# UVB and Freeroaming



## boyd1955 (Oct 3, 2011)

Hi All and greetings from London
Was wondering how long a tegu can go free roaming and not have their uvb light
I have a ( I think ) female B&W ... Which is ( I think ) about a year old ... 24 -28 inches ... She's not interested in being measured so I gave up ) 
Now her viv has all the recommended temps etc ... But I've noticed from the begining ( I've only had her 2 months ) she has never liked the basking area ... She prefers the hide directly underneath
Also we are having a heatwave at the moment and basically she prefers to be out and sprawled out on the floor 
The thing is she gets really cool and I worry how good this is for her ... Also of course she isn't getting her uva/b when she's out ... Though have been trying to get her to do an hour a day in the sun while we have it ... She doesn't really like it ... But will sit on my shoulder if coerced ))
Anyway ... Is there any guidelines I need to follow with free roaming time ? And anyone else have experience of tegu's not seeming to like the 110/115 basking temps
Its my first reptile since the 60s when I had a tortoise so I'm a bit unused to reading them, but have probably read EVERYTHING online regarding tegu husbandry )


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## Aardbark (Oct 3, 2011)

I too would like an answer to this question. My gu seems to hate her cage, and wants out as much as possible. She doesnt seem to like her basking spot either, and will settle on the cool side of the cage more than the warm.


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## Jensen (Oct 3, 2011)

I am no pro by any means, but this is a little of what ive gathered. I've heard some tegus just prefer a cooler temps than others (not a bad thing). To make sure you're getting.g proper uvb a good idea is to put a tube light I. The cage that runs the length of the cage.so then they may choose their own temp but still get the uvb. When out my tegu is permitted free roam I have set up.a mobile basking spot, I could put up a pic.if you'd like. Free roam time is up to them if they are wandering around exploring let them explore it won't kill them to be out for a couple hours usually I d let the. Columbian I had out for 30-3hours depending How he was acting, he even went for car rides One night he slept out of cage while my friend was watcbing him: but that being said I wouldn't go multiple days without it as I could cause major complications!!

Apologies 30min-3hours roam time. I am still.getting used to posing off of my phone


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## james.w (Oct 3, 2011)

How are you measuring the basking spot temps? What size/type bulbs are you using? How big is the enclosure?


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## spidersandmonsters (Oct 3, 2011)

Sounds like your enclosure might be too warm. Tegus are fine in lower temps, and seem to be most comfortable in the upper 70s


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## Jensen (Oct 3, 2011)

I know that question wasn't directed towards me and boyd1955 im not trying to steal your thread. I have a 40gal breeder, basking spot about 12inches away from a 100w zoo-med basking bulb and reptisun 5.0 13w uvb. Don't know exact basking spot temp, the hot end is 90° (not in direct light) and cool end is about 80° (not in direct light) night temps drop to 70°-75°. What are your thoughts?


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## babyyitslove (Oct 3, 2011)

My adult male hates sleeping in his cage. I usually find him cuddled up behind the Roach colony....FREEZING! But he and his girlfriend bask quite a bit.


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## boyd1955 (Oct 3, 2011)

Cool to see some different views there ... She/He has just moved into her new viv 2 weeks ago ... With all the moodiness that involves )) ... So all the lighting is uva/b tubes with reflectors ... A ceramic for nights, which frankly I realise now will probably only really be needed a couple of times a year, its on a thermostat so thats fine ... And I've dropped her spot wattage due to the heatwave already so she's still at 110 but uninterested ... She's happier underneath in her hide
Its good to see I don't have to worry too much about her free roaming as I intend her to roam as she likes when she's a bit bigger ... She still gets stuck in awkward places at the moment
I actually think these basking temperatures that are recommended ( 110/115 ) are too hot for her ... Her food is digesting fine I can tell from her poo ... So I think I'll have to judge it as we go rather than stick to any fast rules ... Its good to see that other people have found this too as all you seem to read most of the time is things HAVE to be this temperate and humidity ... The humidity thing is totally wrong ... Keep moist obviously as they don't want a dry dusty substrate ... But worrying about precise humidity levels is pointless ... A good damping down once or twice a day or if its looking a bit to dry is enough ... It makes little difference to shedding ... Thats down to a good varied diet
Mines just started getting into fruit and she decided earlier that she actually prefers grapes to salmon !!!


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## Rhetoric (Oct 3, 2011)

I have my temps at 105*F for Gurus enclosure, if it goes much higher he won't lay under the bulb and instead hang out around at the middle of his enclosure. Are you using a digital probe thermometer or a temp gun to measure the temps? The little stick on ones aren't very accurate. If you have a way to contain your tegu you could try taking it outside for natural sun. Care sheets are great to help get you started but they're not always spot on for everyone and their tegu. They seem to be fairly durable.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Oct 3, 2011)

_Somethings not right,.. I have yet to see a cold blooded animal that didn't like to bask under a light or natural sunlight. Over exaggerating is a peeve of mine especially when asking for assistance,... be honest no extras, or anything over the top. I don't know anyone that has read Everything there is to know about tegus. Even top breeders are still learning and finding out new things.

Brumating and sometimes hibernating tegus will come out if not just to bask then go back to sleep. If yours avoids artificial and natural sun light more often than not then there's a serious problem that needs to be fixed, be it physical or man made. 

If you read the care sheets from the top two tegu sites, here and thetegu.com you would see that the recommended basking temps are a gradient from 100* - 110* not 115*. But even with that depending on the tegu and where it's from. Different country, different regions means slightly different climates through out the year. Most of us know that variety is best so we provide a range of temps (as well as other things) for our pets to chose from when they want or need to. 

