Need correct info on tegus

[Gandolf38]

Please help!! I am new to this forum, and forums in general. I've had reptiles off & on for 20 years, but never a tegu. I've never had any close friends with tegus. The pet store I used to work at doesn't know much about tegus. I bought mine 8 months ago, and bought a book that was mainly about monitors, but had a small tegu section. I've done some research, and thought I had most of the info I needed. Now I've come here, and from glancing over some of the topics and seeing some of the credentials of the forum members...I need to make sure I am on the right track with my colombian black & white tegu, Gabriel.
1. What is the correct temp for the cool & hot sides of the cage? I've heard so many different things; mine stays at about 75 on the cool side and 85-90 on the warmer side; give or take a few degrees. I let it drop at night to about 70 on the cool side.
2. I have heard that they need around 60% humidity; now I'm reading they need higher.
3. I have always cooked any food I give to him; except the mice, of course. Am I not supposed to be cooking ground turkey or beef; only the eggs?
4. I know they are supposed to be diurnal, but he stays buried most of the day. Is that normal for some tegus?
5. He has gone on a fast from mice--what do I do about this? The only things he's been eating have been eggs, ground turkey, pieces of steak, cat &/or dog food (cod, rabbit, quail formulas).
6. How can I tegu-proof my house so he can walk around without me worrying? I know people who have monitors and iguanas that do that, but they don't burrow like tegus do.

I know this is A LOT, but I'm realizing I've gotten 95% of my info from people who know monitors, not tegus. It is difficult finding literature on them, also.
Any helpful advise, at all, no matter how small, would be appreciated. I love my pet more than I can even say, and I want only the best for him.[/color][/font]

 

[Strange_Evil]

I'm no tegu expert but i think i could be of some help here.

First thing is your enclosure looks way too small,he should be able to make a full turn without his tail or head hitting either side of the enclosure,he should be in at least a 6x3x3 or bigger enclosure right now.

The temps should be kept around 100-110f at the basking site,80-85f cool side and a night time drop of 70-75f i believe. 60%-70% humidity is good.

You should not cook any food you give him but the eggs, the ground turkey,beef and all other meats should be feed to your tegu raw and calcium supplemented. Also stay away from dog and cat food,i read it is not the best for tegu's to eat,although some people do it,its not the best thing to have in there diet.

As for him sleeping all day,not too sure. It could be brumation still or your temps are wrong,but they usually are active around this time.

A lot of your questions are answered here in this care sheet in good detail,so give this a read,
http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7712

Some of the questions i think someone with actual tegu experience should and can answer,i only have done care research and i'm still learning myself. So i am sure the others will add on in good detail or correct me.

 

[Gandolf38]

I'm no tegu expert but i think i could be of some help here.

First thing is your enclosure looks way too small,he should be able to make a full turn without his tail or head hitting either side of the enclosure,he should be in at least a 6x3x3 or bigger enclosure right now.

The temps should be kept around 100-110f at the basking site,80-85f cool side and a night time drop of 70-75f i believe. 60%-70% humidity is good.

You should not cook any food you give him but the eggs, the ground turkey,beef and all other meats should be feed to your tegu raw and calcium supplemented. Also stay away from dog and cat food,i read it is not the best for tegu's to eat,although some people do it,its not the best thing to have in there diet.

As for him sleeping all day,not too sure. It could be brumation still or your temps are wrong,but they usually are active around this time.

A lot of your questions are answered here in this care sheet in good detail,so give this a read,
http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7712

Some of the questions i think someone with actual tegu experience should and can answer,i only have done care research and i'm still learning myself. So i am sure the others will add on in good detail or correct me.

That is very helpful so far! The picture, actually, is of his previous enclosure. He is in a 100gal aquarium now, which I know will only last a little longer. I appreciate the quick response, as it answers some of my immediate questions and will affect what I feed him tomorrow!

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Hi Gandolf,.. Welcome to the site, thanks for ]coming and Congratulations on the new Gu .

I could be wrong but judging from that pic your he looks like a she. Colombians are small compared to other tegus but they still show some jowls. Does it have or can you feel spurs or buttons on either side of the cloaca?

Your temps seem fine but what's the readings under the basking light? It's just about spring time so they're starting to come around and be more active. Colombians don't hibernate but they do brumate which is to sleep for a few days or week at a time. But they continue to come out, bask and eat just not as much.

Like previously state all meals should be fed raw except for eggs. But even with eggs I leave them runny and only nuke in the microwave for about 30 seconds but that's just me.

When your tegu's being picky try feeding a variety of smaller meals more often. When you want to through in something new try not feeding it for a few days. Then add the new food with less of the old food. Feeding smaller meals more often will not hurt them. The idea is to keep them a little hungry so that they're more willing to try different foods. In the wild they don't always have the comfort zone of being picky since their food isn't brought to them on a regular basis. Which may be something your tegu needs to learn.

As for tegu proofing your house,.. block off any areas you don't want your tegu to go. Check under cabinets and around appliances for openings. Especially under floor cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. At that size if your tegu can get his head through the whole then the rest will fit especially on an empty stomach. My tegu Dino taught me that one,.. so when in doubt just block it off and or cover it.

I hope this helps and post more pics when you get a chance .

 

[Rhetoric]

That care sheet should help a lot. I do all my foods raw except for eggs. Humidity is kind of a weird one. I was a bit worried at first because sometimes it is a little hard to keep it that high. Some people suggested having a large water dish for soaking (I've been using a giant litter pan) or making humid hides. If you've had it this long and there havent been any health problems you've been doing a great job. I'm glad you're on here asking for more info. Welcome to the site! Again, check out that care sheet.

