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New owner of a Red Tegu

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
Hello everyone,

So before you read on. I realized now that I typed a lot. But please know your time and knowledge is very much appreciated. We're very excited about our new baby.

Over the weekend my girlfriend and I went into a popular reptile shop in our area and fell in love with a Red Tegu. After much research, we learned how incredible these guys are and made the purchase. We named him Charlie. He was a little scared at first, very active... But quickly got used to us in conversation and took a nap on my girlfriend.

So... I've found many sites with lots of information, with them all saying the similar things. However, I thought I'd come on here and ask for information. Below I will type everything I know so far, and I completely open for corrections. We pick him up this coming Saturday, we both want to be sure to love him and ensure he has a great life!


What I know so far... And please, suggestions are very much welcome. The goal is to treat our baby the best way possible!

- Cage must be twice his length in length, and just as wide as he is long. So eventually we will work into an 8ft x 4ft x 4ft environment. For now it will be half that 4ft x 2ft x 2ft

- We'll be using the suggested substrate that they use with the shop's Tegus. It is semi-absorbent without being dangerous to the lizard.

- They eat a wide variety of food... Fruits, vegetables, and proteins. I used to be an owner of rats and mice, so I really don't want to them to him. But we will do crickets, ground turkey (will mix cod liver oil in as suggested, tablespoon to a lb of meat), gizzards, eggs (hard-boiled or scrambled), fresh fish, grapes, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, melons, tomatoes, and bananas (but only every once a few weeks)... I haven't seen anything about feeding them citrus, so I'm guessing this is a bad idea? I figured I'd stay away from it.

- His food must be supplemented with calcium.

- A water bowl should be provided... Preferably big enough for him to submerge itself. If it is not, then we must take him to the tub for two times a week for 15 min soaks.

- UVB is extremely important... Basking side should be above 100°, but not to meet or exceed 110°. Cool side should be 70s.

- Other than basking, there should be a hide or hides for him.

- Humidity... I have read many articles ranging from 60-70% up towards a range of 80-90%. What is accurate or correct?

- Tons of love necessary.. Holding, talking to him, etc.

What I'm unclear on is how much calcium is necessary? I.e. tablespoon a day, teaspoon, etc. Also, I can't find the article that I read, but I remember reading you want calcium without D3 and Phosphorus, is that correct?

The humidity thing... I read many ranges...

I also read full spectrum lighting is important... UVA and UVB?

And... I think that's all I got for now. I hope I didn't forget anything. I am constantly reading and learning... I am very excited and can't wait 'til he's older and comfortable, take him for walks and so on.


Anyhow I am happy to be a part of the community, I look forward to your responses.


- Charlie's Mom and Dad






Oh also, I learned about feeding.

I will not be feeding him in his cage. There will be a designated feeding area where the food will already be waiting. I will not have food in my hands around him.

Thought I'd drop that in.

Also I thought I'd mention, I found the care sheet from owner of Varnyard Herps. Awesome!
 

TeguBuzz

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http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=8526#axzz1fBz0TmQl

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=6452#axzz1Q497VwII

That should help.
 

Bubblz Calhoun

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Congratulations on the new addition :) we'd love to see pics when he finally arrives. The links posted are a great place to start with lots of need to know info and you came to the right place.

The thing that stands out to me the most is your reluctance to feed whole prey like rats or mice, there are others they eat as well. Whole prey other than insects are a part of their diet, it doesn't have to be a big part but shouldn't be omitted all together either. They get vitamins and nutrients from whole prey that they wouldn't get or less than they would get from insects.

Reds seem to have more shedding issues than any other tegu and I'm sure diet not just humidity plays a huge part in that. On top of that tegus grow fast and calcium deficiencies can be a huge issue because of it. With out whole prey you will need more calcium in their diet along with a variety of organs and fruit with their meat. Some tegus don't take to insects right away, the same goes for other foods. But they also tend to out grow them, they're no longer interested in the same thing or eat as much even though they may require more. So at some point that will have to change as well.

