[debo1986]

hi i have a black and white tegu its 3ft and still young, ive built a 6ftx4ftx3ft viv now i just want to know whats the best heating for him and how does having 2 ceramics work out ect, 1 for bask and 1 for day and night heat.

also where can i get caves or hides thats not too plain because everywhere i look there the same i just want a nice custom made large hide/cave because me lizard is big and beefy

thanks alot in advance:2thumb:

 

[weeminx]

he shouldnt really need any heat at night time...well only if your room that the viv is in gets really cold at night.i mean like dropping below 65.
i use spot reflector bulbs for basking and no heating during the night.
as for the hide it will have to be huge like you say tegus are beafy lol i use a simple huge wooden box with a hole cut into the side for easy access.my tegus love it.:2thumb:

 

[Skar's Royals]

For hides you can use upside down cat/dog beds and cover them with substrate etc. works well for my large snakes.

 

[debo1986]

cheers for that guys much apreciated:2thumb:

 

[debo1986]

weeminx you say you have tegus so could you help me out here please, ive had my tegu for about 7 month and not once as it hybernated and ive been reading alot about tegus and everyones topic ive read about there tegus they hybernate. but mine has not hybernated once since ive had it.

also how many tegus you got if more then one what sex

 

[weeminx]

i have two tegus one of each sex.mine are now just going into their 3 hibernation.at 7 months yours probably wont do it this year.mine do it with no help at all all i do is turn down the daylight hours and turn down the heat a little.
you shouldnt worry about it too much.some people do it some people dont.some tegus do it automatically some dont.
mine will be hibernating untill around the end of april although they have been out this week a couple of times to have a drink and a little bask.

 

[debo1986]

ah nice so if they dont hybernate it dont mean they are ill or something. what tegu gets the biggest female or male, the guy at owns a reptile centre in sherwood he has the same one which is where i brought my tegu from but his is 3yrs old and its as beefy as a fully grown staff lol its huge, i hope mine gets like that.

also i feed mine every 2 days and i give him 1 small rat and a day old chick. do you think thats ok or is there a nice meal plan that keeps him healthy and helps him grow or something.

sorry for the daft questions but i really want the best for my tegu

 

[weeminx]

males tend to be bigger than females.
as for the food you can offer a wide range of stuff...fruits,eggs,rats,chicks,chicken,liver,fish(my male loves sprats),locusts,large morio worms.
hibernated tegus tend to grow slower than non hibernated tegus.
not going into hibernation doesnt mean they are ill so dnt panic.for a good healthy eating guide for tegus you could try johelians website (a member on here a quick search of her name will bring up her link) also you could try going onto tegu.com they have some good threads about food and hibernation on there.
also a search on google for a guy called bert langerwarf he has a really good webby for tegus.:2thumb:

 

[weeminx]

agama international tegus

this should help you : victory:

 

[debo1986]

thanks alot weeminx your a star. this site needs people like you:2thumb:

 

[Razaiel]

I wasn't going to post as I don't have a tegu (but would like a B&W someday). I do have a nearly 4ft sav however and have found the best hides for him are those massive bark ones. He has some large flat ones I throw on top of his substrate and he burrows underneath them. They are also light enough the lizard can move them along inside his viv himself if it isn't in the right place I also found one of those massive hollow bark logs are good under his basking area (I use halogen floods) and he sits on top to bask and goes inside to hide.

 

[weeminx]

thanks alot weeminx your a star. this site needs people like you:2thumb:

:rotfl: although there are many who would rather i wasnt here....thats a different story altogether.
anywayyyyyyyyyyyy.......thank you.another person who knows her tegus is johelian she is a wonderful source of info well worth looking up her care sheet.:2thumb:

 

[debo1986]

cheers for that razaiel much apreciated:2thumb:

 

[Johelian]

Lol thanks Weeminx Ive got a caresheet on my site in "Care Resources" at www.freewebs.com/johelian, plus pics of my adult male Big Teg. With regards to hibernation (or lack of it), there is no hard evidence to suggest that tegus may be adversely affected by it - although some breeders (I believe Bert Langerwerf is one, so this is probably best taken seriously) have suggested that not hibernating your tegus can result in infertility. This can apparently occur even if the tegu has only missed one hibernation! Having only one tegu, I cant add to this any further. Otherwise, I guess there is the possibility of no hibernation affecting lifespan, but again this is just theoretical; I havent read anything to support or deny this. My male tegu has never been hibernated - he had to be kept out of it when I got him as he was on meds at the time, and has never attempted to hibernate since.

I also agree with Razaiel; my male has big bits of cork bark and fake plants that he uses to dig under and hide. It just looks a bit nicer than a plastic box, gives him a bit more stimulation as he digs under it, and the rough texture helps with shedding. Its all down to personal preference though; I know quite a few people use a box full of moss etc as a humid hide. We just spray down the cage all the time to keep humidity up!

For heating, we use 2 floodlights from B&Q; the tegu should be able to warm all of its body at once, and we found that the broad beams of these lights made a large enough spot for him to sit in. He also has a heat mat on a thermostat for winter, although he rarely sleeps on that side of the cage - so I guess he doesnt really need it. Its there though just in case!