Tegu substrate

[tortoises101]

Right now I'm planning on using a biological substrate with live plants, but I will switch to a 50/50 soil/dirt mix when he matures, as tegus have a tendency to tear and uproot live plants. Without live plants, I can't really have a biological substrate. How often would the soil/dirt mix need to be changed? I've combed through many many Internet pages and cannot find a definite answer.

 

[poison]

Bio-active substrate can be done with out live plants. The "bio-active" part it do to the natural bacteria that lives in the soil and help break down waste. You don't need live plants for that.

 

[Ripkabird98]

First, you do know an adult Tegu needs a 6x3x3 enclosure right?

Anyway, that isn't a very good Substrate mix anyhow. I wouldn't put my Tegu NEAR sand.

Aannyyywwhooo. A bio-active substrate doesn't need plants. Just bacteria/bugs.

 

[poison]

That substrate sounds great to me. And 6x3x3 seems very small if this is a Argentine.

 

[Ripkabird98]

That substrate sounds great to me. And 6x3x3 seems very small if this is a Argentine.

Its a fine size for an Argentine.

The substrate isn't a good idea.

 

[poison]

That substrate sounds great to me. And 6x3x3 seems very small if this is a Argentine.

Its a fine size for an Argentine.

The substrate isn't a good idea.

Imo its tiny.

And why is the substrate a bad idea? Its great for holding burrows. And if the tegu is well hydrated and healthy the soil will pass right through.

 

[Ripkabird98]

That substrate sounds great to me. And 6x3x3 seems very small if this is a Argentine.

Its a fine size for an Argentine.

The substrate isn't a good idea.

Imo its tiny.

It really isn't tiny at all. It gives them more than enough space.


And why is the substrate a bad idea? Its great for holding burrows. And if the tegu is well hydrated and healthy the soil will pass right through.

That... isn't really true. Just because your healthy doesn't mean that you eat random junk and "pass it". And Tegu's don't come from "sandy" areas. Ergo, sand shouldn't be involved at all.

 

[poison]

That substrate sounds great to me. And 6x3x3 seems very small if this is a Argentine.

Its a fine size for an Argentine.

The substrate isn't a good idea.

Imo its tiny.

It really isn't tiny at all. It gives them more than enough space.


And why is the substrate a bad idea? Its great for holding burrows. And if the tegu is well hydrated and healthy the soil will pass right through.

That... isn't really true. Just because your healthy doesn't mean that you eat random junk and "pass it". And Tegu's don't come from "sandy" areas. Ergo, sand shouldn't be involved at all.

Dirt is not junk. They eat it in the wild while eating. The op said nothing about sand. And from what I've seen in pics of wild tegus there soil does seem sandy. When somebody says sand it does not always mean the kind of sand you find in a kids sand box.

 

[Ripkabird98]

That substrate sounds great to me. And 6x3x3 seems very small if this is a Argentine.

Its a fine size for an Argentine.

The substrate isn't a good idea.

Imo its tiny.

It really isn't tiny at all. It gives them more than enough space.


And why is the substrate a bad idea? Its great for holding burrows. And if the tegu is well hydrated and healthy the soil will pass right through.

That... isn't really true. Just because your healthy doesn't mean that you eat random junk and "pass it". And Tegu's don't come from "sandy" areas. Ergo, sand shouldn't be involved at all.

Dirt is not junk. They eat it in the wild while eating. The op said nothing about sand. And from what I've seen in pics of wild tegus there soil does seem sandy. When somebody says sand it does not always mean the kind of sand you find in a kids sand box.

I know that it isn't "kids box sand". I reread it AGAIN- been misreading "soil" for "sand" -_-. I need new glasses, lol. They can eat giant thorns too- does that mean it's healthy? No. They eat it because they HAVE to when they catch their food- doesn't mean it isn't bad. So, Dirt is Junk.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Andes_mountains_panoramic_view.jpg

Doesn't look very Sandy to me. -_-

 

[chairman]

It seems odd that my 3' savannah monitor has a minimum space requirement of 8'x4' but a 4' tegu can live in a 6'x3'.

Soil/sand mixtures, while not new, are slowly being recognized as being as revolutionary as when Tom suggested that maybe young sulcata could use a little humidity. There's nothing wrong with keeping just about any reptile on dirt.

For my bioactive mixtures for my plant-killing lizard, I rely on isopods, nightcrawlers, and a whole variety of tiny bugs. I purchased my original worms from a bait store, the rest of the bugs came in with leaves from outdoors. I find that if I rake leaves into a pile, leave them for a week, then shovel them into an enclosure, it seeds the bugs fairly well.

 

[Ripkabird98]

It seems odd that my 3' savannah monitor has a minimum space requirement of 8'x4' but a 4' tegu can live in a 6'x3'.

Soil/sand mixtures, while not new, are slowly being recognized as being as revolutionary as when Tom suggested that maybe young sulcata could use a little humidity. There's nothing wrong with keeping just about any reptile on dirt.

For my bioactive mixtures for my plant-killing lizard, I rely on isopods, nightcrawlers, and a whole variety of tiny bugs. I purchased my original worms from a bait store, the rest of the bugs came in with leaves from outdoors. I find that if I rake leaves into a pile, leave them for a week, then shovel them into an enclosure, it seeds the bugs fairly well.

Monitors are much more Active than a Tegu. It's perfectly fine for them to be in a 6x3.

 

[tortoises101]

[/quote]

Bio-active substrate can be done with out live plants. The "bio-active" part it do to the natural bacteria that lives in the soil and help break down waste. You don't need live plants for that.

[/quote]

Sounds good.

---

First, you do know an adult Tegu needs a 6x3x3 enclosure right?

The tegu I'm getting is currently a hatchling. He'll have a 5x2x2 custom terrarium all to himself. I currently have blueprints for an eventual 8x5x4 melamine cage. A 6x3x3 seems quite small, especially for a male Argentine B&W.

 

[poison]

Glad your gonna go with a bigger enclosure

 

[Ripkabird98]

Bio-active substrate can be done with out live plants. The "bio-active" part it do to the natural bacteria that lives in the soil and help break down waste. You don't need live plants for that.

[/quote]

Sounds good.

---

First, you do know an adult Tegu needs a 6x3x3 enclosure right?

The tegu I'm getting is currently a hatchling. He'll have a 5x2x2 custom terrarium all to himself. I currently have blueprints for an eventual 8x5x4 melamine cage. A 6x3x3 seems quite small, especially for a male Argentine B&W.
[/quote]

Its not small at all, but your choice. A 5x3 might scare a hatchling.

 

[tortoises101]

Bio-active substrate can be done with out live plants. The "bio-active" part it do to the natural bacteria that lives in the soil and help break down waste. You don't need live plants for that.

Sounds good.

---

First, you do know an adult Tegu needs a 6x3x3 enclosure right?

The tegu I'm getting is currently a hatchling. He'll have a 5x2x2 custom terrarium all to himself. I currently have blueprints for an eventual 8x5x4 melamine cage. A 6x3x3 seems quite small, especially for a male Argentine B&W.
[/quote]

Its not small at all, but your choice. A 5x3 might scare a hatchling.
[/quote]

There'll be alot of plants and hiding places in the cage.

 

[poison]

Bio-active substrate can be done with out live plants. The "bio-active" part it do to the natural bacteria that lives in the soil and help break down waste. You don't need live plants for that.

Sounds good.

---

First, you do know an adult Tegu needs a 6x3x3 enclosure right?

The tegu I'm getting is currently a hatchling. He'll have a 5x2x2 custom terrarium all to himself. I currently have blueprints for an eventual 8x5x4 melamine cage. A 6x3x3 seems quite small, especially for a male Argentine B&W.
[/quote]

Its not small at all, but your choice. A 5x3 might scare a hatchling.
[/quote]

Huh? if setup right a large enclosure will not scare a baby tegu. These guys have all the space in the world in the wild. A 5.3 enclosure wont scare them.

 

[Boidae]

Yes, a five foot cage will make a small tegu feel insecure. We would like to avoid that, especially when they can be so hard to tame. The wild is a completely different place from captivity. Baby tegus in the wild are noticeably more aggressive and easily frightened because they have an entire world to roam. There are predators lurking around every corner. In captivity, a smaller space makes them feel more secure: they know where they are. They've walked the turf. It's their territory. I'm not saying they should be kept in tiny tanks but there's absolutely no reason to put a baby tegu in a five foot cage. You'll lose him and he'll be nervous.

I think you should go look on TeguTalk and see what the experts say. 6x3x3 is perfectly acceptable for an adult tegu, regardless of gender. They are NOT active animals like monitors. That said, the tegu should be taken out for some exercise and stimulation. I've gone over this many times with people who own upwards of three tegus. You can make a bigger one but that size is perfectly fine.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

So based off this last post, am I getting your drift correctly when I think you suggest that a smaller enclosure is more comfortable for a baby because they know the area? Sort of a I can't get out therefore nothing can get in?