night time

[Guest]

This is the first night of having my Tegu "Sam"
I have a 10.0 UVB bulb, do I shut this light off at night?
If so, does he/she need another type of light at night?

 

[Guest]

You can shut off all the lights. It doesn't need any night lighting.

I'll give you a piece of advice

My wife and I decided to get a tegu (putting down the deposit next week!) And luckily one of the first sites I found was this one. We spenta couple months reading nearly every thread on this forum as part of our research.

Do yourself a favor and just start going through and reading as much as you can in all of the "TeguTalk Forums" section. The amount of free and reliable information and knowledge and experience here is unbelievable. You'll be really glad that you did.

 

[Guest]

thats what I am doing now.. lol
he has himself nice and burrowed right now.
Is the 10.0 UVB light the only light he needs? All the lighting stuff I have read is confusing to me... sorry to sound so dumb...

 

[Guest]

No worries. I've been there.

They'll need a basking light also. The wattage doesn't matter, so much as it can efficiently raise temperature of the basking spot to around 100-105 F, without exceeding 110 F. And make sure it's not so close as to burn the animal. I'd say it should be a minimum of 12 inches away to be safe.

EDIT: a good investment is a simple digital "temp gun". You can get one for $25 at lllreptile.com

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...ostats-and-timers/-/infrared-temperature-gun/

what kind of UVB bulb are you using? What brand? Is it a fluorescent tube, compact fluorescent, mercury vapor?

Also what are you keepng the tegu in?

 

[txrepgirl]

I have been using this lighting ( link below ) for years now and have been very happy with it. I like this one a lot because this way the Tegus get enough UVA/UVB when they are basking. If it's a big enclosure I put another 10.0 UVA/UVB in the enclosure on the other side.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-incandescent-bulbs/107801/zoo-med-powersun-uv.html?gclid=CNXw4ISf76ICFQHGsgodEGjDjg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.petmountain.com/product/rept ... sgodEGjDjg</a><!-- m -->

 

[Guest]

it is a 10.0 UVB Desert Repti Sun salf ballasted compact fluorescent

for now he is in a 20 gal aquarium tank.. he needs more room than this already I think. we'll be getting a bigger tank for him real soon.

What kind of basking light do I need?

 

[Guest]

Get rid of the compact fluorescent. They can cause serious eye problems.

Since you have a small tank, regular 24-inch ZooMed 10.0 UVB fluorescent tube would be fine for now. When you get him a bigger enclosure, I would switch to MVBs (mercury vapor bulbs) such as ZooMed's PowerSun. Just make sure you follow the directions and keep it the proper distance away (usually 18 inches)

As far as basking lights, you can use a regular household bulb as long as it can get the basking spot temps up to 100-105. Since you've got a 20gal, an 80 watt bulb on one side of the tank would probably be just fine. Just ake sure you measure the temperature to make sure that it's warm enough or not too hot.

When you get him a bigger place, generally you want a MINIMUM of a "1wx2lx1h" - basically 1 total length wide by 2 total lengths long. So if you have, say, a 15inch animal (head to tail), the dimensions should be at least 15"Wx30"Lx15"H. A 4ft adult should be in a 4'wx8'L.

A 55 gal "breeder" tank should last you until you have to move him into his big 4x8.

 

[reptastic]

Get rid of the compact fluorescent. They can cause serious eye problems.

not entirely true i raised my first tegu nero using a compact flourescent uvb lamp, and she did extremely well. i used a reptiglo 10.0 for her and i never had a problem with her eyes. i have heard the problems most keepres have had using these bulobs, however the problem was supposibly resolved and in my experience from using them i believe it has!

 

[Guest]

That's good nothing happened to your animals. I've talked to other people that experienced the same thing I have. Not long after I made the switch to compacts, my animals stopped opening their eyes. Once I switched back to tubes or MVBs my chameleons were fine, but one of my dragons I think may have some permanent damage in one of her eyes. When I dangle food from her left side, she can't see it, but on her other side with her right eye, she can see.

And it's not like I had these bulbs just sitting right on top of the animal, I had them at safe distances.


Here's an intersting read:
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

 

[Guest]

do I put the basking light at one end and the UVB at the other? or does the UVB tube go all the way across the tank? Do they both stay on at the same time?
I know I have lots of questions that may seem repetitive, but I am trying to do everything right by this lil dude =)

 

[Guest]

do I put the basking light at one end and the UVB at the other? or does the UVB tube go all the way across the tank? Do they both stay on at the same time?
I know I have lots of questions that may seem repetitive, but I am trying to do everything right by this lil dude =)

The basking light would go on one end, and the tube would just be in the middle running lengthwise to provide even coverage. And yes, they would be on at the same time. Just get yourself a digital timer and set it them for 12-hours on and 12-off. And adjust the times as per Bobby's Care Sheet (http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20) if it were to go into hibernation.

Also (and I know, PetCo is awful, i try to never by anything reptile-related from there) But a TON of PetCo locations are having a "Dollar a gallon" sale on tanks and whatnot, so you could get a 55 gal breeder for just $55 which is pretty good.

 

[Guest]

thanks for explaining, I was just reading that PetCo has that deal which is a good deal for tanks

another question- how do I know if he is hibernating?

 

[Guest]

Here you go:

http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=826

If kept outside they will refuse to eat at all during this period. They will start spending less and less time above ground. The same thing happens inside as well. Tegus will start refusing food and spend less time out of their hides. When they start this process I stop feeding them all together.

This is also the time I start reducing the lighting times. I keep my lights on my tegus for 12 hours a day in spring and summer; the lights are on 12 hours and off 12 hours. When the tegus start to slow down on feeding and start spending more time in their hides. I reduce the lighting to 10 hours a day, I also stop feeding them all together. I do this for about a week to two weeks. Then I start turning them on for 8 hours for a week. At this point most tegus are usually in their hides for the duration of hibernation. I usually leave the lights on for 6 hours after this point for a week or so.

If the tegus do not come out at all, then the lights are turned off for the rest of the winter. If you do see your tegu come out in winter, as this does sometimes happen. Then you can turn the lights on, however these periods usually do not last long. Some might come out for an hour or two and then go right back to hibernating. Most often times they will not come out at all. When and if this happens it is fine to turn the lights back on. But turn them off when they return to their hide.

Also, do not feed them. They will not require any food if this happens. I do keep fresh water in the enclosures for about the first six weeks. However I have not seen them drink water either during this time.