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Thread: columbian tegu question

  1. #1

    Default columbian tegu question

    Hello, I am new here and own a 7-8 month old columbian tegu. His/her name is Herky. My tegu is very cool and i love him. He lives in a 90 gallon aquarium with uvb tube light and a 150 watt heat bulb to heat him. A few questions I have. How fast should he/she grow? He is like i said most likely 7-8 months as I adopted him from a shelter approximately 6 months ago. He is only probably 10-12" total including tail.....seems to be small to me. He isn't very big chest, head or leg wise. He has grown since I got him but not really all that much. Also, he doesn't seem to have a big appetite really (which is why i'm guessing he isn't growing too quickly. I mean, he eats, but very little most of the time. How do I change this? Also, how should I get him to grow bigger so he can catch up to where he should be at this age. Any help on this matter would be GREATLY appreciated!!! I can post pictures up later tonight or tomorrow once i'm home from work. Thanks a ton guys, this is a great forum and community you have here!!!

  2. #2

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    Hey guys got home tonight and took some pics, so you can see what i'm seeing. thanks again!![/IMG]

  3. #3

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Finger Lakes, NY
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    he/she looks to be a healthy size not too skinny, but what are you feeding him/her? tried any pinky mice?

    **** I would get the fish pebbles out of there ASAP he/she might eat them and get impacted, plus they will not help with humidity.
    i would switch to Cypress Mulch (thats what i use) I also would so dont use the heat rock (they have been know to do more bad than good)

    what are your temp & humidity at? (some one correct me if i'm wrong, dont have any colombians) but they should be hot side 110F cool side 80F with humidity around 70%.
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  5. #5

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    yeah those specs are exactly what i'm at currently. I have tried pinky mice as well and there is no interest in them whatsoever. I had cypress mulch in there for a while but for some reason he would try to hibernate for long periods of time (like an argentine) I was told he should not be doing that since he was a columbian so I switched to the fish rock. It hasnt been a problem but I will get the rocks out of there thanks for the heads up.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    hopefully TX, FL, or Angel will chime in with more help. (they own Coloms)
    1.2.0 Argen Black & White
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    As Pikey said, get those pebbles out of there! Not only can they cause impaction and low humidity, but your Tegu will be much happier on a much more natural substrate. Go with either cypress mulch, or my favorite, coco husk. http://www.petmountain.com/product/r...e-bedding.html

    Tegu's like to dig, and need a "diggable" substrate to live happily.
    I don't know what to tell you about hi wanting to hibernate, are you keeping your temps up? Ambient temps should be 80-85F on the cold side, with a 105-110F basking spot, although offering a higher temp is recommended, I offer a 110-130F basking spot gradient and I regularly see my Kimo enjoying the hottest portion of his basking spot. The hotter basking area will also encourage appetite and digestion, I know it did in Kimo.

    And ditch the heat rock! They are infamous for burning herps!

  8. #8

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    Ok, I changed the substrate out and am now using cypress mulch again. He can dig in it again and everything. My temperature on the hot side is 115 and on the cool side is 83. My humidity stays between 60-70 percent. Also, the heat rock is not plugged in it is simply in the cage under the lamp so that he can bask on it. I dont have any other rock type things to use. I'm still wondering why my tegu seems to be taking so long to grow though? Everyone elses columbians really seem like they are much larger by the time they are the same age as mine. Also, why does my tegu only like eggs? I offer him ground turkey (nothing) fish (nothing) crickets (nothing) superworms (nothing) I put a danm scrambled egg with him in his feeding container and its like hes a whole new tegu.....what should I do in order to break this habbit and is he a healthy size for his age? or how big should he really be by now?

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Good to hear the rocks are gone. Is the heat lamp in the middle of the cage or on the left side above the logs? Columbians grow a lot slower then Argentines, so dont expect to see an inch or 2 a month. Columbians are also known to get "hooked" on eggs. Try mixing a tiny bit of egg (he will be attracted to the smell) with some ground turkey. Also remove the yoke from the eggs as its fattening. As far as live prey he might just not like it, and not a lot you can do about that. He looks perfectly healthy to me. how long do you leave the food in his cage? My blue tegu will sometimes eat 2-3 times a day very small meals, or sometimes his whole dish in 2 mins. lol. Good luck keep us updated!
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  10. #10

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    Hey, thanks for all the replies. To STL i usually dont leave food in the cage at all (i feed him in a seperate enclosure) but if he doesnt eat at all i like to put it back in with him for an hr or 2 just to make sure hes not gonna eat. I might try that egg trick later and see if I can get him to eat some turkey. Also, the heat lamp is on the left side of his cage. Ik the pics are confusing because they are of different set up times. But yeah the warm side has the heat lamp and other side has the water bowl with the fogger above it. I just feel like in the 6 months ive had him I thought he would be a bit bigger by now. It seems like he has hardly grown at all. But yeah, he seems happy and healthy and he sure as heck isnt mean so thats always nice.....but if he wants to go somewhere he goes QUICK. Herky is fast as greased lightning! lol

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