quick question?

[HorseCaak]

i understand the food bill. as far as the enclosure goes im building that before i get the tegu.

:-D Glad you plan ahead!

I don't know if you stated this already, and I don't like reading so I'll just ask:
Why don't you want your Tegu to hibernate? I know you don't care to breed, but same goes with the majority of Tegu owners here. But why plan not to allow hibernation?

Cheers,
-BLAIR

 

[preston897]

i think it is the fact that i may not get to have any interaction with it for possibly 7 months. but i am starting to accept that. somone on here said if i love them now i will love it even more when i get it weather it hibernates or not. i really enjoy spending time with all of my reptiles. and i think it is just a change for me

 

[mis jaksin]

I definitely wouldn't put a baby Tegu in a large enclosure right away... wait till they get bigger. But when it is time for the larger enclosure, you want it to be ATLEAST 6'x3'. Although that seemed small when we built ours, so we went with 7'x3'...and it would be nice if we had more room than that even!

 

[HorseCaak]

Mine was down for 5 months. I missed her at first, but then I got used to the free time and didn't mind much at all. Then when she came out, it was definitely exciting. But you worry because they won't eat for a week to 10 days. Mine ate around the 10th day and slowly became an eating and growing machine. Good luck with you new future Tegu. Keep up the posting and submit plenty of pictures and videos!

-BLAIR

 

[preston897]

so if the tegu comes out at all during its hibernation at all should i try to feed it?

 

[HorseCaak]

I definitely wouldn't put a baby Tegu in a large enclosure right away... wait till they get bigger. But when it is time for the larger enclosure, you want it to be ATLEAST 6'x3'. Although that seemed small when we built ours, so we went with 7'x3'...and it would be nice if we had more room than that even!

Did you finish your enclosure mis jaksin? I remember seeing pictures of the metal frame and glass. Is that the 7'x3' one? If so, send me a message with the link to the pics (if you have posted them of the finished product)!

-BLAIR

 

[HorseCaak]

so if the tegu comes out at all during its hibernation at all should i try to feed it?

No need to. They may come out randomly during hibernation. Just make sure fresh water is available. If they come out repeatedly, turn the UVB lights on and the heat lights on for a few hours each day (at same time each day). If still coming out, offer food. There are plenty of forum posts on this subject that you will be able to find. When they hibernate, their metabolism slows down immensely and they are in no rush to start eating again. During hibernation, just keep the lights off, keep the temp around 60, and mist every so often to keep the humidity up. Just don't mist too much where the substrate could get moldy. Any other question, check out the hibernation topic forum. *Remember, Tegus are cold blooded, meaning they only heat up from outside sources (such as your heat lamps) and they need this heat to digest their food, so don't offer food when they are cold and hibernating still.

 

[reptastic]

i wouldnt because you run the risk of the tegu going back to sleep with food in its belly and it can rot and kill your tegu. just keep water in the enclosure!

 

[preston897]

what would be the problem with putting my tegu into a large enclosure while it is young?

 

[Toby_H]

what would be the problem with putting my tegu into a large enclosure while it is young?

I put my hatchling straight into a 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure... If I were to get another hatchling I would do it again...

The single downside is that if the Tegu decides to run from you, it will be harder to catch. But in my opinion, if the Tegu is fleeing from me I should not chase it.

 

[brutus13]

I placed both my hatchlings in a 6x2x2 and they did great!