# Good baby enclosure



## Tegulover411 (Jun 26, 2016)

is this a good baby tegu enclosure I just got him today at an expo I live in Louisiana


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## Walter1 (Jun 26, 2016)

Tegulover411 said:


> is this a good baby tegu enclosure I just got him today at an expo I live in Louisiana


Ii'd move his hide to the cool end with food bowl. Perhaps give him a flat ramp leading to the heat source for him to pick the temp he wants. If properly fed, he'll be cramped in there inabout two months.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 26, 2016)

Is there a way to get him to touch his vegetables because he doesn't she interested maybe he's to young? And can I start the bond stage he eats from my hand with no problem.


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## Walter1 (Jun 26, 2016)

Try different fruits but don't sweat it if he's not interested. Mine like strawberries. 

Hang out around his enclosure a lot. Once he's settled in, you can pet and begin putting him on your lap. They are at first nervous about being lifted.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 26, 2016)

How can I tell if he's happy in his home?


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## Walter1 (Jun 26, 2016)

He settles into a routine of eating, basking, pooping, and sleeping. Make sure he can reach about 115 F AND get away from the heat. Cool end with hide in mid to upper 70s should do it.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 26, 2016)

I actually got him to eat from my palm he ate ten crickets dusted of course I moved the hide and he's sitting under the light relaxing and content. He doesn't seem that skittish he allows me to hold him as long as my dogs aren't around even though they want to be friendly he doesn't know tomorrow when I get off I'm gonna start the taming method.


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## Walter1 (Jun 26, 2016)

Tegulover411 said:


> I actually got him to eat from my palm he ate ten crickets dusted of course I moved the hide and he's sitting under the light relaxing and content. He doesn't seem that skittish he allows me to hold him as long as my dogs aren't around even though they want to be friendly he doesn't know tomorrow when I get off I'm gonna start the taming method.


All sounds good.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

I made progress with him too he fell asleep on my neck for about 30 minutes and he got him to eat some food from my hand but he won't crawl on me to get out, but when he's out


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

Why does he sit under his heat lamp with his eyes closed?


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

My tegus love to nap under the lamps. When they want to bask, they'll fall a sleep for long time right under. I would put a rock or a tile under the light. They love to lay on warm surfaces.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

Why did he bury himself and is this normal


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

The substrate in my inclosure is about 8 inches deep. They always burrow themselfs for the night.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

Should I leave his heat lamp on


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

I turn mine off for the night


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

I'm giving him dusted cricket is that good for hm to ea, he also constantly opens and closes ha eyes with his legs tucked but will move around when I shut the lamp off.


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## Walter1 (Jun 27, 2016)

Dee-Dee Idrais said:


> View attachment 10814 View attachment 10813 My tegus love to nap under the lamps. When they want to bask, they'll fall a sleep for long time right under. I would put a rock or a tile under the light. They love to lay on warm surfaces.


Dee Dee- They're beautiful tegus.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

They are beautiful are they choacoan


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

All babies need time to adjust to a new home. Once he/she is convinced of the safety of the surroundings, things will be different. Dusted crickets are great, but they need variety. Try some fruits too. 


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

He refuses fruits, do you think I should move his cage into my room since I'm in there less. I held him for 30 minutes today it ended with him curled up on my neck, can I create a gradient in a ten gallon tank I'm getting a temp gun, thermometer, and hydrometer tomorrow for him also when will I be able to sex him


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

10 Gallon tank will not last for long, they grow really fast. In a couple of months you will need 40 gallon and at six months you'll be looking to get a 6- foot inclosure. Just watch lol


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

Ik lol


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

Sexing may not happen for a while. I got my first tegu when she was about 8-10 months old. I was told, 90% it's a male, named him Rocky and was very surprised, when he woke up from the winter sleep and turned out to be a girl lol. So I changed the spelling of her name to Rockie and girl it is


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## ballpythoncrazy (Jun 27, 2016)

You are asking A LOT of very basic questions, did you do any research at all before purchasing this kind of commitment? 

I fostered an adult tegu for about a month (I also had little to no knowledge on tegus but I researched as much as a could in the short time before it came to me) so anyone who is more experienced, please correct me if I'm wrong. 

Baby tegus, even as small as yours, should start out in a 20-40 gallon tank as they grow QUICKLY. Yes, big tanks can frighten baby reptiles but it would work if you had lots of plants and cover and places for him to hide. And it would still be better than a basic 10 gallon tank with a food bowl and one hide..

Tegus also need UVB light and it looks like you only have a heat lamp on top of the tank. The UVB needs to go inside the tank, because the screen on top will block out all the important vitamins coming from the UVB, and the bulb will need to be changed our every 6 months (whether the light itself is still working or not).

I'm not sure what you're feeding him but, besides fruit, tegus also need meat, vegetables and bugs too I believe. And everything needs to be dusted with calcium. 

Their hot spot needs to be pretty high. I want to say around.. 110 degrees fahrenheit (?). 

These lizards get BIG, so be prepared to BUILD a custom cage in only a few short years. You won't find a cage that you can just purchase that will be big enough. I've seen some tegus that free roam the house but it is not suggested. And when s/he gets full grown be prepared to live wherever you are living for a decade or so. Moving a large animal, and it's large enclosure, is not easy. And it's hard to convince a land lord to let you have your small-dog-sized lizard and it's 6ft enclosure in their apartment...

