# Cage too big for now???



## S&amp;S_Dragons (Aug 28, 2009)

We are building a big cage for our new baby B&W Tegu.
He is still pretty small at only about 6 weeks old but we wanted to build his tank while we had the money.
Question is will it be a good size for him when he is older?
And is it too big for him now?

It is 6 foot tall, 6 foot long, and 3 foot wide... VERY BIG

It will have a second platform for him to climb up on and also branches/logs/limbs for him to stretch out on ect.. 

Will get pic's up soon, just wanted to ask about it first.

I'm hoping it will big ok for him when he is full grown.

Thanks
Amanda


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## Toby_H (Aug 28, 2009)

A small Tegu in a big cage shouldn't be any problem for the Tegu... although it will be quite difficult for you...

If the cage is simply huge, the Tegu may be 100% satisified in it which may discourage him/her from wanting to come out. If it is 100% satisified and doesn't want to come out it may see you as more of a threat, as you may want to take him/her out... 

I kept my female B&W in a 4'x2'x2' cage her first year and it worked very well. I don't feel it was at all "to big" for me to handle and was by no means "to small" for her happiness.

I've always read that Tegus do not climb much. My girl climbs more than I expected, but I do not suspect she would climb on limbs or branches that were more than a foot or so off the ground. She will climb to the top of her cage (2' tall) but is very hesitant to jump down and has only done so once or twice. My girl seems very leery of falling and avoids taking risks of doing so.


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## S&amp;S_Dragons (Aug 28, 2009)

Ah ok thanks for reply.

Well I hope I didn't mess up by making it really tall thinking D would stretch out of a limb, bummer.

Well what is the best or recommend cage size for an adult since it gets like 5 foot long???

Oh also we've only had it about 2 weeks I take it once about twice a day HOWEVER for some reason it sakes really bad like uncontrollably all over even the little muscles in it's legs just shake and vibrate like crazy. I'm guessing it's scared? When will it calm down?


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## DaveDragon (Aug 28, 2009)

S&S_Dragons said:


> Oh also we've only had it about 2 weeks I take it once about twice a day HOWEVER for some reason it sakes really bad like uncontrollably all over even the little muscles in it's legs just shake and vibrate like crazy. I'm guessing it's scared? When will it calm down?


That sounds like MBD!! http://www.anapsid.org/mbd.html What are you using to supply UVB, how old is it and how close can the Tegu get to it?? Does he ever bask under it? He also needs a good supply of calcium. What are you feeding him? This is a serious disease caused by not supplying UVB and/or the improper calcium to phosphorus ratio. It can be fatal if untreated. See if you can find some BoneAid (liquid calcium). Give him one to two drops per day and get him some good UVB, preferably natural sunlight. If you don't see an improvement in a day or 2 get him to a vet ASAP.


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## S&amp;S_Dragons (Aug 28, 2009)

Hi
I know what MBD is we are reptile breeders, I don't think it's that at all.
He has a 24' long UVB light it's a 10.0 it goes all the way across his tank and hum yepp he gets his calcium dust on his food.

He is only around 6 weeks old and he has been under UVB and had calcium since the day we got him.

He eats crickets, superworms, mealworms, and pinkies oh and roaches!

He don't shake like that when he is in his tank alone just when I hold him. I feel so bad like if I don't put him down he will have an anxiety attack lol..

I'll try moving the UVB down closer but don't think that is his problem..

Thanks


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## DaveDragon (Aug 29, 2009)

Has he been pooping every day? He might be a little young to digest the hard shell of superworms and roaches, depending on how ling he is. Mealworms are mostly shell, very little nutrition. That's what the Petco's in our area feed their baby Bearded Dragons and they wonder why they don't grow.


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## S&amp;S_Dragons (Aug 29, 2009)

Well I'm having a hard time finding things that he will eat.
He won't touch fruits or greens, he won't eat any boiled eggs, someone even said try caned dog food. He don't care for meat or anything that doesn't move.
And still not the tamest, so any ideas? The superworms are very small so are the mealworms, he gets more roaches than anything...

Oh and yeah he poops..


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## Jefroka (Aug 29, 2009)

You could use a divider and section off the cage until he gets bigger and starts coming to you. 

Are you feeding it in a seperate feeding bin, this is very important in establishing a bond with your tegu, and if you use the feeding bin, you are handling the tegu at least twice a day.

Bobby Hill's personal website will answer most if not all of your questions. Here's the link: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.varnyard-herps-inc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.varnyard-herps-inc.com/</a><!-- m -->

I suggest you also watch the videos, particularly the ones titled taming your tegu, parts 1 & 2.

Best of luck!


...Jefroka


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## rrcoolj (Aug 29, 2009)

Hey, when I first got my little guy home he ate superworms and it has become a favorite. If he is hungry for anything it's superworms. Definatly feed superworms instaed of mealworms because mealworms have more "chitin" in them it's the stuff that makes thier exoskeloten hard. Although now that I think about it, I always see leos eating mealworms yet everyone likes to preach how bad they are. Have you tried actual meat like ground turkey? rodents? You definatly want to feed in a seperate feeding ben. Not only does it prevent "accidents" but it gives you a leg up on the taming process, trust me. He is still too young to even think about eating fruits or veggies. He needs MEAT.


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## DaveDragon (Aug 29, 2009)

Does he have lots of hides to fill the space of the big enclosure? If he felt more secure he'll probably calm down some and possibly eat.


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