Is it okay to wake a 9" Tegu for daily feeding?

[p4r4d0x42]

I just got my golden tegu (CBW) a few days ago from an expo. It (call it a he for the time being as i have yet to name it), is under a foot including tail. I was told that he was about 3 months old. He ate that night with out to much trouble, seemed a little slow/reluctant to eat. Yesterday he seemed to stay burrowed all day and i had to unearth him for feeding, he didn't seem to mind and didn't puff up or anything. Today he seemed to do the same thing and I was wondering if it was okay to wake him for feeding or not. I feed him in a separate bin and have the food waiting for him there.

More info:
he spends most if not all of the day burrowed. I work so I could be missing him while i am away but it doesn't look like he moved. Hotside of the tank is 88 with a basking temp of 93 to 106.5. cool side 78 and i have a heating pad on the hot side of the tank as well. Has a large water bowl, a hide on the cool side and a ledge on the hotside (Basic spot). It's a 20 long tank.

Any ideas? I thought they would be more active. So should i disturb him to make sure he eats?

 

[p4r4d0x42]

So I just fed him and he ate one large crix and a fuzzy sized ground turkey and scrambled egg mix. After that he used the bathroom just like yesterday (Could be a pattern forming here) and now that he is back in his tank he is basking on his ledge and alert. I waited as long as i could today with out feeding him to see if he would get up on his own. he seems to stay up once i do feed him though at least for a while. maybe I should wake him when i get home everyday and feed him. I also have his tank on my computer desk so he gets to see me a lot. Any advise would be great. I am new to Tegus so not 100 percent on what to expect. I have read quite a bit but there is a lot of conflicting information and misinformation out there on these guys.

 

[isdrake]

I have no experience with Colombians but I don't think "forcing" him to get up is such a good idea. He might feel even more uncomfortable around you if you do that. Never disturb a hiding lizard unless it's absolute necessary.

If you just got him everything is new and scary to him. Give him some time. How many hides does he have? I think Tegus feel more secure of they have a lot of decoration to hide behind. Have you checked the humidity? Sometimes they stay buried because it's to dry in air.

 

[p4r4d0x42]

I was having an issue with the humidity but sealed up one half of the tank's screen lid so it's staying around 50 to 60 percent. It was around 30 unless i misted but it would go right back down. Seems to be working better now. I am a little concerned that he may not get up to eat at all. If I had not woke him yesterday he would not have eaten. Eats well though once up and is active after that point. As for hides he only has one now on the cooler side of the tank but also has about an 1 1/2 to 2 inches of substrate to burrow in. I don't want to feed him in his tank because of the cage aggression issues that seem to be prevalent with this type of Tegu and I also do not want him to associate me with food so I have that ready when he goes into tote to eat.

 

[lazyjr52]

I would drop the temp on the cool side to the lower 70's and get rid of the heat pad. What type of lighting are you using? Also the food items you are feeding may be too big for your gu. Try smaller crickets and chop the pinkie up if you have to.

 

[isdrake]

You really should try putting some more decoration in. A lizards should have at least two hides (one on the cold side and one on the warm side) but preferably more.

I can recommend cork bark. It's decorative and works fell for hiding and climbing.

 

[p4r4d0x42]

I will get some more decorations soon. He is in a temp tank until i get my 75gal emptied and ready for him. As for the food it's a well blended turkey and scrambled egg mix that he seems to have no trouble getting down. I tried to feed him a pinky but he bit it but spit it back out. The mix I spoke of also has some vitamins in it and zoo meds calcium with out D3. Lightly sprinkled. Also feeding him dusted crickets as well.

As for the lights, I am using a compact reptisun 10.0 and 1 150W blue bulb. (Supposed to have daylight spectrum but i am not relying on it to provide the UVB or UVA). This bulb provides a good basking spot and heats the whole tank. I may raise it up a little more so that the cool end is a little cooler and i will unplug the heat pad for now. I can post up on here later the brand of that bulb when i get home.

 

[p4r4d0x42]

So i decided to take your advise and not mess with him. I worked from home today and since lastnight he has not moved. How long can he go with out food? I am worried that he may not get anything to eat if he stays buried. No one has really answered my question. I am not disturbing him unless it's for feeding. I don't want him to end up with an eating problem and he is a Colombian so he should not be hibernating. What should I do?

 

[HerpDLP]

hay p4r4d0x42 don't worry about his eating habits to much my colombian
sleeps 2to3 days some times i have had 3 colombians and thay have all slept alot
when mine is hungry i take him out and put him in a feeder bin, give him more than he can eat and when he is finished i take out whats left of the food put him back in his home and wont feed again till he is out and about, but always keep an eye on feeding habits and you will see what i am saying about the sleeping thing.
and if he is young/new just let him chill for a while colombians stress easy and are way more afraid than, other tegus so give it time to get used to things..
i hope this helps you out.
""PEACE""

 

[p4r4d0x42]

That's what I needed.
Thank you
I will post again with an update. Being new to me, I just want to make sure he is well taken care of.
Thanks again

 

[HerpDLP]

glad i could help..
and i did not see if you said you have UVA / UVB lighting,
thay seem to need it alot i have seen colombians start twiching (MBD) in 3/4 days
without the UV sorces.
i hope this helps also..
""Peace""

 

[p4r4d0x42]

Yes I do have UVA and UVB. I am using a reptisun 10.0 Bulb

 

[p4r4d0x42]

As promised, an update. If any of you have advise I would appreciate it.
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[Odin_the_tegu]

Is the Reptisun 10.0 Good for the Tegu? I know that it is suppose to simulate desert uvb uva rays but aren't tegu tropical? that why they made the 5.0 tropical reptisun bulb. Is it bad to use the higher one?

 

[reptastic]

yes it is very good for tegus. the deal with the 5.0 and the 10.0 is most people assume that tropical reptiles spend most of there time in trees ect. therefore the leaves and branches block most of the uvb therefore they dont need alot of uvb. the 5.0 works well for chameleons or other dinural reptiles that dont bask. same with the 10.0 no trees around so the dessert reptiles must spend all day in direct sun therefore they need higher uvb. however many tropical lizards do bask therefore the 10.0 is great for them!