New to Tegus

[Tegubaby123]

Hello all, i have recently just purchased my first tegu he is about 2 months old a columbian black and white tegu and he has two names so far Boy: Rex if a Girl: Sofie it is currently in a 20 gallon tank and i will be working on his tank in 2 or 3 months. ps I need lots of advice!!!!:s

 

[Raicardoso]

Hello all, i have recently just purchased my first tegu he is about 2 months old a columbian black and white tegu and he has two names so far Boy: Rex if a Girl: Sofie it is currently in a 20 gallon tank and i will be working on his tank in 2 or 3 months. ps I need lots of advice!!!!:s

You will need to get rid of that 20 gallon absolutely as soon as possible first of all.

Edit- i feel like my comment can be taken with the mood that i'm trying to be a jerk. But i'm not, i promise .

 

[Jstew]

Get substrate your gu can burrow in mke sure he's got around a 110 basking temp. Provide UVB and make sure you're sprinkling food with calcium. Offer a varied diet as tegus can be creatures of habit. Don't force handling but start small with few minute intervals a day and try subtle tactics to get him accustomed to you such as a t shirt you've worn that smells like you or just sitting outside his cage where he can see you. I've always had success when I feed outside of cage in an empty room and just ignore my gu so they know I'm not am interested predator. Good luck with your new baby!

 

[TeguBuzz]

First off - welcome to Tegu Talk.

I agree with the first post, try and get that 20 gallon replaced with something that doesn't have a screen lid and all glass sides.
Now, tell us what you already know - if you don't mind. You will find lots of care sheets online as well as care tips and info on here. If you'd like the help of others, myself included, you'll need to be a little more specific with what it is you'd like to know! Again, welcome aboard.

Hope to see pics of your gu soon!

 

[Deac77]

what are you needing specifically, what kind of help. I agree the 20 gallon needs to go asap but maybe fill us in on what ya got so far and we can help you out. PS ENJOY THE GU they are awesome animals

 

[Tegubaby123]

i have a 20 gal tank with 4-5 inches of substrate for plenty of digging, i dust the crickets every day i tried feeding mealies (heads cut off) but he only licks them i have not tried veggies or fruit yet because i do not know what kinds are safe the tank has a uvb bulb and a red heat emitter for basking i have been misting the tank atleast 2 times a day and i have been feeding him is his tank for now but if its not too much of a bother can i have a link to a great care sheet because i know little bits and peices but i really want my baby tegu to live a great and healthy life. ps i own a bearded dragon, rose haired tarantula & chinese water dragon

 

[Jstew]

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7712

 

[Tegubaby123]

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7712

Thanks

 

[KritterKeeper]

i have a 20 gal tank with 4-5 inches of substrate for plenty of digging, i dust the crickets every day i tried feeding mealies (heads cut off) but he only licks them i have not tried veggies or fruit yet because i do not know what kinds are safe the tank has a uvb bulb and a red heat emitter for basking i have been misting the tank atleast 2 times a day and i have been feeding him is his tank for now but if its not too much of a bother can i have a link to a great care sheet because i know little bits and peices but i really want my baby tegu to live a great and healthy life. ps i own a bearded dragon, rose haired tarantula & chinese water dragon

I know lots of ppl freak out if you keep them in a glass tank for any amount of time but i kept my columbian in a 20 long for a couple months with the top covered(aside from where the lights were obviously) and my guy has had no problems. Just get the bigger cage ready as quickly as youre able and i think itll be fine. A columbian doesnt grow nearly as fast as an argentine.
I feed mine dif whole ground meats from hare-today.com, fuzzies/hoppers 1x week and i offer dusted crickets/roaches, though hes not always interested in the bugs anymore. Columbians eat a more meat based diet so he may or may not eat the veggies and fruits but u can try.
Good luck and welcome! =)

 

[BatGirl1]

I try to give advice based on first hand knowledge (which I have gleaned from reliable sources on reputable sites as well as the knowledgeable members here)... i started niles (argentine blk and wht) in a 40 gal wide breeder. I wouldn't recommend any smaller than that only because reg fish tanks are very narrow and tall and tegus need that walking/turning space more than height. I had a screen top. So to hold humidity and heat I covered the top with a pillow case right up to my 2 dome lights. In these lights I had a uvb in one, a heat bulb in the other. I had a basking area on the hot side under bulbs. I also had a heat pad (human kind) under the tank on the hot side. In the center of the tank I had a reptifogger hose pointed down through the screen into the tank. Under this I had a water dish. I also had another water dish located on the hot side. These combined kept humidity up well. One note, i found that the reptifogger operated better when i moved it from the floor (had hose going up then down into tank) to positioned on the top corner of screen and hose arched down into tank. For feeding i used ground meat mixture ( turkey, calcium, beef liver, cod liver oil). Niles was 16in and grew to 18 in before hibernation. He slept from oct to march. He was then moved to 6x3x3 foot enclosure. I also vary his meat now. Sometimes beef liver and turkey, chicken. Won't eat rodents for me. But yes, try to "mix it up ". Egg yolk he likes. I would probably venture to say 20 in is a good time to move your columbian to his permanent home. But again, niles is argentine, so... but there is my input when he is bigger, if you have ques about larger enclosure/ideas or instruction i'd be glad to 'try ' to offer input on that as well.