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Viper191 BooByVu Mike S BooByVu Viper191 BooByVu Mike S Juders Mike S Viper191 BooByVu Guido1090 Mike S |
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Viper191 View Profile |
What tegu is for me
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| 05/12/08 10:47pm |
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BooByVu View Profile |
Message To: Viper191 In reference to Message Id: 1733612 What tegu is for me
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| 05/12/08 11:58pm |
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Mike S View Profile |
Message To: Viper191 In reference to Message Id: 1733612 What tegu is for me
Although tegus (red/ bws) are know to be docile each animal is different with its own personality. You cannot buy an animal based on its stereotypical behavior because it may not live up to it. But i would say either a Red or a B/w. Reds do not get as large as black and whites about 3-4 feet. The black and whites get about 5+ So you decide from there :) 40gallon breeder tank will last you no more that 3 months, given the proper care tegus grow at an alarming rate. Currently on of my b/w’s Zeke is growing at about 1.5cm per week, while my other tegu, Buddy grows at about 2.5cm per week, so it does vary. You cage, 8x4x4 just so you know if the bare minimum. Please keep in mind that tegus are diggers, so really a 4ft deep cage really doesnt leave too much room to dig. Your financial situation, could end up being troublesome. At an early age both red and bws are carnivorous, but as they age they become more and more accepting to veggies/fruits. When they are babies, they need to be fed every day, as much as they want for 10 minutes. As they grow you can vary feeding to everyother day-ish. Depending on how "fat" the tegu looks. But right now Buddy and Zeke are comparable in age and it costs about 12 bucks per week to feed them what i feed them, and they are still young and still growing... meaning they will cost more and more as they grow. Holding is another thing, expect to be bit and tail whipped .. especially this young. Although Zeke and Buddy are both held daily they still get skiddish so be persistent. Just as a ball park figure it cost me 150 for Zeke, and about 200 to setup his cage (keep in mind, i am part of a science department, so the cage was built for me for free.. which is estimated at about 500ish). Just keep in mind, that if you dont currently have the money to properly care for the animal, hold off a few weeks/months until you do. Mike |
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| 05/13/08 08:13am |
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BooByVu View Profile |
Message To: Mike S In reference to Message Id: 1733874 What tegu is for me
The cost of a tegu is pretty low Id say compare to some other reptiles I keep. But they get real expensive. The setup for my pair of young tegus cost about $300+. Their tank was an old 120gallon fish tank I had. That will prolly hold them for the rest of this year til hibernation. Then its bigger cage time... Ok, my tegus cost me 120 each and 50 bucks shipping. You might find lower but I bought mine from a good breeder so I expected to pay that much. About handling....I took mine out for a little walk today for about 30 mins. I take him on walks about every other day for 15 mins but he didnt wanna go in today...But i do handle him daily. Ive had him for almost 6 months(he was hibernation 4 of those months) and he still really skittish. Rolls around in my hand, scratches, and wiggles around crazy sometimes when I hold him....He doesnt bite anymore though but still they need alot of work when they are at that age. Dont get one unless you re really sure you re up for the challenge. Its very time consuming but rewarding so you make the decision thats good for you. |
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| 05/13/08 07:45pm |
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Viper191 View Profile |
Message To: BooByVu In reference to Message Id: 1734475 What tegu is for me
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| 05/13/08 09:25pm |
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BooByVu View Profile |
Message To: Viper191 In reference to Message Id: 1734653 What tegu is for me
Well i dont really use a water bowl but i guess some people do. I kinda have a bath tub in there for them. Ohh what hides are you using? Ive been unsuccessful on getting mine to use any. They prefer to dig under the water bowl. its kinda weird....ive tried all kinds of hides and under the water bowl is their spot.... That breeder tank seems to be ok for a baby. If it eats as much as its suppose to then it will for sure outgrow that tank by hibernation time. Maybe you can build the bigger tank while your baby is in hibernation, who knows. thats what im gonna be doing. Goodluck |
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| 05/13/08 11:50pm |
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Mike S View Profile |
Message To: Viper191 In reference to Message Id: 1734653 What tegu is for me
If you are making your own cage make sure the demensions are at least 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. For your substrate, i work with a few things... i have dirt for just digging, its located on the bottom part of the cage (i have a low area underneath the main), but then i also use a more comfortable/digestible substrate in the middle (im not by the bag now, and i cannot remember wat its called >.<). Nonetheless, i know a lot of people suggest cypress mulch, but i havent done too much research on it... that is why i do not use it. As for your "mister" make sure that the cage is HUMID, not wet. There is a difference, if the cage is humid that means the air is saturated with water, due to evaporation. If the cage is wet, i.e. substrate, walls, etc. that is more or less a perfect catalyst for bacteria and mold procreation. So yea just keep and eye out for that. At boobyvu: You said your tegu is still a little squirmy, i have a method for calming tegus down... Seeing as tegus are more or less all muscle its does get difficult sometimes to constrain them (without hurting them, btw this method works with all the reptiles i have). When they start getting fussy, i push them up against my chest, hold their body with one hand, and cover their head/eyes with the other. This calms them down substantially. I keep my hand their until their breathing pattern slows and, then slowly remove my hand covering their eyes and then let the lizard climb around again... Crap, gotta go ... if you have any comments/ question message me or post in here ... my boss is coming >.< haha good luck guys! |
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| 05/14/08 08:22am |
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Juders View Profile |
Message To: Mike S In reference to Message Id: 1734959 What tegu is for me
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| 05/14/08 10:14am |
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Mike S View Profile |
Message To: Juders In reference to Message Id: 1735024 What tegu is for me
why the hell would you condemn an animal to such a horrid life style? If you knew, before your tegu emerged from hibernation that you would be unable to give the animal the proper care, why did you not search for a home before this? Your type of people is what makes me so quick to jump down peoples’ throats. Again, sorry for the spam... but people like him just make me sick |
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| 05/14/08 12:38pm |
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Viper191 View Profile |
Message To: Mike S In reference to Message Id: 1735117 What tegu is for me
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| 05/14/08 06:09pm |
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BooByVu View Profile |
Message To: Viper191 In reference to Message Id: 1735429 What tegu is for me
Ohh thanks Mike. Im gonna try it today. Hope to not get my arm so badly scratched up today lol. the crazy things we do for our pets huh? crazy crazy we are... |
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| 05/14/08 06:32pm |
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Guido1090 View Profile |
Message To: BooByVu In reference to Message Id: 1735456 What tegu is for me
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| 05/14/08 07:10pm |
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Mike S View Profile |
Message To: Guido1090 In reference to Message Id: 1735504 What tegu is for me
and yes i agree with guido varnyard-herps is a great place to purchase tegus, thats were we got some of ours... |
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| 05/15/08 08:04am |
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