New Red Gu!

[Justin_Navarro]

Hey guys, so as some of you may know, i recently had to return a small baby Red Tegu due to an issue with her leg.
I got my refund and decided to spend it elsewhere, i recently received the new baby Red, which was sold as a Chacoan/Paraguayan Red, but it doesn't make much of a difference to me as red is my favorite color regardless. Anyway so when i first got a glimpse of her i realized how much bigger she was than expected.. Especially compared to the previous one i returned, who only looked to be around a month old. This one seems to be at least 7-8 + months, like my first Chacoan. However it seems like she did not brumate as mine did. So the size difference is quite large.

Now my original plan was to eventually keep them together, but due to their sizes and her being a newcomer, i'm reluctant to try anything permanent. I did have them meet today in an large empty bin however, as it was 70 degrees outside and the UV rays were shining. They didn't fight, or even seem stressed (no raised backs or shaky tails), but my Chacoan definitely seemed wary of her. It didn't help when the Red decided to walk over him a few times, not aggressively but just, kinda casually(?) and he would immediately move away.

I also know it hasn't been long enough for the Red to acclimate and get used to me, let alone a second Tegu. But to be honest, she seems like the one who doesn't mind the Chacoan. I'm sure if i do the bathtub method a few times they'll get used to each other but again, due to her size i wouldn't want to risk her shredding the small one because she thinks he's food.

One question i have though, is if i were to have them together, would i need to move all the rocks around to new locations due to territorial concerns beforehand?

View attachment 14596

 

[Justin_Navarro]

Here's a better example of the size difference

 

[Justin_Navarro]

So she has some stuck shed about 50% up her tail, you can see it in the pic above. I've bought a repti-fogger that works wonders, but it doesn't seem to be helping her shed. I don't even think she knows it's on there. Normally i'd do the warm bath/olive oil combo and remove it myself, but ever since she's been exposed to the heat lamps she's livened up (which i'm okay with since i'd rather a lively tegu than a lethargic one.), however it's to the point where she's hissy and quick to run. If she's going through her puberty stage i wouldn't know it, since my male has yet to go through it.

I've been letting her relax in her enclosure the past 3-4 days but i'm nervous that tail shed could potentially be an issue going forward if she doesn't calm down enough for me to help her.

 

[rantology]

My dude has had one or two sheds now where the body comes off first and the tail shed will come off a couple days later (1-3) - Keep the humidity very high (80-90%). You can also put a little bit of fish oil in her food, but especially vitamin B complex. Check out rose city reptile's video on it. 20-30 minute soaks can help too (dont leave them unsupervised in water though).

 

[Justin_Navarro]

My dude has had one or two sheds now where the body comes off first and the tail shed will come off a couple days later (1-3) - Keep the humidity very high (80-90%). You can also put a little bit of fish oil in her food, but especially vitamin B complex. Check out rose city reptile's video on it. 20-30 minute soaks can help too (dont leave them unsupervised in water though).

Okay great thanks, i'll keep the humidity on high. I'd give her a soak but she doesn't trust me yet it seems, i keep approaching her like i did my Chacoan i got back in July, but i keep forgetting he was like a month or 2 old at the time, she's easily 7-8 months i feel like. So it may be a longer process.

Now as far as how long i should keep the fogger on, i don't have a timer or a humidity gauge yet and i don't want her catching a respiratory infection, how long would you recommend i leave it on for?

 

[rantology]

Now as far as how long i should keep the fogger on, i don't have a timer or a humidity gauge yet and i don't want her catching a respiratory infection, how long would you recommend i leave it on for?

That I can't answer for you without knowing more factors. How low is your room/local humidity usually? If you can find some kind of timer and have it turn on briefly a couple of times a day that would be optimal. But it depends on how fast the tank is drying out.

 

[Justin_Navarro]

That I can't answer for you without knowing more factors. How low is your room/local humidity usually? If you can find some kind of timer and have it turn on briefly a couple of times a day that would be optimal. But it depends on how fast the tank is drying out.

Humidity tends to stay pretty high in my room, around 60s, but since it's been getting warmer outside the tanks have been drying out quicker. Although that could be because of the 115+ degree floodlight i have in there.

I really like the look of the fog so i tend to keep it on for a solid 20 minutes, then off for half an hour, normally on medium, then back on. But i'm new to the whole humidifier thing so i could be doing it wrong.

 

[Godzilla Earth]

maybe try putting a large water bowel and see if she soaks herself

 

[Justin_Navarro]

maybe try putting a large water bowel and see if she soaks herself

So she let me hold her for a brief moment 2 days ago, i managed to give her a nice lukewarm bath that got rid of some of her shed, along with my other tegu.

They both seemed fond of eachother. I let them back into the enclosure together, and the first thing they did was bask on top of one another. They did that for most of the day, then after that they slept snuggled with eachother. 2 days have went by and they're still essentially inseparable. (Even though my BnW is puppy dog tame with me, and the Red still hisses/tail whips me here and there..). She lets me pet her sometimes and other times she blatantly walks the opposite way of me. Don't know if she's going through puberty, or if she didn't have a good (or any) experience with humans before.

She likes him way more than she likes me, that's for sure lol.. but do i still have to worry they're going to attack eachother? They've shown absolutely 0 signs of aggression toward eachother.

 

[Godzilla Earth]

aww, their soo cute together