Update on Zilla

[Aardbark]

Hello everyone.

Anyone who read my last thread knws Ive been haveing some troubles with the whole hybernation thing.

I have been keeping her out of her cage for the past week. She loves to sleep in my pillow, so I sectioned off a part of my bed for her, with her own pillow to sleep in. I set up a uvb basking lamp which she uses a lot. (she is useing it right now)

Anyway, today she just let out the biggest poo ive ever seen, so Im happy she isnt impacted. After that she looked rather skinny, so I fed her, and she ate a whole ton of food. It also looks like she is going to shed soon, her scales look really pale.

What should I do with her? Should I let her keep roaming my bed, and sleeping in my pillow? Or should I put her back in her cage, and see if she wants to hybernate?

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Oh, I also wanted to ask what were the signs of dehydration? I have water out for her to drink, but I dont see her use it a lot. I do give her a bath every week though.

 

[omgtaylorg]

As far as hibernating goes, it is that time of year...how often is he/she sleeping or trying to sleep and how often is he/she basking. Also how often are you offering food and out of all those times how often is the guu accepting and eating the food. All of these answers will help determine whether your tegu is trying to hibernate and/or brumate.(mini hibernation)

 

[Aardbark]

We sort of have a daily routine. The past week and a half she has been living on my bed. She sleeps inside a pillowcase. I wake up in the morning, pick her up and handle her for a little while. Then I set up the lamp, and place her under it, in which she will bask for like an hour. Then I will handle her some more, and then I let her crawl under my bedsheets where she will sleep the rest of the day. At night time when Im going to bed, I will relocate her to the pillowcase.

I offer her food every other day, and she always eats like a pig. I also give her a warm bath every cupple of days.

 

[omgtaylorg]

Lol does your tegu not have an actual cage?

 

[TeguBuzz]

Lol does your tegu not have an actual cage?

He took it out of hibernation and has been keeping it out of it's cage since. Smh

 

[omgtaylorg]

Thats such a bad idea, I guess thats why it looks like it has 2-3 layers of shed on its entire body in his sig pic...by the way, your blue looks amazing

 

[TeguBuzz]

Thats such a bad idea, I guess thats why it looks like it has 2-3 layers of shed on its entire body in his sig pic...by the way, your blue looks amazing

Thanks Taylor. Your b/w is one good lookin gal!

Aardbark, you said you had had a bad week and that's why you took Zilla out. They're not meant to live in pillow cases or any of that, nor are they meant to be in captivity, but seeing as they are, we have to help them feel as much at home as possible. And you waking Zilla up from hibernation is the wrong thing to do. You know she's not dead, so for her sake, put her back in her cage and let her go about doing as she pleases, and maybe, she'll go back into hibernation.

 

[omgtaylorg]

He said his guu sleeps basically all day in the pillow case so chances are putting it back into the cage will send it back into hibernation. Put it back in the cage and if it goes back to sleep dont wake it up dont feed kill the lights are you can mingle again when the winter is over, part of having a tegu is possibly not seeing it for 3-5 months of the year

 

[TeguBuzz]

He said his guu sleeps basically all day in the pillow case so chances are putting it back into the cage will send it back into hibernation. Put it back in the cage and if it goes back to sleep dont wake it up dont feed kill the lights are you can mingle again when the winter is over, part of having a tegu is possibly not seeing it for 3-5 months of the year

Well put.

 

[Aardbark]

Thanks for the advice guys.

When I took her out, I didnt know if she was hybernating or not. Acualy she has been shedding completely fine. My sig picture was taken in the dark, and its a crappy camera, so thats why it looks that way. She also has a nice big cage full of cyprus mulch for her to dig in. If I give her a choice between my pillow or her cage, she always picks the pillow. So I think she is happy and healthy.

I will put her back in and see if she wants to hybernate. If she does, I'll see her next year.