Which means that their basking spot would have levels with the highest temp at the top of it. Humidity is just as important as temps since it affects and assists more things than shedding. 

James asked valid questions that went unanswered which more often than not solves most problems people have with temps and basking._



james said:


> How are you measuring the basking spot temps? What size/type bulbs are you using? How big is the enclosure?



Read more: http://www.tegutalk.com/newreply.php?tid=9883#ixzz1ZkRLOTzz



jensen said:


> I know that question wasn't directed towards me and boyd1955 im not trying to steal your thread. I have a 40gal breeder, basking spot about 12inches away from a 100w zoo-med basking bulb and reptisun 5.0 13w uvb. Don't know exact basking spot temp, the hot end is 90° (not in direct light) and cool end is about 80° (not in direct light) night temps drop to 70°-75°. What are your thoughts?


Read more: http://www.tegutalk.com/newreply.php?tid=9883&processed=1#ixzz1ZkSRchp2
_
Jensen it's best to start your own thread so things don't get mixed up and or you're not left out._


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## james.w (Oct 3, 2011)

boyd1955 said:


> Cool to see some different views there ... She/He has just moved into her new viv 2 weeks ago ... With all the moodiness that involves )) ... So all the lighting is uva/b tubes with reflectors ... A ceramic for nights, which frankly I realise now will probably only really be needed a couple of times a year, its on a thermostat so thats fine ... And I've dropped her spot wattage due to the heatwave already so she's still at 110 but uninterested ... She's happier underneath in her hide
> Its good to see I don't have to worry too much about her free roaming as I intend her to roam as she likes when she's a bit bigger ... She still gets stuck in awkward places at the moment
> I actually think these basking temperatures that are recommended ( 110/115 ) are too hot for her ... Her food is digesting fine I can tell from her poo ... So I think I'll have to judge it as we go rather than stick to any fast rules ... Its good to see that other people have found this too as all you seem to read most of the time is things HAVE to be this temperate and humidity ... The humidity thing is totally wrong ... Keep moist obviously as they don't want a dry dusty substrate ... But worrying about precise humidity levels is pointless ... A good damping down once or twice a day or if its looking a bit to dry is enough ... It makes little difference to shedding ... Thats down to a good varied diet
> Mines just started getting into fruit and she decided earlier that she actually prefers grapes to salmon !!!



What are you using to measure ambient temps, basking temps, and humidity? What size is the enclosure?

You are wrong about humidity, it isn't only for proper sheds, but also for their health. *If you want help or advice please answer the questions other ask you.*


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## boyd1955 (Oct 4, 2011)

A medical thermometer for temps ... THEY ARE FINE
Worrying about precise humidity is nonsense ... Keep it damped down and its fine ... I presume james w is on about respiratory health 
Enclosure is 6ft x 3ft x 2ft which is fine for her/his size and if she IS female and she likes free
roaming will be fine when she's fully grown
The reason she will only go outdoors in the sun on my shoulder is because she is nervous out there ... She is happy enough on my shoulder when coaxed ... If you read back you will see that she has only been with me for 2 months ... She has moved home from someone who realised that they didn't have the time needed to look after her properly... So moved house and keeper ... And then 2 weeks ago moved into a new viv ... She/He has had a lot going on
We've had the whole cage aggression, wanting to eat in her viv, pooing in her viv things to deal with again
Obviously I haven't read EVERYTHING there is on the net re tegu's ... I stopped when it started to get so repetitive ... I've read an awful lot
I am getting a uv/basking light for the room ... That will be my next acquisition ... I think you know how much it costs to look after one of these beasties properly and I certainly haven't got the money to do everything at once
HOWEVER ... I am thinking that the brumation idea could be right ... although she is out of her cage a lot she is tending, after a good walk around the perimeter, to settle and nap in some dark safe corner where you can't get to her
But then she shed, everything apart from her tail and head which seem to go in scales and rings, the day before yesterday ... And yesterday she ate more than she ever has before !!! ... Which wouldn't point to brumation would it ?


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## james.w (Oct 4, 2011)

boyd1955 said:


> A medical thermometer for temps ... THEY ARE FINE
> Worrying about precise humidity is nonsense ... Keep it damped down and its fine ... I presume james w is on about respiratory health
> Enclosure is 6ft x 3ft x 2ft which is fine for her/his size



Well sounds like you know what you are doing. What are you doing here asking our advice?


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## boyd1955 (Oct 4, 2011)

Well I've come to ask questions that I DON'T find the answers to normally online ... It gets frustrating when everyone just asks what the bloody temperatures and cage sizes and makes of bulbs you are using ... Lets be honest ... I think everyone KNOWS the rules by now ... If not they shouldn't be keeping these animals in the first place
I asked about how long it was safe to let a tegu free roam as I was worried about how long she should be without her uv ... A question that I have not seen answered before ( though I'm sure it has been at some stage in a forum ) ... I'm getting the feeling that its OK to let them get on with it
As for the temperatures ... She likes them more 100 it seems ... And then would rather be in the shade apart from straight after eating ... And a brief stint in the morning
I think you may be a Southern Argentine ... I've been there and believe me the temperatures and humidity can be varied ... Very Varied
As fot the brumating. how do I tell ... She's certainly become much less active these last few days and seems to want to sleep apart from an hour or 2 ... But she still wants to eat


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