Cossamaximus
New Member
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- 3
Hello all, my names Timothy and I am a new and very proud owner of my first B&W Tegu, called McGee.
I brought McGee home 9 days ago. I do not have an accurate age for McGee, but the store believed about 4/5 months old.
I had a 6x3x3 vivarium waiting at home, with a deep substrate (of top soil, sand Coco Coir mix 1x1x1), a water bowl, humid hide, a basking platform with a cave beneath etc etc, and although I did my best to set up the vivarium accurately, it did seem a bit baron. And the McGee did seem so small inside.
I introduced the McGee into he/she's new home, I had temps at warm side: 33 - 35c, Cool Side 27 - 29c and the basking surface at around 42c (107f).
Little McGee went off and hid straight away, I saw McGee briefly at one point, as the littlun explored briefly, then went of to sleep somewhere.
The next day, the McGee emerged about 4 hours after lights on, I offered some locust, which the store said they were eating, yet the McGee had zero interest.
McGee did some exploring, and then hid, came out a bit more later on but one thing I noticed was I could not approach the vivarium without McGee darting off to hide.
Day three, and pretty much the same thing, the little McGee emerged around 4 hours after lights on, at which point I left McGee with some turkey mince, butternut squash and carrot mushed all together. At first McGee had not intertest, but I left it in there, and later on some eating took place.
Now this is where things took a turn, I read up about socializing Tegu's early on, and I kept reading on how they should be handled from day one. So I took that as I should just go in there and grab them, which I tried to do, yet McGee ran off and hid, and did so for nearly 24 hours. I worried myself, so spent the following morning searching for McGee, and when found, I put on some gloves and picked McGee up, McGee thrashed about a little, tried to bite me and what not, so I placed McGee in a smaller bulk bucket and removed my gloves, just placed my hand next to McGee. McGee tail whipped me and tried to scale the sides of the tub, I thought enough was enough, and scooped McGee up and placed him back into the vivarium, which now looking at it, may have enforced his actions, but I felt I had stressed McGee out enough.
After this, which I now saw to be negative approach, I decided to read some more into the socializing aspect of Tegu care. I then came to conclusion, McGee is hiding so much because the vivarium is so large. McGee must be feeling vulnerable coming from a smaller vivarium with loads of décor to what I see now as a setup for a 1 year plus Tegu, when obviously they would be much larger. So, I made the decision to set up a smaller temporary home, using more décor, helping with protentional issues of McGee feeling Vulnerable.
At this point I made the decision, as we are a busy household, to put the smaller vivarium in our living room, rather than my bedroom. Help McGee adapt to the level of sounds he will be accustomed to in time, better now, than his first free roam experience. I also made this decision as my partner currently works nights, getting into the bedroom during the main part of the day is an issue, so this for now made more sense.
When introduced to the smaller vivarium it was only the second time I had held McGee since arriving home. I kept it short but McGee remained still in my hands loose grip for a while whilst I stroked it's head, McGee would occasionally close there eyes as I stroked above there brow. Anyway, I put him in the smaller vivarium, McGee had a look around, crawled into the cave, shut the door with dirt, and I haven't seen McGee now for about 4 days. I haven't seen any movement etc, I have supplied water, and food, but nothing has been taken. I have once or twice, poked a hole in the caves dirt door, but within about an hour, McGee has closed it back up.
My approach now, is to leave alone, supply water/food, heat and light, and wait till McGee emerges, and even then, play the hands off game, wait for McGee to show an interest in me, maybe sit there with the glass door open, talking. Then work up to placing hand in etc, until the day McGee comes over and hopefully on to my hand, negating the need for me to pick McGee out again.
My concerns are: McGee not feeding/drinking, me not taking this time to socialise with McGee, as there now at the age where I know socialising is important. I dont want to miss out because there always hiding.
I just hope I've made the right decisions thus far. And regarding the hiding, am I doing it right thing leaving McGee to it?
