Hey y'all. First time tegu owner here. I picked up an adult female gold tegu from repticon last saturday and I have got my terrarium set up how I want it in a way that she seems ok with but I just wanted to post up the details of my setup and feeding methods and see what veteran owners have to say and maybe give some pointers if necessary.
Terrarium: 48x14x18 I think? It's a 75 gallon.
Substrate: one bag Cypress mulch, two bags eco earth, is about 4-5 inches deep, enough for her to submerge completely
Lighting: reptisun 5.0 uvb on cool side left on for 12 hour cycles, I can't find the box for basking bulb but it's a white 150w heat bulb I leave on 24/7. Heating in basking area is about 90-100 depending if I have ac on in my apartment or not. Towels on top of the cage covering entire surface except hole for heat lamp to shine through so the light is only on in a small part of cage when uvb light is off which I presume would be enough darkness during night time cycle. She doesn't seem to have a problem sleeping in dark side of cage and doesn't seem to be cold either so I think she's okay, I have not checked temp on cool side.
Humidity:reptifogger running tube througu screen in the top, maintain a pretty constant 60-70% humidity in the cage and no problems with shedding, once again I use towels on top of cage to trap heat and humidity inside the cage.
Water/supplements: have been using exoterra calcium+d3 powder in her drinking water.
Have had her about a week now, I believe she is a rescue animal and noticed a few missing claws as she was out and about
(the seller stated they keep rescue animals so I assume that is what she is) was told she is 3 years old.
I have fed her one mouse each day for the past two days which was the first times I was able to get her to eat. She seems like she has potential to be a sweet pet and isn't too hissy or bitey when I have needed to handle her. Obviously is used to human contact. Any feedback on my setup or methods would be helpful from experienced owners, I want to have a happy healthy tegu and plan on taking good care of her. Thanks for reading!
Terrarium: 48x14x18 I think? It's a 75 gallon.
Substrate: one bag Cypress mulch, two bags eco earth, is about 4-5 inches deep, enough for her to submerge completely
Lighting: reptisun 5.0 uvb on cool side left on for 12 hour cycles, I can't find the box for basking bulb but it's a white 150w heat bulb I leave on 24/7. Heating in basking area is about 90-100 depending if I have ac on in my apartment or not. Towels on top of the cage covering entire surface except hole for heat lamp to shine through so the light is only on in a small part of cage when uvb light is off which I presume would be enough darkness during night time cycle. She doesn't seem to have a problem sleeping in dark side of cage and doesn't seem to be cold either so I think she's okay, I have not checked temp on cool side.
Humidity:reptifogger running tube througu screen in the top, maintain a pretty constant 60-70% humidity in the cage and no problems with shedding, once again I use towels on top of cage to trap heat and humidity inside the cage.
Water/supplements: have been using exoterra calcium+d3 powder in her drinking water.
Have had her about a week now, I believe she is a rescue animal and noticed a few missing claws as she was out and about
(the seller stated they keep rescue animals so I assume that is what she is) was told she is 3 years old.I have fed her one mouse each day for the past two days which was the first times I was able to get her to eat. She seems like she has potential to be a sweet pet and isn't too hissy or bitey when I have needed to handle her. Obviously is used to human contact. Any feedback on my setup or methods would be helpful from experienced owners, I want to have a happy healthy tegu and plan on taking good care of her. Thanks for reading!
