# A few questions about summer hibernation and the general welfare of my tegu.



## JMorales (Jun 18, 2012)

*Background Information:* I have an Argentine Black and White Tegu named Cuda that I purchased at the New England Reptile Expo from NERD(New England Reptile Distributors) about 1 year ago. I was told he was captive bred, but he was about a foot long in mid-April and starting to lose his green and I've been since told that these are indicators that he was probably from the Southern Hemisphere since Northern Hemisphere Tegu's hadn't hatched yet. This was seemingly further confirmed shortly after when he went into what I would describe as a deep brumation throughout most of the summer.

When he came out of this brumation and became more active during the winter, he still did not have much of an appetite at all and I tried feeding him all sorts of foods that according to my research would be good for him. He continued to appear healthy and would shed well, but would eat very sparsely and has not grown very much at all. 

Now summer is coming and he is starting to act as though intends to hibernate again, but i am concerned he hasn't put on enough weight over the winter season and I'm really worried about him. I felt as though I didn't have enough time to observe his behavior and if I did I might have begun to suspect parasites perhaps. 
*Temps:* Tiered basking that ranges from 110*F to 100* and an ambient temparature that stays at about 87*F avg.
*Lighting:* 160W PowerSun and 100W basking bulb
*Enclosure: * 4x2x2 Reptology Wood with sliding glass front
*Substrate:*Shredded Coconut Husk
*Question:* Should I be worried about him going into hibernation if he has had a very poor appetite for the past month or so? Should I be worried about his lack of appetite or growth in general? What are some suggestions for changes I could make?

Thank you in advance for any help you have to offer!


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## Diablo (Jun 19, 2012)

I'm not an expert on tegus as I am just getting mine soon too, but I thought they only hibernated during the winter for breeding?

EDIT:


Actually I just found this

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=6959#axzz1yHFjtYpX

maybe this will help you with your questions, since I probably would be no help on the situation


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## JMorales (Jun 20, 2012)

I've been told that if you get a tegu that is imported from the Southern Hemisphere (i.e. farm hatched) then they will be on a reverse internal clock from Northern Hemisphere tegus that are captive bred in the United States, causing them to hibernate in the summer rather than in the winter. I didn't know how much truth there was to these claims because I figured that hibernation had more to do with external conditions, but I'm starting to suspect that this is the case with my tegu. 

However, I don't want to allow that explanation to keep me from making sure nothing else could be going on such as an unrelated health problem.

Thank you for your reply, I've read the thread before.


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