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View Full Version : Hi everybody! I just got a tegu and have a few questions.



pumpkin
04-14-2007, 08:21 PM
Hello, I just got a b&W tegu, I named her Duchess.
I have a few questions about her. I just brought her home about an hour and a half ago, she's in a 20 gallon with a uvb bulb and basking light. The breeder sold me reptibark with her but I have read that mulch is better.
He said he has also used the bark though.

I put a hornworm in with her about 10 mins. ago and she ate it, but hasn't eaten anymore, is this normal?

Also she seems to be laying under her basking light, and dozing off every now and then, is this also normal?

And what would be the best thing to feed her tomarrow.

I'm sorry if I sound stupid, I have two bearded dragons and a few other reptiles, and know matter how many times I bring home a new herp I also worry I'm doing something wrong, so any help you guys have I wold love!!!!

Jimjones
04-14-2007, 09:15 PM
Congragulations on getting your first tegu!

1. First you definately need to get rid of that repti-bark, it doesnt hold humidity at all, and our tegu could possibly lose its toe nails or toes from the reptibark. Go with mulch or cocunut husk, those are very good substrates for humidity and burrowing.

2. As far as feeding goes try to offer her more insects tomorrow or maybe fruit. Its good to try and start them on fruit as early as possible. But try offering her more insects tomorrow. If she doesnt eat them shes probably not going to eat for a couple of days, until shes accustomed to her new home. Thats normal!

3. When all tegu basks, they always as somepoint doze off and sleep. These are very laid back reptiles, and thats what they love to do, EAT and SLEEP!!Dont get freaked out if your tegu burrows under the substrate and sleeps for possibly 3/4 of the day, this is normal and thats what they do!!

I'm sure more people will help you also, but once again congrats on your Tegu!

pumpkin
04-14-2007, 09:48 PM
Thank you so much, she ate another hornworm and killed the third then through it across the tank. :roll:

I will defintly go with the mulch then, I'll pick that up tomarrow at work.

What is the best kind of fruit for them, and should I put the food in a little bowl for her?

How many insects should she be eating? With the beardies when they were young they ate as many as they could in 15 mins, is it differnet with the tegu or would this work?

i did do research on them but I just found this site and it's great!!
I'm just trying to get as much more info as possible so everything is appreciated!

Jimjones
04-14-2007, 09:58 PM
Well, since you have your tegu in a 20 gallon, im assuming its very small at the moment, so feed it as much as it will take. They will stop when they are full in one feeding session, when mine was like 16 inches i used to feed before i went to work, and again when i came home. So that was two feeding sessions a day when he was small, like yours. I was told to feed your tegu as much as it will take while they are under a year old! I dont know what kind of tegu yo have. Do you have a argentine or columbian? If it is an argentine, in my experience, that 20 gallon is going to be useless in another month or so!

pumpkin
04-14-2007, 10:18 PM
With all the excitement I wasn't sure if the breeder ever said and it never crossed my mind to ask, however he showed me one his his full grown and I'm pretty sure they are columbians if they are the smaller ones.

She (or he) is the smaller of the two tegus. She (or he) is very small I was going to measure her, but I forgot and I didn't want to disturb her.

She is also extremely friendly.

The breeder said she was eatting 3 pinkies a week, I was wondering what everyones views here were.

Jimjones
04-14-2007, 10:29 PM
Does she look like thishttp://www.www.thetegu.com/modules/Gallery/albums/album254/DSC01539.jpg
with a green head?

pumpkin
04-14-2007, 10:34 PM
She looks just like that, but smaller and slimmer. I'll post a pic as soon as I can.

She's starting to get really active, smelling everything running to the cool end taking a break then running back to her basking spot.

I her tank I have a water dish and a log hide should she have more stuff?

Jimjones
04-14-2007, 10:48 PM
Ok shes starting to explore her new home, which is good. No thats all as far as important props you need in there, but if you want to put more things you can, its your tegu! If she starts to become somewhat skittish in the next few days, this is normal, dont be afraid. Just let her be for a couple of days, without handling. But this is only if she becomes skittish, if not keep doing what you are doing. Oh yea i forgot, if you want you can put a worn t-shirt by you in her cage so that she gets to know your scent!

pumpkin
04-14-2007, 10:57 PM
The T-shirt thing is a really good idea!!

