# Lizards > Monitors and Tegus >  Tegu Fanclub/Updates/Tips

## jclaiborne

I know we have a handful of Tegu owners on here.  Thst being said I thought it would be cool to get one thread constantly rolling where anyone can post quick questions, helpful hints, pictures of growth or just showing off your Gu in general.  I will get the ball rolling with my new lil girl.  Here she is



After a lot of patience and self restraint on my part in not reaching in and picking her up she is slowly starting to show signs of trust even at this young age.  I have been spending 1 hour a day with her just sitting in the room so she can see me.  Getting her use to seeing me, my smell and showing her Im not a predator.  The other day i reached in her cage to do some spot cleaning and she came right up to me.  I was able to slide my fingers underneath her and lift with no running, tail whipping, biting, or closing her eyes!



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_AlexisFitzy_ (04-09-2014),_Archimedes_ (04-09-2014),John1982 (04-09-2014)

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## John1982

> After a lot of patience and self restraint on my part in not reaching in and picking her up she is slowly starting to show signs of trust even at this young age.  I have been spending 1 hour a day with her just sitting in the room so she can see me.  Getting her use to seeing me, my smell and showing her Im not a predator.  The other day i reached in her cage to do some spot cleaning and she came right up to me.  I was able to slide my fingers underneath her and lift with no running, tail whipping, biting, or closing her eyes!
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk


Your new girl is a cutie! I personally can't imagine not having an argentine tegu - such wonderful lizards. You're definitely on the right track for handling. I basically ignore mine until they are about a year old. The only interaction they get is me spot cleaning, feeding, misting, etc.. You can work with them more and get there sooner but they naturally gain comfortability and confidence as they put on size and learn you're not a predator. They have such endearing personalities, I know I'll have a tegu for the rest of my life.

Here is my buddy, Boon - from a youngster to more recent:

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_BigJayPiercer_ (07-17-2015),_jclaiborne_ (04-10-2014),wolfy-hound (08-23-2014)

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## jclaiborne

Wow he's awesome! On the first few pics it looked like he had some red spots.  I just got home from work and went to mist my girls cage and she was going into her first shed for me.  

When did you start feeding boon out of his enclosure?  Since my lil girl (wife and son decided on the name Athena) is eating insects i jist drop them in for now...

I have been hooked on Tegus for a while, but held off on getting one until now because i didnt have the means to provide the room they needed...i do now though!

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## John1982

> Wow he's awesome! On the first few pics it looked like he had some red spots.  I just got home from work and went to mist my girls cage and she was going into her first shed for me.


Thanks, he had quite a bit of red/rust color as a youngster. They go through a rather drastic ontogenetic color change as they age. I doubt many people would mind them keeping those green heads but they are striking in their adult colors too! 




> When did you start feeding boon out of his enclosure?  Since my lil girl (wife and son decided on the name Athena) is eating insects i jist drop them in for now...


I've never fed outside the enclosure. I've never had a problem with food aggression either. I also don't just open the door and toss food in with them. When I feed it's usually the last thing I do after my normal routine. As an example, with a young animal I would have the food ready but go through spot cleaning, changing water, misting and all that before placing the food down as I leave. With an older animal I enter the enclosure, spot clean, clean out water, give the GU some attention, then leave the food on their food plate as I exit the enclosure. Another option for feeding in the enclosure would be to get the food set before your GU comes up for the day. Mine have all been late risers so this would be an easy way to separate food from keeper. I do like there to be some level of food association though, so personally I prefer the method I use. They are incredibly smart and I feel this bonds them closer to the owner. Just NEVER let your GU bully you into feeding before you're ready - slippery slope from what I've seen with other keeper's videos.




> I have been hooked on Tegus for a while, but held off on getting one until now because i didnt have the means to provide the room they needed...i do now though!


I'm always glad to see a new tegu owner, especially one who can do it right! Welcome to the club and enjoy.

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_BigJayPiercer_ (07-17-2015),_jclaiborne_ (04-09-2014)

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## AlexisFitzy

Omg I love those shots with his tongue stuck out!  :Very Happy:  I love all of these pics, Tegus are pretty awesome! 


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_jclaiborne_ (04-10-2014),John1982 (04-09-2014)

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## jclaiborne

> Thanks, he had quite a bit of red/rust color as a youngster. They go through a rather drastic ontogenetic color change as they age. I doubt many people would mind them keeping those green heads but they are striking in their adult colors too! 
> 
> I do enjoy seeing all of their color changes as they grow.  My girl is almost through her shed so I am hoping to get some fresh pics of her tonight to post up.  Her white is popping everywhere and her belly still has the green tint to it, her head has turned mostly white and black, I don't see any green at the moment.
> 
> I've never fed outside the enclosure. I've never had a problem with food aggression either. I also don't just open the door and toss food in with them. When I feed it's usually the last thing I do after my normal routine. As an example, with a young animal I would have the food ready but go through spot cleaning, changing water, misting and all that before placing the food down as I leave. With an older animal I enter the enclosure, spot clean, clean out water, give the GU some attention, then leave the food on their food plate as I exit the enclosure. Another option for feeding in the enclosure would be to get the food set before your GU comes up for the day. Mine have all been late risers so this would be an easy way to separate food from keeper. I do like there to be some level of food association though, so personally I prefer the method I use. They are incredibly smart and I feel this bonds them closer to the owner. Just NEVER let your GU bully you into feeding before you're ready - slippery slope from what I've seen with other keeper's videos.
> 
> Thats good to hear, I was wondering how I was going to have a tub big enough to feed outside the enclosure when she was full grown.  I am basically doing what you outlined right now.  I go in and mist the tank in the morning.  When I get home from work I spot clean, change out the water, measure temps, sit and let her watch me, maybe pet her a bit if shes in the mood then after all that is done, I drop the insects in.  Sometimes I do sit and watch just to make sure she is eating.  Maybe I should just drop the food in and leave though, or at this age does it not matter?  I have seen some videos like you are mentioning.  Before I got my girl I wanted to see just what they were capable of in a worst case scenario, but I don't think I will have any issues as long as I keep up with my routine and like you mentioned don't let her bully.  
> 
> I'm always glad to see a new tegu owner, especially one who can do it right! Welcome to the club and enjoy.


