Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm just curious as to how many rodents you guys are feeding your Tegus, should I just keep offering them in his dish and see how many he will eat, and then offer those every day or every other day, or should I give him a fixed number? I don't want him to develop obesity. The rule I use with my snakes is give them food until they don't accept it anymore, what rule should I use with Mig? I've already given him 3 pinks the other day which he ate and 2 today, I am planning on giving him 3 more today to see if he will eat them. Is 5 a good number each day, or should I offer more?

P.S. Check back in this thread later today for a pic of him!!

Thanks,
Ralph
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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Here's a pic, A Honduran Milksnake is housed up top, followed by an Argentine Black and White Tegu under him, with a Desert Kingsnake under him, and a Bearded Dragon under her. Let me know what you think. The enclosure is solid white-washed oak.

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Hope you like him

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Nice lookin tegu you got there!

awesome!!my male is about same size---what size mice/rats is your tegu eating? i just ordered a variety ;i wasn't really sure so i got 50 of fuzzies,hoppers,rat pups etc.--BRIAN

Hey Brian,

Thanks for the compliments. Currently he is eating large pinks, but today I threw a fuzzie in there too, to see if he would take it. He went to sleep early though(Must have been tired from all the playing) so I will let you know tomorrow.

You should be fine with the rat pups and the fuzzies, the hoppers might be cutting it a little close, but if he doesn't take them, just store them in your frezer in the bags they came in and they should be good for a few months.

Also if he takes the fuzzie today, I will strictly be feeding him fuzzies and maybe the occasional pinkie, because like Rollin said, pinkies lack bone structure and they are very fatty, which isn't a bad thing, but it isn't necessairly a good thing either..to help him obtain more calcium, I will also be giving him meal worms and dusting his fruits and veggies(Which he doesn't seem to like too much) with calcium and herptivite.

Good Luck!

P.S. Have you handled your male and female yet? How do they handle? Mine is a little jumpy and he puffs up when I come near him, he actually tried to bite me today because I made the mistake of trying to pick him up from the frontal portion of his body..I got away just barley with that one LOL...take care
-Ralph
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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

my female is in deep sleep right now--100% hibernating---male is just like yours--grumpy/puffy--activates his hydraulics and raises off ground an inch or two(lol)until i get a hold of him and then he calms down.the longer i hold him the better he gets-i put him on a chair next to me and he usually naps after fighting temptation to keep an eye on me.---BRIAN

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Very nice! I like the way you incorporated the lights. Probably gives off some heat laterally to the cage next to it as well as the one below. Great job! Billy

>>Here's a pic, A Honduran Milksnake is housed up top, followed by an Argentine Black and White Tegu under him, with a Desert Kingsnake under him, and a Bearded Dragon under her. Let me know what you think. The enclosure is solid white-washed oak.
>>
>>-----
>>0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
>>2.1 Bearded Dragon
>>0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
>>1.1 Honduran Milksnake
>>1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
>>1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
>>1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
>>0.1 Desert Kingsnake
>>1.0 Western Hognose Snake
>>1.0 Bull Mastiff

-----
0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

To be honest, to me these are too sparesely furnished and badly ventilated enclosures with WAY W A Y (!!!) too dim lights and dimensions which are not OK for Tegus or BDs.
Sorry for that, but you asked

Ci@o

Ingo

Well I am sorry almighty enclosure builder, but have you taken a look at a REAL enclosure that breeders house their snakes it? They are rubbermaid containters with aspen bedding a water dish, and thats about it, so how are mine with rocks and pipe (perfectly suitable hide boxes) sparcely furnished? What else would you like me to add into the equation, maybe a miniature Hilton would suit your needs? PLEASE!!!

As for the sparce lights AGAIN, have you taken a look at what breeders and professional keepers house their snakes in? THE RUBBERMAID CONTAINERS HAVE NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lights in them whatsoever, they aren't even clear, they are semi-clear...so please with your comments, take them elsewhere.

The bottom enclosure measuers 48x16x12 that is PLENTY and I mean PLENTY of room for 1 adult bearder dragon.

So you and your negative comments can go elsewhere, the only comment with relative relevance would be the dimly lit comment for the beardie, he actually has a flourescent light at the top of the enclosure, it was off during this picture.

And as for the Tegu, that is PLENTY of room for him right now, I am building a 6x3x2 enclosure for him within the next few months for when he reaches full size...40x16x12 is enough room for a juvenile tegu at his size...

Thank you and have a nice day!

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, just how are they badly ventilated considering that the doors are composed of screening???? The screen spans the entire length and height of the enclosure, if you call this bad ventilation, then you my friend have issues.
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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

Sorry, I had the impression that it was all glass.
If you have added some openings in the upper fourth of the back wall, I have to apologiuze and say its fine.

