# heating, lighting and misting



## jparker1 (Sep 7, 2012)

i am new this site and soon to have a 2 to 3 year old columbian tegu. i have a few questions. from what i have read here and else where, tegus require the same uvb and uva as chams, but hotter temps.

1. i can get a basking spot at 110 to 115 degrees no problem, do i need uvb and uva on the cool side / other side of cage? 

2. under the tank heaters, do i need them? should i use a heat emitter to keep night temps around 75 or use both for our cold winters? i live in Kansas and have them for my leo geckos, but geckos are like rocks and easy to care for.

3. i mist my chams 2 to 3 times a day, do i do the same for the tegu?


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## laurarfl (Sep 7, 2012)

Colombians (T teguixin) prefer cooler and consistent temperatures. They are more tropical and live nearer to the equator. I keep mine at a basking temp of maybe 105, warm side 90, cool side 80. Nightime drops are 78 throughout, and winter temps never drop below 68-70.

I use MVB for UVB and heat and no UVB on the cool side. They bask in the morning, spend some time trying to break out of the cage, and hide in the afternoon.


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## jparker1 (Sep 7, 2012)

laurarfl said:


> Colombians (T teguixin) prefer cooler and consistent temperatures. They are more tropical and live nearer to the equator. I keep mine at a basking temp of maybe 105, warm side 90, cool side 80. Nightime drops are 78 throughout, and winter temps never drop below 68-70.
> 
> I use MVB for UVB and heat and no UVB on the cool side. They bask in the morning, spend some time trying to break out of the cage, and hide in the afternoon.



i got a real nice controller and can lower the basking temp, which will help lower the rest of the cage, my temps will should come close to yours no problem. do you use under the tank heaters? i have some on my geckos with a small controller, in the winter i turn the under tank heaters up and summer i turn them down. was thinking about doing the same thing for the tegu. i will have the tegu next month


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## laurarfl (Sep 7, 2012)

I don't because I don't have a need to use them. I'm able to get my temps where I need them with bulbs. I live in a warm climate which helps.


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## jparker1 (Sep 7, 2012)

First thanks to all who help with this site and thank you for all the help. 

What about misting? I mist my chams 1 to 3 times a day. Should I do the same with tegu?


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## kim86 (Sep 7, 2012)

As long as the humidity is around 50%-60%, mist as much as you need to.


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## nessanicolle (Sep 8, 2012)

How big is your colombian? pictures?


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## james.w (Sep 8, 2012)

As far as under tank heaters are concerned, I would recommend not using them. Tegus will burrow down to escape the heat and a uth will prevent that. 

If you have a proper enclosure, misting should not be needed more than once a day. Try and keep humidity around 70% 

Night heat should only be needed if the ambient room temps drop below 70. I would use either a che or rhp to provide night heat if necessary.


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## jparker1 (Sep 8, 2012)

nessanicolle said:


> How big is your colombian? pictures?



I only seen her once and knew I had to help. She is adult size and in a small setup. I will post pics when I get her next month. Almost done wit bigger set up. Will use her current setup as a feeding cage. I think a bigger home n more correct set up will help wit taming.



james.w said:


> As far as under tank heaters are concerned, I would recommend not using them. Tegus will burrow down to escape the heat and a uth will prevent that.
> 
> If you have a proper enclosure, misting should not be needed more than once a day. Try and keep humidity around 70%
> 
> Night heat should only be needed if the ambient room temps drop below 70. I would use either a che or rhp to provide night heat if necessary.



I think I will skip under tank heaters. I am cold blooded n keep my home at 72 to 74 in winter and summer heat I love, 78 is my a c temp in summer. I am thinking about getting a few auto mister for chams, day geckos n the new tegu set up. I also have space heaters in the corners of my home close to the chams n tegu setup.


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