Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Colombian tegu care

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    6

    Default Colombian tegu care

    Hey there! So I'm planing on getting a Colombian tegu next show, and I was wondering what their basic care needs are. Like feeding, cage size, lighting, temps, humidity.
    I'm gonna get a baby, and I have a 3 ft long-1 1/2 ft wide, and 2 ft tall custom wooden cage.
    I've looked at some websites, but most of them say different things. Like one site told me to feed it canned dog food, and another told me not to.
    any tips, or links would be helpful.
    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    I saw this post, then it slipped away from me. I need to run out of town this morning. Let me post tonight when I get home, cuz it's a long one.
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    There are a lot of care sheets out there, and I did find some weird ones...40% humidity, high temps, feed dog food. what??? What I have done through the years (I have kept Colombians since 2006), is gather information from various reputable sources until I found what makes sense and works for me. I'll be happy to share that with you.

    General Information

    Tupinambis teguixin is known by many common names such as Colombian tegu, gold tegu, and even black and white tegu. Potential buyers should be aware of the difference between "Colombian" and "Argentine" tegus to purchase the proper retpile. Colombians are not more agressive, but are faster, more flighty in temperament, and more defensive since they are smaller and often prey for larger animals. They are intelligent and can be easy to tame with time and consistent handling.

    Housing & Substrate

    Hatchling tegus can generally be housed in a 30 gallon to 40 gallon 'breeder' aquarium. Anything smaller than a 20 gallon aquarium will not allow for a proper temperature gradient. As a tegu gets larger, it will need a larger enclosure. An adult tegu should have an enclosure that is a least 3 wide, 2.5 to 3 feet tall, 6 feet long.

    There are many substrates that can be used safely and some that should not be used. Do NOT use cedar or pine products. They produce an aromatic oil that can be toxic to reptiles.

    My personal recommendation is Cypress Mulch which can be purchased at most farm and garden supply places. If you can not find it locally, check around and speak to the store managers and see if they can order it for you. Cypress mulch holds humidity well, but does not mold easily. Other choices includes peat moss mixed with top soil, orchid bark, and eucalyptus. Some animals do not tolerate eucalyptus.

    Lighting, Temp & Humidity

    A proper photoperiod and temperature gradient is required to keep your tegu in optimal health. Tegus DO use UVB lighting to process vitamin D3.

    A UVB bulb (for processing Vitamin D3) and a Basking bulb should be placed on one side of the enclosure. The wattage of the Basking bulb is dependant on the size of the enclosure. If the enclosure is small, you will require a low wattage bulb. If the enclosure is really large, you may need a couple high wattage bulbs. By placing the Basking bulb on one side of the enclosure it allows a temperature gradient, which basically means that one side of the tank is hot and one side is cool. This allows the tegu to move back and forth as required to be comfortable. Optimally, you want the basking spot to be 95F to 105F, while the cooler ambient side should be 75F to 82F. Since Colombian tegus do not hibernate, a 12hr light cycle is fine, but I do drop mine to 10hr days in the winter period. Using a 24 hour timer to turn the lights off at night and on during the day will help you maintain a proper photoperiod for your tegu.

    Note that UVB is very important. Not all "full spectrum" bulbs produce UVB. Make sure the UVB is designed for reptiles and states clearly "UVB" (not just UVA). If using a flourescent linear bulb, choose a 10.0 and hang it inside the enclosure where it will not be filtered by a screen and will be 8-10" from the bottom of the basking site substrate. If you have a taller enclosure, you might consider a mercury vapor bulb that provides UVB and heat in one. Flourescent UVB need to be replaced every 6 months, even if they are still giving off light. MVB bulbs last for a year or more.

    Misting the enclosure daily will keep the enclosure from getting too dry. If it gets too dry, your tegu could have issues trying to shed. Shedding issues cause horrible pain, scars and often loss of tail and/or toes. Chroic dehydration can lead to long term kidney disease. The humidity needs to be at least 60%, 70-80% is even better. There are cheap devices that are pretty accurate. I have recently used the ZooMed temp/humidity gauges that velcro on and they seem to be decently reliable. I also have bought a digital temp/humidity reader from Wal-Mart for $12. The whole thing goes in the cage to read humidity. Infrared temp guns are the most accurate ($25)

    Feeding & Diet Requirements

    Tegus should have a large variety in their diet. Tegus do require Calcium supplements and Vitamin D3 supplements (vit D is a bit controversial). These supplements are available at any pet shop in the form of a fine powder. Calcium powder should be used on any food that does not contain bones (thanks tupinambis for encouraging us all on this fact). If you are using calcium every day, you may not want to use one with D3, or buy one with and one without and alternate. If you feed cod liver oil or any liver, do not use calcium w D3 at the same time. I wouldn't want to overdo vit D, but I wouldn't feel comfortable not supplementing it at all either. Multivitamins can be added 2-3 times weekly, depending on the overall diet. If the tegu isn't eating whole chicks, mice, or fruit, use it 3 times weekly.