Thank you!  I am in the process of building all my lizards new cages including Athena, her cage will be 8x4x3 with an elevated water platform and a drain on the bottem for easy cleaning, I am still looking at the bio-active substrate mixes, she will have 1 ft of substrate to burrow in.  I plan on making the cage out of PVC and aluminum railing for the frame.

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Monkey girl (04-11-2014),wolfy-hound (08-23-2014)

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## Monkey girl

Hi everyone, I'm new to tegus and in dire need of some clarification (please).


We just received (4 days ago) our male Argentine Chacoan tegu (yearling). He just came out of hibernation a couple of days before the breeder shipped him to us. We have been allowing him to slowly get used to daylight by slowing increasing his UVB exposure (starting at 8hrs with a break in the middle) until we reach 12 hrs of UVB exposure. The problem is, he refuses to come to the surface and all he wants to do is sleep. Even with the advice of another highly reputable well known breeder (our breeder has yet to get back to us) to gently remove him from his hide box and give him a nice warm soak (this was on day 3), he still remained pretty inactive (sleeping in the tub and once out and dried off, sleeping on me or on the floor). He has walked around a little on the floor but only to find a hiding spot so he can sleep. We offered him some scrambled egg, strawberries and grapes after his bath, he did take notice of the food but then turned away. He has since returned to his hide and we have not seem him since. 


Is this normal for a tegu just out hibernation and in a new home? How is he suppose to get UVB exposure when he's constantly burrowed? What about him staying hydrated? Will he eventually come around or should I do what the breeder said and help him wake up more by removing him from his burrow, handling him a bit and perhaps putting him under his basking light? I always thought the golden rule was: NEVER REMOVE YOUR TEGU FROM THEIR HIDE BOX OR BURROW? 


Or am I worrying over nothing? 


**I've posted on other threads (with pics) but received no replies, I'm hoping someone will provide some advice  




Here is his set up: 


Basking area is 95-105 (on rock).
Cool side (hide) is 75 - 85


Basking Lighting: 
1 - UVB 10 Repti Sun compact 
175 watt clear infrared


On other side of enclosure is:
1 UVB 10 tube style


Humidity: 


Reptifogger controlled by a hydrotherm controller @ 70 - 80%


Hide is filled with coconut husk medium & sphagnum moss


Substrate is 75% coconut husk & 25% Ecco earth


Temporary enclosure is glass terrarium (front opening) 5' X 3' X 2'

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John1982 (04-13-2014)

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## jclaiborne

I have yet to deal with a tegu comming out of hibernation but with my blueys I just let then do their thing...i offer food and if they dont take it, I try again the  next day.  Hes also probably getting use to his new home.  I would give him a few more days...

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Monkey girl (04-13-2014)

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## John1982

> Is this normal for a tegu just out hibernation and in a new home? How is he suppose to get UVB exposure when he's constantly burrowed? What about him staying hydrated? Will he eventually come around or should I do what the breeder said and help him wake up more by removing him from his burrow, handling him a bit and perhaps putting him under his basking light? I always thought the golden rule was NEVER REMOVE YOUR TEGU FROM THEIR HIDE BOX OR BURROW?


My tegus have all been strong hibernators - I'm talking August(yeah, they often go down when we're still getting temps in the 90s) through March. The month prior to and post hibernation they do very little other than a bit of morning basking and drinking. Don't worry so much about UVB/MBD in the off season because they aren't eating/basking/growing then. It's when they're active, and eating like machines, and growing 3 feet in a season that MBD becomes a real concern. 

You already woke your boy and gave him a good soak, which isn't a bad thing as you didn't know how hydrated he was from the previous owner. I'd personally go back to leaving him alone and letting him come up in his own good time. In my experience, they take their cues from the photoperiod and pretty much ignore temperatures. Your best bet in getting him to wake naturally would be mimicking the natural light cycles.

I'm an advocate of never messing with a hiding tegu. Especially a young one with whom you're trying to bond - every GU needs to have a safe zone. Just keep your temps and humidity at good levels and have fresh water available. So as not to waste much, you could put a tidbit of food on a plate and leave it in the enclosure in the mornings. They can be sneaky sometimes when they start to emerge and you might not realize he's coming up to bask briefly. Until he's up in full force don't expect much more than nibbling some food here and there.

Let him do his thing and when he does start to come up for longer durations be prepared to feed by the bucketload. At that age they typically gorge until they look ready to burst. The following day they'll seem skinny and half starved again, begging for more food.

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_BigJayPiercer_ (07-17-2015),_jclaiborne_ (04-13-2014),Monkey girl (04-13-2014),wolfy-hound (08-23-2014)

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## Jackie

Here's my kid! 

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## BigJayPiercer

My Blue Male Denver after a feeding.

 https://youtu.be/xwsGlI5Gids 

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## jclaiborne

Well despite my best efforts my girl decided she wasn't going to brumate this season so I snapped a couple quick pics while I was washing her water bowl.  She has put on quite a bit of size! 

Put my hand next to her for a size comparison

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John1982 (01-16-2016)

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