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Thread: Tegu has grown 11 1/2 inches in the past 4 months from 17" to 28 1/2"

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Labasa, Fiji
    Posts
    27

    Default Tegu has grown 11 1/2 inches in the past 4 months from 17" to 28 1/2"

    My tegu has grown approx 11 1/2 inches in the past 4 months and it seems nearly 4" in the past month alone. During this time he has shed 4 or 5 times. Is this even possible? I double checked my measurements and time-frame to make sure I was correct. During this time I transferred him from a 40 gallon enclosure (which he is more than 3/4 the length of the entire tank now before he was less than half the length of the tank) to a custom 7' by 3' by 2.5' enclosure. After a few lighting changes - His basking spot in the new enclosure is 103 - 107 degrees provided by 160 watt zoomed powersun. Additional lighting: 48" 10.0 reptisun tube light (mounted in the middle/back of the enclosure) and 2 50/50 Zoomed 6500K fluorescent lamps (mounted behind the reptisun) for improved visibility. Ambient temps range from high 70s to high 90s throughout the daylight cycle and mid 70s to low 80s at night. Temperatures provided by infrared temp gun (reptileuv.com). Daylight cycle (reptisun and zoomed 50/50) on from 6 AM - 9PM, Powersun on from 10AM-6PM, and nighttime is 9PM - 6AM. I take him outside (for natural sun on a harness for 30-45 mins) at least every other day but usually everyday.

    I went from feeding a few pinky mice every 3 days or so to feeding varied foods every single day (turkey, eggs, strawberries, grapes, salmon, Taste of The Wild dogfood, Tegu/Monitor diet from zoomed, tilapia, etc.) I also feed rodents approximately 1-2 times per week (rat pups/adult mice). My tegu also eats stuff when I take him outside and has been doing so for months despite me constantly monitoring him he still manages to eat stuff like weeds, small snails, and earthworms occasionally. I know this is not good but if it makes any difference I do not use and have not used in a very long time any type of fertilizer or pesticide on my lawn. Can my tegu still get sick?

    I have noticed a lot of different behavioral changes during this time as well. When I used to take him outside when he was small he would just lay there mostly and sometimes walk when I "guided" him to do so. He went from doing that to going outside and wanting to bolt and run when I put him down and being really obnoxious to pick up to go inside to the point where I had to get reptile-handling gloves. Lately now when I take him out he just seems really anxious to go outside but once he gets out there all he wants to do is dig and try to eat stuff - I keep him on a harness and he's pretty easy to control on it - never tries to bolt from me at all now. He's also pretty calm being picked up in general now. Is this normal?

    My tegu also used to be a VERY picky eater and now will eat anything you put in front of him, all types of fruits, meats, insects, etc.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    chicago,il
    Posts
    223

    Default

    sounds like a tegu to me lol, my red went from 14" 3/3/2010 to 29" now and shed maybe 5-6X, and my tegu nero went from 8-9" 8/11/2009 to 40"(missing 11" of her tail but about 3-4" grew back) now and is a huge b/w female then i hadmy other teu achilles who passed away recently who went from 17" in december to 36" by april! i think tegus that eat alot grow very fast and all of my tegus ate a lot of food nd were never picky especially the red he never turns down anything lol! good job now were are the pics lol?
    0.1 Black and white ~ Rayne
    1.0 Exterme giant ~ Storm

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    26

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    I bought a cut lil 9" baby in the summer of '08... I thought he was growing quickly when he began hibernation in Oct at 14" (1" per month)...

    When he woke up spring of '09 he quickly fattened up, then grew like a darn weed! He grew 1" per week (week not month!) for about half the summer and even more than that for a few of those weeks... He woke up in May of '09 at 16" and was 37" in Oct '09... that's 21" in 24 weeks!

    This spring/summer ('10) he's still gaining length (currently 44") slowly, but has really filled out. I failed to note his weight previously, but in early spring of this year ('10) he was 5.5~6 lbs (2.5~2.75 KG) and is now (June '10) he is over 7 lbs (3.2KG)...
    Last edited by Toby_H; 06-17-2010 at 01:47 AM. Reason: corrected spelling error
    Total Fish~head with a Tegu thing on the side

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    614

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    Hello Ryno... He does sound liek a typical tegu to me and it sounds like yo uare taking good care of him.. Just a word of caution though. He should never be allowed to eat anything outside. I realize it is difficult nad this is not on purpose. However, even if you do not pesticides or fertilzers.. these agent travel.. via the wind and rain... So chances are, there are these agents present in your area... It is almost unavoidable.. Also, there are bacteria and other agents can can severely affect an animals health.

    Also, you had mentioned something about snails. I heard that snails can carry parasites... I mean deadly parasites, well, to humans anyway...Maybe set up something outside like a pen or fenced in area where you can keep it tegu proof and let him walk around in that.

    Rob

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Labasa, Fiji
    Posts
    27

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    Last edited by Rhyno; 06-20-2010 at 11:03 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Citrus Heights, CA
    Posts
    815

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    He's absolutely GORGEOUS.
    "Why do blessings always come in disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked."

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Spaz (aka "Monkey")
    1.0.0 Bearded Dragon; Leonidas (aka "Jaba" aka "Fatty)
    0.0.1 Ball Pythons; Lil' Bit

    0.1.0 Argentine B/W Tegu; Bozski - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Argentine A/A Tegu; Oscar - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Ball Python; Moose - *rehome*

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Knuckles (aka "Kitteh"), RIP
    0.0.1 Baby B/W Tegu; unnamed, RIP

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Labasa, Fiji
    Posts
    27

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    Thank you.

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