Should I?

[SnakeCharmr728]

I've had my red girl for 2.5 months now...all her temps are perfect and the entire time she has not wanted to eat for me... She is sleepy but comes out to bask and cruise around every 1-2 days... sometimes every day for a week and then back down to an every 1-2 day pattern... I swear I have tried everything to get her to eat, I have to cutt open a f/t mouse and shove it in her face for her to take it and she will only eat 1 mouse every 2-3 weeks and wont touch ANYTHING else.... She doesnt appear to be losing any weight though.. She has been to the vet when I first got her, everything checked out okay. none of my other gu's have ever hibernated, is this what shes doing - even though she still gets up? Should I just go ahead and turn her lights off?

 

[ReptileGuy]

Definitely seems like she is hibernating. Keep her lights on until she is DEFINITELY hibernating. Also you want her to go down on a empty stomach, so you could start soaking her a lot to speed up any digestion still going on. Once she is in hibernation she might come up every once in a while to get water but some don't.

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

She has not ate in over 3 weeks now... and its been like this for over 2 months so I dont know if keeping her lights on will make her eventually go down?

 

[james.w]

If she seems healthy and isn't losing any weight, I wouldn't change anything.

 

[laurarfl]

I cut the light cycle back gradually. It runs 12 hrs during the summer, then back down to 10 hrs around Sept and 8 by the end of Oct. I'll even back it down to 6 in Nov. I have some sleepheads, some slow but still awake. I make sure they are completely down for a few weeks before turning off the lights completely. They still see the ambient light and are subject to ambient temps.

 

[BatGirl1]

Niles is doing that too.refusing food.it's been weeks now.comes out now and then to drink then right back in hide.I'm still doing lights cuz sometimes he basks a bit...but pretty soon I'm thinking to stop only because should be empty tummy soon. Glad he's not the only one.my first tegu and first experience with hibernation

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[chitodadon]

Godzilla is still active and eating also in shed

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[Diablo]

Is it possible for them to hibernate in temps around 70-75? I didn't know they had to hibernate in temps around 55-65.

Also sorry for going off topic. I think yours is probably slowing down so you shouldn't be worried for now. If it continues and doesn't stop even after winter then you might have a problem I'd say.

 

[james.w]

Yes it is possible for them to hibernate in normal temps. At one time I had two tegus in the same enclosure, one went down and the other didn't. I didn't change the light cycle or anything and there were no problems.

 

[Odonata]

Since there are so many threads on this topic I will pose this question here as it seems to fit.

My tegu Shadow which I obtained in late July as a baby grew fast and ate like crazy for several months. Shadow reached a length of around 24 inches and then changed his eating habits and behavior. For a couple of weeks he would only eat every other day and then only a reduced amount of food. He was also out less, coming out of his burrow only every other day. Now he has been down for a week and there is no sign of activity. I was planning on reducing the heat in the enclosure initially by turning off the basking lights. There is a CHE on a temp control that maintains the minimum temp which I was going to leave on for now.

The question is - I am assuming that the important temperature is that of the substrate surrounding the tegu as opposed to the temperature of the air volume in the enclosure? Given that the house temperature fluctuates during the day due to the settings I have on the heating system I am guessing that despite the CHE the area he is burrowed in which is about 12 inches deep beneath a thick paving slab is considerably cooler. I can put a temperature probe down into the substrate, what would be the range I should take the temperature down to and maintain? The house goes down to about 62 but not a lot less.

 

[laurarfl]

I live in FL and they hibernate at those temps.

 

[BatGirl1]

Question on these lines.today niles came out to bask.I held him a bit(sleepy laying on my chest). Then put back, misted, etc. But did not offer food because I figured at this point since has been refusing all food for weeks he seems to be in process of emptying tummy for hibernation.he is out basking again now and just wondering if i should just stop offering food altogether now and is it bad that I handle him briefly when he does come out to bask? Any other comments or advice welcome as well...

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[Odonata]

I live in FL and they hibernate at those temps.

Thanks for the info!

So I think you are saying that I could turn off the CHE as well and just allow the entire enclosure to sit at the house temperature and he will be fine. I could always adjust the thermostat for the CHE as a backup in case the house central heating fails, and just put it at the lowest setting of my house system which would be 62 degrees. I am maintaining the humidity in the enclosure which is on a humidistat so essentially there is little to do now aside from monitor the systems.

 

[TeguBlake]

Lol i have one that only comes out for 4 hours and i have one that comes out for 10 hours i cant realychange anything if i want the non sleepyone to stay healthy.... i just turn one the heat lamp around an hour befor she goes down and i keep her 24" full spectrum light on till i notice she has crawled down.