apocalypse910
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I've noticed my extreme is slowing down as well - It seems way too early to be hibernation but mine hasn't been getting up until dinner.
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Tarot
- Thread starter HeatherN
- Start date
HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
hmm some say they go into hibernation as soon as late august. im not sure though.
HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
today i fed Tarot his second helping of pinky mouse, he loved it, and tried to feed him blueberries and egg yolk for the first time. he took the pinky first right away. then he took the blueberries surprisingly willingly, probably helps that they were coated in egg yolk and mouse innards juice. i only fed him one blueberry cut up into fourths since i honestly didnt think he was going to eat them. he probably wouldve taken more in his characteristically slow, distracted way. he liked to lick up the yolk, but would only do it from the tongs, would have nothing to do with the plate it was on. 
so i fed him liquids with a tong, yes. in retrospect, shouldve used a dropper. then i took him outside for a bath in the sun. today he was more jumpy than usual when it came to me, so i took him in when he decided to burrow into my hair lol.
moral of the story: like most else when trying to feed your tegu new foods, it helps to associate them with yummies by dipping them or mixing them in with things they already love. in my case, its cod oil and meat juice. and now yolk.
so i fed him liquids with a tong, yes. in retrospect, shouldve used a dropper. then i took him outside for a bath in the sun. today he was more jumpy than usual when it came to me, so i took him in when he decided to burrow into my hair lol.moral of the story: like most else when trying to feed your tegu new foods, it helps to associate them with yummies by dipping them or mixing them in with things they already love. in my case, its cod oil and meat juice. and now yolk.
agv0008
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live or f/t pinky?
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- Southeast Louisiana
Trick question: Dont answer!
HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
he wont eat them live, so i have to crush their skulls for him. the rest ive been feeding him are f/t, agv.
Tarot is settling down lately for the big snooze. personally, id prefer him to stay awake, but he does what he wants, im just his slave. hes not tolerating me picking him up as well as he used to, part of his hibernation instinct i believe, as the behavior all correlates with all the other changes. he has been getting plenty of baths in the natural sun, both literally and figuratively. the other day, he was roaming on the grass, which seems to scar him less now, and he dug up a slug and ate it before i knew what was going on! im not worried about pesticides, we dont spray them around here, but there may be germs or other nasties on it. hes fine though. hes taken a liking to pooping on the carpeted part of his cage, lucky me , and has forsaken his litter box. too mainstream i guess.
i did end up starting a dubia colony, ordered some adults (10.25) for a teensy weeny colony for supplementary chinitous yummies. a day after they arrived i already have a bunch of bouncing baby blapticas, im so good at this! (im kidding, i know they arrived pregnant and ready to burst, i was afraid id pop some of them at some points)
we'll see if tarot does go down for the count any time soon, thanks for reading!
Tarot is settling down lately for the big snooze. personally, id prefer him to stay awake, but he does what he wants, im just his slave. hes not tolerating me picking him up as well as he used to, part of his hibernation instinct i believe, as the behavior all correlates with all the other changes. he has been getting plenty of baths in the natural sun, both literally and figuratively. the other day, he was roaming on the grass, which seems to scar him less now, and he dug up a slug and ate it before i knew what was going on! im not worried about pesticides, we dont spray them around here, but there may be germs or other nasties on it. hes fine though. hes taken a liking to pooping on the carpeted part of his cage, lucky me
, and has forsaken his litter box. too mainstream i guess. i did end up starting a dubia colony, ordered some adults (10.25) for a teensy weeny colony for supplementary chinitous yummies. a day after they arrived i already have a bunch of bouncing baby blapticas, im so good at this! (im kidding, i know they arrived pregnant and ready to burst, i was afraid id pop some of them at some points)
we'll see if tarot does go down for the count any time soon, thanks for reading!
HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
yesterday, Tarot measured in at 16 inches. an inch longer since i last measured! hes heading into shed, but getting grumpier by the day, but i expected the reversal in training. especially when i find myself so busy with moving. he showed me his displeasure by peeing on my bed! what a lover.
bmx3000max
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Just wondering were did you ordrr the colonie from?
HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
dubideli.com
Dana C
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The "reversal" isn't really a reversal. They go through phases and if like you say he is moving toward a shed, he is uncomfortable, itchy and irritable. Just keep doing what you are doing. My yearling and adult are beginning to sleep more and want food every other day. It is what it is and just like last spring, they will wake up just as tame as they were before the big snooze.
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I'm.trying to keep Zeus from sleeping so far he is up when I come hone at night around 9pm.I wake him up to eat he only.eats pinkies but.wont touch the fuzzy such a brat lol he eats crickets so.now I'm.waiting on.my.shipment tomorrow from.hare today
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HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
are the fuzzys too big for him? or maybe he just wants you to skin them lol. perhaps cutting them into 3rds or 4ths could help. Tarot is not a big insect fan. ill kill some dubias and leave them in a bowl in his cage, but he only eats the big ol' males, none of the nymphs. and he only does it when im not looking!
apocalypse910
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My extreme is also getting a bit testy lately. He is overall very well behaved but definitely moody, will bite me one second then jump on my lap, curl up, and fall asleep.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that Loki seemed to be getting ready to hibernate - up until this week he hasn't gotten out of his hide before 6 in the evening or so. I've been having huge problems with humidity so far and misting several times a day didn't seem to be doing the trick. I replaced his substrate and installed a misting system - brought the humidity way up to 70-80%. Since I installed it he has been as active as the day I got him. He was out all day yesterday, and got up before noon today and has been out basking or exploring every few minutes. It could just be the change in environment has him riled - but I suspect the humidity of the cage may have triggered more of the hibernation instinct than I thought.
It is funny how weird they can be about food. Mine loves crickets, and hates superworms. He'll actually kill or maim every superworm he gets and then just sit there and stare at me - it is just slightly unsettling.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that Loki seemed to be getting ready to hibernate - up until this week he hasn't gotten out of his hide before 6 in the evening or so. I've been having huge problems with humidity so far and misting several times a day didn't seem to be doing the trick. I replaced his substrate and installed a misting system - brought the humidity way up to 70-80%. Since I installed it he has been as active as the day I got him. He was out all day yesterday, and got up before noon today and has been out basking or exploring every few minutes. It could just be the change in environment has him riled - but I suspect the humidity of the cage may have triggered more of the hibernation instinct than I thought.
It is funny how weird they can be about food. Mine loves crickets, and hates superworms. He'll actually kill or maim every superworm he gets and then just sit there and stare at me - it is just slightly unsettling.
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Zeus is the same too he takes the worms and shakes them and stares but crickets he chases in the bath now he eats the fuzzies no.problem
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HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
ive had a humidity issue too. i got a fogger but i need to get a timer, but it does get it up to like 90% sometimes. ive been spoiling him by feeding him in his cage though, and he gets too excited when i do that. borderline aggressive
bmx3000max
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If you tong train you wont have that problem
HeatherN
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- San Luis Obispo, CA
hes very tong trained, chases it around, it was his feeding tool since day one. he just gets over-excited about the tongs when he's in the cage, almost jumps for them. usually hes smart enough not to though.
today, i fed him a new food item, garden snails ive been de-toxing since before i got him. they were a bit big for him, so i had to break the shells, but he LOVED them. i had just finished washing two, put one in the cage and he went straight to work cracking the shell like hed been doing it for years. i supplemented those snails with a lot of calcium though, so they had extra tough shells. tough enough to give me problems when i was cracking them with the flat side of wire cutters! his stomach was stretched taught after eating two large ones, and i had to stop him there. he was jumping for more though! he went over all the left over shells, taking them up in his mouth and licking/chewing them to turn them over looking for more meat. i removed them so he doesnt cut his mouth. now hes sleeping on his big ol' gut. once i run out of de-toxed garden snails, ill probably go with the traditional apple snails from the asian market.