That's all I can think of right now but I hope you knew what you were getting into when you bought this tiny little guy. There's way too many of these full grown 5ft tegus in reptile rescues because people just decide to get rid of them when they get too big or too hard to care for. 


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Jun 27, 2016)

^^^^ Yes, that is all correct. My tegus have an inclosure they is 7x3x3 and only use it to sleep in. They get the whole house and 1/2 of an acre yard to run in.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

I did a lot of research I just want to make sure he has the best and I have a reptilesun 10.0 and I live in a house so housing isn't a problem and I have a spare room I plan to use for him/she I have a job my mom thought it would be cool so she got him and I take care of him we spent the day bonding it ended with the little one sleeping on my neck while I slept of the floor I brought him into the bathroom which I swept to be safe. I love the little guy I want to have the best for him so that is why I'm asking all these question I'm not to sure about care sheets they give conflicting views


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## Walter1 (Jun 27, 2016)

ballpythoncrazy said:


> You are asking A LOT of very basic questions, did you do any research at all before purchasing this kind of commitment?
> 
> I fostered an adult tegu for about a month (I also had little to no knowledge on tegus but I researched as much as a could in the short time before it came to me) so anyone who is more experienced, please correct me if I'm wrong.
> 
> ...


My abreviated rant I hope is valued again. The price for tegus must remain high to minimiize the extent of misery that has been played out with green iguanas for the same reason- grow fast to large size, special requirements. Fewer orphaned broken iggies if they went for 200-250.00. 

I'll take 411 at their word AND I'll underscore that their care requires a commitment that unscrupulous vendors will play down for a buck.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 27, 2016)

I understand that my mother wanted the tegu I planned for snakes I told her what you guys told me and she said I got everything we need(which we didn't). I think the guy just wanted money he didn't ask us any questions at all. I told her the care requirements and told her specificity want you said she called me unappreciative and that she already spent money on the damn lizard so she putting off the thermometer and hydrometer


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## Walter1 (Jun 27, 2016)

Our advice remains there for tou and your tegu.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 28, 2016)

I have a question I'm holding him and every once in a while I hear thing clicking soynd he's moving around and he just pooped. What does this mean he flicks his tongue a lot and is very responsive to movement and I don't hear any wheezing.


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## Tegulover411 (Jun 28, 2016)

Would a beegerbox cage work for him it's 6 X 30 X 28 and it come with 

This stunning lizard cage or tegu cage is made entirely of 1/2″ black pvc so it will hold up to any type of humidity. This lizard cage is a gorgeous modern look that will hold up year after year and still look great.

INCLUDES: 1/4″ Acrylic sliding doors

End vents

Extra cage top support beams

Light mount blocks

6″ substrate lip

I'm thinking bj about making this investment for him now so he won't be cramped in the future. And is there anyway that I can get him to eat vegetables and fruit because he refuses them


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## Aidan Morrison (Jul 17, 2016)

6' X 30" X 28" is WAY too small for an adult tegu, you need at least a 8' X 4' X 4'. Some tegus don't like their fruits or vegetables and that's perfectly fine. You need to get that tegu out of that 10 gallon tank IMMEDIATELY or he will slowly die. 10 gallon tanks have NO THERMAL GRADIENT, which means they won't be able to get away from the heat and they will basically cook to death even if the lights not directly on the whole cage. You need at the VERY LEAST a 20 gallon long (32" X 12" X 12") OR a 40 gallon breeder (36" X 18" X 18") which is what I'll be housing mine in temporarily before I build him an 8' X 4' X 4'. If you don't get him in at least a 20 gallon long tank soon, he WILL die, because he is slowly cooking to death. I don't care what people tell you, a baby tegu physically can't live in a 10 gallon tank. It honestly sounds like you really didn't do _enough_ research before you got him. Just like what happens to iguanas; people buy them as a cute babies then in 2 years you have a massive, hungry, and powerful 5 foot lizard (iguanas get 6 foot +) running around the house, and you can no longer feed or take care of it. Hopefully, this will not be the case here.....I'm not trying to be a jerk, but it just aggravates me when people impulse buy animals, they aren't FULLY PREPARED to take care of them, and then it's the animal that suffers/dies. Just make sure you do your research......


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## Tegulover411 (Jul 17, 2016)

He's in a 20 gallon right now we are planning on building a 4x2x2 enclosure I'm sorry he's not even a foot long I had to remeasure him myself since the vet why a bit nervous he has a habit of running straight for people and sometimes chasing people I don't think he's doing it aggressively because once he gets to u he crawl on your head and lays there. He's 11 and a half inches he just went thru a awesome shed with almost no help needed. I have also tegu proof my room since then mainly because he loves to just walk around and chill. I got rid of my old dresser and got a tiny one instead I bought a heat/uvb bulb and installed it into my room for him not to mention my room stays at a constant temperature of 80 degrees do to the main heat vent being in my room. That post is very old and I have a happy and healthy tegu who is very calm and playful at times and loves his dubia roaches!!!!!!


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## Aidan Morrison (Jul 24, 2016)

That post isn't even a month old, but that's good to here about your tegu and that he's doing great


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