    My tegus diet consist of "Fruit & Meat" every meal. I feed young tegus up to two years old once a day and I allow the tegu to eat as much as it wants to for that one meal. Adults are fed every other day and amounts modified to maintain a healthy weight. I place the food in a large plastic bin. I then take the tegu out of the enclosure and hold it for a few minutes. Then place the tegu into the bin that already has the food. This avoids any association of you or your hand, with the food. It also avoids the territorial behavior that a tegu can get if it is fed into its enclosure. As a further benefit, it avoids accidental ingestion of substrate, which can cause impaction.

    There are many things a tegu can have.. but here is what my tegus diet normally includes...

    Meats: Prekilled (Frozen/Thawed Rodents and baby quail) ** Do not feed live rodents **, Insects (Crickets, Roaches, Superworms), Lean Raw Ground Turkey and organ meats
    Fruits: Strawberry, Grapes, Melons, Banana, Kiwi, Blueberry, Raspberries, Cherries, Mango, Papaya

    An example week of feeding would be..

    Monday : F/T Rodents & Diced Strawberries
    Tuesday : Discoid Roaches & Diced Grapes
    Wednesday : Lean Raw Ground Turkey & Cut up Cantaloupe
    Thursday : F/T Rodents & Sliced Banana
    Friday : Crickets & Chopped Kiwi
    Saturday : Lean Raw Ground Turkey & Blueberries
    Sunday : F/T Rodents & Raspberries

    There are other items that can be used as treats, but shouldn't be part of the tegus regular diet.. Eggs (boiled, scrambled or raw), Clean Fish, etc. You should search the forums here on TheTegu.com for more food ideas. Canned cat food and dog food aren't recommended. Canned tegu and monitor diets have corn as a main ingredient. Many members tried them when they came out and tegus wouldn't eat it anyway. Save your money and buy fresh food. Young tegus need a lot of protein during the growing phase and may not eat fruit for a while. I do feed fruit to my adults as it provides moisture, fibers, vitamins, and phytonutrients that are not available in supplement form.

    Warnings
    There are a few things I have stated already and will stress again here...
    1. UVB & Calcium/Vitamin D3 supplements are required if you want to ensure a healthy tegu.
    2. Do not feed live rodents. Tegus fed live rodents learn to grab first and then decide if it's food. Feeding prekilled rodents lowers the feeding response and the chance of accidental bites. It also helps tame a tegu.
    3. Do not feed your tegu inside its enclosure if at all possible. The reasons are listed above.

    This is just a basic care sheet to get you started. Be sure to search the forums here at www.www.thetegu.com for more information.
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    If this looks familiar, it is Rick's caresheet with some Colombian friendly info thrown in. Here is my weekly diet for my Colombians, but they are adults and eat less often. Fruit is about 1/4-1/3 of meal. Basically, I feed them the same as my Arg tegus, but a little less fruit and egg more often (2-3 x month). Babies eat the same, sometimes some bugs, pinkies, eat every day.

    Mon-small rat/lg mouse, grapes

    Wed-ground turkey, banana

    Fri-small rat/lg mouse, peach

    Sat or Sun-ground turkey or egg, berries or melon
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    6

    Default

    thanks, that was really helpful.
    I have a cage, and I'm gonna pick up the bedding asap.
    thanks again!

  6. #6

    Default Gold Tegu

    Hi i just got a gold tegu and its about 2 feet idk if thats juvenile or adult idk how old it is and is there an easy way to tell if its a guy or girl. Also how many times a week should i feed em

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    I'm not a good age guesser, but I'd say 2 ft is about yearling size. My adults are around 30" with full tails.

    As for determing gender, the male Colombians do not have jowls as large as Argentine tegus, in my opinion. But the males do have the "buttons" on each side of the vent that feel like a hard pea and are maybe a mm or two in diameter.

    Since your tegu is still growing, I'd aim for feeding 5-6 times weekly, as much as he will eat in one sitting. You can feed daily, but when he is eating to his fill, you may find that he is not as hungry on some days. So I take a day off from feeding here and there to let them digest, especially if the meal was heavy the day before.
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    And welcome to the forum!
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  9. #9

    Default

    i usually feed my tegu's with a death mice because i think they will get healthy and bigger

  10. #10

    Default

    I usually feed them three times aweek

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •