View Full Version : Baby tegu
I finally bought a baby tegu. Currently setup in a 2ftx1feet aquarium, I use wet towel on the screen to keep in humidity. Basically the environment is similar to my sav's, in regards to humidity(85%+), basking temp(140f), gradients, etc... except the sav is in 1 8x4 cage. I'll be building the exact enclosure that my sav is in now for this tegu in a week. I'll be feeding the same diet as well, whole prey(mice,fish,anything I can get), also fruits and veggies when it's older since tegus do eat those.
Does anyone have any feedback, warnings, tips? I have been scouring the net for info for a long time and I find the tegu community has very different kinds of advises compared to varanids. Not sure what my point is, but I'm seeking knowledge, and so far from what I gather, my best bet is to keep the tegu in the same environment as my sav's, which is the knowledge I have gotten from this forum. Only difference would be the tegu's diet would have more fruits and veggies, otherwise all the same. So if anyone has any advise, warnings, etc, please don't be afraid to be frank.
video: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/search/%23AutoBackup?pid=5932033191753466978&oid=103641022791999749733
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JZNvVOQQuzU/UlIH7Nrf47I/AAAAAAAAUpQ/0s-yA3V7Wv4/w1093-h820-no/IMG_20131006_185015.jpg
thinkbig317
10-07-13, 12:48 PM
Not quite sure Tegu's require such high basking spots but I could be wrong.
drumcrush
10-07-13, 12:49 PM
Lookin good, I hope to get a tegu soon:)
I forgot to mention another thing different I'll do for the tegu would be the addition of UVB bulb. Seems like the tegu community really emphasizes on UVB being mandatory.
smy_749
10-07-13, 01:48 PM
Tegu's aren't varanids ! :P
Tegu's aren't varanids ! :P
I aware of that lol. However there isn't a tegu section in this forum and I find the people in this forum more trust worthy so I shamefully posted this thread here in hopes of getting good advices..
smy_749
10-07-13, 01:55 PM
Don't be so sensitivie hahahaha Was just messing, I don't have the answers as I've never kept any tegus. They are close enough to varanids I guess lol
hehe, yeah that's kind of how I plan to raise this tegu with the exception of some if the things I pointed out, but still hoping to find more guidance.
Gatorhunter1231
10-07-13, 05:21 PM
I raised my tegu like a monitor. Temps where 120 for basking spot and humidity in 70-80s. My tegu loved to burrow. It was a red tegu and was growing fast. Never had skin issues that red tegus are suppose to have.
I raised my tegu like a monitor. Temps where 120 for basking spot and humidity in 70-80s. My tegu loved to burrow. It was a red tegu and was growing fast. Never had skin issues that red tegus are suppose to have.
Hi! Can you please tell me more about your tegu experience, if you think you've figured out a good set of rules and if you feel you succeeded in providing good husbandary, his diet, etc.. since it was a baby, then as it grew up, what about now?
Adding vegetation to diet is a brand new thing for me so it would be good to learn from someone with some success...
Gatorhunter1231
10-07-13, 06:39 PM
Mined died in a large fire I had with my salvadorii and eveything else. It was growing fast. Baby to juvie I feed it Dubia roaches primarily, added hopper mice once it was large enough. Ate bananas, strawberries, and blueberries twice a week. Some mix veggies once a week (carrots, collard greens and chopped tomato). I have read reds don't eat as much vegetation as the other tegu species. Mine wouldn't touch greens without some chopped tomato. I used several inches of sandy peat moss.
My buddy had an argentine tegu that I raised for a year and it double in size from the same kind of setup. He sold it two years ago (kids). Had it 6yrs and was a 3 1/2 ft female. After he copied what I did then the tegu did really well.
Mined died in a large fire I had with my salvadorii and eveything else. It was growing fast. Baby to juvie I feed it Dubia roaches primarily, added hopper mice once it was large enough. Ate bananas, strawberries, and blueberries twice a week. Some mix veggies once a week (carrots, collard greens and chopped tomato). I have read reds don't eat as much vegetation as the other tegu species. Mine wouldn't touch greens without some chopped tomato. I used several inches of sandy peat moss.
My buddy had an argentine tegu that I raised for a year and it double in size from the same kind of setup. He sold it two years ago (kids). Had it 6yrs and was a 3 1/2 ft female. After he copied what I did then the tegu did really well.
Did you have uvb setup? If so how? Thx!
Gatorhunter1231
10-11-13, 06:26 PM
Nope, but would be just the addition of another bulb . Should be easy.
Grendel
10-12-13, 03:11 PM
Go to Tegu Talk and you will get all your answers there. There is no debate on how to keep them. Overall they are easier to keep then monitors from the aspect of temp/humidity and temperament. You can also brumate them for a few months a year saving on food/upkeep etc.
smy_749
10-12-13, 05:55 PM
Go to Tegu Talk and you will get all your answers there. There is no debate on how to keep them. Overall they are easier to keep then monitors from the aspect of temp/humidity and temperament. You can also brumate them for a few months a year saving on food/upkeep etc.