Thanks all for working your way through this long post. Its really appreciated.
Regards
Timothy
I brought McGee home 9 days ago. I do not have an accurate age for McGee, but the store believed about 4/5 months old.
I had a 6x3x3 vivarium waiting at home, with a deep substrate (of top soil, sand Coco Coir mix 1x1x1), a water bowl, humid hide, a basking platform with a cave beneath etc etc, and although I did my best to set up the vivarium accurately, it did seem a bit baron. And the McGee did seem so small inside.
I introduced the McGee into he/she's new home, I had temps at warm side: 33 - 35c, Cool Side 27 - 29c and the basking surface at around 42c (107f).
Little McGee went off and hid straight away, I saw McGee briefly at one point, as the littlun explored briefly, then went of to sleep somewhere.
The next day, the McGee emerged about 4 hours after lights on, I offered some locust, which the store said they were eating, yet the McGee had zero interest.
McGee did some exploring, and then hid, came out a bit more later on but one thing I noticed was I could not approach the vivarium without McGee darting off to hide.
Day three, and pretty much the same thing, the little McGee emerged around 4 hours after lights on, at which point I left McGee with some turkey mince, butternut squash and carrot mushed all together. At first McGee had not intertest, but I left it in there, and later on some eating took place.
Now this is where things took a turn, I read up about socializing Tegu's early on, and I kept reading on how they should be handled from day one. So I took that as I should just go in there and grab them, which I tried to do, yet McGee ran off and hid, and did so for nearly 24 hours. I worried myself, so spent the following morning searching for McGee, and when found, I put on some gloves and picked McGee up, McGee thrashed about a little, tried to bite me and what not, so I placed McGee in a smaller bulk bucket and removed my gloves, just placed my hand next to McGee. McGee tail whipped me and tried to scale the sides of the tub, I thought enough was enough, and scooped McGee up and placed him back into the vivarium, which now looking at it, may have enforced his actions, but I felt I had stressed McGee out enough.
After this, which I now saw to be negative approach, I decided to read some more into the socializing aspect of Tegu care. I then came to conclusion, McGee is hiding so much because the vivarium is so large. McGee must be feeling vulnerable coming from a smaller vivarium with loads of décor to what I see now as a setup for a 1 year plus Tegu, when obviously they would be much larger. So, I made the decision to set up a smaller temporary home, using more décor, helping with protentional issues of McGee feeling Vulnerable.
At this point I made the decision, as we are a busy household, to put the smaller vivarium in our living room, rather than my bedroom. Help McGee adapt to the level of sounds he will be accustomed to in time, better now, than his first free roam experience. I also made this decision as my partner currently works nights, getting into the bedroom during the main part of the day is an issue, so this for now made more sense.
When introduced to the smaller vivarium it was only the second time I had held McGee since arriving home. I kept it short but McGee remained still in my hands loose grip for a while whilst I stroked it's head, McGee would occasionally close there eyes as I stroked above there brow. Anyway, I put him in the smaller vivarium, McGee had a look around, crawled into the cave, shut the door with dirt, and I haven't seen McGee now for about 4 days. I haven't seen any movement etc, I have supplied water, and food, but nothing has been taken. I have once or twice, poked a hole in the caves dirt door, but within about an hour, McGee has closed it back up.
My approach now, is to leave alone, supply water/food, heat and light, and wait till McGee emerges, and even then, play the hands off game, wait for McGee to show an interest in me, maybe sit there with the glass door open, talking. Then work up to placing hand in etc, until the day McGee comes over and hopefully on to my hand, negating the need for me to pick McGee out again.
My concerns are: McGee not feeding/drinking, me not taking this time to socialise with McGee, as there now at the age where I know socialising is important. I dont want to miss out because there always hiding.
I just hope I've made the right decisions thus far. And regarding the hiding, am I doing it right thing leaving McGee to it?
Thanks all for working your way through this long post. Its really appreciated.
Regards
Timothy