Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello out there. i've been trying to find out a bit more about blue tegus. my biggest question is whether or not they hibernate. for the past year i've been planning to buy a argentine b&w at daytona this summer, but lately... i've been putting some thoughts into the blues. i wouldn't hibernate an argentine b&w if i got it, and i'm concerned if that would have any negative effects (i don't plan to breed it, so that doesn't concern me) that i should know about. well... back to it. do blue tegus hibernate or not? many many thanks.

come on guys, does anybody know? impart thy wisdom unto me. do blues hibernate? and are there any negative effects of refraining from hibernation (asides from the whole breeding thing) in a species that would normally do so in the wild (i.e. arg. b&w's, reds)? help me out if you can. thanks.

Since none of the pro's were available to field this one I will take a stab at it. In my opinion; blues can hibernate but do not "as much" for lack of a better term, as B&W's. My research when buying my tegu led me to the blue because of this. I was told that B&W's will often go into hibernation no matter what you do to stop them. Blues on the other hand are easily kept out of hibernation, mine has yet to do so. I also found a couple of the less scrupulous (?) breeders trying to get over a tegu in hibernation for a very "Tame" tegu. OF course they were tame they were catatonic! I hope this somewhat answers your question?

Peace,
K
"Reptile-Like" - Tegan the Blue Tegu

None of my Blues (8 of them) have ever gone into a deep hibernation like my Argentines frequently do. They have disappeared for several days at a time but not weeks nor months. I don't purposely hibernate any of my Tegus...the ambient temp in the rooms that they are in drops a few degrees in the winter but I don't change their heat or lighting at all. I have one Argentine that will go down for months, one that will sleep for a few weeks at a time, and one that doesn't hibernate at all. I just leave it up to the animal.

thanks so much for helping me out. i'm torn between an argentine b&w and a blue tegu, but i don't want to have to worry about it hibernating every year. well, if anybody else has any light to shed on this subject, i sure would appreciate it. thanks a million!

Santiego has never hibernated. (picture in lower post ) . He will be 2 years old in late June. I keep the temps the same year round . Hope this helps . Russ