i got a tegu! caging question

i picked up a black and white columbian, CB 05. this little guy is maybe 12" long or so and i'm trying to figure out what size enclosure he should have right now. is a 36x18 55 gal too big? i have one that i think would be great as it's deeper than normal so i could add the extra substrate i would need.

The Tegu.com will tell you everything you need to know.

That cage size sounds ok but you better be planning a much bigger cage. Tegus grow pretty quick. I would make the dirt in the bottom as deep as you can. Since tegus love to burrow, he'll make good use out of it. Just make sure you have the right temps, lighting, and feeding schedule and pretty soon you'll have a dinasour walking around the house!!

yeah i know all about them except how to house a baby... some animals always need lots of space, others get stressed.
i put him in a sterilite that's about 2/3 the size of the 55 gal for now. i'll move him to the 55 when he's a little bigger.

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Originally Posted by kzooherpetoculturist

yeah i know all about them except how to house a baby... some animals always need lots of space, others get stressed.
i put him in a sterilite that's about 2/3 the size of the 55 gal for now. i'll move him to the 55 when he's a little bigger.

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Just make sure you have some stuff to hide under incase he doesn't burrow and you should be fine.

he ate quite a bit of turkey today, although he won't eat in front of me... i'm hoping to be able to hand feed him someday here. he's so laid back!

just give him some time to settle in then start socializing.

have you tried mixing a little fruits and veggies in his turkey?

yeah, he's getting better already. he actually came out of his borrow when i opened the cage top today. he ate all the crickets i gave him and i put some more turkey in there for him. it's funny the way they look at you... almost like a puppy

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Originally Posted by kzooherpetoculturist

yeah, he's getting better already. he actually came out of his borrow when i opened the cage top today. he ate all the crickets i gave him and i put some more turkey in there for him. it's funny the way they look at you... almost like a puppy

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lol That may be why they call them "puppy dog tame" most of the time. I would watch the crickets though, assuming you have real dirt then the crickets burrow in there and very soon you'll see little baby crickets all over the cage. Just from my experience with the sav. Good luck and look forward to see some pics!

Aw - yes - must have pics - he sounds cute :)