# Meet Kimosabi, my Argentine B&W Tegu



## Max713 (Jan 20, 2011)

---Copied from another forum I frequent---

Made it here safe and sound from Georgia, he's warming up under his basking bulb in his new home as we speak.
First thing after pulling him out of the box, he angled his head, looked right at me and curiously flicked his tongue a few times, he's going to be a great tegu  
He's a 4-5 month old Argentine Black & White, just over 12" long.









And his new home:




4'x3'x3', 75-80% humidity, 105F basking temp and 85F cold side temp.

Here's kimo after a half hour or so of handling today, he still hasn't eatin yet, I assume he's still adjusting. He completely ignored the crickets when I put him in his feeding bin, although he did "tongue" and look at the meal worm I offered him while he was in my hand.






Excited here! He had his first little snack! Put some ground turkey in a dish in his house, showed him the food and left him near it as he stared me down. Then I hid around the corner and watched him from where he couldn't see me, after he was sure I was gone he licked it a few times, then took 2 mouthful bites  Then I think he may have noticed me watching, as he lumbered back to his hide and buried himself. 
He seems to be slowly acclimating, he's extremely calm once in my hands already, he's just gets nervous when I come at him in the cage, just a little huffing and puffing, only been bit once so far. Funny thing is, he barely even clamped, even at this size I'm confident he could draw blood if he wanted, seems he was telling me to leave him the hell alone, haha. I'm leaving him alone for the most part for the first week, but I'm really happy with how everythings going so far.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2011)

Congrats!! Nice looking Tegu and enclosure . Don`t be surprised after he gets set in that he hibernates foe a couple of months ... As for now just keep doing like you are doing ..


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## Max713 (Jan 22, 2011)

Kimo seems like he's doin great, already getting more accustom to handling. I haven't seen him eat again, but I left a small bowl of ground turkey in his house today while I was at work and I THINK there was less when I got home, but I'm not sure. He spends most of his day sleeping as it is his time of the year to hibernate, although he was out basking for a few hours today. I'm keeping all the temperatures up, after talking with my breeder, its expected for him to slow down but not go into a full hibernation.
Figured I'd update you guys 

And here's some new pics












And enjoying his new climb by his basking bulb, Kimo must like it hot, he climbs right up by the bulb even though its 105F at ground level





Man this little guy is already showing just how inquisitive he is. I put his new climb in while handling him, as soon as I put him back in his house he went straight over to it and basked for a minute or so, after I hid out of view, he started goin nuts (in a good way  )! Climbing up and down, walking all around it, digging under it, he played for a solid 5 minutes before deciding it was time to go back to bed. It's just amazing to me that after only 4 days in his new home, he already acknowledges changes and investigates them thoroughly! So cool, can't wait to become good friends with little Kimo!


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## skippy (Jan 22, 2011)

i think it's spelled "kemosabe"

cute little guy though =)


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## Max713 (Jan 22, 2011)

Well, not to be an ignorant American, but I like "Kimosabi" hahaha.

And thank you


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## Guest (Jan 23, 2011)

It means masked face ...


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## Orion (Jan 24, 2011)

Awesome Tegu! Very good job on the enclosure also.


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## Max713 (Jan 24, 2011)

Thanks! I'm very happy with the finished product, here's a more recent pic with all of his hides/climbs in place


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## Brandonjames (Feb 4, 2011)

I said it before and I'll say it again, nice looking tegu. 
And a friendly wave from Jeepforum. :cheers 

-Brandon


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2011)

Very cute and a nice set up. :-D 

Just something to mention, I didn't see anyone else mention it, have you looked into getting probe thermometers? I have only used the digital probes but I've read that the gauge types aren't as accurate and can be off by up to 10*. I'll try to find a source or two verify it or maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong.


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## Max713 (Feb 4, 2011)

brandon- Just replied to you on JF, small world it is! Haha, your girl is gorgeous as well.

RHETORICx- I actually bought a gun of craigslist, and it unfortunately quit working within a week :/. The truth is I'm very tight on funds at the moment, but an infrared is top on the list at the moment! For the exact reasons you described.


And I haven't updated the thread recently, but Kimo's been doing fantastic! Quoted from another reptile forum I frequent:


> Here's a video of Kimo on his daily exploration, seems to be even more energetic today with the higher basking temp! Fast forward to 1:30 if you want to laugh out loud, such a funny little lizard. You can see when he spots me at the end of the video too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## kaa (Feb 5, 2011)

Looks great. keep up the good work.


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## Max713 (Feb 9, 2011)

Kimo just started his first shed since I've had him yesterday, its down past his head right now, and seems to be doing good. I'm keeping his enclosure extra humid and giving him warm baths daily to help him with it.
After his bath this morning, Kimo had the largest meal I've ever seen him eat! He attacked the turkey like it was going out of style taking large mouthfuls at a time! Seems he's doing great!


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2011)

Thanks for the update ... 

Glad things are going well ..


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## eddyjack (Feb 9, 2011)

Are you sure its a male?


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## Max713 (Feb 9, 2011)

eddyjack said:


> Are you sure its a male?



As sure as anyone else is that gets one from a breeder that doesn't "sex" them (Mine came from TeguTerra).
So no, I'm not positive, but I'm really hoping I have a little boy, Johnny says he gets it right about 95-98% of the time.

Why do you ask?


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## Max713 (Feb 10, 2011)

Kimo at near the end of his first shed with me, eyeballing be for sticking a camera in his face! Thinking he will be done tomorrow, I'll be checking all his toes for a clean shed.


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## Max713 (Feb 11, 2011)

Looking so good after his shed! Still working on his toes and tail.