 

[Gandolf38]

Thank you, Bubblz Calhoun & rhetoricx...I did check out the care sheet, and it is very helpful. I will try to post more pics; I need to take some updated ones!! I haven't checked for spurs or buttons yet; I'll have to do that, I've been calling my pet a "him", and I guess Gabriel could be a "her"...As far as "outside the cage" humidity, he probably gets enough, because he takes a bath almost every day in his large sterilite tub that sits in the bathtub. Sometimes he only stays in for about 15min, but if he is shedding, he can stay in there a couple hours. I just constantly check the water temp. I only have a drinking-sized dish in his cage, so it doesn't take up too much room. And, since he has the choice daily, as long as he comes out of his hide sometime during the day while I'm home, to soak in his tub for as long as he wants. On the subject of tegu-proofing the house again...another worry of mine is that he will ingest some kind of cleaning stuff while he's running his tongue along the floor or walls...any thoughts about that?

---

Hi Gandolf,.. Welcome to the site, thanks for ]coming and Congratulations on the new Gu .

I could be wrong but judging from that pic your he looks like a she. Colombians are small compared to other tegus but they still show some jowls. Does it have or can you feel spurs or buttons on either side of the cloaca?

Your temps seem fine but what's the readings under the basking light? It's just about spring time so they're starting to come around and be more active. Colombians don't hibernate but they do brumate which is to sleep for a few days or week at a time. But they continue to come out, bask and eat just not as much.

Like previously state all meals should be fed raw except for eggs. But even with eggs I leave them runny and only nuke in the microwave for about 30 seconds but that's just me.

When your tegu's being picky try feeding a variety of smaller meals more often. When you want to through in something new try not feeding it for a few days. Then add the new food with less of the old food. Feeding smaller meals more often will not hurt them. The idea is to keep them a little hungry so that they're more willing to try different foods. In the wild they don't always have the comfort zone of being picky since their food isn't brought to them on a regular basis. Which may be something your tegu needs to learn.

As for tegu proofing your house,.. block off any areas you don't want your tegu to go. Check under cabinets and around appliances for openings. Especially under floor cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. At that size if your tegu can get his head through the whole then the rest will fit especially on an empty stomach. My tegu Dino taught me that one,.. so when in doubt just block it off and or cover it.

I hope this helps and post more pics when you get a chance .

 

[laurarfl]

AW, what a cutie! I keep my Colombians as above with the temps, I use a MVB for UVB. Sometimes I feed egg raw, sometimes scrambled or boiled. I also feed them papaya, mango, berries, banana. I sprinkle the cage to get the humidity up. It seems that they soak less as adults, unless it gets too hot. It is common for them to hide more than Argentines. I keep enough substrate for them to bury completely. But they come out and bask for 4-6 hrs per day.

Humidity is one of those tricky things...it may not cause immediate problems, but can lead to dehydration and chronic kidney issue. There are a lot of tropical and sub-tropical reptiles like Burmese pythons and green iguanas that end up with kidney damage from being kept with low humidity. I have one of those Burms that was a rescue of sorts and kept in low humidity for most of his life. Tegus are relatively new to the pet trade and I don't think they have been around long enough to see the whole spectrum of captive care, if that makes sense. They have a life span of 16-20 yrs, but not many people have kept one for that long. There's not much research done with tegus, so the info shared about care and diet is common knowledge and trial and error. We are all pretty much gathering information and tweaking it as we go along.

 

[Gandolf38]

Makes sense, laura, so you have a Colombian too? Mine never stays out forthat many hours at one time, but he will come out sometimes more than once to bask...I guess a lot of the time when he's awake I have him out...well, at least 1 hour a day; it depends on him. He's been out as long as 4 hours before, but that's not normal. If I'm gone while he is out basking, then I don't take him out...I NEVER dig him out of the bark or his hide unless I have to...I've had problems with him eating his bark lately-I have always used Repti Bark, and now have coconut bark mixed in. He poops it out, but I still worry. In the whole time I've had him, he's always been fed in an empty cage with newspaper, so he's not used to food even being in his cage. I use a vitamin supplement, but he has been on a mice fast so I'm wondering if that is why.
Does anyone else think he looks like a girl? I always attributed his smaller size and lack of jowls to his being a Colombian.

 

[laurarfl]

I have an adult M/F pair of Colombians. I've had my F since 2006 and got her when she was a crazy 6months old. She's a bit flighty, but both are tame. My M I got as an adult and he came to me very, very tame. He is better than some Argentines. I was thinking that yours looked like a girl. I'm not the best at telling gender, so I wasn't going to say anything.

I use Cypress mulch for bedding. As long as I don't feed in the cage, I don't have problems with them eating substrate. I've heard that eating substrate can be a need for fiber in the diet. I feed fruit to all my tegus, and my Colombians eat it, too. I just offer them a lot of different things whenever I feed them. They can get picky and attached to one food.

---

here are some pictures:

Oreo (sitting on my daughter's head)

Chester

 

[Gandolf38]

Oh, laurafl, they are beautiful!! I guess mine could very well
Be a girl. That makes sense about fiber, I've tried all kinds of fruits, tho, and he doesn't seem to want them. I'll just keep trying diff kinds. Love the pics of yours!

 

[laurarfl]

Thanks! Different people have different opinions and results with regards to fruit. Mine didn't eat it as youngsters (the Colombian) but liked it more as she grew. Since I feed it to my Argentines, it was easy to offer it to them too.

 

[Gandolf38]

I've started calling her Gabrielle now, but it is hard to get used to!
Do your colombians like to be petted?

 

[laurarfl]

Oreo likes to be petted behind the ear near her shoulder. She leans into your hand and leans over. Chester doesn't like his head petted much but likes his back rubbed.