New Tegu owner

commanderkang · Member Joined: Jan 12, 2007 Posts: 19

Hi all I just purchased my first tegu today at the MARS show here in Maryland. I don't actually have him with me tonight since I'm volunteering there and figured it would be best to take him/her home after the show tomorrow. Id like to go over some info listed below to make sure I'm all set to give him the best care.

I have a cage that I'm putting together thats 6 feet wide,5 feet deep,and 4 feet tall but I'm in the process of assembly. For the inside I want to line it with a rubber liner think something along the lines of what one would use in a small fish pond. As substrate Id like to use cypress mulch but I'm up for any alternatives. As for a moist hide box I need some recommendations as what would be a best practice for setting this up.

As for heating I have a t-rex mega ray 100 watt for heat and uvb. Now I'm under the impression they don't need uvb like say a bearded dragon would but this wont harm him/her correct? The basking temp needs to be around 100-110f and the cool side around 80-90.

As for feeding I know they can eat supers,silikies,crickets, pinkies etc. What are the best veggies and fruits that I should feed? I often have allot of bok-choy,collard greens, kale,and mustard greens along with many other veggies for my dragons. Would any of them be okay for the tegu?
What are the best staple fruits?

For the next few days until I have the full size cage put together I'm going to house the little guy in a 30 gallon tank.Are there any concerns with this since it is only going to be temporary?

I think that covers the caging but I'm tired from today so if I missed anything please say so!

I know for the next few days I really should leave him/her alone except make my presence know so they get used to me before handling. I'm also going to take him/her to the vet in the next few days to be sure he/shes clear of worms or any other nasties.

commanderkang · Member Joined: Jan 12, 2007 Posts: 19

Hi all I brought him home tonight heres some pics! The first pics of him were in a teeny cage I had him in while I cleaned out his temp 30 gal. The second are in his bigger temp tank that'll he'll be in this week while I assemble the big cage.