getting a bW argentine in a week

[azz123]

hi new to this getting a black and white next week, so far i have fitted my uvb strip light and also fitted 2 heat lights one for day one for night bit less wattage, is this any good so far, i was gonna use sand as substrate any ideas if this is good will it make tank hot hot and dry. also was gonna put in a few branches up 2 a ledge a hide a water bowl etc, its gonna be about 7 inches long my tegu. my tank is 3foot by 1.5 foot by 1.5 foot i know i will needto go bigger eventualy, any tips guys

 

[TheTeguGurl]

I would advise against using sand, tegus need alot of humidity i would use a cypress mulch or a mix of like soil and peat moss..ANYTHING but pine or cider and sand!

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Welcome to the site and thanks for coming ,.. great advice already given. Take some time to read over the care sheets we have to prepare yourself as much as possible before the new arrival. If you haven't already the link I posted below is a great place to start. When there's something you don't understand feel free to ask.

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7712

 

[Toby_H]

It looks like you would be benefitted by a lot of general reading. There is no limit on how much we can learn abotu these guys. Just keep in mind this is going to be a 10+ lb animal that is going to live for 15+ years provided you do your part right.

Their native environment cools off quite a bit at night so I do not feel any form of "night heat" is really needed. Also, you made a great choice with using lighting as your source of heat. Belly heat, heat rocks, etc are not a good choice with Tegus.

Your cage will be fine at first, but you will definitely need to upgrade very soon. Mine was a cute little 8" guy when I got him... 12 months later he was over 2.5' and weighed over 5 lbs. No matter how much you prepare for and anticipate his growth, you'll be shocked.

 

[azz123]

yeah ive done quite a bit of research, just getting some tips realy, ok so with the lights, wot do i do on a night completely turn it all off???? and do you mean soil from a garden center? if so will i go through this fast, wot temps am i aiming for night/day? thanks for the replys guys

 

[VARNYARD]

yeah ive done quite a bit of research, just getting some tips realy, ok so with the lights, wot do i do on a night completely turn it all off???? and do you mean soil from a garden center? if so will i go through this fast, wot temps am i aiming for night/day? thanks for the replys guys

Who is the breeder? I am getting tons of emails about problems with these imports that are on the market now.

 

[azz123]

its from a shop in portsmouth uk not sure were they get there stock from, i havent bought it yet, i went to see the baby tegu other day and put a deposit down, the shop was gleaming, realy helpful, the tegu looked realy well and active i forgot to ask if it was cb i will ask wen i collect also i am going to watch it feed, i handled it, it was very content being held and stroked.