Great Tegu information

[Dana C]

This is a site that has some science based articles in PDF format that are very much worth reading and printing. These go way beyond care sheets with information on climated differences over their range, food items in the wild etc. Be warned however that there are sections about thinning Tegus where they are considered threats to live stock and crops etc.
The first PDF, cites sources of information.

Again this may be more than many will want to know but is based upon, field study, captive rearing etc
http://printfu.org/tupinambis

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As a post script, there seems to be very little documented studies on Tegus. I had to really search for this.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Awesome. I've been looking for more info on wild tegus. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Dana C]

Research based Tegu information, at least in English, is hard to find. Most of what I have seen about care etc. comes from breeders, hobbyists, many of whom just repeat what they have heard from others.
For instance several care sheets say that the optimal temperature should be 80f and the basking temp should be 90+f to 120f. In fact the average high in many places that Tegus thrive is only 81 with lows in the 40's. In Argentina many of the areas that have Tegus, the lows drop to almost freezing. Of course they are hibernating below ground where the temperature remains constant in the low 50's.
Mind you, I am not disputing anyones opinion and I too try to keep my current enclosure on the warm side. However I think that enclosure heat, food etc. can vary much more broadly than one would be led to believe.
I am not an expert and don't claim to be. I do however exhaustivley research animal husbandry for my Tegu's, Tarantulas and snakes.

 

[laurarfl]

Another thing to remember is that the sheet is giving you ambient (air temp) of the region, Basking temps on the ground will be higher. I can use my infrared and get a 115 basking site temp outside on a 85 degree day. If you read the measured temp of the reptile, it is also higher than ambient temperatures.

 

[Rhetoric]

Awesome, thank you for sharing!

 

[Dana C]

Another thing to remember is that the sheet is giving you ambient (air temp) of the region, Basking temps on the ground will be higher. I can use my infrared and get a 115 basking site temp outside on a 85 degree day. If you read the measured temp of the reptile, it is also higher than ambient temperatures.

Where can I find a good temp gun like you have and what am I looking at in terms of cost?

As always, thank you for the feed back.

 

[boyd1955]

Its so true Dana ... I really think tegus are much hardier than people think ... Having been to Argentina I can back you up with temps ... They can be all over the place ... And all in a day )) ... So much of what we hear on the net is just people regurgitating what they have read in other places ... This causes so much neurosis with people thinking they can keep the temps and humidity constant ... The fact is CHILL ... Aim to get the temps around the given levels as much as possible ... Quite frankly if you have a free roaming tegu you know damn well that its the substrate that needs to be kept moist so as not to cause problems with the tegus lungs ... A tegu with a good diet can shed with no problem while free roaming with no controlled humidity and I'm sure many people on here have plenty of experience of this ... Also half of them refuse to bathe unless they are shedding ... Tegus are sometimes difficult ... Often eccentric ... Mostly sunbathing, eating or just plain napping ... But always FAB)

 

[laurarfl]

They are not nearly as expensive as you think. I have a digital probe that I got from Wal-Mart for about $12 that measures temp and humidity. Then I bought an infrared from Pro Exotics for about $25-ish. Here's a link. But I do agree with you about tegus being hardy and I love that article link!

http://www.proexotics.com/store/home.php?cat=248

The ProExotics folks had some trouble with a fire a while back. I don't know if they are up and running, but I believe if the site is up, they are selling.

 

[got10]

Another thing to remember is that the sheet is giving you ambient (air temp) of the region, Basking temps on the ground will be higher. I can use my infrared and get a 115 basking site temp outside on a 85 degree day. If you read the measured temp of the reptile, it is also higher than ambient temperatures.

Where can I find a good temp gun like you have and what am I looking at in terms of cost?

As always, thank you for the feed back.

harbor freight tools has one for 26-27 bucks ' im going to see if they have any left www.harborfreight.com that is the website

 

[laurarfl]

I've also seen them on ebay. I noticed ProExotics had a price increase when I went to get the link. It has been a couple of years since I bought mine.

 

[Rhetoric]

I'm reading this again and I was wondering if this was a blue or if could be the lighting.. You'll have to click the picture, its too big to show up on the forum.

 

[AP27]

Interesting info.
And zoo med also makes a mini temp gun for around $30.

 

[Dana C]

Temp guns can be found on eBay in different configurations and prices. I think I paid $29 for mine with free shipping. They range in price from about $20 to well over $100 for those that can measure very high surface temperatures as well as very low temps.