Dino found a new hiding place,... :(

[Bubblz Calhoun]

:shock: ..and I have no idea where it is. It was about 80* yesterday, the weather has been quite nice lately and starting to warm up. Dino has been waking up earlier and wanting to spend more time out. Yesterday he woke up (around 8:30) and basked for about 30 mins before he started scratching to be let out. Usually he takes a couple of hours, I was home all day yesterday so Dino and my dogs had the run of the house and the backyard all day.

Anyway around 5:30 he's laid out in front of the back door as I go to the bathroom. I come out he's still there and I sit down to watch tv. The last thing I remember was him coming inside. Because he settled down in front of me for a min before going on about his business. Before watching the next episode of Spartacus (I was obviously distracted by all of the tall, muscly, rippling meens running about (muscly, meens not a typo :mrgreen: )) I check on him and he's gone.

I check all over the house since I couldn't remember if he went back outside and then the backyard to no avail. He's no where to be seen, there's only one way out of my back yard and that's through a gate that's blocked at the bottom just for him. Since he has gotten out that way before, so I checked all over the yard just in case the dogs dug a whole some where that I missed,... none .

I'm tearing up the house looking in, around and under places I know he couldn't have gotten into. He's just over 4'' and weighs 12 lbs so there's not too many places in my house or yard that he can hide. But he's a Tegu right, who will be 3 yrs old this summer so he has some practice and experience behind him,...ya neva know. Just after 6 I'm at my neighbors knocking on doors and checking backyards, still nothing. Now I'm worried,.. it gets dark just before 7 and the temps have been in the lower 40's around here at night. I'm thinking good luck trying to find a black and white tegu at night even with a flashlight.

Its after 7, its dark, he has a full belly since he ate earlier so I'm hoping he settled down some where in the house. But I'm still reluctant to close the back door just in case. Its after 9 and I'm still going through the house rechecking everything and pulling apart the leather sectional just in case he got up in or under there,..still nothing.

I clean up and put everything back together, fall asleep on the couch around 12. Wake up at 2 this morning close the back door and go to bed. Achilles wakes me up at 6 (like clock :roll: work) to be let out. I grab the flashlight to check the yard and around the outside of the house again,..still nothing.

I get up at 8:45 and come down stairs because I couldn't really go back to sleep :morn (my dreams were horrible). :shock: :yik :dan :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: There's Dino between the tv and Tricky s cage, slowing trying to make his way behind the couch :hug.

I'm so relieved to see him safely inside and okay but I REALLY need to find out where he was. This can't happen again.

 

[DaveDragon]

Great story with a happy ending. We've lost an adult Tegu (B&W, the Blues & Red free roam outside with no problem) inside 3 or 4 times. He always found a dark secluded place to hide.

 

[reptastic]

nero is a lil smaller than he is, and he likes to free roam but her place to hide is my atti,c she has went as far as going through a vent or ripping open a small hole that was in aroom to get in to that room. now anytime nero escapes the reptile room i always know were to find her!

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Oh he has places that he prefers to hide and I always check those first. Under the couch, behind the cabinet under his cage, up stairs under my bed or one of the dog beds. In the old house he would always go for the kitchen cabinet next to the stove (there was a whole). But he's too big now to fit there especially on a full belly even though he tries :-D.

For the life of me I can't :chin figure out where he was. I let him back out this morning after he warmed up he came inside. I put him in his enclosure, he went straight to his hide and hasn't been back out since.

I had him microchipped as soon as he was big enough (as well as the other 2 when they are big enough). But that only works if someone catches and scans him. I just had way too many bad thoughts and dreams last night. The first was that a hawk or something took him away .

So it was a long night for both of us.

 

[reptastic]

or one of the dog beds

its funny you should menion this; because neros main hide is a dog bed turned upside down!she actuall chose this hide herself when she kept escaping her enclosure and i found her curled up in it everytime. i have tried many other hides but when its bed time this is were she goes. what do you use/reccomend for a hide for a large tegu?

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

I don't have anything set aside specifically for him. In his enclosure I use the bottom of a pet crate flipped up side down. Since they're already shaped I don't have to cut anything. He pretty much gets the spots he wants my dogs always move over when he comes to lay down.

Although maybe I should set up something just for him and see how he likes it. Half of a crate with a heating pad and or insulating blanket set aside. It'll be way to small for the dogs so maybe he'll like it. :chin Or maybe even a whole crate set up for him since he likes to go in their crates also.

I have an extra one just his size from Achilles, I'll have to try out a few things and see how he likes it.

 

[nemo66]

glad you found your gu. lol mine are only a few months old so there a little small to do much free roaming. when they get a little bigger i plan on letting them have the run of the house. but ive been wondering what im gonna do with all the lizard poop. do your tegus mess on the carpet all over your house or do they have a particular spot they've picked

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

He goes from his enclosure straight outside,..and he can't come in until he poos. If its too cold outside then he goes straight to the tub with the same requirements.

The only time I have had accidents in the house is when he got out on his own while I was at work. Or if I forget to go check after he makes his way inside. Which that doesn't happen often, thats one of the last things I want to clean up inside if I can help it. Even though my floors downstairs are tile.