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Thread: How does he measure up?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    Default How does he measure up?

    I rescued my Columbian tegu from some guy on Craigslist in August of 2011. The tegu was housed in a 10 gallon terrarium with potting soil and only a dead houseplant to hide in. He had no lights or heat. He is supposed to be one year old at the beginning of March, but he is only about sixteen inches long. Now he is enjoying a 40 gallon breeder with 2 UV CFLs ( a 10 and a 5) along with a heat bulb and small heating pad. He is housed on coconut fiber substrate with large cave hide and has a large Rubbermaid tub (2”x8”x14” approx). For an almost one year old tegu, how does he measure up? Is it because he didn’t have a good environment to before I got him, or do you think he is younger than they said? I can upload pictures later, at work now. Any help is greatly appreciated, and I would love to hear any comments.
    (Also, I haven’t sexed him yet, just assuming he is a male for the time being. Will be looking how to probe a baby tegu later this evening.)

  2. #2
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    Feb 2012
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    I took his measurements when I got home. He weighs a whopping 127 grams and has an overall length of just under 16.5 inches. He is remarkably calm for a small tegu, the biggest issue he has now is that he feels like a prey item because he I still small. I worked with him for weeks using the falconry method of manning. Now he's okay with me picking him up. My favourite moment was when I had him stretched out on my arm and was working on getting him desensitized to his head being touched, he brought his head up and rested his chin on my bicep, looking at me and imploring me to scratch his head

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    I don't know much about Columbian Tegu on how fast they grow. But to me he sounds to be very small for his age. If he would be a Argentine Tegu I would asked if he ever hibernated. But Columbians don't hibernate. PLEASE do me a big favor. Please remove the heating pad. Tegus get their heat from above. I have seen some very ugly photos of reptiles who got some very bad burns from the heating pad. Please make sure that he has a UVA/UVB light. Since Tegus bask alot I recommend the bulb in the links below. It's all three in one ( heat, UVA/UVB ). I can't wait to see some photos .

    It's very nice to hear that he tamed down so nicely. I wouldn't recommend probing him. It is very dangerous. When he is old enough you can feel some bb's ( info is in the 3rd link )


    Lighting info:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1INma...5IhV-oRckWJVzs

    http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=74


    How to sex a Tegu:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0xDQ...7H2n_Gbmnnhjbl
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    Wichita, KS
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    The heating pad is on the side and he can't lay on it. He has three lights, one incandescent UVA bulb on the hot side, a 10.0 UVA/UVB bulb in the middle, and a 5.0 UVA/UVB bulb on the cold side. And as I said before, he had no heat or lights for the first several months of his life, and was only fed crickets and wild June bugs.

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    I'm glad to hear that the heat pad is on the side.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

    Our videos :

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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    Buhl, I*daho
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    "How does he measure up"? I am so glad this discussion isn't about me!

  7. #7
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    Oct 2006
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    Central FL
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    It can be hard to say...Is he exactly a year old? Is he maybe 9 months and they said a year? You know what I mean? I would be more interested in his proportions and overall health. Does he have a good tail base, strong face, healthy limbs that do not show signs of MBD?

    I am not a fan of CFL's. Some have been too strong and caused eye problems, others are not enough. I use a mercury vapor bulb and keep temps 105 basking, 90 hot, 80 cool, 70-75 at night. I also prefer mulch because it is not as particulate. But, that is just my preference.

    I have never probed a tegu. They are so wiggly. I just wait for them to mature and watch for secondary characteristics.
    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
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    Could be either of those if not both, not as old as they said or husbandry. But also keep in mind that not all tegus will grow to be the same size or larger than the next one. Colombians grow at a decent rate just not as fast and they don't get as big as b&w's. They're not know to hibernate but they do brumate for some time throughout the year. So there's a number or reasons why it can be that size. I got Korben last year in March and the last time I measured him was around Dec and he was exactly 2'. He's looking more like a female to me everyday but I'm sticking with male until it proves other wise.

    Just feed, care for it properly and see what happens
    0.1.0 BP (Spiral) aka Rita Wayward
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  9. #9
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    Sep 2009
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    Oregon
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    I don't know how much a 16" tegu should weigh but I would think that it should be at least 200 to 400 grams. Make sure you are feeding it plenty every day and you might want to weigh it a few times a week to make sure it is gaining and not withering away. It also may be a good idea to get a fecal sample to a vet so it can be checked for parasites. Make sure to give it a bath daily or make sure it has a large water dish to swim in so it doesn't get dehydrated. If you do not see it swimming or drinking water it would be important to make it soak until you can be sure that it is not dehydrated.
    All American Tegu- Annabelle
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    Colorado Springs, CO.
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    Any signs of MBD (metabolic bone disease)? Any twitching of the toes? Any deformation in any of the toes or feet? Does he lift himself off the ground when he walks or does he drag himself and/or rear end? Does it look like his growth may be slightly stunted at all? (colombians have long, narrow snouts - perhaps yours has a stubby snout and soft gum-line) Does he have a hard time eating, especially solids?

    I only ask because if he didn't have UVB for a lengthy period of time, he may very well have MBD or the beginning stages of it.

    A trip to vet can prove invaluable for both you and your little colombian.

    If you find out he has MBD, they might get you to administer liquid Calcium Glubionate orally for 30 days.

    I only mention this, and ask, because my gf and I took in a young colombian in 2010 that was suffering from a severe case of MBD. The original owners did much the same as yours - no lighting, no heat and no interest in trying to care for her.

    Despite our best efforts, and help from the vet, Tanzi finally succumbed to the disease 8 months after we received her.




    In this pic, Tanzi is the smaller colombian with the white patterning. Notice her rear toes, they are soft and de-formed. Also unlike Sam, the healthy colombian next to her, the toes sweep forward rather then towards the rear. Also of note, you can see her snout is stubby - stubbier then it would've been had she grown in proper proportion to her age. The curvature of her spine is also more pronounced and should not be.

    When walking she would "pull" herself along and her back legs were essentially gliding along the ground as she moved.





    Proper lighting is ESSENTIAL for reptiles and it is extremely sad to hear about cases such as yours, which could be as severe as ours. I hope not, but if you have any second thoughts or yours exhibits some of these signs, please get him to the vet ASAP.

    Best of luck with your colombian.

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