Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ive had him 10days now, and he is about 3mnths old.He not eating much at all..

1.should I just force him out and start holding him? Or should I take my time?

2.Should I make him eat outside the enclosure now?

3.How did you tame your tegu?
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We need to know a few things first...
1. Describe the tegu’s appearance (thin or fat…etc)
2. Where did you get him from?
3. What are you feeding him?
4. What type of enclosure do you have him in?
5. What are the temperatures like-spot/ambient.
6. What types of things are in his enclosure?
7. Where in the house is the enclosure?

These give us a better idea of how to answer your queation,,,,,,

He is in a 4x2 vision cage and his substrate is cypress mulch...Ambient 80/83,basking 106, cool end 78
He isnt eating much, had a pinkie and some crickets, he's afraid of the food bowl and only ate what I put on a piece of wood...
he,s not fat or thin.Got him from Agama Intl..Has plenty of hides....I think thats all
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Sounds like your husbandry is fine. Being that you got him from Agama, he mostly likely will be hibernating. Bert keeps them outdoors and the weather is similar to their native habitat. You'll just have to see what happens. Keep offering him food and avoid the food dish, offer on a branch.
As far as taming, try placing an old shirt or something that has your scent in his hide spot. He will associate your scent with security and get use to you. It worked with a devil tegu I had a few years ago. Good luck
As far as feeding, start feeding him outside in a rubbermaid container. He will learn that when you get him, he will get food. If you continue to feed him inside his tank, he will attack you every time you open his enclosure in anticipation of food.
RoadSpawn Good Luck

October is the time many Argentine tegus are going down for hibernation. They go off-feed, spend more time hidden, and eventually hide completely for the winter. Babies to adults will do this. Bert's tegus are kept outdoors so the parents hibernated every year.

I had an Arg B&W many years ago that was Agama stock. A really robust tegu. But he went down completely for hibernation (filling up the access hole in his hidebox with mulch) and remained there, sight unseen, until May. Yes, that's correct. From November until May I never saw him. I knew he wasn't dead because I didn't smell anything bad.

I did not disturb him physically, but the cage remained at warm temperatures (like those you are using) all the time he was down, so temperature had nothing to do with his decision to hibernate. Nor did lighting -- the cage was getting 12 hours of light each day. Tegus know what they're doing. They can sense seasonal changes and it's really annoying when people don't understand that and keep digging them up while they're trying to hibernate (they don't eat while they hibernate and their metabolism slows way down). Anyway, when he finally emerged in May he drank like there was no tomorrow. Then he started eating and growing like nothing I've ever seen before. Really amazing!

Just give Bert a call if you're concerned, but expect him to go off-feed. Keep offering food, though. Let him make the decision. Know that if your tegu wants to hibernate he is going to hibernate, whether you agree with his decision or not.

As for taming, babies are skittish and many do not like being handled. But as they grow and you continue to interact with them they will usually calm down and trust you. Be patient.

Bill

i have a young columbian that with his crickets and other food he also gets one pinky/small fuzzy once a week. his lights have stayed the same since i have had him but since the room is getting colder i suppose the cage is too. the last two weeks he wont touch his mouse... could he be attempting to hibernate? can anyone give me any info/ suggestions please? btw, what would happen if i would increase the temps? thanks.
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1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
1.1.0 golden gecko
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.5 oriental firebellied toad
0.0.1 green treefrog
0.0.1 barking treefrog
0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
0.0.1 gray treefrog
0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Colombians generally don't hibernate. I suppose if the temps fall they might go off feed, but the key is to maintain the proper cage temperatures all year long.

If the cage is too cool they cannot digest food properly or function normally, and they die. As do all tropical reptiles when the proper temperatures are not provided.

110 basking, 80 - 85 cool end. At night the cool end temp can drop a little bit and you don't need basking heat since the tegu will be sleeping.

Be sure to monitor the temps in both ends of the cage and do whatever you have to to make sure they are right 24/7.

Bill