It's something to think about, whole prey is a all in one meal. Just about everything they need in one package.

Other than that humidity requirements are different for each depending on what you feed and what works for your tegu. But I keep mine low around the 60% range and bump it up to about 80% before and during a shed.

The basking temps you posted are the basics but some do like it to be a little warmer. Platforms with levels work great for them to be able to pick and chose different temps when they want and need it.

Other than that Kudos for doing your homework and like I said before you came to the right place. There's lots of knowledgeable and experienced people here willing to help.
 

got10

Member
Messages
603
Im not sure where you are located .But, I sometimes go to the live animal market and purchase for around 10 cent a pound ,the innards from the poultry and rabbitsfrom the daily sales. Freeze them into 1 lb blocks with chicken necks heads and feet from the rabbits to provide calcium from the bones ,to use for my tegus every once in a while . I got the idea from reading about Bert Langerwulf's method of feeding his tegus and big lizards from discarded carcasses from the local chicken and turkey farms. I figure if its good enough for the Grand daddy of the lizard industry , then its good enough for me too.
I will never ever try to give the whole carcass again . I tried that feeding method in the tub. It looked like a crime scene in there.
 

txrepgirl

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
632
Hi CharliesMomnDad. Welcome to TeguTalk and congrats on getting Charlie. I'm sure you will be very happy with them. They are amazing lizards. It's so nice to see that you did your research first before getting him. I do recommend feeding some frozen/thawed rodents ( mice, rats, quails, chicks ) so he will get the natural calcium from the bones. I would stick with the 70% humidity. If it's to high he could get a respiratory infection ( link below ). It's also importabt to stir up the mulch every other day so the water doesn't sit on the buttom. I also recommend getting a basking light that is all in one ( like the one in the link below ). Hope we will get to see some photos of him :) .

Respiratory infection info:

http://www.anapsid.org/rti.html

Lighting :

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=109&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=3

Feeder rodenets ( frozen ;) ) :

http://www.rodentpro.com/

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_01.asp
 

Khoilie

New Member
Messages
76
Mercury Vapor bulbs changed my life.
lol seriously. I played around with so many different lighting setups... regular daytime basking bulbs, infrared + coil fluorescent, Infrared + tube fluorescent, etc.
I finally sucked it up and grabbed a Solar Glo mercury-vapor bulb and literally overnight my Tegu changed. Everything about him improved over night. His apatite increased dramatically, his attitude & temper improved, he basks 10x more, he's awake alot longer and is way more active thru the day and sleeps right thru the night until his light comes back on.
I HIGHLY recommend them. I should be a sales rep for one of these companys lol
 

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
You guys are awesome!!! Two days!! We are so excited.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post. There will be pictures!! :) :)


-Will, Charlie's Dad

Hey guys! This is April, Charlie's mom! I just read through all the replies and wanted to say thank you all so much! You've all been so helpful! I've wanted an exotic pet for sooo long and in two days Will and I will be bringing him home! Thanks again everyone! We'll get pics up as soon as we can :p
 

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
Just uploading a pic from my phone guys. Here is Charlie's home... 4x2x2 :) 95 on the hot side and 70s on the right. Humidity fluctuates between 60% - 70%. He's been eating between 15 - 23 crickets a day with little bite sized pieces of fish. He's a happy camper.

Well I tried to load another pic of him soaking... If it doesn't work, I will post later. More to come!!!
 

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CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
So I just got home. I see the pics uploaded fine. We have a Samsung TL500 which takes great pictures, I hope to get some with that and post.


Again thanks to everyone that helped and provided info. So this is what we got going so far.

- A custom built 4 ft. x 2 ft. x 2 ft. cage with a glass front... However, I believe we may build a whole new one when he starts getting large or expanding this one to 8 ft. x 4 ft. x 4 ft.

