Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I found this video: https://mavdisk.mnsu.edu/toupar/Tazswimming.MOV
Do you think all Tegus can swim as well as him and like it?
What should be the min. temperature of the water?
Can we put our Tegus in salt water?
Greetings,
Adrien

My tegu is a great swimmer!
He is still a juvie but loves the tub. He swims with his friend, a same-sized black throat monitor.

Water temperature FEELS much different than air temps. lukewarm water is 80 degrees (good water temp for tulips and daffodils) and does NOT feel hot. Water that is 110 is warm and comfortable (good for roses). shower water for a person is oh, probably 125 degrees, but it cools as it falls.

So bath water for a lizard should feel like what their hotspot feels like to the hand, maybe a hair warmer, so maybe, 115 degrees? of course don't make it too hot, since there is no temp gradient & no way for the animal to leave the tub, but the real worry is not to let it get cold. I let my boys swim for 20 min, and i half way through i have to drain a little water, and add more hot to keep a good warm temperature.

make it a HAIR warmer than you would for a human baby. and keep sticking you hand in there to make sure it doesnt get too cold!

Some people may disagree with this and say make it cool, like a river in nature. however, I have never been to equatorial africa nor the tropic of capricorn (or is it cancer) for tegus, so i don't know how cold that river water is. I like to keep my tegu warm while we play (whether swimming or "climbing" (yeah right!), or cuddling or exploring the house) to keep his energy up so he is enriched and exercized, which is why i like to use warm bath water. i will probably get tegu people yelling at me for not following nature. oh well. he loves swimming, and even goes to the shallow end of the tub if I REALLY got the perfect temp, and closes his eyes!

Two other things - keep those nails trimmed so your tegu doent get them caught in the drain, and get a good level of water. I like to have the shallow end be where my tegu can touch with his feet, and not touch in the deep end. This allows him the ability to swim and rest.

Also,
I don't know about salt water. Salt water can be drying to the skin and body, and if it is ocean water it is not always clean. I would say it depends on the size of the animal. Because lizards (like people)can absorb stuff through their skin, you wouldnt want to put a teeny tiny lizard in really salty water - he could dry up like beef jerky! :O but at the same time, it may not hurt, especially a bigger, meatier animal.

what about pool water? now I know that is probably a bad idea to let your lizard swim in a pool for many reasons, but does anyone have experience on problems, animals absorbing chemicals through the skin, etc? Although common sense tells us this is a no-no, how bad is it really?

have fun swimming and remember to supervise and keep a good temp!
-----
Zsa-Zsu and Corny the Corn Snake
and Monaco the Argentine B&W Tegu
and Meanie the Black Throat Monitor

oh wow...i just watched that movie...the tegu is huge and a very good swimmer!

Mine is so lazy, i don't know if he could have the stamina to swim that far at one time without stopping, but he is a fairly good swimmer in the tub, so i don't see why not!

I think that movie is great- just like in nature.
-----
Zsa-Zsu and Corny the Corn Snake
and Monaco the Argentine B&W Tegu
and Meanie the Black Throat Monitor

Hi CornSnakeBabe,
Thanks for your answer.
Yes ,it's a great movie...
I hope my tegus will swim as well as him...
I will can put my tegu only in salt water, perhaps it's dangerous if they swallow some salt water, anybody knows?
Greetings,
Adrien

With my big tegu, i fim putting im in the tub i just keep the water at a temp that seems warm, not really hot, but just ur ur common sense with that one. As for saltwater, letting your tegu swim in it probably wont be a problem, if he starts drinking it then take him out, but swimming shouldnt hurt it, i also let my tegu swim in the river around here, which is DAMN cold, but when he gets to cold he just goes on the beach and starts sunning himself, no biggy

Thanks for your answer.
So, you think it's not dangerous to put them in salt water at 68-75°F ?
Greetings,
Adrien

I'm not so sure saltwater would be a good idea, tegu's in the wild aren't around saltwater as far as I know right? They aren't really meant to be marine reptiles so it could cause some problems. If he does drink it, he'll dehyrate pretty quickly and the excess salt could potentially cause kidney problems if he swims in it frequently. Also there's the potential of the salt drying out the skin if he isn't rinsed with freshwater after a saltwater swim. Not sure if any of these are problems with tegu's and saltwater, they are just some of the issues that could arise when I read the question. If you want him to get a good swim, but want freshwater, you could always buy a big kiddie pool and fill it up with freshwater perhaps?

I would say there wouldn't be a problem with your tegu drinking salt water...if he gets some in his mouth he will probably spit it out (mine spits) and not try to drink it again!

If you are going in the ocean or big body of water, just make sure not to loose your tegu in any waves!

Have a good time swimming!
-----
Zsa-Zsu and Corny the Corn Snake
and Monaco the Argentine B&W Tegu
and Meanie the Black Throat Monitor