Would love some information on hibernation! I can’t find anything anywhere!

[Tyler Bevers]

So my 4 month old tegu has been showing all the signs of going down for hibernation over the winter but I worry because the breeder I got him from said that babies within their first year won’t go down for hibernation. I also know that he has been slowing down on food and sleeping a lot. I know that they are supposed to grow really fast and eat a lot as babies but he only has grown about an inch every month. I am worried that him going down for hibernation will stunt his growth. I want him to be a BIG boy as I am more than prepared for that and want that! Will him going down for hibernation cause a stunt in his growth? Will he not be as big? Is there a way I could possibly get him to not go down?

 

[Walter1]

Welcome. Brumation is a natural and important part of every tegu's life. Duration and pattern vary among individuals. He should have a basking light on one end and a dark cool hide of 70 f or less at orher end. He can pick what he wants.

 

[Debita]

Hi - I have a baby that doesn't look interested in brumating. She's actually about 9 mos old now - but just wanted to tell you that she grew at around half the speed of my (bad-ass) male that I thought would be bigger than the house at some point. I think 1 inch a month might be very normal for either (when they're young), but am wondering if yours might be a female? My female grew at no where near the rate that my male did.

Not worrying about brumation is good advice. They'll do it on their own time, and that goes for the length of brumation too. That I know of, you can't force growth. If they're fed properly, they'll grow, and shed to allow for their growth. They can be over-fed which causes weight problems or other issues so be careful about that.

 

[Theroseofwar]

Hi - I have a baby that doesn't look interested in brumating. She's actually about 9 mos old now - but just wanted to tell you that she grew at around half the speed of my (bad-ass) male that I thought would be bigger than the house at some point. I think 1 inch a month might be very normal for either (when they're young), but am wondering if yours might be a female? My female grew at no where near the rate that my male did.

Not worrying about brumation is good advice. They'll do it on their own time, and that goes for the length of brumation too. That I know of, you can't force growth. If they're fed properly, they'll grow, and shed to allow for their growth. They can be over-fed which causes weight problems or other issues so be careful about that.

My Gu is about 5 months now, and since the start of December he/she has really started sleeping almost 24/7. he will be down for a couple or few days at a time and then will wake up, bask for a day, and reburrow for however long. He isn't eating much except for usually a quail egg on the days he wakes up.

He is not aggresive, but he is a big huff&puffer... which is making me very eager to get as much one-on-one time both indoors & outdoors while he is young. However, along with his sleep schedule, it is also winter, cold and snowy here. I am trying to be patient and not worried!

This is my first Tegu as well and so I am just encouraging myself to trust his decisions. My main worry is that he is not receiving vitamins from fruit/veggies- but i quickly learned that I cant seem to force him to eat unless he chooses to.