Some simple questions

[SicklySweetSmile]

Typically how large will an Argentine tegu get? And about how long would it take for them to achieve their full growth?

My Arg tegu Jay is almost two years old now, and he doesn't seem to be nearly as large as other, younger tegus.

He's about 36 inches but to me it seems like he's so small compared to other people's tegus. Maybe I'm just bad at judging sizes through pictures, though. xD He's actually unsexed, so maybe he's actually a 'she'?

And how can I adjust him to other foods. He will eat ONLY mice. I need to get him to eat something other than meat, though, because he's having a hard time shedding, especially on the tail and back legs. His whole body is a nice whitish-gray, with his black markings, while the tail and back legs appear a yellowish tinge and are rough to the touch rather than smooth like the rest of his body. He takes a vitamins pill after every meal, and it did the trick for his first difficult shed about half a year ago, but it doesn't appear to be helping him now. He gets regular baths, but I think a quick change in diet is necessary, seeing as the last few centimeters of his poor tail has a rather large bump in it and appears about to fall off, and I'd like him to keep the rest of his tail.

I've tried waiting a few days and then offering fruits and eggs, but he doesn't take them, only rubs his face against the ground to signal he's done eating, as he does when he won't take any more mice.

~Fast answers(at least for the problem with his diet) would be much appreciated.

Also, does anyone know of a good nail-clipper brand that can be used for tegus? Jay's nails are quite long and sharp, making it quite difficult to handle him- he's very active and loves to hang onto my shoulders/chest area while I go about the house so you can see why I'd like them trimmed(I am literally covered in scratches).

 

[tommyboy]

Adult tegus range in size from 3 to 5 feet. At only 2 years old I'm sure yours still has some growing and filling out left to do. Try not to compare yours to others that you may see. They are all going to be different in their own ways. The key is to keep a healthy happy tegu, regardless of it's size.
There are some great threads on this forum regarding proper diets. If you do a search you will definitely find some good info. I also had trouble getting my tegus to eat a varied diet. In the end, if they are hungry enough, they will eat whatever is in front of them. Especially with an older tegu, they usually have enough bulk on them to not eat for many days. Eventually they will give in. What have you tried offering him? After some work mine will eat rodents,ground turkey, chicken, beef, all types of fruits, gizzards, eggs and assorted organs! It took a little work but they will eventually get it! They used to only eat turkey so I started rubbing other foods in the turkey and mixing them with it. They became familiar with the turkey smell and devoured anything in front of them that had a scent of it.
What kind of temps and humidity do you keep him at? A healthy and diverse diet, along with supplements, proper temps and humidity are key to having good sheds.
We would love to see some pictures of him. From the looks of your avatar pic he is pretty amazing! Good luck with everything and just remember to be patient.

 

[SicklySweetSmile]

Adult tegus range in size from 3 to 5 feet. At only 2 years old I'm sure yours still has some growing and filling out left to do. Try not to compare yours to others that you may see. They are all going to be different in their own ways. The key is to keep a healthy happy tegu, regardless of it's size.
There are some great threads on this forum regarding proper diets. If you do a search you will definitely find some good info. I also had trouble getting my tegus to eat a varied diet. In the end, if they are hungry enough, they will eat whatever is in front of them. Especially with an older tegu, they usually have enough bulk on them to not eat for many days. Eventually they will give in. What have you tried offering him? After some work mine will eat rodents,ground turkey, chicken, beef, all types of fruits, gizzards, eggs and assorted organs! It took a little work but they will eventually get it! They used to only eat turkey so I started rubbing other foods in the turkey and mixing them with it. They became familiar with the turkey smell and devoured anything in front of them that had a scent of it.
What kind of temps and humidity do you keep him at? A healthy and diverse diet, along with supplements, proper temps and humidity are key to having good sheds.
We would love to see some pictures of him. From the looks of your avatar pic he is pretty amazing! Good luck with everything and just remember to be patient.

I've tried giving him ground turkey, hard boiled and scrambled eggs, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and some different kinds of fish, but alas he'll sometimes take a berry or two than want nothing more to do with it. I'll look up some diets tomorrow and than try feeding him again in a week or so.
When he achieves a more varied diet, would you advise keeping him on his vitamin pill, or no?

His basking spot is typically around 90-100 degrees F, with his cooler side being in the 80s. Humidity is usually between 70-75 percent. The lights are typically on 12-14 hours a day.
-
I'll take some pictures of him tomorrow when I have time, he is quite pretty; much less black on him than most tegu I've seen, though I absolutely adore his light grayish-white color. <3

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Hi and welcome to the site,.. I'm on the north side of Vegas what part of town are you in?

To answer a few questions, at almost 2yrs old and 36 in you should be able to feel one button (kind of like a pimple) on each side of the cloaca if it's a male. No buttons then it's a female, also if you watch him when he poops mature males will sometimes flash their hemipenes. Either way at that age and length it's usually easy to tell their sex.

