hibernation

[wyattroa]

Well my girl is only out for about 4 hours maybe a day now. My question is this. She will only take a few bites of ground turkey or 1-2 small mice. She is showing skin folds on her sides now, but the base of her tail is thick.

Im guessing this is just the slowing down stages. Im not overly concerned about the skin folds and the lack of eating since it is about time they go down for winter..or should i be conernced?
robert

 

[rrcoolj]

Sounds like my little guy. He is up from 5-12 about, every day. But he is sleeping more and eating less. He is still a chubby buddy though. He has stopped digging almost completely and has made a burrow that he sleeps in made of dirt and moss. He is not nearly as active either. Sounds like normal pre hibernation buisness to me but this is my first year with my gu and im not 100% sure how this "hibernation" thing works so... I would wait for more help.

 

[kaa]

Awesome, another Illinois person. Mine is coming out less and less, he was out the other day almost all day, he ate a little, sunned himself, dug around, then went to sleep. I haven't seen him since, maybe he is out for a few months. I to am new to the hibernation thing, so I can't give any advice.

 

[wyattroa]

yeah i just checked out mine. Instead of the shirt being up near her basking spot, it is now pulled into her hid blocking off the entrance. So im wondering if that means she is done now for winter.
robert

 

[MIKE-ZILLA]

now pulled into her hid blocking off the entrance. So im wondering if that means she is done now for winter.

sounds normal. I was keeping mine in an outdoor enclosure. she sealed the entrance to her burrow in early september when a mild cold front came through. shes now in the basement in a large trash can filled with cypress. I check on her about every day and she has always been sleeping. except for today she was out just sitting there. her sides were sagging a little but her tail base is real fat.I was woundering if she would make it through the winter because i dont plan on offering her food while she hibernates. i did offer water though but she didn't drink any.last year she went from october to april 15th without food or water, but i allow her to fully hybernate at low temperatures which slows down her metabolism. if you keep your tegu inside with a basking light at warm temps.I think you should continue to offer food in small amounts.

 

[crox]

I would like to know more about hibernation too.

 

[MIKE-ZILLA]

I would like to know more about hibernation too.

the way i understand it is that all tegus at least brumate (slow down) and rest alot during the fall/winter. even if you keep the temps in thier cage very warm and summer -like they will still slow down (exept for columbians who reportedly stay active all year and possibly blues which im not familiar with.) its up to you if you want your tegu to hybernate completely. if so, you must stop feeding and keep the cage warm so that all waste material can be expelled from the gut. but do give water. keep the temps warm for at least a week without feeding. (I think 10-14 days is better) then reduce the temps a few degrees each day until the temp is about 70 degrees. by then you probably wont see your tegu much at all. then if you want you can continue the drop in temperatures. tegus can survive overnight temps in the 40's but its probably better to have them 60-70 degrees.cover the cage and keep them in darkness. leave water in case they wake up thirsty. in the spring you reverse the process by raising the temps slowly. hope this helps. this is what ive done with success with a b&w tegu, texas rat snakes, honduran milk snake, and eastern king snakes.