Tegu Advice? I'm completely new to this.

[businessturtle]

To start, my name is Alex and I have recently purchased (two days ago today) a Black and White Tegu. Her name is Julia Kevin. She's only a few months old and about 9 or 10 inches long.

Before hand, I researched the diet, habitat, and proper care for the creatures, but I'm still worried that even after researching I'd still be doing something wrong.

I've devised a diet of some lean turkey, mealworms, melons, grapes, blueberries, and eggs, which I use liquid calcium and vitamins on. Granted, today is the first day I've given her a large variety of foods (and it seems she liked watermelon and the turkey). I'm going to try and keep the diet varied from day to day as well as keeping her tank humid and hot. It's a 20 gallon tank, with mossy substrate and some kind of lizard friendly soil that I've made especially sure doesn't get in her water or her food.

I don't really know how to start handling her so she warms up to me and begins to want my attention. From what I've read they're extremely smart and she exhibits this with her couple times shes tried to climb out. I use a ceramic heat light for night time, and a 100 watt heat light for day time, with a uv bulb as well.

I purchased a dripping device to keep water flowing into the tank, is this a good idea? Also, ANYTHING at all that anyone can tell me or advise me on would be really appreciated.

All I really want is for her to grow up big and happy and for her to enjoy seeing me.

 

[Dubya]

To start, my name is Alex and I have recently purchased (two days ago today) a Black and White Tegu. Her name is Julia Kevin. She's only a few months old and about 9 or 10 inches long.

Before hand, I researched the diet, habitat, and proper care for the creatures, but I'm still worried that even after researching I'd still be doing something wrong.

I've devised a diet of some lean turkey, mealworms, melons, grapes, blueberries, and eggs, which I use liquid calcium and vitamins on. Granted, today is the first day I've given her a large variety of foods (and it seems she liked watermelon and the turkey). I'm going to try and keep the diet varied from day to day as well as keeping her tank humid and hot. It's a 20 gallon tank, with mossy substrate and some kind of lizard friendly soil that I've made especially sure doesn't get in her water or her food.

I don't really know how to start handling her so she warms up to me and begins to want my attention. From what I've read they're extremely smart and she exhibits this with her couple times shes tried to climb out. I use a ceramic heat light for night time, and a 100 watt heat light for day time, with a uv bulb as well.

I purchased a dripping device to keep water flowing into the tank, is this a good idea? Also, ANYTHING at all that anyone can tell me or advise me on would be really appreciated.

All I really want is for her to grow up big and happy and for her to enjoy seeing me.

A 100w bulb seems like a lot for a 20gal tank. What are the temps on the hot side, cool side, and basking rock? are you sure the UV bulb is not too close? She will outgrow that 20gal really fast.

 

[Scott_k]

Since you just got the tegu I would give it about a week before you start handling it. Just change the water and do daily maintenance. I usually give my reptiles about 2 weeks before for I handle them when I aquire a new one. This will help with the animal getting used to you and not seeing you as a threat, especially when they are young they will think you are out to get them. Give it a week or so then gradually start to pet him in his enclosure after a while he should be starting to tolerate you more and more. It's a long process but very rewarding in the end. One thing I recommend I like to use an old shirt with my scent on it and put it in the cage in their hide, I do this with my snakes to. I beleive that this does help to get the animal used to your scent. I did this with my amazon tree boa and they are know to be aggressive but he seems fine no biting or striking, but I did everything I mentioned previous before I started to handle him. You'll get their it just takes time.

 

[businessturtle]

The hot side is at 85 degrees F, the cool side is at 60 degrees, and im not sure for the rock. My plan is to build her a huge wall sized Tegu house for her, with this tank being temporary

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Since you just got the tegu I would give it about a week before you start handling it. Just change the water and do daily maintenance. I usually give my reptiles about 2 weeks before for I handle them when I aquire a new one. This will help with the animal getting used to you and not seeing you as a threat, especially when they are young they will think you are out to get them. Give it a week or so then gradually start to pet him in his enclosure after a while he should be starting to tolerate you more and more. It's a long process but very rewarding in the end. One thing I recommend I like to use an old shirt with my scent on it and put it in the cage in their hide, I do this with my snakes to. I beleive that this does help to get the animal used to your scent. I did this with my amazon tree boa and they are know to be aggressive but he seems fine no biting or striking, but I did everything I mentioned previous before I started to handle him. You'll get their it just takes time.

Okay, I'll do that. Any thing else at all? Diet suggestions? I will take any advice.

