Who's this guy?...

[Steven.]

Prime, my aa has become super grumpy. He went to sleep for about two days straight last week and now when he comes out no one can get him. He whips, runs, and gets on all fours and does the snake thing with his tail as soon as he sees a hand in the enclosure. This is not like him at all. He use to climb on every hand thats in sight. Now he wants nothing to do with anyone. He comes out much later than he use to, sometime around 12-1pm instead of 10am. Temps in the enclosure stay between 75-85 degrees all day. I don't run the basking light but i do turn on the reptisun for couple of hours. When he gets out he spends his day napping in the enclosure. Never buried or in his hide, just in different spots. I'm thinking he's just tired or maybe getting ready for hibernation. He eat maybe 4 days ago, and hasn't eaten since. Should i offer food?... If anyone can explain to me this change, i would most appericate it. Thank you.

 

[kellen.watkins]

Not sure but eli is doing the same thing excluding napping for days. He sleeps in different spots not in his hide is being insanely aggressive with being on all fours snake tail I was kinda shocked he didn't flip changing his water today he just laid in his basking spot jowel popping at me but didn't get up and flip. I would still offer food if he's preping for hibernation he will refuse food. I couldn't tell you where the aggressiveness is coming from seems kinda weird he did that after being tame for a while eli has never been anything close to tame but wasn't aggressve until I put him in a new enclosure a few weeks ago

 

[Steven.]

^ sigh.. hopefully he doesn't hate me...

 

[reptastic]

Why are u feeding and not providing heat or did i misread? tegus will sometimes have their moodswings, especially during the developmental stages @kellen eli is jowl popping already i still havnt seen storm do it yet, my red started early to when i use to let my girls freeroam and storm was housed with a female

 

[Steven.]

When he ate couple days ago, the basking light was on for two days. Now when he comes out, i don't turn it on at all. He just gets the reptisun.

 

[reptastic]

He needs his heat lamp, without proper heat they are subceptible to all kinds of ailiments not to mention it can effect growth and h may not have an appetite because he is too cold

 

[chelvis]

If they have eatten heat should be provided for a week after, regardless of their activity level. There are horror stories of feeding tegus in hibernation and the food ends up rotting in their gut and this can kill a tegu.

As for the mood swings, welcome to tegu puberty. Alot of times a tegu will change its aditude durning the 1/2 year to 2 year old period. Jowl popping... Bosco still hasn' done it and he is five, guess he doesnt see me as a treat.

 

[kellen.watkins]

I assume its jowel popping but he doesn't have jowels lol he's a little over 3 months old I doubt he is hitting puberty and he has never been handlable since day 2. what he does is where his would be he inflates them like a frog then deflates then inflates ect.

 

[Steven.]

I don't think its puberty cause he's only 4 months... But i do provide heat only when the sun is not out. My cage setup allows the sun to beam rite into it. Thats why i only give him the reptisun bulb. When he wakes up he just lays in the sun light... So he does get his heat, just not as much as he use to..