مراقبت از مارمولک تگو – اطلاعات, محفظه, رژیم غذایی & سلامتی

مارمولک های تگو خزندگان زمینی بومی آمریکای جنوبی هستند. از نظر ظاهری تا حدودی شبیه مارمولک ها هستند, که آنها از بستگان دور هستند, the two animal families being an example of convergent evolution.

Tegus are one of the larger species of lizard that can be kept in captivity and have become quite popular as pets in the US, انگلستان و سایر نقاط جهان. These animals are appreciated because of their intelligence, they are fun to keep around, and at times even affectionate, which makes for overall some great exotic pets to care for.

Below you will find a generic caresheet for the three common species of tegus in captivity. For more specific information, see the individual care sheets for each species:

• Salvator merianae (تگو سیاه و سفید آرژانتینی, تگو آبی, Chacoan whiteheaded tegu)
• سرخ شدن ناجی (عمل قرمز)
• Tupinambis teguixin (Colombian tegu a.k.a. Gold tegu)

Tegu Lizard Care Sheet

General Info

Scientific Name:	Salvator merianae (اقدام آرژانتینی) سرخ شدن ناجی (عمل قرمز) Tupinambis teguixin (تگو کلمبیایی)
Regions Found:	Southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, eastern Argentina
Class:	Terrestrial living in savannah and grassland habitats Juveniles have arboreal tendencies
Longevity:	15-22 سال ها
Sexual Maturity:	18-36 ماه ها
Adult Size:	4-4.5 پا (male Argentine tegu, عمل قرمز) 2-3 پا (male Colombian tegu)
Temperament:	Generally very docile as adults

Husbandry

Housing Size:	8x4x4 (تگو سیاه و سفید آرژانتینی, عمل قرمز) 6x3x3 (تگو کلمبیایی, تگو آبی)
رژیم غذایی:	همه چیزخوار (اقدام آرژانتینی, عمل قرمز) Mainly carnivore (تگو کلمبیایی, all juvenile tegus)
Foods:	Various insects, meats, تخم مرغ, میوه ها و سبزیجات.
Temperature:	Air temperature of 28-30°C (82-86درجه فارنهایت) with a basking spot of 38-46°C (100-115درجه فارنهایت)
رطوبت:	50% – 80% (اقدام آرژانتینی, تگو کلمبیایی) 70%-90% (عمل قرمز)

Breeding

Breeding Difficulty:	Hard
Clutch Size:	1 clutch with 10-70 تخم مرغ (average of 30)
Gestation Period:	2-3 weeks
Incubation Temperature:	30-32درجه سانتی گراد
Incubation Humidity:	80-100%
Incubation Period:	60 days

General Info

Types of Tegus

وجود دارد 400 species of lizards that are classified as tegus, but only a few are commonly kept as pets. The three most popular types of domestic tegu are the Argentine tegu or Black & White tegu (نجات دهنده مریم), را عمل قرمز (salvator rufescens) و Colombian tegu or Gold tegu (توپینامبیس تگویکسین). These have similar requirements in captivity, although the Argentine tegus are generally considered more docile and easier to domesticate, whereas the Colombian tegus are deemed somewhat more aggressive and difficult to tame. Another typology of tegu often found in the trade is the so-called “تگو آبی” which is actually a morph of the Argentine black and white tegu. This specimen will look like a smaller version of the Argentine tegu, with slight blue undertones which are only visible in fully adult individuals, and it’s one of the most beginner-friendly tegus to keep.

طول عمر

A tegu lizard in the wild can live for up to 12 سال ها, ولی in captivity life expectancy can go up to 15-20 سال ها. Some people have reported tegus living up to 22 سال ها. به خاطر همین, caring for a tegu is considered a big life commitment – much like getting a dog. Make sure you do extensive research before you decide to adopt one of this animals.

اندازه

Tegu lizards can grow really big rather quickly. تگو سیاه و سفید آرژانتینی, the largest species, can grow up to 4.5 feet and weigh over 20 pounds as adults. Keep in mind that it is not possible to estimate tegu size by age as each specimen grows at different rates based on diet and environmental factors. به عنوان یک قاعده کلی, males grow larger than females, and pets that are fed daily and do not undergo brumation will get larger in size compared to those who are fed more sporadically.

