# Tegu buried all the time?



## Tiamat (Mar 28, 2017)

Hello--

I have a juvenile red tegu (~12" long) that I got about two months ago. For the past 3+ weeks, I've noticed that she's been spending most of her time buried in the substrate. I know she's not dead/hibernating because the food from her bowl disappears and I occasionally see her not buried. 

I was wondering if I'm doing anything wrong. My setup/care conditions:

Enclosure: 75 gallon aquarium (48" x 18")

Lighting: UVB fluorescent light

Heating: 250 W ceramic heater (I had to play around with its height above the terrarium to modulate the heat, but I got it so that the temperature on the basking side is 103° and the temperature on the other side is 75°).

Substrate: 4" coco coir

Hide: "log tunnel" (not sure what else to call this thing); large enough to fit the whole lizard

Water: medium sized water bowl from Petsmart; changed daily

Humidity: Ultrasonic terrarium fogger (admittedly I don't have a hygrometer)

Diet: Crickets, beef (raw; cut from steaks that I eat so it's probably safe) and chopped boiled egg whites (for some reason she eats around the yolk); all dusted with calcium powder

Handling: I was handling every other day or so before the burying thing started. I read that you're not supposed to dig them up so I haven't.


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## Walter1 (Mar 28, 2017)

Tiamat said:


> Hello--
> 
> I have a juvenile red tegu (~12" long) that I got about two months ago. For the past 3+ weeks, I've noticed that she's been spending most of her time buried in the substrate. I know she's not dead/hibernating because the food from her bowl disappears and I occasionally see her not buried.
> 
> ...


All sounds fine to me.


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## Tiamat (Mar 29, 2017)

Oh I forgot to add:

I am worried that I may be messing up her internal clock with the lighting she gets. The aquarium is in the bedroom (the warmest place available). She gets about 12 hr. of light from the UVB lamp, but also gets extra light from when I turn on the room lights after work.


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## Walter1 (Mar 29, 2017)

Tiamat said:


> Oh I forgot to add:
> 
> I am worried that I may be messing up her internal clock with the lighting she gets. The aquarium is in the bedroom (the warmest place available). She gets about 12 hr. of light from the UVB lamp, but also gets extra light from when I turn on the room lights after work.


If she has a hide, she'll sleep regardless. If a concern, you can shade thatcportion of her enclosure to block/dim the room light.


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## Tiamat (Mar 29, 2017)

Just put a towel/blanket over that half? I would do the whole thing, but the ceramic heater could cause a fire.


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## Walter1 (Mar 29, 2017)

Tiamat said:


> Just put a towel/blanket over that half? I would do the whole thing, but the ceramic heater could cause a fire.


 Only where and if you feel safe. for example, if the tegu is hiding on the cool side, cover that portion if safe. Or another option is to place something in front of the enclosure, just to dim the lighting coming from your room. Safety always first.


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## Tiamat (Apr 6, 2017)

Thanks again. Will all this hiding affect my ability to socialize her? I mean:

* You're supposed to feed them in a separate cage so they don't get cage aggressive or associate you with food. I can't do this if she's buried all the time. 

*youre supoosed to take them out and handle them to get them used to human contact, but again, you canf do this if they're buried.

Would buying a better hide box like this decrease the buried time:

OMEM Reptile Hideout Box with Sink to Increase Humidity and Water Supply https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KFIJ8MM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_saK5ybFAXA793

Is this something they grow out of?


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## Walter1 (Apr 6, 2017)

Tiamat said:


> Thanks again. Will all this hiding affect my ability to socialize her? I mean:
> 
> * You're supposed to feed them in a separate cage so they don't get cage aggressive or associate you with food. I can't do this if she's buried all the time.
> 
> ...


You can feed them in their enclosure if no danger of eating bark chips. During the day, you can dig them out.


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