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Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 8:25 pm Post subject: new to this and looking for some advise
hey everyone, my name is Sean and im new to the forums and tegu's. The only reptile that I have owned is a ball python who met an extremely unfortunate and sad outcome (if you want to know ill tell the story but i dont want to clog this up with it). So I'm at college right now and all my friends are/were a year ahead of me and have graduated so I'm bored and looking for a new friend. I was thinking about another python till i stumbled onto these guys (Arg. B&W) and I'm hooked. I've had a lot of experience with pets (my moms a vet and my whole family is very animal driven) so this shouldnt be a huge leap for me but I'm looking forward to it immensly.
so anyway to my questions: At the moment I'm in an apartment that your technically not allowed to have pets but they let people slide as long as its caged and doesnt make a mess. I will be moving out of this place for an animal friendly apartment by the end of the year at absolute latest (most likely in november or early december) and will be making a 8x4x4 cage for him/her. I have a 55 gal tank at the moment with fish in it, but i will be giving them back to the fish store and cleaning it out for temporary housing for the tegu. How long would be ok for a hatchling or young tegu to stay in this size house?
couple of food questions: can cockroaches be kept in the dark so long as they are kept warm? i ask cause my roomates dont mind if i have them as long as they dont have to see them so i could keep them in a small tank in the 55 gal stand. what kind of veggies if any are best for tegus; same question for fruits.
housing question: what kind of lighting (like number/wattage) would you recommend for my future 8x4x4 cage? I'm guessing ill just need two lights for the 55 tank but will that be enough for the larger cage?
thats all I can think of right now but im sure ill come up with more. thanks for your responces!
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 1164 Location: panamacity florida
Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:09 am Post subject: Re: new to this and looking for some advise
Quote:
[quote="csfiend18"]hey everyone, my name is Sean and im new to the forums and tegu's. The only reptile that I have owned is a ball python who met an extremely unfortunate and sad outcome (if you want to know ill tell the story but i dont want to clog this up with it). So I'm at college right now and all my friends are/were a year ahead of me and have graduated so I'm bored and looking for a new friend. I was thinking about another python till i stumbled onto these guys (Arg. B&W) and I'm hooked. I've had a lot of experience with pets (my moms a vet and my whole family is very animal driven) so this shouldnt be a huge leap for me but I'm looking forward to it immensly.
Welcome to the site!! I know all too well how easy it is to get hooked on tegus.
Quote:
so anyway to my questions: At the moment I'm in an apartment that your technically not allowed to have pets but they let people slide as long as its caged and doesnt make a mess. I will be moving out of this place for an animal friendly apartment by the end of the year at absolute latest (most likely in november or early december) and will be making a 8x4x4 cage for him/her. I have a 55 gal tank at the moment with fish in it, but i will be giving them back to the fish store and cleaning it out for temporary housing for the tegu. How long would be ok for a hatchling or young tegu to stay in this size house?
A 55 gallon would be fine for a young tegu. It should be just fine until you move and build a larger cage.
Quote:
couple of food questions: can cockroaches be kept in the dark so long as they are kept warm? i ask cause my roomates dont mind if i have them as long as they dont have to see them so i could keep them in a small tank in the 55 gal stand. what kind of veggies if any are best for tegus; same question for fruits.
I raise hissers, they do require lighting. Some of the other members here raise different kinds, I am sure they could answer this question for you. What species are you looking to keep?
housing question: what kind of lighting (like number/wattage) would you recommend for my future 8x4x4 cage? I'm guessing ill just need two lights for the 55 tank but will that be enough for the larger cage?
thats all I can think of right now but im sure ill come up with more. thanks for your responces!
Your tegu will need a UVB strip light. As for the basking light, a 150 watt would work for a 55 gallon tall tank, as long as it is placed on top and not inside. The basking spot needs to be on one end. Then the hide can be set up on the cool side of the tank. You do not need to keep the whole tank warm. The basking spot does not need to be warmer than 110*F, or below 90*F. The other side can be 70s without any heat at all, this will be the end for him to cool off, tegus can not handle staying too hot. In the wild tegus go underground when it gets too hot.
i will be getting discoid cockroaches most likely. I'm looking at UVB strip lights and the ones I'm seeing all say something like "7% UVB" whats that mean and would it be ok for tegus?
also I was planning on getting my tegu from a reptile show, probably the northwestern berks show. i went to their website to look at the list of vendors but very few of them had websites. anyone have any experience with any of them? (long list)
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