Hello--
I have a juvenile red tegu (~12" long) that I got about two months ago. For the past 3+ weeks, I've noticed that she's been spending most of her time buried in the substrate. I know she's not dead/hibernating because the food from her bowl disappears and I occasionally see her not buried.
I was wondering if I'm doing anything wrong. My setup/care conditions:
Enclosure: 75 gallon aquarium (48" x 18")
Lighting: UVB fluorescent light
Heating: 250 W ceramic heater (I had to play around with its height above the terrarium to modulate the heat, but I got it so that the temperature on the basking side is 103° and the temperature on the other side is 75°).
Substrate: 4" coco coir
Hide: "log tunnel" (not sure what else to call this thing); large enough to fit the whole lizard
Water: medium sized water bowl from Petsmart; changed daily
Humidity: Ultrasonic terrarium fogger (admittedly I don't have a hygrometer)
Diet: Crickets, beef (raw; cut from steaks that I eat so it's probably safe) and chopped boiled egg whites (for some reason she eats around the yolk); all dusted with calcium powder
Handling: I was handling every other day or so before the burying thing started. I read that you're not supposed to dig them up so I haven't.
I have a juvenile red tegu (~12" long) that I got about two months ago. For the past 3+ weeks, I've noticed that she's been spending most of her time buried in the substrate. I know she's not dead/hibernating because the food from her bowl disappears and I occasionally see her not buried.
I was wondering if I'm doing anything wrong. My setup/care conditions:
Enclosure: 75 gallon aquarium (48" x 18")
Lighting: UVB fluorescent light
Heating: 250 W ceramic heater (I had to play around with its height above the terrarium to modulate the heat, but I got it so that the temperature on the basking side is 103° and the temperature on the other side is 75°).
Substrate: 4" coco coir
Hide: "log tunnel" (not sure what else to call this thing); large enough to fit the whole lizard
Water: medium sized water bowl from Petsmart; changed daily
Humidity: Ultrasonic terrarium fogger (admittedly I don't have a hygrometer)
Diet: Crickets, beef (raw; cut from steaks that I eat so it's probably safe) and chopped boiled egg whites (for some reason she eats around the yolk); all dusted with calcium powder
Handling: I was handling every other day or so before the burying thing started. I read that you're not supposed to dig them up so I haven't.