# hibernation advice nedded!!!



## azz123 (Jun 26, 2011)

ok so after posting a few threads i have come to the conclusion my tegu could be hibernating! briliant i have only had him 7 weeks, and he is a baby only 10 inches long nose to tail.

his daily activities are:

he wakes up at about 6am and walks around and basks til about 10am ish, then sleeps for the whole day. he doesnt eat.

ok my question is, will he be getting enough uvb as he is only out for 3-4 hrs a day?

if he doesnt eat should i ever force feed him? he realy is only tiny still!

how long is this little bugger gonna do this for 5-6mnths ive heard.

at any point will he stop coming out, and is that a problem?

what are the danger points to be aware of, during hibernation?

thankyou

i have read lots of threads, and looked at lots of websites, but they only give guidelines.


----------



## Rhetoric (Jun 26, 2011)

ok my question is, will he be getting enough uvb as he is only out for 3-4 hrs a day?
*It should be fine, many tegus hibernate their first year and most adults will hibernate. There are some tegus who will sleep for months straight, not waking up to bask.*

if he doesnt eat should i ever force feed him? he realy is only tiny still!
*I would not if he is truly hibernating. I have not had a tegu hibernate yet but I know with beardies it is bad to force feed them when hibernating because the food can rot in their stomachs. They aren't in the heat long enough to digest it.*

how long is this little bugger gonna do this for 5-6mnths ive heard.
*It depends, it could be a couple weeks, it could be 6 months. It varies with each individual tegu.*

at any point will he stop coming out, and is that a problem?
*It is possible, he could be slowing down if its winter for him. If hes slowing down he will probably come out here and there. If he goes through a true brumation/hibernation he will more than likely not come out.*

what are the danger points to be aware of, during hibernation?
*I'm not sure about this one, other members will have to let you know.*


----------



## herpgirl2510 (Jun 26, 2011)

How long have you had him for. I got an extreme a few weeks ago and he only basks a few hours a day because he is stll acclimating he does not eat much either.


----------



## azz123 (Jun 26, 2011)

i have had him about 7 weeks or so, used 2 eat fine. now doesnt bother. over here in the uk its our summer, he is in a wooden viv and always will be indoors


----------



## reptastic (Jun 26, 2011)

It is possible he could be about to hibernate, if he does turn off your heat source, keep fresh water availible and make sure your humidity stays up, dehydration is the biggest problem for hibernating tegus


----------



## Toby_H (Jun 26, 2011)

Where did you get your Tegu? if he was born in the last month or so then it's a bit early for him to be hibernating... If he was born in the Southen Hemisphere half a year or so ago then he should be hibernating (or brumating).


Hibernation questions are very common here at Tegu Talk and (in my opinion) are the easiest to answer... Let your tegu tell you what he needs, and do what he tells you!



> ok my question is, will he be getting enough uvb as he is only out for 3-4 hrs a day?



Yes... probably... In nature, Tegus commonly hibernate for up to half the year getting zero UVB. But, during this time the temperatures are cold which means their metabolism is slow. The slower their metabolism the less resources (food, water, UVB, etc) they will need.

So if your Tegu is begining to hibernate, it's also important to cool his enclsoure so his metabolism will slow down.




> if he doesnt eat should i ever force feed him? he realy is only tiny still!



No you should not force feed him. continue to make food available in small quantities and rotate what you offer to see if there is something that strikes an interest. But if his body is not telling him to eat, do not force him to eat...



> how long is this little bugger gonna do this for 5-6mnths ive heard.



Mine hibernated for over 5 months his first winter. It was very difficult for me to do the right thing and just let him sleep, but I'm really glad I did. He is now a healthy 12 lb 50" Tegu.



> at any point will he stop coming out, and is that a problem?



Brumation means his metabolism slows down and his activity level drops... hibernation means his metabolism slows down a lot and his activity levels come to a hault...

So if he hibernates, yes he will stop coming out / waking up...



> what are the danger points to be aware of, during hibernation?



Right now, continue to offer food, water, heat and UVB during the day, but at night allow the temperature in the enclosure to drop. If/when he stops coming out during the day stop offering heat and let the temps cool even more so.

thankyou

i have read lots of threads, and looked at lots of websites, but they only give guidelines. 

Read more: http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=8592#ixzz1QP1oxIHU


----------



## welshghost (Jun 27, 2011)

would a 16 week old tegu hibernate cos my tegu sleeps loads but and don't bask much but eats about 4-5 crickets a day


----------



## azz123 (Jun 27, 2011)

as he hasnt eaten for about 2 weeks now my insects are dying...crickets, meal worms etc...if he is in brumation what can i offer him food wise, as the insects will just die and thats such a waste of money they realy dont seem to interest him at all.. i spray the tank a few times a day and there is 2 water bowls in his tank...how long can such a young tegu go without food before it gets ill.....


----------