Do you think 3 pinkies a week is a good? Thats what the breeder said he was feeding her, along with crickets. I gave her 3 hornworms and she ate them all I feel like thats a good thing!
I have superworms and mealworms for the beardies, would she be able to eat these yet?
So I should definetly invest in a whole bunch of crickets, again! :D

I believe the colombians get to be 3 1/2 feet is that right?

Jimjones
04-14-2007, 11:07 PM
Yea that sounds good. Three pinkies a week. Im sure she can eat supers, and horn worms, if shes eating pinkies.

pumpkin
04-14-2007, 11:11 PM
Ok good and should she start eating fruit asap as well?

Jimjones
04-14-2007, 11:15 PM
yes to that too!

pumpkin
04-15-2007, 09:46 PM
Is it normal that since I changed her bedding from repti bark to the cypress mulch, for her to be glass dancing and not interested in any food?

Jimjones
04-15-2007, 10:16 PM
Shes just getting accustomed to her enclosure. She may not eat for a couple of days, this is normal behavior.

pumpkin
04-16-2007, 02:35 AM
Is it best not to bother with handling her until she is eating regularly?

Jimjones
04-16-2007, 02:46 AM
yea try not to handle, for a couple of days.

pumpkin
04-16-2007, 02:59 AM
O.k. I was going to start building a cage for her when she's full grown. I was wondering if there were any onlien directions?

AmeivaBoy
04-16-2007, 06:03 AM
rehab ralphy put together this tutorial for building his style of caging

http://www.thetegu.com/postt3023.html

here's some pix of my cage for some ideads


http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/Ameivaboy/Tegus/DSC01669-1.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/Ameivaboy/Tegus/DSC01670-1.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/Ameivaboy/DSC01668.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h8/Ameivaboy/DSC02220.jpg

striggs
04-16-2007, 02:01 PM
O.k. I was going to start building a cage for her when she's full grown. I was wondering if there were any onlien directions?

here are some guides that might help.
http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/tips.shtml
http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/

pumpkin
04-17-2007, 02:05 AM
Thanks for all the help!!!

I'm just always so nervous that I'm doing something wrong, or that she just isn't gonna make it.

I gave her a pinky and she licked it then scratched it but didn't eat it. She did however eat a cricket, she may have eaten more while I was gone.
A concern that I have those is, if she misses a cricket then its like she gives up and goes back to basking instead of trying to catch another one, this happened twice today that I saw.

Is this normal?

mumps
04-17-2007, 12:04 PM
Hi pumpkin, welcome.

IMO, while species of herps can have "normal" behaviors, we must realize that they also have their own personalities. I have had pets of the same species that were as different as night and day. My old male tegu is as laid back as they come, while my 3 yr. old female is very curious. Perhaps your tegu knows (they are pretty smart) that there isn't a whole lot of room for the crickets to hide, or is just "energizing" by basking. My female ackie V. acanthurus basks in the middle of her hunts, but my tegus eat no matter if they're cool or not. They know that a basking spot is always available.

I would recommend getting or building a larger enclosure ASAP, your tegu will love as much room as you can spare.

Chris

1.1.0 Arg B&W tegus
1.1.0 Redfoot tortoises
1.1.0 Spiny tail monitors (red)
1.0.0 Burmese python
0.1.0 Yellow anaconda

pumpkin
04-18-2007, 01:13 AM
I'm starting the new cage as soon as weather permits.

One thing she does that seems really strange is in the morning when I turn the lights on she doesn't wake up, she'd probley stay buried all day if I let her, and she seems to go to bed about an hour an a half before lights out.

Is this just because she a baby? My temps are good. basking 107-110.

I think she ate good today while I was at work, because she had a really fat belly, and the worms I put in her dish were gone along with a little banana, somehow she got a little banana really high up in the right hand corner of her tank, like she through it up there!

Johelian
04-18-2007, 09:09 PM
Tegus will actually spend quite a bit of the day in their burrows it seems, particularly if they have already managed to forage and eat well. My younger tegu is active from early morning at around 7.30am until about 3pm generally. After this time he will usually return to his burrow.

pumpkin
04-19-2007, 08:11 PM
Ok then her burrowing makes more sense.
She still doesn't seem to be a very crazy eater. She only ate like 5 crickets today and I have offered her a pinkie twice, and she still doesn't want anything to do with them.
I've had her for almost a week now, hopefully her appetite will really start to pick up.