Tegu growth chart

Species	Max size for adult male
تگو سیاه و سفید	4’-5’
عمل قرمز	4’-5’
تگو آبی	3’-4’
تگو کلمبیایی	2.5’-3’

زیستگاه

All tegu species are native to South America, where they can be found in a variety of natural habitats such as the Amazon rainforest, savannas, and semiarid, desert-like environments. Because of their high adaptability to new environments they pose the risk of becoming invasive species outside of their native areas. This is especially a concern in the United States where non-native tegus have been released in the wild in Florida and Georgia. در اسارت, it is important to provide adequate husbandry by creating an enclosure that is large enough to house a fully grown adult, and which allows for burrowing and hiding.

رفتار - اخلاق

Tegus are quite intelligent animals and with proper training they can become great pets. Taming a tegu requires time and patience but Argentine tegus especially are known to become attached to their owners and may even show forms of “affection” by climbing on their caretaker’s lap and interacting with them. Their behavior is somewhat similar to that of cats – they will spend most of their time exploring their environment, hunting or eating, playing around and destroying things. They love to dig and burrow, but they have also been spotted climbing at times and they can swim. Because of their intelligence they are quite good escape artists as well, so make sure your enclosure is sturdy and secured to avoid them finding their way out and surprising the neighbors.

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الزامات محوطه

اندازه

When setting up an enclosure for your tegu you will need a lot of room for it to roam freely. While juvenile tegus can be kept in 10- یا 20- gallon aquariums, fully grown lizards will need anything between 8 و 16 square feet of space, depending on their size. Remember that Argentine tegus tend to grow bigger than colombian tegus, and males grow larger than females. A minimum enclosure size of 8x4x4 is generally recommended for Argentine black and white tegus and for Red tegus, whereas a 6x3x3 enclosure may suffice for Blue tegus and Colombian tegus. The length of the cage should be no less than twice the length of the lizard.

Temperature

Tegus are cold blooded and need sources of external heat to warm themselves up. به خاطر همین, it is crucial to set up their enclosure in a way that offers both warm and cool spots, allowing them to thermoregulate their body temperature. Make sure to have a warm environment with day time temperature ranging from 100-110F and another cooler area inside the cage with temperatures between 80 and 85F.

Not having a well lit, heated spot in the cage may lead to the tegu going into brumation during winter, in this period of time the tegu will mostly retreat to their cage and refuse to eat regularly. This is a totally normal form of hibernation that occurs in nature that will not hurt your tegu, and is actually needed for females to be able to breed.

Tegu owners who are not interested in breeding generally prefer to avoid letting their pets go into brumation because they will cease nearly all interaction during this period, and may halt their growth due to the limited food intake.

نورپردازی

All species of tegu require 12-14 hours of UVB light exposure per day. در حالت ایده آل, let the tegu roam outside to get access to sun rays as often as possible, while keeping a UVB light inside their cage using an automated heat lamp with a 12 hours on-off schedule.

A heat lamp will provide both precious UVB and a source of heat during the day. If you intend to start brumating your tegu, shorten the timer on your heat lamp to 8 یا 6 hours to simulate shorter day times, and eventually turn them off completely.

Substrate

Tegus are burrowing animals which need a substrate depth of around 12-24″. Burrowing is necessary for tegus to keep their bodies active and claws filed without the need of nail trimming by their owners. As the majority of tegus come from wet areas with plenty of rain, it is important to choose a bedding substrate that holds humidity. The best substrate for tegu is cypress mulch, which can be mixed with topsoil and sand. Other DIY mixes often include coconut shells or reptisoil.

رطوبت

Tegus require a high level of humidity, دور و بر 75-90%. This can be achieved by choosing adequate humidity retaining soil, by spraying the top soil and tegu itself with water regularly, and leaving a bowl of water in the enclosure every day, which the tegu will use for both drinking and “freshening up”. Make sure any water bowl you introduce to your tegu enclosure is tip-proof and big enough for your pet to soak in it. Replace the water daily.

دکور

Your enclosure needs to provide your tegu with both hiding spots and sources of entertainment. عمل کنید, particularly young ones, often fall prey to birds and larger reptiles and you will need to provide them with a hide box or “cave” where they can feel safe from predators and sleep comfortably. A dog kennel or large plastic bucket can be used for adult tegus. If you can get your hands on a very large hollow log, that will also do the job.

Keep in mind that tegus are highly intelligent creatures and as such, they tend to get bored easily: they need to interact with their environment, play with it, and at times they tend to destroy everything in sight. Make sure to keep your tegu entertained by adding plants, barks, boxes and “toys” around. Many owners will occasionally hide their pet’s food or offer live prey to give the tegus an opportunity to scavenge and hunt as they would in the wild.