i do not suggest feeding snails unless theyve been thoroughly cleaned inside and out, and dont even bother if there are pesticides in the area. garden snails are the kind escargot is made from, it is important you make sure the snails are safe enough for you to eat before you give them to your 'gu, wild insects can carry disease and parasites. im too texture oriented to try and cook them myself, i know id mess up (and id hate tsking some of Tarots new favorite food away from him!), but im told theyre quite tasty, feel free to indulge with them!
today, i fed him a new food item, garden snails ive been de-toxing since before i got him. they were a bit big for him, so i had to break the shells, but he LOVED them. i had just finished washing two, put one in the cage and he went straight to work cracking the shell like hed been doing it for years. i supplemented those snails with a lot of calcium though, so they had extra tough shells. tough enough to give me problems when i was cracking them with the flat side of wire cutters! his stomach was stretched taught after eating two large ones, and i had to stop him there. he was jumping for more though!
he went over all the left over shells, taking them up in his mouth and licking/chewing them to turn them over looking for more meat. i removed them so he doesnt cut his mouth. now hes sleeping on his big ol' gut. once i run out of de-toxed garden snails, ill probably go with the traditional apple snails from the asian market. i do not suggest feeding snails unless theyve been thoroughly cleaned inside and out, and dont even bother if there are pesticides in the area. garden snails are the kind escargot is made from, it is important you make sure the snails are safe enough for you to eat before you give them to your 'gu, wild insects can carry disease and parasites. im too texture oriented to try and cook them myself, i know id mess up (and id hate tsking some of Tarots new favorite food away from him!), but im told theyre quite tasty, feel free to indulge with them!
kinggill
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Great thread...This is a good read for my wife on what to expect ,she will be the care taker for until I return from Afghanistan in January to meet my new addition to the household,In chat conversations she tries referring to him as "her" little guy..lol...
Hopefully he is shipped soon, but I guess there is Bad weather down there right now.
Oh and by the way...we named ours "Tator"
Hopefully he is shipped soon, but I guess there is Bad weather down there right now.
Oh and by the way...we named ours "Tator"
HeatherN
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i love the name! it reminds me of something... hmmm but it is the perfect for a little fat tegu. and a big fat tegu. really tegus in general!
i have a lot of friends who've done multiple tours out there, its a hell hole in every sense. itll be great to come back to something as wonderful as a tegu. even when theyre being frustrating, you cant help but feel so attached to them. im not trying to throw a pity-party, but i live with some stressful stuff, and my animals have always been an escape. tegus seem to take that to a new level with their interaction, and tarots doing me a great service. sometimes i watch him sleep for hours, then wonder how i could possibly not get bored.
you might have to fight your wife to get to Tator though, i end up treating Tarot like a baby and dont like when people try to grab at him lol. comes naturally when you bathe them, warm up their food for them, wake them up in the morning, cut up their meat for them...
but it is the perfect for a little fat tegu. and a big fat tegu. really tegus in general!i have a lot of friends who've done multiple tours out there, its a hell hole in every sense. itll be great to come back to something as wonderful as a tegu. even when theyre being frustrating, you cant help but feel so attached to them. im not trying to throw a pity-party, but i live with some stressful stuff, and my animals have always been an escape. tegus seem to take that to a new level with their interaction, and tarots doing me a great service. sometimes i watch him sleep for hours, then wonder how i could possibly not get bored.
you might have to fight your wife to get to Tator though, i end up treating Tarot like a baby and dont like when people try to grab at him lol. comes naturally when you bathe them, warm up their food for them, wake them up in the morning, cut up their meat for them...
Hi guys! I am kinggill's wife who is not so patiently waiting my lil guys arrival. I am so interested in what you all have to say and I appreciate any advice. My husband has always been a reptile guy and has taught me alot, but as he said, I am gonna go it alone for a couple months. And Heather you are right I have a feeling I am gonna be a little protective of Tator by the time he gets home
