Finally got my dream pet! Meet Tiamat

[Ivyna J Spyder]

She's a Florida feral, age unknown but I'm guessing around 8-12 months old from her size. (1.2 lbs, maybe 20-25 inches with tail? She's not easy to measure!) She was sort of a surprise birthday present!

I've wanted a tegu for almost a decade now so it's pretty exciting...

Her enclosure is a 4x4x8 modified grow tent with a foot of substrate (mostly topsoil). She's got Megaray bulbs for UVB.

She's uh... sassy. She tends to lunge for my hands anytime I reach into the cage, though I can't tell if it's aggression or she just thinks everything is food. She has a big appetite. She mostly eats dubia roaches, Reptilinks, and various fruits. (Mango being her favorite.)

I can't really handle her yet, so I have just been sitting next to her cage while I play games or read. It's been almost two months and the progress is pretty slow. She'll come out to bask, eat, and then go hide the rest of the day.

Any critiques are welcome! I want to make sure she's well cared for.

 

[Leezard]

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She's a Florida feral, age unknown but I'm guessing around 8-12 months old from her size. (1.2 lbs, maybe 20-25 inches with tail? She's not easy to measure!) She was sort of a surprise birthday present!

I've wanted a tegu for almost a decade now so it's pretty exciting...

View attachment 13300

Her enclosure is a 4x4x8 modified grow tent with a foot of substrate (mostly topsoil). She's got Megaray bulbs for UVB.

She's uh... sassy. She tends to lunge for my hands anytime I reach into the cage, though I can't tell if it's aggression or she just thinks everything is food. She has a big appetite. She mostly eats dubia roaches, Reptilinks, and various fruits. (Mango being her favorite.)

I can't really handle her yet, so I have just been sitting next to her cage while I play games or read. It's been almost two months and the progress is pretty slow. She'll come out to bask, eat, and then go hide the rest of the day.

Any critiques are welcome! I want to make sure she's well cared for.

Add some ground turkey, various fish, and chicken hearts/gizzards and I bet she'll go crazy for them! Variety is key as I'm sure you know. You could try taking her out or coaxing her out of her cage with an egg, likely rewarding her with the egg after calming down outside of her cage. I've had a really good time wrapping my gu into a blanket and singing to him, it sounds weird but he's grown a very strong attachment to blankets and music and has helped me bond with him.