 80%+ humidity.

Without adjusting temperature, in late October she started refusing food spending much more time burried. Without adjusting temperatures by Mid November she was in hibernation...

I didn't see her again until Spring...

She woke up in a similar fashion... being a little more active day by day... eating a little more in both quantity and frequency as well... It took her about a month to get into full swing and then she grew like a darn weed.


I completely understand your frustration, curiosity and even worry. But be aware that the best thing you can do for your Tegu is to let it rest undisturbed.

 

[Adam87]

ok well now that i kno i just hope hestarts coming out on his own soon

 

[reptastic]

trust he will i know its frustrating to not see a animal for a while i had to wait about a month to see achilles after i first got him, but disturbing them while they are in their hide will damage their trust with you and can harm the taming process!

 

[Adam87]

i kno that about the hides but he doesnt burrow in his hide he burrows by his water bowl on the cool side of the tank. is that normal for them to go to the cool sideand burrow i kno the ambian temp is about 85 and humminty is always within 60-70% and the basking spot is about 110 115

 

[reptastic]

yes digging a reptile out of his mulch is the same as taking him out of his hide, my tegu achilles is only out for maybe a hour or two a day, somedays he dont come out at all. and his cage is very warm and humid , this is just there time of the year to sleep alot

 

[Toby_H]

i kno that about the hides but he doesnt burrow in his hide he burrows by his water bowl on the cool side of the tank. is that normal for them to go to the cool sideand burrow i kno the ambian temp is about 85 and humminty is always within 60-70% and the basking spot is about 110 115

Your tank sounds great for mid summer...

But it's the middle of winter... Your Tegu knows this and is trying to hibernate on the cool side...

Give your Tegu a break and turn down the heat and let it rest...


While I do not feel that all Tegus must hibernate... I do think we should give them the chance to do what their individual nature is telling them to do. If your Tegu is trying to cool down, let it cool down... If it's trying to rest, let it rest...


It is completely normal/natural for a Tegu to want to hibernate at cooler temperatures...

 

[isdrake]

i kno that about the hides but he doesnt burrow in his hide he burrows by his water bowl on the cool side of the tank. is that normal for them to go to the cool sideand burrow i kno the ambian temp is about 85 and humminty is always within 60-70% and the basking spot is about 110 115

It sounds very normal. My tegus often burrow on the cool side, but they borrow on the hot side and in the middle too.

How many hides do you have? I would recommend to have at least two hides (one on the hot side and one on the cool side) so that the Tegu can feel secure and hide in different temperatures.

 

[MIKE-ZILLA]

I would lower the temperature a little. I keep mine outdoors from april to around october. then she sleeps from october to april.she stops feeding in september though. I keep her at 55-72 degrees. havent had any problems yet. I never dig her up. I do offer water sometimes if she comes to the surface but i have never seen her drink.