HIBERNATION HELP...I DONT WANT TO SCREW THIS UP

[dadasgirl]

I've just ingested the entire Hibernation Forum & still need a little help - my Tegu is avoiding food now and sleeping more and more. In the last 2 weeks he has gone from gobbling down food to ignoring it.

Should I reduce his light times over the next few days - like 8 hours for 3 days then 6 hours for 3 days then 4 hours for 3 days etc etc OR should I turn the lights off now. No light/heat means a temp of 75 degrees BUT how do I know my guy is TRULY set for hibernation mode? Folks say their tegus just stop coming above substrate but my guy gets is still coming up for heat & then disappears again.

My Tegu is a male juve - unsure of the age as we bought him from a swap & the seller couldnt confirm. He is approx 14 inches with tail & doing okay in a cypress bedded enclosure. Humidity and heat are high - we're using the POwer Sun & will order the Mega Ray soon. He voids regularly, and has shed once in our care. His diet is varied - but he is SUPER finicky. He rarely eats crickets 2 days in a row - SO now that September approaches - I dont know what MY next move is. He's curious, agile, and healthy & I dont want to cause him harm due to ignorance or mistake.

 

[JohnMatthew]

I was worried last year but my boy did all the work.. As for the lights, if he's in a room with a window or two just have lights come on after sun-up and go off before sun-down leaving the windows open. That's what I did so I wouldn't have to keep resetting timers. Don't shut the lights out until you're sure he's down for good cause he might need to bask/digest some more before going full hibernation(if he goes full hibernation). If he's still coming up to bask and drink I'd also keep offering food.

 

[rrcoolj]

Yeah you want to makes sure he poops and everything before he goes down. My gu is slowing down too so i will be going through the same thing soon here.

 

[Toby_H]

Like you Dada's Girl, I was very concerened and read eveything I could on hibernation...

Like John Mathew's Tegu... my girl did all the work...

I had her in a fishroom with a constant temp of 80*F and high humidity... Her lights were on from 10 AM to 10 PH which was the same as all my fish...

She slowed down around October... went to sleep in November... I didn't see her until April...

The room remained 80*F and humid, the lights stayed on 12 hours eeryday... once she didn't get up for 10 days or so I turned her light out... I misted her mulch once or twice a week...

I agree with reading everything you can... and doing everything you can to make it go as smooth as possible... but I also encourage you to have confidence that it will be a much smoother experience than you expect it to be