Nervous new Tegu owner

krystl · New Member Joined: Sep 18, 2006 Posts: 9 Location: NY

Hi! My son and I were at a reptile show last weekend and we purchased a Tegu baby (4 months old we were told) by a vendor that I believe did not give us correct information. As a matter of fact, after lurking here about a week, I know he didn't give us completely honest information.

My son is 10 and has a leopard gecko which he adores. The little guy is very tame. But we went to the reptile show in hopes of getting another gecko or perhaps a bearded dragon.
When my son saw the Tegus (I am thinking from all the info here, it is an Argentinain black and white), he fell in love.

The vendor told us he would get big, but it would take many years (like 10) to get huge. He also told us we could feed it dog food and ground turkey, as well as insects and fruits and veggies. And that a 10 gallon tank would suffice for at least a year, then we could move up to a 20.

NOW, I know that was all bull. I'm thinking we got ourselves in deeper than we knew and may not be able to house the poor thing properly when he/she starts growing.

My son has not been able to handle it because it freaks out when we put our hands in the tank. He stands with his front legs tall and breathes very heavily and makes a loud breathing sound like he is threatened or scared.

I would never have made the purchase knowing the full extent of the care these animals need. But I won't give up on a committment either.

I know this was long-winded and I apologize. I just figured the best way to start was tell my story and go from there.

Thanks for listening.

Btw, my son loves this Tegu (whom he named Steve after his idol, the Crocodile Hunter).

VARNYARD · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:43 pm Post subject:

krystl, you came to the right place!!

And welcome to the forums!!

Are you sure this is a Argentine? The way you are decribing it, it sounds like it could be a Colombian. Look at this, It will help you figure out the species. http://thetegu.com/contentid-10.html

Also, are you keeping it in a 10 gallon tank? And what is the wattage on the basking bulb? This is very important.
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Rick · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject:

I would not use a 10 gallon. I would suggest at least a 20 gallon long. It's too hard to get a good temperature gradient in a 10. As an overnight holding tank or something a 10 gallon can work for a hatchling, but I'd upgrade as soon as possible.

And ditto.. Welcome to The Tegu Community

Rick
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nicolerussell · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:51 pm Post subject:

if I had a dollar for everytime I was lied to or given stupid info from people looking to sell an animal I would be rolling in bills. (This iguana only needs a 20 gallon tank and this french fry light )
You have done the right thing though, finding the right site and seeking out the info you need to give this guy a great home.
You might have to rethink the idea of having this as your son's pet if the animal turns out to be Columbian though. They definately are not a good animal to raise with children, unless he will not be handled by them.
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"I'm gonna do what I should've done in the first place. I'll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her... until she likes me again."
-Spike

VARNYARD · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:57 pm Post subject:

I was getting to that guys. I was wondering what type of tegu this was for sure. The Argentines can not take the heat. The Colombians can take it much better. But either way, a ten gallon is not large enough.
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Rick · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:07 pm Post subject:

nicolerussell · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:25 pm Post subject:

something told me to use "nickle" and the blonde in me used the dollar analogy. If BW Smith (who just signed on here) saw this he would have a field day--at my expense

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Yours,
NiColeRuSSell

"I'm gonna do what I should've done in the first place. I'll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her... until she likes me again."
-Spike

krystl · New Member Joined: Sep 18, 2006 Posts: 9 Location: NY

Thank yo so much for all the nice replies.

I took a couple of pics of him through the glass, so I will try to post one or two so maybe someone here can give me a positive ID.
The vendor said he was an Argentine and even specified that the Columbian ones don't get as big but he didn't recommend that for my son because they are not as handleable. So I'm pretty sure we got what he said we did.
He was very tame at the show. The guy let my son hold him and the tegu was very calm.

We didn't try to handle him at all once we got him home because we know they need some time to adjust. A little over a week later though, we can't put our hands near him at all.