Question: How much can I help him with his shed? Can I assist him with his toes carefully? How do I know if I'm hurting him?


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## Guest (Feb 11, 2011)

Keep giving warm baths and keep the humidity up in his enclosure .

If you notice a persistent problem of old skin on his feet you could try some olive oil [or what ever ] ..

I think it would be counter productive to handle a tegu that age too much as in picking skin off his feet and such if you don`t have to ..


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## Max713 (Feb 11, 2011)

I was planning on continuing the warm baths until hes completely done with the shed, he actually seems like he's starting to enjoy them. Helped him along with his feet a little today while he was in the tub, he actually didn't really seem to mind. He didn't even try to get away from me in the tub, I wasn't holding him while messing with his feet. I'll give it a bit longer before I result to olive oil or etc, but I'll leave him be for the most part in the mean time.


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## KSTAR (Feb 11, 2011)

nice little guys you have keep up the good work


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## ThorTheTegu (Feb 13, 2011)

(soon to be tegu owner) Nice enclosure, I plan on making one very similar in style to yours, 4x3x2, and I was wondering what type of bulbs your using. Thanks


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## Max713 (Feb 13, 2011)

ThorTheTegu said:


> (soon to be tegu owner) Nice enclosure, I plan on making one very similar in style to yours, 4x3x2, and I was wondering what type of bulbs your using. Thanks



I'm using a total of 3 bulbs:
1- Reptisun 160w UVB- Basking lamp
1- 50w Halogen Flood Bulb- From a hardware store, for extra lighting and a little heat
1- 50w Ceramic Heat Element- Only on at night to keep night time temps above 70F

Here's a link to a more detailed description of the build:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://thetegu.com/showthread.php?10349-First-time-Tegu-owner-planning-an-adult-enclosure-input-needed!/page2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://thetegu.com/showthread.php?10349 ... ded!/page2</a><!-- m -->

Soon to be Tegu owner, make sure you research heavily before purchase!, Tegu's require a great amount of attention and effort!

Also, be prepared to build another enclosure, twice as big within a year!


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## Max713 (Feb 14, 2011)

Experimenting with a new basking setup:










I'll report back with a surface temp once the rock comes up to full temperature, also change his climbing log into another hide on the warm side, seen at the right side of the pictures. I regularly find him burrowed under the mulch on the hot side, so I figured I would try providing a hot side hide and see how he reacts.
I can see now that experimenting with basking positions will become a regular occurrence as he grows, I took a quick measurement of Kimo today while he was in the tub, he approximately just under 15", which means he grew an inch in less than a month already! Not bad for his first 3 weeks here I'd say.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

Cute set up !!!

What did you have in it previously ??


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## Max713 (Feb 14, 2011)

montana said:


> Cute set up !!!
> 
> What did you have in it previously ??



Thank you.

You can find previous pics on page 1 of this thread.


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## ThorTheTegu (Feb 14, 2011)

Thanks. I have spent over a solid week watching videos, reading from sites, and talking to people all about Tegus. I was just curious on the wattage and type of bulb i should use for my size tank. I had originally planned a 8x4x3, but doing a 4x3x2 will save me over 100$ (smaller budget now compared to 8-12 months from now) and space. Thanks again!


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## Max713 (Feb 14, 2011)

ThorTheTegu said:


> Thanks. I have spent over a solid week watching videos, reading from sites, and talking to people all about Tegus. I was just curious on the wattage and type of bulb i should use for my size tank. I had originally planned a 8x4x3, but doing a 4x3x2 will save me over 100$ (smaller budget now compared to 8-12 months from now) and space. Thanks again!



No problem, just wanted to make sure you are aware of the immense amount of responsibility that comes with owning a Tegu, and the need to plan on owning one for the next 20 years!
As for further info on bulbs, the combo I'm using seems to work perfect. A constant 85F ambient temp. The Repti-sun provides the needed UVB light, as well as appropriate basking temps.


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## Max713 (Feb 14, 2011)

Well, my new rock only provided a 102F basking temp >: (
So I raised it up 2.5" by placing plywood cut to length under the substrate, I'll report back with the new surface temps.





And Kimo enjoying his new spot


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## Max713 (Feb 15, 2011)

Was trying to get a feeding video, Kimo wasn't cooperating.



It's funny, about 20 minutes after the video, he started exploring, then I heard him scratching at the plexiglass, I just slid it open and let him out, he went exploring the apartment again for 15 minutes or so.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

Just noticed ...

I would secure the light [better yet get a different fixture ] ...

Looks like at best a broken forty dollar bulb At worst your house and tegu burned up ...


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## Max713 (Feb 17, 2011)

Here's a short video of me helping Kimo along with the final bit of shed on his toes, mostly to showcase how well he is doing with handling.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5454440760/

And Kimo relaxing on his basking spot after





And a little feeding video, cricket snack this morning
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5454479498/


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## Max713 (Feb 21, 2011)

Kimo let me grab a video of him chowing on his turkey this afternoon


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## Max713 (Feb 21, 2011)

Look what I did 
Thats a live golden pothos.


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2011)

Pretty !!!


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## Brandonjames (Feb 21, 2011)

wow, Very nice! That looks incredible. If I did something like this my tegu would destroy it.


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## Max713 (Feb 21, 2011)

Brandonjames said:


> wow, Very nice! That looks incredible. If I did something like this my tegu would destroy it.



Thanks! It's becoming such a hobby.

And I'm sure Kimo will destroy it eventually too, and I'll just rebuild


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## Max713 (Feb 22, 2011)

Started a new thread, this is where I'll be posting all new info on Kimo.
<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.tegutalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8793&p=78559#p78559" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8793&p=78559#p78559</a><!-- l -->


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