I dont' know why people say things are 'easier than monitors'.
All you do is put them in a bucket filled with a bunch of dirt and heat. Thats it....Food? anything that was once alive and small enough to fit in its mouth...
I fear that the tegu community is somewhat similar to the bearded dragon community. Won't go into details but it wouldn't surprise me if thats the type of care you find most have agreed on.
Gatorhunter1231
10-13-13, 07:52 AM
I pretty much setup most things up like monitors. My knob tailed geckos are even set up like monitors. They are suppose to have one hide, be alone, and get heat from a heat pad. Mine live together, have a red light basking area to gets to 120 which they use often, rete stacks, rocks the works. Been growing fast. I know people who have beardies setup up like monitors that actively breed a lot
smy_749
10-13-13, 08:44 AM
knobbies are nocturnal though :P Interesting that the use the 120 basking
knobbies are nocturnal though :P Interesting that the use the 120 basking
Yeah that's kind of strange...
Gatorhunter1231
10-14-13, 02:55 PM
Just a simple light switch. Use red light instead of a day light bulb. I normally can go in there around 7pm. When my normal lights for everything else click off and one of them will be basking before it starts hunting.
Pirarucu
10-16-13, 05:07 PM
Just because they're nocturnal doesn't mean they won't thermoregulate.
smy_749
10-16-13, 06:20 PM
I didn't say they won't thermoregulate.....thats a bit extreme to say . I just don't know of any place on earth that has 120 degree spots to utilize for thermoregulation during the night time hours so I don't think a nocturnal species, sheltered from day time temps requires it, and its interesting that they do use it.
Sublimeballs
10-16-13, 07:14 PM
Trust me you NEED a UVB bulb. Just look into metabolic bone disease cases when you don't use one. I used to have an arg. B&W for a few years, sold him and now my girlfriend wants one from what I've told her of mine; so we're in the market for one. I used temps of 83F cold side, basking spot of 120F. I used roughly 18" of topsoil sand mix(and every bit of it was used). As for what veggies and fruits I tried zucchini, squash, various green, freash picked dandilions(only if you Know they haven't come in contact with pesticides,etc..), strawberries, blue berries, black berries, banana, grapes, mango, and many other things. You just gotta find what they like.
Kayla_NBRescue
10-29-13, 01:13 AM
I'm new to this forum but have been largely active in the tegu community over the past decade... With that being said, the tegu community is a bit behind in things and are where the varanid community was say 10 years ago, but is slowly catching on. I keep my tegus closer to how I keep my monitors than what you'll read on the poorly written care guides that out there. whole prey but with fruits/veggies,, deep substrate, high temps... tegus a tad cooler than varanids. I bask them at 115-120 for hatchlings, 130-135 for adults... whereas my monitors are 140-150+. Their skin is not as thick so slightly cooler temps seem to be best. However I do not provide UV. I have raised a tegu for 10 yrs on whole prey, no uvb and xrays show excellent bone density and no calcium deficiencies in blood. Hope this helps.
I'm new to this forum but have been largely active in the tegu community over the past decade... With that being said, the tegu community is a bit behind in things and are where the varanid community was say 10 years ago, but is slowly catching on. I keep my tegus closer to how I keep my monitors than what you'll read on the poorly written care guides that out there. whole prey but with fruits/veggies,, deep substrate, high temps... tegus a tad cooler than varanids. I bask them at 115-120 for hatchlings, 130-135 for adults... whereas my monitors are 140-150+. Their skin is not as thick so slightly cooler temps seem to be best. However I do not provide UV. I have raised a tegu for 10 yrs on whole prey, no uvb and xrays show excellent bone density and no calcium deficiencies in blood. Hope this helps.
thx! What tegu projects do you have going on now, any cool pics/videos to show off? I love looking at videos, been obsessing on Youtube for a while looking at vids, but lots of animals in bad shape but always refreshing to see healthy ones.
p.s. my tegu grew FAST... went for 6 inches to 10 inches and thick tailed in a month, he's also a very good hunter, e.g. digging for warms that the eye can't see. My sav doesn't seem as good at digging for food:
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Kayla_NBRescue
10-29-13, 06:24 PM
Yes! Tegus grow incredibly fast!!! yours looks great. Digging is a good pass time, although I have found the adults slow down a bit and arent as ready to dig as young ones are.
I don't have any projects, I don't breed as I run North Bay Tegu & Monitor Rescue ( North Bay Tegu & Monitor Rescue - Home (http://www.northbaytegurescue.com) ). My personal collection is a pair of argentine b/ws, 3 reds, a red x b/w hybrid and an albino blue.
I just posted a few pics in the welcome section and my facebook albums are public if you want to check those out. https://www.facebook.com/mommyfox317
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