getting my first tegu next week!!!

[monty_python]

hows it going guys. up untill now i have kept boas and pythons. next week i shall be getting myself a 2 year old 3ft long arg b&w tegu. how big is the max size for them and how long until they reach it?? also what is the best way to pick them up??

i have always kept a few logs in my snakes cage for them to climb on. am i right in saying tegus dont climb?? so i need a deeper substrate for it to burrow and no logs???

also the tegu might have to do with out uva light for a week. is this a major problem?? the uva bulb wont be delivered for 2 weeks! also the guy im getting it from says its puppy dog tame and sometimes he feeds it dog or cat food. i read that is bad. but is it ok once or twice a month?? how often do i need to feed the tegu??

 

[RehabRalphy]

hows it going guys. up untill now i have kept boas and pythons. next week i shall be getting myself a 2 year old 3ft long arg b&w tegu. how big is the max size for them and how long until they reach it?? also what is the best way to pick them up??

i have always kept a few logs in my snakes cage for them to climb on. am i right in saying tegus dont climb?? so i need a deeper substrate for it to burrow and no logs???

also the tegu might have to do with out uva light for a week. is this a major problem?? the uva bulb wont be delivered for 2 weeks! also the guy im getting it from says its puppy dog tame and sometimes he feeds it dog or cat food. i read that is bad. but is it ok once or twice a month?? how often do i need to feed the tegu??

Well first off, sorry that it took so long for someone to get to your thread.

3 feet at 2 years, looks like its full grown. It really depends on when they reach their "max size". Things that can change the growth can be diet, lazyness lol, and possibly hibernation.

The best way to pick up a tegu is to place your hand into the cage, and gently put your hand under their stomach and lift up. DO NOT grab down on them otherwise they'll feel threatened. Let the tegu come to you and gently pick him up IF it feels like its ready.

I dont think a week without UVB will cause you any problems. But make sure you do get one as soon as you can.

Please do not feed dog or cat food to reptiles. Those foods were specially made for that animal. Last time I checked, dogs and tegus werent from the same family lol. Theres a wonderful food list for tegus on this website, just search for it.

Substrate, I would say at least a foot of substrate.

Since its an adult I would say feed every other day.