- We are using a ton of cypress mulch... there is anywhere from 6 - 10 inches of substrate for him to burrow and dig through :)

- Sphagnum moss is all over as a top substrate (sort of) and provides cover for multiple hides. These are provided by a couple of pieces of wood we bought from the store... I believe driftwood and cork bark.. both tubular with openings. There's also the two fake plants. There is also this big flat stone we setup to bask on and burrow under... I need to find out the temperature of this area, but the thermometer/humidity gauge is pretty much right near it. It is analog, which I have read is notorious for being inaccurate. <strong>Any suggestions?</strong>

- We have day and night bulbs (halogen and infrared). And an 18" long UVB bulb... I can't remember the brand, but it was highly recommended by the owner of the shop. He advised me that it's the strongest on the market. He's been in business for 30+ years and has a massive 5+ foot black and white Tegu. So with the substrate varying in height, Charlie is within 14 - 18 inches of the UVB when underneath it... which so happens to shine right into his favorite hide. He's even closer when on top of the wood.

- Temperature on the hot side varies between 90° - 95°. Cool side is usually in the 70s, although I have seen it jump into the low 80s. Humidity stays between 60%-70%.

- His diet is ever expanding... He has already turned down squash, mustard greens, and cantaloupe. He has eaten fish and crickets (high side being 23 crickets, but with fish he only ate 15). Everything we feed him gets dusted in Repti-Calcium without D3. I feed him based on the information in one of the articles from this site. Massive list, I figure we'll never get bored.

Since getting him Friday, he has already had two 20 minute soaks where he closed his eyes and spread out both times. Hahaha. He has also climbed into his big ol' water dish once as well.

I laid down with him tonight for about 30-45 minutes... and it was awesome. I love this little guy.

Anyhow, thank you all again!
 

laurarfl

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With a young, growing tegu, you really want to watch the UVB. If you are going to use the linear bulb (prob a 10.0), then it needs to be placed 8-10" from the basking site. I know the label says it gives off UVB up to 20 or 24", but the problem is that UVB at that distance is very weak.

I have a red tegu named Charlie as well. ;) He has two B/W tegu friends, and he is sort of stand-offish, so we named after the Candy Mountain Charlie the Unicorn. As in, "Oh great! It's you two again!"
 

laurarfl

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I would go with a mercury vapor bulb. There a few on the market and everything has their favorite. Mine is the PowerSun.

It sounds like you have a fun little friend there. :)
 

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
Hey, thank you for the quick response!

So I could just go pickup a MVB and replace the halogen in theory? It will produce heat and emit UVB? There's no problems with these?

I will go pick one up today if I need to... I could order online, but I'd like to get this soon. So I will be getting the Zoo Med Powersun or the Exo Terra SolarGlo. No issues? From what I researched on the forum, most use these with no issues.

I was told that the bulbs that are built with the purpose of UVB have a minimal amount of UVA. If there is too much UVA, it can be damaging to a reptile (burn, etc).

I don't know if I explained that right. I just don't want to do anything that will hurt him. I appreciate your time and advise, I'll look forward to your response.
 

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
Also.. What's the recommended usage? I have read I can't use a dimmer with it. At night, I guess I'd just unplug it? Then turn on my infrared night time light? Please see previous page for the note I wrote before this... This post will make more sense.
 

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
Messages
23
Really? No night heat. I don't know if I could do that. I'll explain later. I bought a 100 watt Powersun and I am wary it may not be enough. If I don't use night time heat, I could use the halogen bulb I just replaced... I'd be nervous if he'd be warm enough through the night. Does it matter if I use the infrared in conjunction with the Powersun for now?
 

laurarfl

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I don't know what your household temps are right now. My room temps rarely go below 68, but I live in FL. If you need the extra heat, that would be fine. I've never used the red bulbs. I use either a regular bulb for extra day heat or a ceramic heat emitter for nightime heat.
 

CharliesMomnDad

New Member
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23
I am in California. It can get a little too cold at night.. Outside temps have been high 30s/low 40s a couple times. Inside temps were around high 50s/low 60s.

Well so far so good. The only thing that concerns me now is the analog humidity and temp gauge. I think it may be inaccurate. When humidity is on the gauge says 70%, there is condensation on the glass on the cool side.
 

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