Sorry again

Ok, sorry, I just gave my opinion.
This includes that IMHO many breeders do NOT AT ALL keep their herps right, but more use them as breeding machines.
I am german and obviously herping is different in germany.
Its general agreement, that even a dim autumn day exceeds 20000 lux and in a desert 100 0000 Lux are easily reached.
One of those conventional lamp at one side in your cage will locally produce up to 3000 Lux.
The rest of the cages is not lighted at all.
The way, all those responsible herpers I know do for cages of the size you show is, to add for desert reptiles at least one 150 W metal halide (HQI NDL) which emits about 18000 lumen or a 70 W version for djungle dwellers and in addition to that 4-5 30-36 W fluorescent tubes to add brightness outside the basking spots.
Also for Tegus, a tank of at least 5 x SVL X 8 x SVL is very much recommended. About the same relative size holds true for bearded dragons. Moreover, since beerded dragons love to climb onto smaller rocks, a height of 3 ft for a BD cage is agreed to be about the minimum for BDs. At least here in Germany there is great consens about all these things.

Also BDS as well as tegus do need stuff to climb and to hide. This means more than one place, where the animal can completely hide in/under and a structured interior of the tank.

For sufficient ventilation, there have to be openings in the lower part of the tank, to let methan and Co2 out and fresh air in and openings in the upper fourth to allow circulation.
For a desert setup, these openings should make up at least 40 % of the ground space of the enclosure.
And of course the Tegu outgrows that tank in a few months

Sorry, I do not want a quarrel, I Am an experiences herper (since>30years) and I DO give my experiences and opinions.
And I repeat that I think your tanks can be fine for some species of snakes but NOT for the lizards you keep in there.

Theres no reason for me to offend you or to care for your animals. I just want to tell you my opinions and experiences, since I think, your animals do suffer.

I have nothing else to say and I do not love to be shouted at. If you want to ignore my postings -do it.
But I´d more appreciate if you´d think twice about it.
Theres nothing else I can do or say.
So thats my last word in this thread.

Ci@o

Ingo

You asked..I think THATS the way to go:

One of my basilisk tanks

One of my Uromastyx tanks

Reminds self not to post observations to Ralph

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Who owns who? The tegu or you?

Sorry about that, I reread my post and I came off very aggressive, I guess it's because I am on edge right now...I'm in the middle of filling out 3 different college applications, and writing essays for them, I'm nervous and stressed, hence my harsh comments.

But seriously though, some of those comments were a little rough in their own right, and held little relevance.

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
0.0.1 Baby Aru Green Tree Python (Awaiting arrival
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.4 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

i think your enclosure is great---very few reptile setups look good--yours is professional and looks good.-happy holidays ------brian

Cool, looking forward to the pics. I don't think you have to worry about feeding your tegu's too much when their growing like you do with snakes. I everyday I'd feed mine one thing till they stopped eating it then I'd try something else and they'd eat some of that too. When they stopped growing then they started to get "fat" and you'll want to cut down on their food. You probably know this but baby mice don't have much for bones (calcium) so you might want to get some cricket dust in his diet somewhere. Whew sounds like he has a great appetite, so far so good huh?

How big is he? If he's eating 5 pinkies, it might be better to offer him 2 or 3 fuzzies. They are better overall as they have more bone mass and fur. Since he's still growing, I would let him eat all he wants once a day for now. When he gets bigger, his appetite should decrease a little, but if not his growth rate surely will and then you will have to tailor his intake to maintain a healthy weight. Billy

>>I'm just curious as to how many rodents you guys are feeding your Tegus, should I just keep offering them in his dish and see how many he will eat, and then offer those every day or every other day, or should I give him a fixed number? I don't want him to develop obesity. The rule I use with my snakes is give them food until they don't accept it anymore, what rule should I use with Mig? I've already given him 3 pinks the other day which he ate and 2 today, I am planning on giving him 3 more today to see if he will eat them. Is 5 a good number each day, or should I offer more?
>>
>>P.S. Check back in this thread later today for a pic of him!!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Ralph
>>-----
>>0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
>>2.1 Bearded Dragon
>>0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
>>1.1 Honduran Milksnake
>>1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
>>1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
>>1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
>>0.1 Desert Kingsnake
>>1.0 Western Hognose Snake
>>1.0 Bull Mastiff

Hey Billy,

Thanks for the response! I didn't read your post until after I posted a reply to Brian about the rodents, check my above post, we are thinking very much alike!!!

Talk soon,
Ralph

P.S. I'll let him have all he wants for now, but once he's grown up, I will limit his intake to maintain an healthy weight, thanks for the advice!
-----
0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff