# Baths?



## PuffDragon (Nov 17, 2007)

Hey guys,
How often, if at all, do you guys give your Gu's a bath?


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## mdmtmm (Nov 17, 2007)

I do it about twice a week. I may up it to a couple more while he is shedding.


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## Dragon_girl (Nov 18, 2007)

gu???


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## PuffDragon (Nov 18, 2007)

tegu!


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## VARNYARD (Nov 18, 2007)

Yea, they seem to love baths, I also noticed in the summer outside mine love to be misted by the hose too. They will sit there and lap up the water, they do seem to really enjoy it.


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## teguboy77 (Nov 18, 2007)

I bath my tegus 3 times a week for 45 minutes,i dob't know if mine really injoy it but they get it anyway lol.


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## dorton (Nov 18, 2007)

I dont soak mine near enough evidently. But I just gota large tub so I can shoot for 2-3 times a week.


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## DaveDragon (Nov 18, 2007)

We just finished giving 3 of the 4 their baths. They get them every weekend. They're usually not up when we get home from work during the week.


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## COWHER (Nov 18, 2007)

Every day for 20 minutes


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## PuffDragon (Nov 18, 2007)

Fason got his first bath. He's starting a shed and I could notice a difference right after the bath!


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## greentriple (Nov 18, 2007)

El Che gets a soak 2xweek and a misting every time he's basking in the sun, which is nearly every day.


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## Mike (Nov 18, 2007)

I don't soak mine often, if at all. I just let them do it whenever they want, by providing it in their cage. I do notice that they like to be wet down on a hot day.


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## Nero (Apr 13, 2008)

So is it okay to spray mist on him while hes basking?? I just dont wanna tick him off, hes finally starting to like me lol


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## jose2187 (Apr 13, 2008)

maybe once every other week , if you keep humidity up they don't really need it, my tegu's shed melts off like butter so I don't feel the need to give them a bath and they have a large water dish they can soak if they get hot.


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## angelrose (Apr 13, 2008)

is there such a thing as bathing a tegu too much ? 
(shedding concern)


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## shiftylarry (Apr 13, 2008)

I agree, tegus like baths, but I have problems with them in certain instances:

1. You are bathing your consistently to assist them in removing bad sheds. If this is the case, you ought to be providing them with more humidity.

2. The tegu doesn't like being handled. This is just unneeded stress. Let the tegu get used to you, before you start bathing them.

Other than that, there ain't nothin' wrong with a good old bath.


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## AB^ (Apr 13, 2008)

I think too many poeple consider baths a needed part of husbandry for tegus. I have seen this idea passed around on forum after forum. Tegus do NOT need baths. The only reason I would soak my tegu is in the case if bad toe sheds (as the circulation can be cut off and the animal can lose a digit and possibly get a bad infection) AS stated above if you need to regulalry bath your tegu due to shedding issues then solve the real problem (humidity)
It is apparent from this thread that people (not the tegus) like to give baths, something I find rather ridiculous. If you offer a large enough dish for them to soak in and they use that is fine, forcing them needlessly into water on the other hand just isnt needed


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## shiftylarry (Apr 13, 2008)

Couldn't have put it better myself AB^.

I was having an issue explaining to someone on another forum the dangers of bathing their iguana as a substitute for poor humidity. Now, reptiles are designed to live in a specific environment. They have adapted to accommodate the different temps/humidity in the area. So, when you keep your animal in captivity, your goal should be to replicate that to the best of your ability. My house regularly has humidity levels of about 38%. That's too low for a tegu and definitely too low for an iguana. If I put an animal in a screen top enclosure, with hot lights, those levels would decrease even more as the water vapor evaporated and escaped out the top. Simple physics, and yet a lot of people don't understand how to humidity works. So, I ask all of those people with screen top enclosures or completely screened indoor enclosures who regularly bathe their tegus to check your levels with a reliable humidity gauge (not one of those dinky plastic things from petco). I think bathing everyday is too often, especially consider a tegu would not bathe everyday in the wild. 

My rule of thumb for almost every aspect of herp keeping is: if your methods somehow divert from the animal's natural environment, there has to be a legitimate reason behind it back by some significant data. In most cases, nature knows best. Of course, this philosophy excludes predators, parasites/diseases, and other natural hazards from the equation.

-Chris


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## shiftylarry (Apr 13, 2008)

One more thing to consider:
Take a look at this black roughneck monitor's tail (not my roughneck):





Notice how it is tapered (flat) all the way down. Consider that these animals live near mangrove swamps and are known to hunt for crustaceans. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that they would have this type of tail to aid them in their daily hunting activities. I can tell you from personal experience that these monitors are very capable swimmers and can glide effortlessly like a crocodile.

Now, look at a tegus tail. It is not even slightly tapered. it's completely round all the way down. This would lead one to believe that it primarily helps the animals balance. With this information in mind, you can start to see that a bath is not essential. Not to say it isn't pleasurable for the animal from time to time but it isn't necessary and tegus aren't avid swimmers.


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## AB^ (Apr 13, 2008)

Yup, I agree with that.


Here's the tails of 2 tegu species (merinae and teguixin) to show they are not flat and paddle like but round.


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## angelrose (Apr 13, 2008)

thank you shiftylarry and AB^. I agree with both of you that tegus do not need baths unless bad toe shed or something like that.

and it's like you said AB^ I have just been reading it from forum to forum and I wanted to get to the bottom line.


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## VARNYARD (Apr 14, 2008)

I will say this, tegus do swim in the wild, and do hunt in and around the water, they also have no problem crossing rivers. Another close relitive to the tegu is the caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensi), they do not have flat tails and do and spends a large portion on its day in the water while feeding mainly on aquatic snails.


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## angelrose (Apr 14, 2008)

I see that tegus can swim, I watched my own.

so just say if I placed fish in the water would they go for them ?


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## COWHER (Apr 14, 2008)

mdmtmm said:


> I do it about twice a week. I may up it to a couple more while he is shedding.


my answer as well


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## AB^ (Apr 14, 2008)

VARNYARD said:


> I will say this, tegus do swim in the wild, and do hunt in and around the water, they also have no problem crossing rivers. Another close relitive to the tegu is the caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensi), they do not have flat tails and do and spends a large portion on its day in the water while feeding mainly on aquatic snails.




Actually, Caimen lizards tails are built quite similarly to crocodilians being round toward the base and eventually flattening out a bit (maybe a bit more girthy than semi aquatic varanids, but the point is still the same)



Caimen Lizard Tail









and a crocodilian










This isnt to say tegus are not capable swimmers, but merely to point out they are not semi aquatic animals and to show tegus do not need baths, it's the owners that like to give baths. It is not a needed part of husbandry.


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## shiftylarry (Apr 14, 2008)

You could similarly say that horses are related to hippos. Can a horse cross a river? Yes, but they're not semi-aquatic animals.


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## DaveDragon (Apr 14, 2008)

shiftylarry said:


> You could similarly say that horses are related to hippos. Can a horse cross a river? Yes, but they're not semi-aquatic animals.


 :dead


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## kingbenny (Feb 5, 2009)

Hi guys, 

I've had my red 2 months now and never bathed him, he sheds fine but I would like to try him in the bath to see if he enjoys it. He has the tips of several toes missing from beofre I got him so he has had shedding issues in the past and I thought this might help if I get a problem in the future.

My main concern is the water being too hot or cold, what sort of temp should I be aiming for?

Mike


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## PinkPunisher (Feb 5, 2009)

Luke warm and slightly warmer. If it feels hot to the touch then chances are its to warm. I've also heard put the lizard in tail first, if the tail jerks out or it moves it out then you need to adjust the temperature. 

Also the water shouldn't be higher then shoulder height. One last thing, always keep a close eye on the tegu to prevent any accidental drowning.

Spencer


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## laurarfl (Feb 6, 2009)

About 85-90 degrees should be fine. I do like to bathe my tegus for cleanliness reasons. If I'm taking them out in public or to roam inside my house, I can stick them in the tub and they poo in about 5 min. Then I wash them off and they are good to go. I also have one that gets stinky food and mulch gunk in the corners of her mouth. I take the bath opportunity to clean that out...talk about stinky...whew! It's got to be unsanitary, too.

But I have to agree, it's for me, not the tegus. They are used to it and don't mind. They just sit there and kind spread out and "bask". They don't stress, but they don't exactly swim either.


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