I got another adult female tegu, in her cage on the cold end it is like 74 degrees then as you get closer to the heat lamp it gets warmer... when she basks i use my temp gun and read how hot her back gets and it says 97-99 degrees and underneath her it measures around 88 degrees, were she was laying on her mulch. she lays under her basking spot all day long, is this normal? Should i think about getting a UTH as well to raise her belly temps? Her humidty reads around 70%, she is in a vision style cage and it actually gets condensation on the glass. Some have told me it is okay for them to sit under their light all day and some have told me they shouldnt sit under it a lot. Does this sound like I am doing everything okay or should I try a under tank heater?
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Tegu Suggestions?
Replies (6)
This just my opinion....Since most lizards are inclined to get their heat from above, I prefer to use basking lights. Also, most of them are photosensitive and like the light. Have you considered changing your light source or adding in another light? That would be my first choice.
I like to keep my tegs at 110-ish for basking and although the humidity stays up, there isn't condensation. Too much moisture and low temps can harbor mold and bacteria which in turn can lead to dermatitis, stomatitis, and URI.
If you use a UTH, would it be a heat strip that runs the length of the cage and would it turn off at night? If it kept the cool end at 80 or less and bumped the hot end up another 10-20 degrees, then it may work.
It may not be the temp but yes bumping it up by 10 degrees wouldn't hurt. What type of UV light are you using. I ask only becuase i noticed a 10 fold improvment in activity and colorations when i switch from the zoo med florecent tube to a UVA/UVB murcery vapor bulb made by UV reptile. My basking temp is only about 95, my tegu perfers cooler if its over 100 he won't bask, at 95-98 range he'll bask in the morning then i find him digging and tearing up his enclourse the rest of the day, including lounging in his "pool".
As for the humidity, watch for any rotting mulch and bactiria growth. Again personal preferance i just make a humidity hut that way i change that out once a week rather than the whole cage (8 cubic feet of mulch is hard to change out each week).
That's a good point, I also use mercury vapor bulbs.
I use mercury vapor bulbs also for all my animals
Which brand?
>>Which brand?
I'm currently using Zoo Med PowerSun 100watt
