my tegu won't eat...

Last week I purchades a 9" Argentine Tegu at the reptile expo in Manchester, NH. The vendor told me that the tegu has been eating well with a diet consisting of dog food, ground turkey, pinkies, crickets, meal worms, and scrambled egg. Since getting the tegu home it has only eaten 4 bites of scrambled egg.
He is in a 30 gallon long tank with EcoEarth substrate. I have kept his temp 80-85 during the day and mid 70's at night. He has a 24" UVB light, a basking lamp, and a night heat lamp. He also has a small heat pad under the tank.
I give him fresh water daily and regularly mist the substrate where it maintains a consistant 60-75% humidity.
I have offered him ground turkey, 3 types of dog food, crickets, fresh haddock, scrambled egg, and meal worms.
Does anyone have advice on how or what I can get hime to eat?

Argentinian Tegus brumate or hibernate starting in the fall... it's fall...

That, and as stated in a couple of his other threads repeating the same thing.. his temps are WAY too low. It's chilled.

I don't agree the temps are too low...

He stated 80~85F plus a basking area. I read this to mean the ambient temp throughout the enclosure is 80~85F during the day and the baskign spot is warmer... then zt night the temps drop to the mid 70s...

I have an outdoor enclosure set up for my Tegu here in Charlotte NC. He loves morning sun but once the outdoor temp reaches around 90F he heads for a cooler corner or burrows. Then he's active again in the evening.

When the daytime temps stay under 90F he active throughout the day.

Having that experience I keep an ambient temp of 80~85 with a basking area that is warmer than that.

I also use a flourescent bulb for UVB and a seperate incondescent bulb for heat. They overlap so he can bask in both (heat & UVB) or he can bask in either seperately. I find it's common for him to utilize all three zones as well as wonder/explore/relax in other areas of his indoor enclosure.


Sorry for talking so much about my Tegu in your thread... but I like to site the experience that gives me the 'theories' I have with them


All in all... I think it's just the end of the season and he's slowing down. Some Tegus will hibernate while some will simply brumate. Of those that brumate, some will slow down drastically only surfacing once or twice a week for a couple hours at a time, while others will barely slow down compared to summer time activity levels...


It was really awkward for me to get used to the hibernation/burmation periods of my Tegu and I'm still getting used to it. But the best lesson I've learned is to simply watch my tegu and see what it seems like he is trying to do... then provide conditions that help him do it...

Hello again,
Gorro (my tegu) started eating crickets earlier today, and he is verocious!
He has become much more active and is presently romping around the enclosure like he's Godzilla invading Tokyo! It's good to see him active.
To clear up his temperature issue. His ambient temp is in the low to mid 80's, and his basking area temp is just shy of 100.
During the day I keep his 10.0 UVB light and 100W basking light on. At night only his 100W night heat lamp is going. Of course I keep his under tank heating pad going 24/7.
Years ago I had pythons, caimans, and various other exotic pets. But this is my 1st time with lizards so I know that I don't know all that I need to know, (if that makes sense?).
That being said I hope that you all don't mind if I ask for advice now and again. I'll try not to sound too stupid...
I really do appreciate everyone's feedback.
Thanks again,
Butch