Tegu still in hibernation- anything I can do?

[Shreve]

My juvie argentine red tegu started to go down for hibernation in mid december despite no change in temps/light/humidity, most of the time refusing food before she went down for real. It's been about seven months, and I check on her every few weeks- just peeking into the hide- and the upping of temperature or occasionally leaving food in the cage hasn't made any change. I'm beginning to get concerned, I know seven months is a pretty long hibernation period, is there anything I can do?

 

[rantology]

I'd return all parameters to normal if you havent already - the basking lamps and lights and temperatures - all should be on a normal schedule (I think you only need to turn them down/ off for 3-4 or so months once they go down then you can return them to normal)

 

[Shreve]

I'd return all parameters to normal if you havent already - the basking lamps and lights and temperatures - all should be on a normal schedule (I think you only need to turn them down/ off for 3-4 or so months once they go down then you can return them to normal)

I tried to discourage hibernation as I was worried about her being too small to survive it, so at no point have the parameters changed during the entirety of the hibernation

 

[rantology]

7 months seems like a hell of a nap! I'd personally probably start trying to force her to get up ....

 

[Shreve]

7 months seems like a hell of a nap! I'd personally probably start trying to force her to get up ....

Thank you, I definitely don't want her to die because she's stubborn. Once it hits seven months to the day I'm going to remove her hide for a bit and see if she'll eat/get up/sun and such, with luck. It's in the high seventies/low eighties on the cool side and the high 90s/low hundreds in the basking spot so I'm not sure what else I can do

 

[rantology]

Thank you, I definitely don't want her to die because she's stubborn. Once it hits seven months to the day I'm going to remove her hide for a bit and see if she'll eat/get up/sun and such, with luck. It's in the high seventies/low eighties on the cool side and the high 90s/low hundreds in the basking spot so I'm not sure what else I can do

Probably not a factor but try to pump up the basking to 110-115 for when she does decide to grace you with her presence

 

[Shreve]

Probably not a factor but try to pump up the basking to 110-115 for when she does decide to grace you with her presence

will do! Thank you for the tip. Definitely been missing my girl because she's been hibernating longer than she's been awake since I got her last august

 

[Walter1]

She's stuck. She needs to be shocked into activity. Her enclosure needs to be where natural light comes through and your basking light mimics it. As Rant said, ja k up the basking temo but make sure temp grades into to low-mid 80s and at other end is a moist hide in the upper 70s for this time of year. feed her ad libitum.

 

[Shreve]

She's stuck. She needs to be shocked into activity. Her enclosure needs to be where natural light comes through and your basking light mimics it. As Rant said, ja k up the basking temo but make sure temp grades into to low-mid 80s and at other end is a moist hide in the upper 70s for this time of year. feed her ad libitum.

Any recommendations on how to jack up the temp? She's in a mostly-glass baby enclosure that gets both natural and simulated uvb light with a large heat pad (always on obv) and basking lamp (on twelve hours a day) with a mid-high seventies on the cool side where her humid hide is and the high 90s on the warm side

 

[Walter1]

I don't know. However, she will require much larger housing.

 

[Shreve]

I don't know. However, she will require much larger housing.

Absolutely, I actually just got and put together a sub-adult 4x2x2 enclosure for when she's big enough to move into it- which will be very soon after she emerges and starts eating again. I'll be building an 8x4x4 enclosure when she's large enough for it.

 

[Walter1]

Good.

 

[Merlot]

Probably not a factor but try to pump up the basking to 110-115 for when she does decide to grace you with her presence

Maybe hotter to 125+ for a juvi and definitely wake up your gu gently. When they bury themselves if you can gently and successfully wake them up several times, it’s a god bonding experience. They may huff and puff and be aggressive at first, but then they start to trust you. Mine is just a dickhead right now 20 months. All he wants to do is eat and charge, once out of the tank he’s good. It is too small right now and I did it to myself by feeding him in the tank but we are working on that. And better routine

 

[Dylan koch]

Get a higher wattage light if you need to bump up temp everyone has a preference I have tried a few I prefer the 150 watt megarays they have worked a million times better than solar something ones I used to use. And just get a nice heat lamp with reflective shield for less than 15$ I think mine was rated to 250 watts or 300 I forgot. It's not uncommon some tegus hibernate 7 months out of the year. Everyone's different. Or if your able to wake her up and if you have a large tub or ect take her outside in the heat in container so she sees it's hot out natural sun. She may absolutely freak out and tail whip container and lung at you for awhile when doing this tho. Depends on bond already.

 

[Dylan koch]

I did this to all 4 of my tegus when young just to help bonding the blues were find and friendly since the day I got them my reds not so much. And would tail whip container and lung. And after awhile would only do so outside I could handle perfectly inside. But now to where they are all now they all get outside time usually early morning when suns up and once at night. They love roaming the back yard. After awhile I got to point where I would just carry them and let them walk around. Did wonders for bonding as well.

 

[Dylan koch]

They love being outside. I also always feed them outside of cage in big tubaware or just put plates when outside to eat

 

[Wickedtactical]

My juvie argentine red tegu started to go down for hibernation in mid december despite no change in temps/light/humidity, most of the time refusing food before she went down for real. It's been about seven months, and I check on her every few weeks- just peeking into the hide- and the upping of temperature or occasionally leaving food in the cage hasn't made any change. I'm beginning to get concerned, I know seven months is a pretty long hibernation period, is there anything I can

 

[Dylan koch]

I'm also guessing your tegus cage is inside your house? What is your inside temp and ac set to? That could be a huge part of it!

 

[Shreve]

I'm also guessing your tegus cage is inside your house? What is your inside temp and ac set to? That could be a huge part of it!

My AC sits between 70-74 throughout a 24 hour period, the cool side hits low seventies at night but has a gradient of 80-110 during the day

 

[Dylan koch]

That would be my guess your tegu is sensing it is too cold still. You need to move it to a room if possible and close the vent or like others said shock it out of sleep like wake it up and let it warm up like in a tubaware outside or something. If its 90 to 100 outside there is no reason it should still be asleep. How is your tegu looking weight wise? And have you made sure it's still breathing? And had fresh water?