I do not know what I am doing wrong

[povmichael123]

Ok so i just got my new tegu a couple of days ago. He has all the proper lighting and his temps are about 100F on the hot side maybe a little less. I always mist his cage and offer him food around noon everyday. So far he has only eaten a fuzzie mouse and two meal worms. That was yesterday and today he has shown no interest in his food as well as the day before. I just do not know what i could be doing wrong. should i feed him later or what i just cant figure it out. Any help or suggestions are welcome.

 

[DaveDragon]

You asked a similar question 2 days ago here.

http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=30657&highlight=#30657

Give him some time to acclimate to his new surroundings.

How big is his enclosure?? Does he have mulch to burrow in??

Post some pics.

 

[jor71]

Also, you say 100 degrees. Is that air temp or actual surface temp?

You need to be sure the surface (basking area) is at that temp.

How do you take the temps?

Do you have a Hygrometer to monitor the Humidity?

Also, the questions asked by DaveDragon are important, please answer them so we can better assist you.


If he/she is new, just chill and give him/her their space. Some need time to get acclimated and you just can't force yourself on to them.


Also remember, they tend to go into hibernation at this time of year, so he/she may be slowing down.

One other note; you should always have he/she tested by a qualified Herp vet for parasites and/or anything else.

Good luck!

 

[Harveysherps]

Your probably not doing anything wrong. It's hibernation time for them. You need to stop feeding it and let it hibernate.

 

[povmichael123]

It was actually the air temp I believe from the bulb and I have a pretty big 30 gallon or 3"x 2"x 2" so he has room to move. I just raised the wattage of the bulb I was using so I am hoping this helps. Now hibernation. Do I need to let him go into hibernation or can I just keep the heat up and skip it? And yes i do have mulch for him to burrow in and he seems to do this every night.

 

[Harveysherps]

You can do it .If you don't want to breed it later on. It won't hurt. Most hibernate anyway. If it does and has food in it's body it will die and you'll be buying another one. It's much more humane to the animal to hibernate it properly. Another plus is your not feeding it all year long.

 

[povmichael123]

I have no interest in breeding him he is my pet and do I have to does this help them at all cause I know some snakes can hibernate but really do not have to and same goes for them when it comes to food inside of them. How long are they in Hibernation and what would I do if he went under.

 

[Gx3]

100 degrees is much to hot for the ambient air temp. You want his basking surface temp to be around 100 (no temp should ever be above 110). You should have a cool area in the tank that is in the low 80s, it can even get to be in mid to upper 70s (at night and such) and that would be fine. Also, are you using UV light?

 

[povmichael123]

Well I really dont know the temp of the air to be honest i have a thermometer in there on my hot side that is pretty close to the top of the tank. So i think that has something to do with how hot it is reading. I do have a cool side that is right around that area. I am using a UV light so I am good on that. I use a powersun which we use at my work that gives off UVB and UVA and is also a basking light which is what makes the wattage so high.

 

[Harveysherps]

This site is loaded with answers to hibernation questions. Gonna have to do your homework on this one. I've explained it about 3 times this week. LOL

 

[DaRealJoker]

The tegu just doesn't feel like eating. Many animals don't actually eat everyday. In fact only high metabolism creatures must eat everyday i.e. dolphins, sharks, humans and so on. Even humans can live with only a meal every second day. You're not doing anything wrong at all. My tegu only eats on every second day right now and sometimes nothing for three or more days. I just make sure he has the option of eating everyday. It is a pain in the but throwing away food everyday but I don't care. Your lil one is fine. At a minimum make sure there is fresh water in a clean dish everyday. It's a bit annoying to have to pull the waterdish out and wash it everyday but the tegu can't do it it's self. I'd also reduce the heat a lil. 100f air temp is way too high Your surface can be that but the air I'd keep at 80 or slightly lower. If the air is at 100f the basking surface will be so hot it will burn. As for hibernation, I'd let it follow natures course instead of trying to alter it for your pleasure. If he wants to hibernate let it. I'd say restricting a creature from it's natural behaviours is cruelty. Unless it's correcting something like biting, let it do it's own thing. It's a living creature. Not a toy

 

[povmichael123]

Oh of course I totally agree I always change his water everyday and make sure he has the choice of eating. I changed his lighting back and he actually is roaming around digging under his log. I love this little guy and just want the best for him.