As for food if they're not use to having a variety it will take time to teach it what's good to eat. With mine if the fruit's not sweet enough they don't mess with it. So I add a little honey or sugar and let it marinade for a while, haven't had one refuse fruit yet that way. Even if I just drizzle some honey on top of it. How you go about introducing him to new food is up to you. Either by mixing new items with something he already eats or skipping a few meals before offering something new.

Some people don't like to hold out food but as long as their healthy and have good fat reserves it doesn't hurt them. Just teaches them to be more opportunistic like they're suppose to be.

The yellow tinge to his tail is stuck shed, I can't really say much about the bump without see some pics of it. You can try raising his basking temps by 5* and see how he responds to that.

Also what are you using for substrate to help with humidity?

 

[SicklySweetSmile]

Hi and welcome to the site,.. I'm on the north side of Vegas what part of town are you in?

To answer a few questions, at almost 2yrs old and 36 in you should be able to feel one button (kind of like a pimple) on each side of the cloaca if it's a male. No buttons then it's a female, also if you watch him when he poops mature males will sometimes flash their hemipenes. Either way at that age and length it's usually easy to tell their sex.

As for food if they're not use to having a variety it will take time to teach it what's good to eat. With mine if the fruit's not sweet enough they don't mess with it. So I add a little honey or sugar and let it marinade for a while, haven't had one refuse fruit yet that way. Even if I just drizzle some honey on top of it. How you go about introducing him to new food is up to you. Either by mixing new items with something he already eats or skipping a few meals before offering something new.

Some people don't like to hold out food but as long as their healthy and have good fat reserves it doesn't hurt them. Just teaches them to be more opportunistic like they're suppose to be.

The yellow tinge to his tail is stuck shed, I can't really say much about the bump without see some pics of it. You can try raising his basking temps by 5* and see how he responds to that.

Also what are you using for substrate to help with humidity?

I live on the North side of Las Vegas as well, just off Aliante.

And now down to business. After doing as you suggested to tell his sex, I do believe my tegu is actually female. It's gonna be strange calling her a she since for two years I thought she was male.

As for feeding, I'm going to wait for a week before offering him fruits and veggies. At the same time I'll also try drizzling them in a bit of honey.

Her substrate is cypress.

Today when I took her outside I took a few pictures of her, two of her tail bump:
[attachment=4332]
[attachment=4333]
[attachment=4328] Her and my dog, Casey.
[attachment=4329]
[attachment=4330]
[attachment=4331]

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

In that case I'm not too far from you, off of Washburn. I picked up a 4yr old male last year that the previous owner thought was a female,.. it happens.

She's a pretty Blue female, may end up losing the tip of her tail but it won't affect anything. But unless the shedding issue is fixed it will continue to be an issue, she may lose more of her tail or even some toes.

After giving her a soak you can try ringing her tail with a damp cloth to help loosen and remove some of the shed. Wrap it around the base of her tail and use your hand to twist it back and fourth. Keep it snug as you get down to the base of the tail use your fingers. Of course be careful once you get down to the tip. Some may even just remove it themselves but I would try and remove what shed I could from that as well just in case. If she still has any feeling there it would make it a little more comfortable. Their tail is usually the last and hardest part of a shed.

How much substrate do you have in her enclosure is it enough for her to burrow under?

 

[SicklySweetSmile]

In that case I'm not too far from you, off of Washburn. I picked up a 4yr old male last year that the previous owner thought was a female,.. it happens.

She's a pretty Blue female, may end up losing the tip of her tail but it won't affect anything. But unless the shedding issue is fixed it will continue to be an issue, she may lose more of her tail or even some toes.

After giving her a soak you can try ringing her tail with a damp cloth to help loosen and remove some of the shed. Wrap it around the base of her tail and use your hand to twist it back and fourth. Keep it snug as you get down to the base of the tail use your fingers. Of course be careful once you get down to the tip. Some may even just remove it themselves but I would try and remove what shed I could from that as well just in case. If she still has any feeling there it would make it a little more comfortable. Their tail is usually the last and hardest part of a shed.

How much substrate do you have in her enclosure is it enough for her to burrow under?

Alrighty, from now on after her baths I'll do as you suggest and let you know if there's any improvement in the coming weeks. The stuck shed on her legs is only on the backs, but I'll watch out for sheds stuck on her toes; the rest of her shed comes off nice and easy in only a few pieces, so that's good.

She's in about four or five inches of substrate at the least, along with larger mounds(about six or seven inches) she's created herself. She can typically burrow 100% in the substrate at any part of the enclosure.

 

[laurarfl]

Wow, that is such a gorgeous tegu! And your Aussie...WOW! I have a red tri male Aussie that is about 10yo now. He's such a good boy.

That tail bump looks really interesting. Is it connected to the tail, or a growth that sits on top of the tail? Does the tail have any soft or mushy parts along the bottom side?