Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just received a six month old Red Tegu through a trade and I've noticed that he is extremely sluggish. I set him up with all the proper requirements (uvb/ full spectrum/ heat/ water/ two hides/ cypress mulch bedding/) but he just lays down close to but not directly under the heat lamp the whole time. At night he burrows under the hide and doesn't come out unless i take him out.
Is he trying to hibernate?
Should i leave him alone, reduce temps, and not feed?

Thanks,

Jose

i can try to help you out. what exactly are the temps. n humidity? how big of a setup do you have and where do you have things set up? if you just got it give him time to settle in. don't take him out of his hide. if you do it will tell him he is not safe in there and he can get more stressed out. maybe he's trying to hibernate. how did the previous owner have him? was he active or acting the same? it all depends.

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1.0.0 arg. b/w tegu
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
0.1.0 crested gecko- crimson
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

I keep the hot end of the tank at 90 degrees, and the cool end in the high seventies. He is about 12"-14"'s long and kept in a 20 gallon long just temporarily until i pick up a forty gallon in a couple of days.
The hummidity stays between 75% and 85%.
The previous owner had several tegus and told me to keep the temps high so that he won't go into hibernation.
I don't mind if he goes into hibernation, i just want to make sure he is ok, and i also want to know what i should do if he does go into hibernation.

Thank You,
Your replies are greatly appreciated!!

Jose

Well I would say your problem are the temps. The basking spot should be from 110 to 120. That would explaine him laying under it and acting sluggish. Get the temps up and let us know how it goes.
If you have a hard time getting the temp up you could place somthing under the light to rasie the tegu higher to the light to get the right temp just make sure its not too hot and they cant reatch the light.
My tegu didnt move much when i 1st got her but now she moves around and makes all kinds of noise she likes to wake up get some heat them starts jumping around till i wake up and let her play in the window. Lol then goes and takes a nap in her home heats up then she wants to eat and digest then its sleep time. Unless she feels lik tearing her whole home up for fun so i can refix it.
Good Luck i hope thing are going better!

Thanks for the tips,

I checked the temp with a temp gun and it said 105 F at the hottest part of the enclosure. I placed an under the tank heater below the same side of the enclosure as well. Hopefully she'll get a second wind.

She's been under the cypress at the hot end of the tank for 2 days now and she hasn't come out. I guess i'll give her some more time....

Thanks again!!!

Jose

ok here are my suggestions. take out the heating pad. that's too much heat and you can kill him. that is how most of them die so young. the ambient air temps. should be in the 80's. the basking site where the tegu actually lays on should be 100-110*F. if it's not then move the bark or stump or w/e you have closer or farther in order to get the right temperatures. the humidity seems to be a bit high but im sure it will go down in a few days....maybe cause you just put in fresh substrate? you should have a basking light on one end and a UV light along the whole length of the tank if possible. some people say tegus dont need UV but it doesnt hurt to have one. just let him do what he wants. if hes out then offer food. if hes hiding then leave him alone. mist the cage twice a day and move around the substrate so its all moist...not soaked...and keep fresh water in a container big enough for him to go in and out without a problem. if he goes into hibernation some poople take them out of their cage and put them into a container and into a closet until the tegu wakes up. i wouldnt do it cause im not that experienced but others just leave them in their tank with the lights on in case they get up for a bit and then go back to sleep. sometimes they do that at the beginning of hibernation. you dont want the tank to be too hot since its a 20 gal. tank. it will be easier once you get a 40. try to offer crickets and other insects as long as possible. it will give him a good headstart until you start offering other foods. 6 months old and 10-12 inches im not too sure about. he should be bigger. hopefully this helps. if i missed something just ask and ill try to help as much as i can. take care..
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1.0.0 arg. b/w tegu
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
0.1.0 crested gecko- crimson
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

Ok,

I took out the under tank heater about 2 hours after i put it there, because i was worried it would hurt her since she wouldn't come out. (i figured it would be better for her to be colder than hot, being from paraguay and all.)
Anyways, looks like she just wants to hibernate, she still won't come out, and i don't want to disturb her anymore. Her basking temp at the highest point of her cork bark is 98 F to 110 F, depending on what time you take the temp. early morning is lower because i haven't given the light enough time to heat up. when i get home it is always between 105 F and 110 F.
Oh ya and i turn off both the heat lamp and uvb at night, so it gets down to about 77 F to 80 F in the whole enclouser.
I also measured her and she's exactly 15 & 1/2" inches, total length. I also thought that she was a little small for 6 months old, but i asked the breader and he told me that he only feeds them about 2 to 3 times a week, since he has so many.
Well thats about it.
I hope she turns around.
Thank you for all your help it is greatly appreciated!!!

Jose......

your temperatures are good now. the other reason i told you to take out the uth is because tegus go to their burrows to cool off...so if you make it hot then it's not natural, confusing, and im sure stressful. he is short for his age but once he wakes up you can feed him everyday. i hope everything turns out good for you. tegus are very fun and curious lizards. happy holidays!
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1.0.0 arg. b/w tegu
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
0.1.0 crested gecko- crimson
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

Thanks again for all the tips and advice. I'm sure with some patience and the right requirements she'll be fine. I'll keep you guys posted with her progress, and as soon as I figure out how to send pics on this forum I will.
Thanks again!!! And Happy Holidays!!!

Jose...........