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رژیم غذایی عمل کنید

Tegus are scavengers who eat just about anything. در طبیعت, their diet relies heavily on insects, گیاهان, میوه ها, eggs and small animals such as rodents. در اسارت, it’s important to feed your tegu a mix of meat and veggies, with the occasional whole prey, but they will most likely munch on anything you throw at them.

Please note that dietary requirements are different between Argentine tegus and Colombian tegus! Argentine tegus are in fact considered omnivore (they eat roughly as much vegetables as they do meat), whereas Colombian tegus are considered carnivore as they eat mostly meat.

Food requirements

All young tegus, regardless of species, should be fed a diet high in protein in order to promote growth. This can be achieved by feeding mostly insects such as cockroaches, crickets, ملخ ها, earthworms, کرم های خوراکی, silkworms and snails.

As they grow larger, you may be able to start feeding them pinkies and reptilinks. Eventually, you can feed them raw chicken and turkey, raw or boiled eggs (with the shell), fish and shrimp; as well as vegetables and fruits such as carrots, فلفل دلمه ای, اسکواش, pumpkins, dandelions, strawberries, blueberries, سیب, انگور, cherries, cactus pads and fruits. Argentine black and white tegu will need plenty of fruits and vegetables in their diet as adults, whereas Colombian tegus do not.

به عنوان یک قاعده کلی, aim at the following diet percentages:

	مورد نیاز در رژیم غذایی
Young tegus (0-2 سال ها)	90% پروتئین, 10% میوه ها و سبزیجات
اقدام آرژانتینی (>2 سال ها)	60% پروتئین, 30% سبزیجات, 10% میوه ها
تگو کلمبیایی (>2 سال ها)	90% پروتئین, 10% میوه ها و سبزیجات

برنامه تغذیه

اینکه هر چند وقت یکبار نیاز به تغذیه تگو دارید تا حد زیادی به سن آن بستگی دارد. هر چه حیوان خانگی شما کوچکتر باشد, بیشتر اوقات نیاز به تغذیه دارد. بزرگسالان کاملاً بالغ فقط باید چند بار در هفته تغذیه شوند, اگرچه هنوز هم ممکن است تصمیم بگیرید که به آنها غذا بدهید (مطمئن شوید که این کار را بیش از حد انجام ندهید وگرنه خطر ابتلا به یک مارمولک چاق را دارید).

	برنامه تغذیه
بچه های جوجه ریزی (0-6 ماه ها)	هر روز تغذیه کنید
نوجوانان (7-12 ماه ها)	تقریبا هر روز تغذیه کنید
خردسالان (1-3 سال ها)	یک روز در میان تغذیه کنید
بزرگسالان (>3 سال ها)	دو بار در هفته غذا بدهید

بچه های جوجه ریزی

Tegus are carnivorous as hatchling, بنابراین میوه و سبزیجات غیر ضروری هستند و از آنجایی که هنوز هم با چنین سرعتی در حال رشد هستند, it is okay to feed hatchlings as much as they will eat. حشرات و جوندگان کوچک مانند جیرجیرک, سوسک ها, کرم های خوراکی, کرم های مومی, کرم ابریشم, butter worms, and pink mice are all recommended. گوشت مرغ یا بوقلمون, ماهی و تخم مرغ پخته شده مرغ را نیز می توان در صورتی که به اندازه کافی کوچک باشد که بلعیده شود، ارائه داد.

Yearlings

At this stage, تگوها بسیار بزرگ هستند و اگرچه هنوز هم می توانند از حشرات تغذیه شوند, it becomes quite expensive. میوه ها و سبزیجات در حال حاضر عرضه می شوند و از آنجایی که هنوز هم با چنین سرعتی در حال رشد هستند, اشکالی ندارد که به بچه های یک ساله به همان اندازه که می خورند، غذا بدهید. گوشت مرغ یا بوقلمون, ماهی, تخم مرغ پخته شده, موش ها و موش های کوچک, انواع توت ها, خربزه, و سبزی با برگ های تیره همگی توصیه می شود.