So we have been feeding him in the tank, on a smll dish. Or we just put the dusted/gut-loaded crickets in the tank.

Right now we have reptile bark as the substrate but I think we will need to change that. He makes such a mess. He won't let us watch him eat the fruit and veggies, but when we come back into the room, there is bark all over the food, thrown all over the tank and bark in his water dish. It is a challenge keeping his habitat clean!

We will definitely be getting a larger tank, but I don't want to buy 20 gal only to have to upgrade it shortly after.

Someone asked about the bulb in there. That's another thing the guy told us...he could have a bulb, but didn't really need anything special. What we already had for that 10 gal set-up was a florescent type light bar in the hood for reptiles. So we are using that.

We also have a heat mat under the glass on one side, where his hideout is. The water is on the other end of the tank.

tegulevi · Respected Member Joined: Mar 10, 2005 Posts: 489

go with a 40 gallon breeder tank, they are pretty nice for young ones to start in.

Diegar · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:38 pm Post subject:

Hello and welcome to the site!

I can understand not wanting to buy a another aquarium for short term use, because they can be rather pricey. Another alternative, that you could use for the short term would be a rubbermaid bin. They are far less expensive and you could still get him into a larger home. Just make sure it doesn't have a sealed lid on it.. (we all like air..

)

As for the lights. There are 2 things he will need most. One is a UVB light, and the other is a basking lamp. You stated that you are using a tube light for reptiles, so i can assume that it gives off UVB, but just to be sure, check the packaging it came in for those letters. Basking heat is also very important as it gives the boost to your Tegu that it needs to digest food. A basking spot should be in the ballpark of 110 - 115 degrees F, and the ambient temps of the rest of the cage should hang somewhere in the 80s.

As for right now, though, since he is in a 10 gallon, i wouldn't stress a basking light.. Like Rick mentioned before, a 10 gallon tank is hard to manage with a basking light and the whole thing could end up turning into an oven.

As we are approaching the colder season, our Tegus are starting to slow down and prepare to sleep a lot more. If your Tegu was healthy when you bought it, then there is a great chance that it will be able to cope with a lack of food for several months. I would still make a practice of offering food daily, but don't go wasting a ton of it. If he won't eat, you might as well be throwing good food in the trash.

Once you get your little guy into a bigger cage and most likely, after the colder months are past us, you will find that your Tegu will be active again and a little more cooperative.

Thanks again for finding us!!!

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The Jay

Ezekiel · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:19 am Post subject:

welcome krystl i just wanna say last time i put a heat mat under a glass tank it got hot, real hot. i suggest you put your hand in the tank and touch the glass where the heat mat is. its just last time i did this i nearly killed a snake with the glass getting to hot.
if your tegu is an argentine then your gonna have alot of fun with this lizard in the future. good luck
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krystl · New Member Joined: Sep 18, 2006 Posts: 9 Location: NY

If you don't use a heat mat, and heat rocks are a no-no, then what do you recommend?

worleygurl · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:07 am Post subject:

Tegus require heat from above, in the form of a light bulb. They are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and bask in the sun. Using a UTH is fine, even in a glass tank but you should put something between the UTH and the glass and use a dimmer switch. You can buy a dimmer switch at Wal Mart for under $10 and all you do is plug the dimmer switch into the wall and the UTH into the dimmer switch. This allows you to control the power to the UTH.
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Kris, Herps they're not just a hobby, they're a way of life!

VARNYARD · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:33 am Post subject:

Tegus can handle cold much better than heat. Your tegu does not require a heat pad under the cool side of the tank. The tegu can overheat and die if it does not have a place to cool off. It can return to the basking light if it needs to warm up.
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krystl · New Member Joined: Sep 18, 2006 Posts: 9 Location: NY

Ok, but I have to check the wattage on the bulb. It's a long bulb, but not for heat I don't think. So I don't want to unplug the heat mat until I have the proper heat bulb.