# grade my care



## Guest (Oct 6, 2010)

ok so what i mean is how am i doing with my tegus.to start off with i have them in a.....big enough tank i cant remember exatly how big it is but it doesnt really matter cuz im building them a custom cage soon.i have a basking bulb and a ubv bulb on them.there temp is around 90 degrese most of the time.i feed them every other day since i go to school tuesday and thursday all day =/.and i feed them chicken gizards and heart along with turkey balls.i sprinkle with calcium.and im trying to give them a pinkie every friday or so.i recently took my bigger one to the vet and found out it may have broken his leg preveously and formed a kind of cast thing around it.(back left leg btw)but im now giving him calcium supplements along with the calcium to try to get rid of this thing around his leg.the substrate is a jungle bed,i have an water bowl big enough for them both to soak in. and two hides in the cage.when they shead i give them baths to try to help with sheading...so thats wall i can remeber, let me know if im doing good or if im messing up. :roon


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## brutus13 (Oct 6, 2010)

Sounds awesome!!! Koodos


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## TheTeguGurl (Oct 6, 2010)

make sure there basking area is about 100 to about 107.. but sounds like you are doing great..you know im sure there are even the pros that have had tegus for yrs still have concerns that they are doing ok too.. always read and ask questions if need be! never can learn to much!


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## Toby_H (Oct 6, 2010)

How many Tegus do you have and how old/big are they? It will make a difference on a couple points...



> ok so what i mean is how am i doing with my tegus.



In shourt it sounds like you're doing great, but I'm breaking down each point to give further consideration, keep in mind it is not to criticize. 



> to start off with i have them in a.....big enough tank i cant remember exatly how big it is but it doesnt really matter cuz im building them a custom cage soon.



How big is the current cage? Since your asking for input it is important information.

Also how big is your planned custom enclosure? 



> i have a basking bulb and a ubv bulb on them.there temp is around 90 degrese most of the time.



90*F is a good ambient temperature, but they need a higher basking temperature. 

What kind of UVB bulb are you using? Columbian Tegus, being from a more tropical environment than Argentina tegus, are going to be custom to a bit higher UV output. Also keep in mind the distance from the UVB bulb and the animal, different bulbs have different requirements.



> i feed them every other day since i go to school tuesday and thursday all day =/.



Young tegus will need to eat as close to every day as possible, yet older tegus will do fine eating every other day. It's understandable if you can't feed every single day, such as the two days you are at school, but I would feed them all 5 of the days you are not at school. 



> and i feed them chicken gizards and heart along with turkey balls.i sprinkle with calcium.and im trying to give them a pinkie every friday or so.



Sounds marvelous! While you do not want to feed a solid diet of whole prey, allowing it to be a portion holds no harm and brings benefit. While mouse meat is high in fat, mice also have bones, organs, etc that are great for your animal.



> i recently took my bigger one to the vet and found out it may have broken his leg preveously and formed a kind of cast thing around it.(back left leg btw)but im now giving him calcium supplements along with the calcium to try to get rid of this thing around his leg.



That sucks that he previously hurt himself, but it's awesome it sounds like it's heaed, or healing, well. My only advice here is trust your vet, as I'm sure his ideas outweigh mine drastically.



> the substrate is a jungle bed,



Is that the ground up Coconut shells? If so I love that stuff for smaller reptiles. It can be expensive to use in a large enclosure, but while your Tegus are smaller and in a smaller enclosure it's great.

When you make the larger enclosure you may want to consider other alternatives, such as Cypress mulch. But by then your Tegus will be a bit bigger which makes larger substrate more compatable.



> i have an water bowl big enough for them both to soak in.



Sounds great. Columbian tegus are much more prone to swim than Argentina Tegus. So you may want to make a nice big pool in your new custom enclosure, but large enough for both to soak is definitely good enough for theis enclosure.



> and two hides in the cage.



Having multiple hides with variances between them (size, temp, humidity, etc) is ideal, but havign one for each animal is good enough.



> when they shead i give them baths to try to help with sheading...so thats wall i can remeber, let me know if im doing good or if im messing up.



Like I said, please do not take any of this as criticism, it does sound like you are doing great.I'd love to hear more about your plan for the custom enclosure and I'm sure hearing ideas from others will help in the planning process.


PS - Holy crap, I didn't realize how long this was... sorry and I hope it helped


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2010)

wow... that was a lot to read lol.hmm lets see, i dont know the gallon measurement but it is at least 4 or so feet long and two feet wide.and the new one om going to build will either be 5 or 6 feet long by 4 feet wide depending on how much materials i can get.and the temp i looked at it and it was 99 i think.i cant remeber the uvb ill have to go home and look at it.(at school right now waiting for class =/) i do feed them every day that im not at school. the only reason i dont feed them everyday sometimes is that they dont eat as much.but them again im not sure how much is feeding them too much at one time.they get around 3 or so turkey balls each and quite a few pieces of heart and gizzard.havent fed egg for a week since iv been able to get them the meats. and im going to figure out how to put quotes in a reply before i write more.but thanks for responding to this =]


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2010)

o i forgot to say i had two columbian tegus.i can get the measurements on em later.but one is black and white with a little bit of gold and the other one is black and gold.


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## Toby_H (Oct 7, 2010)

I copied your whole post, clicked "Post Reply", then pasted it in that window... To quote, highlight the section you want quoted and click the quote button...

I broke your post into small sections before putting quotes around them. 


Chances are your tank is a 48" x 18" @ 21" tall 75 gallon. They are fairly common. The 48" x 24" @ 24" tall tanks are harder to come by and much more expensive. While your Tegus will surely outgrow a 75 gal tank, it should be fine for them for a while (depending on their current sizes).

I've never seen a ful adult columbia personally, but I read they get around 3' and not as bulky as a 3' Arg tegu.

So I'd say a 6' x 3' enclosure would be adequate for two, with 6' x 4' being better. Keep in mind the Columbians will climb more than an Arg (or so I hear) so including shelves and brances will be adventageous.

All in all, it sounds like you are doing great right now and have a solid game plan for moving forward!


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2010)

> Is that the ground up Coconut shells? If so I love that stuff for smaller reptiles. It can be expensive to use in a large enclosure, but while your Tegus are smaller and in a smaller enclosure it's great.


hmm sounds like them.the they both like to crawl up my arm when i go to pick them up.


> Is that the ground up Coconut shells? If so I love that stuff for smaller reptiles. It can be expensive to use in a large enclosure, but while your Tegus are smaller and in a smaller enclosure it's great.


it is a mix of moss and bark i believe.there may also be soe cocounut fiber in there.
but thanks im glad to know im going good :roon and im trying to find time to get pics of em up on here..... :morn


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