# I'm Gonna Wake Up The Tegu This Weekend!



## SERRAPYGO

So, right around October my juvi Argentine Tegu starts to slow down and go into hibernation mode. I can prevent that "mode" by continuously supplying him with heat and UV lighting. But, this year I decided to just let him do what he needs to do. The result...he's been sleeping sound for almost six months. No need to water!...the water bowl has been dry all winter. Obviously, no food. 
It's been weird to me! It's like, spring rolls around and I have a new pet!

When he wakes up...we have some work to do...he was a totall hyperactive biting, tail whipping bastard, last summer! But, I blame myself for not spending "quality" time with him. This summer, we'll be closer! ...longs walks in the park, we may even take in a movie together.


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## Tdot_Jack

wow that thing is sweet, I've always wanted one lol


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## His Majesty

i love tegu's they are awesome creatures


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## Sheppard

That's crazy! It actually would feel like getting a new pet :laugh:
Just don't forget about the big guy one year!


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## notaverage

I would be excited as hell to do that.
Gotta love dealing with the hissing and tail whipping!
I'm sure that won't last too long


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## SERRAPYGO

Thanks, all!











> I would be excited as hell to do that.
> Gotta love dealing with the hissing and tail whipping!
> I'm sure that won't last too long


I don't love it too much! This is a behavior issue that must be broke soon. It's kinda cute now...but, soon I'll be heading to the ER seeking stitches if I don't chill him out now. He's an overzealous eater and I've been lazy and feeding him inside his home tank. Now, he knows "what's up" whenever the top is opened. I started out feeding him outside the tank...I should've kept it up. Now I'm back at square one...retraining.

My plan to wake him up today was foiled because I forgot to buy him food. (eggs and or frozen rats) I'll have to do it Sunday.



> That's crazy! It actually would feel like getting a new pet


It really does feel that way. And it felt so weird to see a dried up water bowl in the tank for 6 mos. and think..."how the hell can he not be dead?"


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## scotty

don't get too crazy, did you hear bout that one guy (fitness trainer) who was seriously eaten by his 6-7 ft monitors?? If you live in a studio and you have several of these, you are a canidate. just don't pass out from a stroke or being drunk cause they will eat you for food!!!!!!!! my corn snake, thank god is "trained" to not bite and even if he did I'd be fine


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## notaverage

SERRAPYGO said:


> Thanks, all!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would be excited as hell to do that.
> Gotta love dealing with the hissing and tail whipping!
> I'm sure that won't last too long
> 
> 
> 
> I don't love it too much! This is a behavior issue that must be broke soon. It's kinda cute now...but, soon I'll be heading to the ER seeking stitches if I don't chill him out now. He's an overzealous eater and I've been lazy and feeding him inside his home tank. Now, he knows "what's up" whenever the top is opened. I started out feeding him outside the tank...I should've kept it up. Now I'm back at square one...retraining.
> 
> My plan to wake him up today was foiled because I forgot to buy him food. (eggs and or frozen rats) I'll have to do it Sunday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's crazy! It actually would feel like getting a new pet
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It really does feel that way. And it felt so weird to see a dried up water bowl in the tank for 6 mos. and think..."how the hell can he not be dead?"
Click to expand...

Yeah that came across wrong. 
I didn't mean having to Re-train it.
I menant just the fact that its been sleeping for months and you get to shove his shoulder a bit and say wake up Beeeatch


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## xeloR

that thing is pretty cool looking









my grandmother had tortoise that would hibernate, it was a trip seeing her pull it out of the closet after several months time


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## Mettle

Take lots of pics and videos of the "training". Especially when there's blood involved.









I still really want one of these some day... I'm downsizing a lot of my stuff now in prep for a potential move later this year. We'll see how it goes and what happens. Maybe once I'm settled in the next year or two I can get one finally.











scotty said:


> don't get too crazy, did you hear bout that one guy (fitness trainer) who was seriously eaten by his 6-7 ft monitors?? If you live in a studio and you have several of these, you are a canidate. just don't pass out from a stroke or being drunk cause they will eat you for food!!!!!!!! my corn snake, thank god is "trained" to not bite and even if he did I'd be fine


Do you have links to an article corroborating this story? And your cornsnake isn't so much "trained" not to bite as its a docile species that simply acclimates well to regular handling by people. Awesome snakes though. I just grabbed another one at a recent reptile expo I was at.


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## Winkyee

Very nice, 
Keep pics coming,


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## SERRAPYGO

notaverage said:


> Thanks, all!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would be excited as hell to do that.
> Gotta love dealing with the hissing and tail whipping!
> I'm sure that won't last too long
> 
> 
> 
> I don't love it too much! This is a behavior issue that must be broke soon. It's kinda cute now...but, soon I'll be heading to the ER seeking stitches if I don't chill him out now. He's an overzealous eater and I've been lazy and feeding him inside his home tank. Now, he knows "what's up" whenever the top is opened. I started out feeding him outside the tank...I should've kept it up. Now I'm back at square one...retraining.
> 
> My plan to wake him up today was foiled because I forgot to buy him food. (eggs and or frozen rats) I'll have to do it Sunday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's crazy! It actually would feel like getting a new pet
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It really does feel that way. And it felt so weird to see a dried up water bowl in the tank for 6 mos. and think..."how the hell can he not be dead?"
Click to expand...

Yeah that came across wrong. 
I didn't mean having to Re-train it.
I menant just the fact that its been sleeping for months and you get to shove his shoulder a bit and say wake up Beeeatch
[/quote]
I know what you meant.











> Take lots of pics and videos of the "training". Especially when there's blood involved.
> 
> I still really want one of these some day... I'm downsizing a lot of my stuff now in prep for a potential move later this year. We'll see how it goes and what happens. Maybe once I'm settled in the next year or two I can get one finally.


Thanks mettle!...but, you're not gonna get the satisfaction of seeing my blood! (bastard!):laugh: He'll still be groggy when I put that 150 watt bulb on him. I still haven't done it yet. I'm gonna shoot for this Saturday, now.



> Very nice,
> Keep pics coming


I'll post pics for sure...thanks all!


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## Bawb2u

Mettle said:


> don't get too crazy, did you hear bout that one guy (fitness trainer) who was seriously eaten by his 6-7 ft monitors?? If you live in a studio and you have several of these, you are a canidate. just don't pass out from a stroke or being drunk cause they will eat you for food!!!!!!!! my corn snake, thank god is "trained" to not bite and even if he did I'd be fine


Do you have links to an article corroborating this story? And your cornsnake isn't so much "trained" not to bite as its a docile species that simply acclimates well to regular handling by people. Awesome snakes though. I just grabbed another one at a recent reptile expo I was at.
[/quote]

It happened back in 2002, so finding the newspaper cites are hard to do. I remembered some of the details, so I was able to do a search on it and I did find an article quoted in full on another forum. It's Post #8 on this link.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=849730


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## Mettle

That's a pretty interesting story. I wonder what became of that and if they ever determined what the cause of death was.

If it was something random like a brain aneurysm or heart attack, I don't blame the animals for eating his body. Monitors are often times opportunistic feeders and scavengers... If anything it's almost a parting gift to the animals that he died in such a fashion so that they would be well fed until someone found them.


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