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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 3:54 am Post subject: Newbie
Hi there, im from the UK!
Bought a tegu yesterday from a pet store near me, was very hard finding someone who had tegus! but i got one. He is a baby about 12-14" long, ive called him Godzilla
Ive printed out the care sheet from the site, what should there humidity levels be kept at? can i allow the viv to get steamed up (spray him and shut the doors). also my basking spot is a bit higher than 110, its around 120 but i was told they need it that hot??
Also, the tegu has a lump near its bum, i was a bit worried about this when i bought him, but the tegu seems to be in good health, ill attach a picture below of it, my camera isnt that great so im sorry for the quality. The lump kinda stick out a little bit, and i dont think its hard. it moves when pushed.
The pictures are too blurry to be sure, but the bump you mentioned (just below your pinky) just looks like the tegus vent to me. If you can get much better (less blurry) pictures I can assist you better on that aspect. A tip that works with most cameras is to turn the quality up. Turn on Autofocus. Hold the camera 20 to 24 inches from the subject. Hold the shutter button halfway for a couple seconds as it automatically adjusts, then press the rest of the way. I hope that helps.
My basking spots vary based on the temps inside the house and outside. So my basking spots can fluxuate between 100F and 115F. Keep in mind if you basking spot is 120F on a cool day, one a hot day it's going to get up there.
I have not used that pellet litter you are using, but I would assume it will not hold humidity very well. It looks like a rabbit food type pellet and I know rabbit food breaks down when wet or humid. I recommend cypress mulch as it holds humidity very well and does not mold if its humid. I would also recommend at least 4 to 5 inches of depth so the tegu can dig around and burrow, which is one of their favorite pastimes.
Your tegu looks good. It's a hatchling from last year so I'd guess its age at around 6 months. Congrats on the new baby argentine tegu.
Thankyou very much for your response, i love him already he is great. was a bit hissy this morning but i just picked him straight up and calmed him down. The substrate-litter is called repti-turf and its what they had him at the shop i got him from, thought i could try it as it hides strong smells really well, but i will order some cypress mulch from the net when i can find a UK supplier
the lump someone has told me his rectum is inflammed and to bathe him in a sugar/water mixture to see if it swells down, also said it could cause an anal prolapse, but ill make sure he is ok
as i only got him yesterday his viv is not 100% accurate so tonight i will be changing the basking temp to 110, putting a BIGGER water bowl in for him to submerge his body, and ordering some of that cypress mulch stuff you mentioned
Joined: Nov 06, 2004 Posts: 972269 Location: Central Maine
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 7:16 pm Post subject:
Dave,
If it's vent is irrated I would take him off the substrate you are using. It may be causing the issue or at the least contributing to it. A lot of petshops do not know the proper husbandry for every animal they are selling. I would immediately pick up some type of natural wood mulch substrate from the petstore until you can get cypress mulch. There are companys that make stuff that will work as well as cypress, it just costs more.. like Jungle Mix(tm) or similar. Just make sure it doesn't have pine or cedar in it.
I would soak it in warm water with a little bit of Betadyne (a cheap topical disinfectant available at any prescription store or anywhere they sell first aid supplies). Mix just enough Betadyne so that the water looks the color of a cup of hot tea. I never heard of soaking a tegu is sugar water. I don't think I would try that unless it was recommended by a vet. Some bacteria thrive on sugar and sugar has no disinfectant qualities that I know of.
I will try the solution that you have suggested, i have ordered some cypress mulch from a site, buti dont think i have ordered enough of it. and of course i have lost the site i went on lol. oh dear
had him out last night, he loves to roam around on me, just get a bit worried when he licks everything then stops and stares, but he is ok. doesnt like being woken up though! and hides most of the time in his viv. ideally i need to build him a bigger viv, he is 17" long (longer than i thought) and the viv is 3ft, so soon i will get building!
at the current state my money situation is quite low, car problems etc causing me to be a bit skint but i have enough food for godzilla so thats ok.
what are tegu's like with other lizards (beardies). i have a 11 month old bearded dragon too.
Joined: Mar 25, 2005 Posts: 1354 Location: Denver, CO
Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:10 am Post subject:
Welcome to theTegu Dave - You're right about them not liking to wake up and it's best not to do so - Let him come out on his own...
And as to the bd, I would be very cautious about introducing them as you could quite possibly have a fight or worse on your hands... _________________ 1.0.0 Ball Python "Albino"
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Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 521 Location: Chicago, IL
Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:30 am Post subject:
Hey dave, welcome, and you mentioned you lost the site you ordered your cypress mulch from. Well, when your order comes in you should have a packing slip with it and that should have the website name that you ordered it from so that shouldn't be that big of a deal. . Also, as Teiidae stated you should not wake up your tegu, because when they bury themselves and hide/sleep, they believe that spot they are in is safe and secure, and when you wake them up from that spot, you are showing your tegu that the spot he chose is not "safe". Good luck with the vent problem you have, tegus are hardy and it should not be any problem if treated properly. _________________ -Art-
i found the site, and ordered some more! lol. got about 15litres coming in the post should be enough for him. ill take your advise and not wake him. will see what hes up to when i get in from work, hopefully up and about ready for his feed!
don't they have gardening centers in the UK? here in the states we have all kinds. b/c the shipping on several cubic feet of cypress mulch may be pricey. for some cheap hiding areas (for now) ...flip over a small shoe box or two and cut a doorway. put one in the warm side of cage and one on cool side. i agree not to pull him out of hides until he is better acclimated, if not never. they like their security, especially when new to a cage. he looks good otherwise. take a pic of vent w/o being so close so your camera is in focus, too. i'd like to see the bump.
im sorry did try taking some pics, but yet again most are blurry, he just wont sit still! they dont look blurry on the camera display its unfair!
There are a lot of pics here.. He did a poop yesterday so i know hes not blocked up, but the lump is worrying me, my beardie is going to the vet tomorrow for a pinworm shot so i might take the tegu too
i currently have him in a 3ft viv, he is ok in it but i am building a 6ftx3x2 vivarium in this week, he is 17" in length, is it ok for him to go straight into the larger vivarium, or will he become aggressive etc? he has a lovely temprement at the minute, been fine since i got him.
have some cypress mulch on order, hopefully shud be here soon for him!
Joined: Mar 25, 2005 Posts: 1354 Location: Denver, CO
Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:21 am Post subject:
You can partition a section off and introduce more space gradually, or put him in there as is and see how he responds to it - I have a 9 month old in an 8 footer and he loves the space, of course he's in the neighborhood of 40" though... _________________ 1.0.0 Ball Python "Albino"
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ok that sounds a good idea, ill try that and see how he gets on, if he freaks out and starts running up and down like a lunatic should i section it off? or is this a good sign lol
The size jump isnt too huge, so he should be fine going to a bigger area, especially if you have him out roaming all the time, he'll be more used to the freedom and will like the change of pace from going back into the smaller cage.
As for the swelling, I wouldnt be too concerned, as long as hes happy and not expirencing pain from it, it cant be anything too horrible
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. Also, as Teiidae stated you should not wake up your tegu, because when they bury themselves and hide/sleep, they believe that spot they are in is safe and secure, and when you wake them up from that spot, you are showing your tegu that the spot he chose is not "safe". Good luck with the vent problem you have, tegus are hardy and it should not be any problem if treated properly.
so i might take the tegu too
