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Thread: New tegu owner - habitat question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
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    Richmond TX
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    Default New tegu owner - habitat question

    Hello my name is Daniel i am new to Tegu's and different caresheet contradict themselves so using previous experience dealing with Savannah monitors to help out to an extent.
    Now i know Savannah monitors are completely different from the New World Species of Tegu's. Now i originally wanted an Argentine but as some of im sure have seen how sad the pet section is on Craigslist and so i saw a Gold tegu on there stating he was a year old and he was in a 10g cage with only a waterbowl, which by the way was a ferret litterbox, so he was asking 100 and ended up getting him for 40 due to the fact that everyone in the petshop was scared to even put their hand in the tank. i put my hand in with fingers balled like a fist and he came right up to me licked me and i was able to touch his face and pick him up. the petshop owners were amazed. i think they were just idiots cause every other snake and reptile in there had URI's for sure. but after his vet checkup he was very healthy. and im sure they only dumped crickets in there so now i raise my own rats and mice and chickens(as i live on a 100acre ranch south of houston) so he loves pinkys and occasionally a small baby chick(inhumane i know but so much healthier than mice or rats) i feed chickens to alot of my larger boas and snakes. anyway back to the conversation. i put him(temporarily) in a 20g long tank with 2 bricks of eco-earth with a large water bowl a few rocks and branches to climb on. now i use a infared temp gun to make sure that it does not go over 101f-102f in the hotspot.

    so a few weeks later i was at an expo and ended trading one of my tarapoto thumbnail dart frogs for a baby colombian black/white(which i cant tell the difference between the gold or the black/white) so i introduced them in the 20g and went out and bought a 40g breeder and put 5 bricks of eco-earth and created 2 basking areas 1st one is a 70w basking bulb about 8" above the reptile hammock which they love, and the 2nd one is a 100w mercury vapor bulp with a reostat to maintain the temp and its about 12" above the substrate
    Now saying all that they stay burrowed almost 80% of the day. the smaller one comes out about 5mins before the timer turns on the lights at 8am and then the 2nd one(larger one) get up about 30 mins after. now i have been feeding variety from crickets, dubia roaches from my culture, scrambled eggs mixed with raw ground turkey, feeder fish, and assorted fruits. i also feed pinky mice to the larger one(not the smaller one, as he only 8" with tail and the larger one is just over 24" with tail) they never fight or anything.actually they have bonded it looks like.so the smaller one will go back under even before i can get any food into the enclosure. mainly i mean the eggs with raw meat due to the fact i cannot put that in the night before like the frozen pinkies or insects.
    Thanks and any advice on the sleeping underground all the time(also i have a large under the tank heater where they burrow) so is this why they are doing that.
    and also is this a good enclosure i have set up b/c i plan on making a very large wooden enclosure like i have for my sav monitors and bearded dragons.
    the 1st pic is my current setup for my tegus and the 2nd pic is the larger one of the two
    23905_4612574189636_1367412300_n.jpg388131_4304116918397_823291799_n.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    126

    Default Re: New tegu owner - habitat question

    I know it is largely said to feed outside the enclosure to avoid cage aggression and get some bonding time, is there a reason you are feeding in the enclosure? My Columbian stays buried all the time as well, my set up is what it should be and tried adjusting just to make sure he just doesn't prefer something else. My point being, I think that's just the nature of him. I actually unearth him every other day (which isn't suggested) to feed him, but if I don't I don't get to feed him. I take him to the bathroom to allow him to soak, eat and some bond time. Now that he is in his bigger cage he's not a fan of being grabbed (who would) but he crawls all over me and allows for handling time.
    From what I understand the gold should be the same as a Columbian, someone correct me if i'm wrong. Typically they are housed separately, a long as you are watching for any aggression to start, even if its not apparent some may not eat as well due to stress when housed with another. I would say just be prepared with another enclosure if one day they decide they don't live well together. congrats my Columbian Achilles is abut a year a well uploadfromtaptalk1350250040802.jpg

    Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2
    Bearded Dragon (2001) Valcore
    Box Turtle (found 2006) Panzer
    Albino Cornsnake (2011) Dante
    White's Tree Frog (2012) Cake
    Tiger Legged Monkey Frog (2012) Unnamed
    Columbian Tegu (2012) Achilles
    Ball Python (2012) Poe

    Basset Hounds Snickers (2000-2011 RIP), Leonidas (2009), Murphy (2010), Theodora (2011).

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Richmond TX
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GummiBear View Post
    I know it is largely said to feed outside the enclosure to avoid cage aggression and get some bonding time, is there a reason you are feeding in the enclosure? My Columbian stays buried all the time as well, my set up is what it should be and tried adjusting just to make sure he just doesn't prefer something else. My point being, I think that's just the nature of him. I actually unearth him every other day (which isn't suggested) to feed him, but if I don't I don't get to feed him. I take him to the bathroom to allow him to soak, eat and some bond time. Now that he is in his bigger cage he's not a fan of being grabbed (who would) but he crawls all over me and allows for handling time.
    From what I understand the gold should be the same as a Columbian, someone correct me if i'm wrong. Typically they are housed separately, a long as you are watching for any aggression to start, even if its not apparent some may not eat as well due to stress when housed with another. I would say just be prepared with another enclosure if one day they decide they don't live well together. congrats my Columbian Achilles is abut a year a well uploadfromtaptalk1350250040802.jpg

    Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2
    The only reason i have been feeding them inside their enclosure is because the larger one since he has been neglected for over a yr with little to no human contact has no intentions of sitting in one area and eating. he takes off like a bat out of hell and under the bed or dresser. i suppose i can try a more enclosed area when i feed him like the bathroom or small closet. and as for the little one not getting enough food i see him eating like a champ all the time. they both have a nice tummy bulge(not overweight) just healthy. they sleep on top eachother when they are basking on the hammock but your right things might change once the smaller one starts to mature

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    126

    Default Re: New tegu owner - habitat question

    That's awesome that they get along so great. Coming from such different backgrounds i'm sure there is a lot to monitor with feeding and temperament. I responded to your other post as well, sometimes this forum takes awhile to get hopping but there are some great peeps so they should jump in

    Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2
    Bearded Dragon (2001) Valcore
    Box Turtle (found 2006) Panzer
    Albino Cornsnake (2011) Dante
    White's Tree Frog (2012) Cake
    Tiger Legged Monkey Frog (2012) Unnamed
    Columbian Tegu (2012) Achilles
    Ball Python (2012) Poe

    Basset Hounds Snickers (2000-2011 RIP), Leonidas (2009), Murphy (2010), Theodora (2011).

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