# Baby tegu not really growing?



## SamBobCat (Aug 22, 2014)

Hey guys if you have seen my page, you should know that I have an amazing arg. Black and white that I received on may 23rd. When I got django, the guy said he was three months old. But he looked like he was maybe a month old at a whopping 10.5 inches with no green coloring. In the almost three months (as of tomorrow) he has grown about 4 inches which is great, but he is now 6 months old and 15 inches... Does that seem small? He doesn't eat a lot and he doesn't eat every day. He also sleeps quite a bit, waking up around 12ish and going back to sleep around 4-5. Should I try doing something differently? He has a 4×4 enclosure ready, I'm just waiting on the bedding shipment. He has a uvb bulb in addition to a basking bulb, basking spot of about 110, ambient of about 85-90 and he eats one or two f/t pinkies or one small f/t fuzzy about every other day with some blueberries and grapes a treats. He also gets diced chicken gizzard, ground turkey, and halibut on occasion. I know he should be eating it more and I'm going to start back on a firm routine. I sort of fell out of routine and we need to get back on lol


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## SamBobCat (Aug 22, 2014)

He is physically healthy, no runny nose or discharge of the nose eyes or mouth. He doesn't look skinny, he's not really lethargic, he constantly flicks his tongue, and he is very very well tempered. Here's a pic of him on my legs.


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## SamBobCat (Aug 24, 2014)

His previous owner didn't feed him every day "because they grow too fast" so as a result he doesn't like to eat every day. I've seen plenty of other 6 month old tegus around 2 feet long or more and it concerns me because he's barely over a foot long. Is there something I can do to get him to catch up on some growing?


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Rodents are like candy to them offering him those until his appetite grows will have him plumped in no time and also there is a product called tegu bites made by a company by the name of nature's zone that will getting eating like a pig.. good luck


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

Thank you so much!! I will definitely try that. Just picked up some of those tegu bites. Thanks for all your help!!!


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

No problem... let me know how it goes for you...


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Is it columbian or argentine


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

Argentine


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

It looks to be columbian by the spots do you have a picture of the face area


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

he's an Argentine


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)




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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Yes he is lol it just looks so much like a columbian due to t he size


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

What's the age


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

Yeah lol. He might be trying to hibernate early because he still poops, but he stays chubby all the time. He stay under his bedding hiding, eats very little if any, and drinks a little water occasionaly. His temps are at approx. 98 ambient, and around 105 basking without his tile. I had to clean his basking tile so I will record the basking temp in a bit. His humidity is usually around 60%-65% but it's hard to keep it there.


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

He's just over 6 months old. He's only 15" long


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Are you using a topsoil mix with your substrates


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

No I'm just using cypress mulch


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

That's an ok size for the age mine didn't hit his growth spurt until about the 9 month stage and he just grew seemed like an inch every other week


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

Alright. He grew four inches in about two months then sort of stopped growing.


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Use organic topsoil mix with the cypress mulch it'll keep the humidity steady and high. You can find it at home Depot or lowes for about 4 dollars for a extra large bag. I did a 50/50 mix


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Yea it happens that way mine don't hibernate I'm in florida were our weather is always hot so he's up growing year around


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

I really hope he stays up. I would miss him too much lol


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Lol yea I know what you mean


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Have you had a chance to see the pictures of mine he's a monster for a year old


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## SamBobCat (Sep 2, 2014)

He's very handsome!!!


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## kendrick silimon (Sep 2, 2014)

Thank you


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## SamBobCat (Oct 2, 2014)

Kendrick, he's almost 16 inches long now. It's been a month since the last post on here, but he hasn't taken to the tegu bites. He's really picky for some reason, but he really does enjoy his mice and fruits. He's now in his 4×4 cage, and I rarely ever see him. He's gotten out before through an air vent, so that was covered, but is there anything else that I can do to keep him growing? I feed him when he's up, should I be waking him up to try to feed him every day?


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## kendrick silimon (Oct 2, 2014)

If your in a cold climate it may be him trying to hibernate if so it's best to leave a bowl of food in so when he wakes through out the day he can eat but from my understanding he may not eat during this period. . Feed him his favorites when he's willing to eat though


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## SamBobCat (Oct 2, 2014)

Alright thank you. I do live in Oregon so that helps a lot.


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## kendrick silimon (Oct 2, 2014)

No problem and nice enclosure. .lol that's hot ****


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## SamBobCat (Oct 2, 2014)

Thank you lol it makes for a great heater, my bedroom is the warmest room in the house!


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## kendrick silimon (Oct 2, 2014)

I bet lol is it comfortable


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## SamBobCat (Oct 2, 2014)

Yeah haha it is. It's a little hard to get up on, but we just added some gas shocks so it's way easier to open. I'll have to get some pictures up soon of the inside


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## kendrick silimon (Oct 2, 2014)

That's cool can't wait to see


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## Rebecca Stout (Oct 5, 2014)

I'm going to be watching this. Oh and to the one that told about tegu bites, thanks. Never heard of them.


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## SamBobCat (Oct 5, 2014)

Rebecca mine isn't interested in the tegu bites, but he really love blueberries, turkey, halibut, chicken gizzard, and mice babies.


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## Rebecca Stout (Oct 5, 2014)

Halibut huh? I want to add fish to minds diet. I tried smelts. Man did she turn her nose up at that one. I can't afford constant salmon. I have yet to try anything else. I wonder, other than salmon and smelts, what fish is most popular with these guys.


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## SamBobCat (Oct 5, 2014)

I've heard of people feeding talapia so you could give that a shot


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## SamBobCat (Dec 27, 2014)

Rebecca since the last post django has since hit about 21 inches long. He's downing about 6 hopper mice per feeding and my dad and I just updated his cage. How's your gu doing?


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 29, 2014)

I think at Django's size mine would've only eaten 4 hopper mice. Lol. Maybe 5. So wow. See, I never have fed a full whole prey meal. I combine a large mouse now with other foods on the plate. Or I give her one in between meal days. I'd say her combined meal is just under the size of half a softball. So hard to judge. and she has days she eats less. She tends to eat only once every two days. I haven't measured her but at the supposed age of 20 months old she is barely over 3 foot. I was so hoping for much larger. Her head is a bit small. I know, female heads are smallish. I'm like you though, I work hard to stuff the begeezus out of her lololol. She has filled out in the last months though ... which is really nice.


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## SamBobCat (Dec 29, 2014)

Rebecca Stout said:


> I think at Django's size mine would've only eaten 4 hopper mice. Lol. Maybe 5. So wow. See, I never have fed a full whole prey meal. I combine a large mouse now with other foods on the plate. Or I give her one in between meal days. I'd say her combined meal is just under the size of half a softball. So hard to judge. and she has days she eats less. She tends to eat only once every two days. I haven't measured her but at the supposed age of 20 months old she is barely over 3 foot. I was so hoping for much larger. Her head is a bit small. I know, female heads are smallish. I'm like you though, I work hard to stuff the begeezus out of her lololol. She has filled out in the last months though ... which is really nice.


I am so looking forward to Django's giant head. And for whatever reason, my dad - who originally never wanted a tegu in the first place - asked me if I needed a female just to have (not breeding) and so I'm kinda slowly looking for a yearling red if I can get my hands on one. Django had been eating 4 mice and one or two little meat cubes that I made up, but he prefers mice much more than anything else. Plus, since he didn't have his baby growth spurts, the mice are really making him grow.


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 31, 2014)

I'd give anything to have a big ole male along with Kai. I am out of living room for all of us now. So I cant. I mean they say you absolutely have to have a plan B in case they dont get along later in life.


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## SamBobCat (Dec 31, 2014)

Rebecca Stout said:


> I'd give anything to have a big ole male along with Kai. I am out of living room for all of us now. So I cant. I mean they say you absolutely have to have a plan B in case they dont get along later in life.


Exactly. My older sister is going away to college soon so I am really trying hard to get my parents to let me turn her room into a reptile room. I don't think that they're against it which is nice!


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 31, 2014)

Lucky dog


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## dani (Apr 29, 2015)

hey do u still have your tegu im intrested in it


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## SamBobCat (Apr 29, 2015)

dani said:


> hey do u still have your tegu im intrested in it


where in this thread did you think that i am selling my tegu? shes growing happily and i have neber had any intention to sell her.


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## dani (Apr 29, 2015)

ok bye


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