Picking up 2 more tegus Monday!

[Rhetoric]

They're both female argentine b/w's. I'm told these gals are about 2 feet, though they look a bit larger in a few of the pics I've seen. They look great, one of them has a couple missing toes on a front foot from a bad shed but looks great other than that. I'm told they have great temperament.

I went to high school with the guy who has them, they're coming with their enclosure which is like 7-8ft x 5ft x 3ft. Is it alright to keep them housed together? I have no issues putting another enclosure together if need be. They've been housed together their whole lives and have never had any problems. There will be a few hides, a giant soaking dish, there is only one basking spot but its large enough for both of them to get the uvb and heat they need. I can add another basking area but I'm afraid it would make it more difficult to maintain a temp difference for the cooler end. I'll have to see whats up when they get here.

The enclosure was an under bed type, super sturdy. It's got a ramp type thing which leads to a platform for basking. It's got 4x4's and 2x4's, made from plywood. It has huge plexi-glass hinged doors on the front. I think there is another door on one of the sides but I'm not entirely sure, it is glass though. Then on the other side and on the back its got some vents.

Tomorrow I'm going to stop by the guys house and drop off a couple rubbermaid tubs to hold the tegus while he takes their enclosure apart. Monday the pieces will be transported over here and hes going to set it back up for me in the garage. I've added a few pictures of them, tomorrow I'll take some more when I check out the enclosure and the girls.

I really have to say thanks to my dad, hes the one thats going to be paying for all of it lol. It is kind of spur of the moment but at the same time this guy has been offering me the tegus for a few months. I would have gotten them before but I just didn't have the room. I don't have any plans to breed the tegus. Since I'm getting these 2 girls I don't think I'm going to be getting any BP's this summer. I'm really hoping it all works out!


Oh! Name suggestions would be dope too, they need names :[
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[Rhetoric]

i ended up briging 'em home with me. theyre hanging out in a 40g for the night, tomorrow their enclosure will be here. they are so sweet and easy going! not like my male, hes all over the place.

 

[Max713]

I remember watching the build thread for that enclosure over on thetegu.com.
Congrats on the new Gu's!

 

[Rhetoric]

lol yep thats the one. i might make a few changes with the light fixtures. maybe mount a tube style fixture for uvb. do u know if the outdoor carpet type stuff is alright to use or should i replace it

 

[Max713]

lol yep thats the one. i might make a few changes with the light fixtures. maybe mount a tube style fixture for uvb. do u know if the outdoor carpet type stuff is alright to use or should i replace it

Any and every successful keeper will tell you that needs to be changed to a deep, moist substrate. To both support humidity, allow burrowing and thermoregulating. Ideally, an adult Tegu should have a substrate depth twice that of its height...
Outdoor carpet is probably one of the worst substrate actually... next to sand, or bare wood...

 

[Rhetoric]

I've got my male on hemlock mulch. Inside the enclosure on the floor level it had some kind of mulch, I went out and got a fat amount of hemlock mulch. I just wasnt sure if they needed it for the basking platform thing as well or if it would be alright for that little portion.

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If they need it up on that platform thing I can just add a couple inch barrier and put some more mulch into that. My male tegus (the first one i had) enclosure is just one level with lots of branches and rocks and stuff

 

[Max713]

I've got my male on hemlock mulch. Inside the enclosure on the floor level it had some kind of mulch, I went out and got a fat amount of hemlock mulch. I just wasnt sure if they needed it for the basking platform thing as well or if it would be alright for that little portion.

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If they need it up on that platform thing I can just add a couple inch barrier and put some more mulch into that. My male tegus (the first one i had) enclosure is just one level with lots of branches and rocks and stuff

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No, I think you would be fine with a carpeted basking area, the important part is the enclosure floor.

 

[james.w]

I would ditch the carpet. With the humidity it is a breeding ground for mold. Is there a litter dam to keep the mulch in and make it possible for 8-12" of mulch.

 

[Rhetoric]

there is on the floor, if i take out the carpet stuff ill just add a barrier thats a couple in to keep mulch in up there. its being put together right now

 

[hanniebann]

digging the enclosure pic. anyone else have an under the bed enclosure?

 

[Rhetoric]

Alright, so my female tegus have some stunted growth. I knew about it before I made the decision to take them. I was told they were going to be 2 this coming summer. They're both around 2 feet (I'm thinking its a bit small compared to my male but they all grow differently). The guy I got them from provided the proper enclosure and housing aspects but he was only feeding them twice a week.
Are the girls always going to be this small or is there a chance they might get a little larger? I've got a coupon thing to get one of the girls checked out for free at our local herp vet. I haven't been able to schedule an appointment yet but they're both going to go in for a check up.
I don't have an exact weight but they look healthy for the size they are. They're eating fine, no signs of mbd, great temperament. They haven't brumated but they did slow down a little bit this winter.
I knew what I was getting into ahead of time, the guy I got them from was completely honest. The price I paid for the girls and the enclosure was significantly less than it could have been. I feel like I just paid the price for an enclosure and the girls and lights were included.
They're great girls, I'm hoping that I have many many years with them.

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[Rhetoric]

anyone?

 

[Toby_H]

Would it be stunted growth or is it likely to be a slower growth rate for the time being?

There is really no way for us to know... You say they were given all the care needs necessary with the single exception of low volume of food...

"Childhood" and "adolescence" are periods where a whole lot of development takes place. If they were malnurished during these periods it is possible permanent damage/stunting could have been done...

Or they could have just not had enough energy supplied to acheive maximum growth and will indeed reach maximum growth with additional time or with an increased diet...

There really isn't any way for us to know. The best we could do is throw out our best speculation, but in all honesty there is logical reasoning supporting each theory. It's just a matter of "how little food is too little food? before permanent damage is done.


As for the basking spot... as well as the rest of the cage...

What is the wood sealed with? I seal the inside of all of my wooden enclosures with Drylok. It is relatively easy to seal them 100% water tight with Drylok.

My Tegus basking area is simply a raised plywood shelf sealed with (brown) Drylok. It is truly sealed making it impossible for anything to soak in, as well as for the woods natural moisture to escape (preventing warping). The concrete or rock like surface of the Drylok feels normal/natural to the Tegu and also files down his nails. Lastely the brown color absorbs heat...

 

[slideaboot]

They could definitely get bigger. Every tegu grows differently (as you probably know--but your concern is understandable). I wouldn't worry about it at all (what good is it going to do you anyway, ya know?). Even if they stayed at the 2 foot mark, would it be an issue? Sounds like you love your tegus and would love these guys just the same. Hell, maybe you're onto some sorta dwarf tegu thing! A lot of people would find smaller tegus appealing / desireable...

 

[Rhetoric]

I wouldn't mind if they stayed smaller, its kind of cute. I wouldn't have to worry about them outgrowing their enclosure lol. They're bite sized. Last night one of them fell asleep in my sweatshirt, I just put the whole sweatshirt back into the enclosure when I finally went to bed.. When I woke up she was still in it lol.

They've both got check up appointments for tuesday. Again, they appear to be healthy, no odd BM's, no drainage or blockage around the vet, eyes clear, no eating problems, both active. They're just petite.

It is sealed with drylok. I haven't kept anything in custom enclosures for too long yet but do you know if it should be re-done after x-amount of time or should it hold up pretty well?
Thats how these platforms are, they're plywood but they guy put outdoor type carpet over the top of it. I might just rip off the carpet stuff.

 

[slideaboot]

I'm not sure on the drylock biz. Somebody else on here with more experience should know though.