New to Tegu Talk - researching on getting a b&w

[alshgs]

So as the title says - I'm new to this forum and my husband and I are in the place where we can now own a tegu. We've wanted one for years but have been holding off until we had the space, which now we do. I've been doing so much research on these guys over the years. And while there is so much information online, I would really like to know if there is something specific that you guys have learned over the years that may contradict online information or may just be added to it. So from what I'm seeing online, they are omnivores, like a high temp basking spot, a himid hide, high humidity, a big cage, ect.

So here are my questions that I have after reasearching:

1) What is the best basking light to achieve the high temp they require? - I use a floodlight for my bearded dragon but I'm not sure what watt would work for the tegu if that would work
2) What is the best substrate mixture? Some say sand and coco coir to achieve the burrows but I wasn't sure if this was correct
3) What is the best way to mist these guys to achieve the high humidity? For my boas - I mist a few times a day. Is this sufficient or am I better off buying a misting system? If so, what do you recommend?
4) Cage requirements - I know most say 40 gallon as a baby (which is what this guy would be, should I choose to get him) and then a 90 gallon and then a 6 x 2 or 6 x 4. My question would be would it be better to just go from the 40 gallon to the 6 foot enclosure and bypassing the 90 gallon?
5) What is considered the best humid hide as they grow older? I know they will need a bigger one - I'm assuming the easiest way to do this is to make one since I have yet to see one large enough for a 4 foot lizard
6) Diet - I have seen so many options, both and good and bad, when it comes to the meats. Whats your recommendation?
7) and finally - UVB. I see more contradictory answers on this more than anything else. I have a 10.0 reptisun long bulb for my bearded dragon. What would the correct light and size be for a tegu as they grow?

The one I am debating on getting is about a month old. I have everything to start him off with except the UVB

 

[rantology]

Most of your questions don't have a single "best" answer, but several good options... here's my 2c:

1 - I use two 72watt halogen floodlights (you can get them in 6packs in hardware store), but you need to provide a UVB fixture if you go this route (I have two halogen light domes and a 4ft arcadia dragon UVB T5)... you can also do Mercury Vapor bulbs which are both heat and UVB...many folks are partial to Megaray brand
2 - There's a lot of different options for substrate, coco coir is great. I use a mixture of Coco coir, top soil and cypress mulch in equal parts (you can find big bags of these at hardware stores pretty cheap)... and I also add sphagnum moss, leaf litter and horticultural charcoal... any combination of those is good though, there's no right or wrong answer - it just needs to be able to hold moisture well and resist mold. You'll also need a lot of it! Ideally a good 6-8 inches of substrate so they can cover themselves completely
3 - Whatever works for you! this one is going to be unique to the enclosure you have and your area/ rooms native humidity levels. Automated misting or fogging systems are the most adjustable and reliable but cage type and ventilation control are big factors in being able to sustain high humidity levels.
4 - 6x2 I think is just too small for a tegu... 6x4 would probably be okay for a smaller blue. 8x4x4 is a great standard, the more room you can give them the better - they will really make use of every inch and appreciate it! I would skip the middle enclosure, a 40 gallon for the baby and then start building or order the adult enclosure... they grow VERY quickly and you will get barely any use out of that 90 gallon.
5 - Hides are pretty easy for them and there's tons of things you can use to make one, anything from a dark tub flipped upside down or a fancy faux rock (check out Dekorra 111 or 112 on amazon - these are what I use and they are great!), it just needs to provide a nice little dark hole for them - they will end up covering themselves/ burrowing down inside of it regardless.
6 - there's a huge post here on the forums that is a great reference. The only thing I would add onto it is to check out Reptilinks as another option... they're great and I use them as my staple. Don't forget a good calcium and vitamin supplement too (repashy supercal HyD / herptivite for me!)
7 - Generally depends on the height of your fixtures, I would recommend arcadia brand t5 lights (I use the 4 ft 14% dragon bulb), or mercury vapor bulbs... they need powerful UVB and it needs to cover the whole basking zone, which for an adult can be several feet in diameter! For the baby, the 10.0 reptisun will likely be adequate, just make sure the fixture isn't too far from the surface.. or check for a smaller t5 fixture for more coverage