 

[Dubya]

The hot side is at 85 degrees F, the cool side is at 60 degrees, and im not sure for the rock. My plan is to build her a huge wall sized Tegu house for her, with this tank being temporary

---

Since you just got the tegu I would give it about a week before you start handling it. Just change the water and do daily maintenance. I usually give my reptiles about 2 weeks before for I handle them when I aquire a new one. This will help with the animal getting used to you and not seeing you as a threat, especially when they are young they will think you are out to get them. Give it a week or so then gradually start to pet him in his enclosure after a while he should be starting to tolerate you more and more. It's a long process but very rewarding in the end. One thing I recommend I like to use an old shirt with my scent on it and put it in the cage in their hide, I do this with my snakes to. I beleive that this does help to get the animal used to your scent. I did this with my amazon tree boa and they are know to be aggressive but he seems fine no biting or striking, but I did everything I mentioned previous before I started to handle him. You'll get their it just takes time.

Okay, I'll do that. Any thing else at all? Diet suggestions? I will take any advice.

Check the rock. It should be around 105-110. My cage is much bigger than yours and a 55w halogen coupled with a 100w MVB gets the halogen side of the rock 110 and the MVB side to 95 or so. I use a non contact thermometer from Harbor Freight to check basking rock temps. It costs only $30.

 

[Scott_k]

Bump the temps up, cool side 80-85 warm side 90-95 and a basking area around 105-110. As far Diet goes this is a good link http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=6452. Some people don't like to feed mice or rats, me personally I give my guy at least 2 med rats a week I do it because of the calcium benefits because of the bones and all the other nutrients involved in whole prey. Also put calcium powder on all foods without bones.

 

[businessturtle]

Alright, I'll jack the temperatures up. And conveniently enough I work at Harbor Freight so that will make the thermometer easy to get, thanks to 20%. I'll see if I cant get working on the new enclosure. Will the tank be okay for a couple weeks?

 

[Scott_k]

It'll do for a few weeks no more than a month though.

 

[Dubya]

Alright, I'll jack the temperatures up. And conveniently enough I work at Harbor Freight so that will make the thermometer easy to get, thanks to 20%. I'll see if I cant get working on the new enclosure. Will the tank be okay for a couple weeks?

It will be ok for a while. Get that thermometer. You don't want to make fried lizard. I :heart: Harbor Freight.

 

[businessturtle]

Also, do they sleep a lot?

 

[Scott_k]

Not really clear what you ment by that, my expirence my guy will sleep from about 7pm-7am when he's not hibernating. This has been his first year hibernating and he has been very erratic. In dec he was down for a week or 2 at a time only coming out to bask for a few min. In jan he would be down for a few days then come out. Now he's been out every day but his hrs very again this is my expirence I'm sure other members have had different expirences but all in all they do like to have their rest.

 

[businessturtle]

Not really clear what you ment by that, my expirence my guy will sleep from about 7pm-7am when he's not hibernating. This has been his first year hibernating and he has been very erratic. In dec he was down for a week or 2 at a time only coming out to bask for a few min. In jan he would be down for a few days then come out. Now he's been out every day but his hrs very again this is my expirence I'm sure other members have had different expirences but all in all they do like to have their rest.

Alright, thanks. She has been awake for at least 8 hours, but I guess shes just sleepy from her food and her new home. It seems like she isn't happy but I'm making a point to start her large habitat as soon as possible.

 

[Sirhc401]

Yeah they sleep a lot. They can be pretty lazy as they get bigger.

 

[Rhetoric]

As the other members have said, I would get a larger tank. The temps should be higher but I see that you said you would work on that. Tegus can get kinda lazy. Most likely your tegu is still gettin used to its new surroundings. The tons of new smells and sights. I would wait a week or two before you start handling her much. It's very possible she will start hanging out in the open more after she adjusts. It's also possible that since its winter she's slowed down a little. My tegu is awake but definitely more lazy and sluggish than he is during the warmer months.
The link Scott posted is amazing. I personally try to stay away from eggs, it makes really gnarly poop.... My tegu loves various berries. I've never seen him eat a vegetable. Variety is good but don't be surprised if your tegu doesn't take much fruit quite yet.
When you start to handle her I'd go slow. Let her see your hands in her enclosure, she might take off but that's normal. My advice would be to avoid chasing her around with your hands. Do simple things like spot cleaning, changing water, feeding, whatever. When she seems comfortable with you being in there you can try touching her and eventually holding her. There are tons of different approaches this just worked best for me. I also wore a tshirt to bed a few nights in a row and put it in his hide, I'm not really sure if my scent helped or not but it definitely didn't hurt.

 

[bfb345]

My old red tegus favorite special treat was grapes he loved them lol

 

[laurarfl]

Just to make sure, this is a Colombian, correct? They do like consistently warmer temps, and do hide a bit more.

 

[telsa.the.tegu]

mine always seems to be hiding but it is winter time still and ive only had mine for a lil longer then a month

 

[businessturtle]

Just to make sure, this is a Colombian, correct? They do like consistently warmer temps, and do hide a bit more.

Yes, she is Columbian. I have greatly increased the temperatures in her tank, so I can actually see active evaporation on her basking rock, but i can touch it and its okay. I added a constant water drip, so it stays moist hopefully, and i mist the tank when it looks a bit dry. And I do notice that she likes to sleep...alot. Which is awesome because so do I.