Hello! I've been lurking for a little while but I thought I'd stop by and say hello. I also have a few questions about my tegu, since this seems to be the place!
When I bought my tegu, I was told that it had just lost its green cap. I've had it for about 8 weeks since then, so I guess I could guesstimate it up to the 5 month age? It's about 12 inches, very healthy looking, active and curious.
I'm a bit more curious to their eating habits. Having been a big fan of monitors before obtaining a tegu, I worry that I could be overfeeding him a bit. Right now he seems content eating a pinkie and two blueberries 6 times a week. Sometimes I change it up and feed him a grub as well. With pinkies in his diet though, I have not been feeding him any calcium powder. Should this be something I look into doing?
I've been handling him regularly, right now he's small enough that he seems content to rest on my shoulder while I play a game or read, putting his handling at about 3 hours a day. He's become very friendly and regularly climbs onto my hand if I put it into the cage (unless he is sleeping, basking, or burrowed.)
I normally drop food in his cage at around 6:30am before I leave to work, so I'm not entirely sure when he decides to eat each day, but I stayed up a bit later on a friday and went to him and he was acting stir crazy. Crawled all over my hand then jumped back down into his cage and sat on his food bowl, crawled around it, and then tried to flip it over. So I threw another pinkie in there and he ate it up right away. I have been reading that perhaps feeding him in the cage is not ideal, but I normally leave it for him when I go to work. (He's normally burrowed when I awake.)
So it seems like he has a good association between his bowl, me, and acting like a nut to get food, but what should I do about that? I don't want him forming habits so young even if I did give in this one time.
Other info:
65gal tank
99-103 bask spot (heat gun keeps giving me different readings, but right around there)
75 cool spot
He is incredibly social, loves to climb onto hands, and seems active and curious. So I'd say right now he seems very healthy, however I have not had him for too long and wanted to check with other owners to see if my feeding habits or handling habits could pose a problem over time. If I need to change something up just let me know!
P.S. I noticed he seems to really get a kick out of knocking stuff over, so when I get him out I set up stacks of pogs (that I have leftover from my childhood) and some toilet paper tubes. He goes around and knocks them over, climbs over them, then lets me set them up and does it again. Anyone else play little games like that with yours?
When I bought my tegu, I was told that it had just lost its green cap. I've had it for about 8 weeks since then, so I guess I could guesstimate it up to the 5 month age? It's about 12 inches, very healthy looking, active and curious.
I'm a bit more curious to their eating habits. Having been a big fan of monitors before obtaining a tegu, I worry that I could be overfeeding him a bit. Right now he seems content eating a pinkie and two blueberries 6 times a week. Sometimes I change it up and feed him a grub as well. With pinkies in his diet though, I have not been feeding him any calcium powder. Should this be something I look into doing?
I've been handling him regularly, right now he's small enough that he seems content to rest on my shoulder while I play a game or read, putting his handling at about 3 hours a day. He's become very friendly and regularly climbs onto my hand if I put it into the cage (unless he is sleeping, basking, or burrowed.)
I normally drop food in his cage at around 6:30am before I leave to work, so I'm not entirely sure when he decides to eat each day, but I stayed up a bit later on a friday and went to him and he was acting stir crazy. Crawled all over my hand then jumped back down into his cage and sat on his food bowl, crawled around it, and then tried to flip it over. So I threw another pinkie in there and he ate it up right away. I have been reading that perhaps feeding him in the cage is not ideal, but I normally leave it for him when I go to work. (He's normally burrowed when I awake.)
So it seems like he has a good association between his bowl, me, and acting like a nut to get food, but what should I do about that? I don't want him forming habits so young even if I did give in this one time.
Other info:
65gal tank
99-103 bask spot (heat gun keeps giving me different readings, but right around there)
75 cool spot
He is incredibly social, loves to climb onto hands, and seems active and curious. So I'd say right now he seems very healthy, however I have not had him for too long and wanted to check with other owners to see if my feeding habits or handling habits could pose a problem over time. If I need to change something up just let me know!
P.S. I noticed he seems to really get a kick out of knocking stuff over, so when I get him out I set up stacks of pogs (that I have leftover from my childhood) and some toilet paper tubes. He goes around and knocks them over, climbs over them, then lets me set them up and does it again. Anyone else play little games like that with yours?