بزرگسالان

به عنوان بزرگسالان فضای زیادی برای رشد وجود ندارد و بنابراین رژیم تگوس باید بیشتر تنظیم شود تا از چاقی جلوگیری شود.. یک وعده غذایی قابل توجه یک روز در میان باید کافی باشد. گوشت مرغ یا بوقلمون, تخم مرغ پخته شده, موش های متوسط, موش های بالغ, ماهی تازه, جوجه های یک روزه, انواع توت ها, انگور, گوجه فرنگیها, خربزه, سیب, موز, و سبزی با برگ های تیره همگی توصیه می شود.

غذاهایی که باید اجتناب کرد

• حشرات صید شده وحشی
• گوشت های فرآوری شده
• غذاهای کنسرو شده ای که سدیم یا قند بالایی دارند
• آووکادوها
• گل آزالیا
• برگ آزالیا
• کلم بروکلی
• گل های خراطین
• بادمجان
• کنف
• کاهو
• برگ یا گل ماری جوانا
• پیاز
• رزماری
• حکیم
• اسفناج

در حد اعتدال تغذیه کنید:

• Raw eggs – can lower vitamin B7 absorption
• Acidic fruits such as citrus. See: بهترین میوه ها برای تگو
• Veggies high in oxalates and/or goitrogens. See: best veggies for tegu
• ماهی خام حاوی تیامیناز (مانند آنچوی, صدای بم, سيم, کپور, ماهی قرمز, ماهی تن) – can lower vitamin B1 absorption

Supplements

Calcium supplements are especially recommended for reptiles including tegus. Preferably opt for a calcium supplement that is free of phosphorus and vitamin D3 and dust your tegus’s food with it once to twice per week. Occasionally feeding whole prey (به عنوان مثال. frozen mice, whole fish with bones) can also help provide calcium as opposed to ground meats.

سرانجام, you may also gut load live insect preys with calcium and then feed them to your tegu. Once a week, you can sprinkle or mix some multivitamin with your tegu’s food as well. These recommendations are the same for all tegus regardless of age and species.

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سلامتی

Shedding

Developing lizards shed their skin every couple of months as it is replaced by new, larger and unspoilt skin underneath. It is important to check regularly if your tegu has successfully shed and that there are no regions of trapped shed still attached to the body. Trapped skin usually occurs on fingers and tail ends, and can be the result of poor diet or low humidity. Red tegu seem to be particularly sensitive to shedding issues and a higher humidity is generally recommended.

If shed skin is not removed by the tegu it may be necessary to gently massage the area with a cotton bud or tissue. Try to push the skin off without damaging any limbs, and if that is not possible it may be time to visit your vet.

Brumation

Brumation for reptiles is the equivalent to hybernation. The process of brumation in nature lasts about 6-8 months during winter, when days are shorter and temperature cooler. During this period, the lizard appears to be “dormant”, spending most of its time inside the enclosure, conserving energy, and only rarely venturing outside for food.

For female tegus, the process of brumation is crucial in order to prepare for breeding: a captive tegu that hasn’t undergone through brumation in the first couple of years of her life most likely won’t be able to lay eggs. که گفت, it is not necessary nor “unhealthy” for a tegu to skip brumation. When pet owners decide to brumate their tegus, they often do so in order to save time and money since the lizards won’t need as much light, heat or food until the next summer.

If your tegu is currently going into brumation, it is recommended to still leave some food out of their cages every week or so, and remove it shortly after if the tegu refuses to eat. During brumation itself tegus do not need food, but you’ll still need to make sure they get access to fresh water regularly.

Common disorders

• Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (metabolic bone disease)
• Obesity
• Dehydration
• Respiratory infections
• Obstruction from substrate ingestion

Common disorders in tegu can be prevented with adequate diet and by supplementing enough calcium. Make sure not to overfeed your tegu and limit the amounts of fruits (which are naturally high in sugar) in order to prevent obesity.

Keeping your tegu in a large enough enclosure and allowing for enough room to wander and burrow will also help keeping it fit and healthy. You can also provide enrichment via scatter feeding and by using toys.

When it comes to water, it’s important to provide fresh, clean water to your tegu every day. The enclosure also needs to be maintained regularly by cleaning every piece of decor / furniture with detergent every couple of months and replacing the substrate once or twice a year.

When feeding your tegu, it’s best to use tongs or to place the food in a bowl outside of the enclosure in order to avoid your tegu accidentally ingesting soil with their food.

On rare occasions, a tegu may drop their tail – as with other types of lizard, this is generally not a cause of concern as they can regenerate it fully. Tegus may drop their tail following an injury or if they feel threatened – when a lizard is grabbed by the tail by a potential predator, they may drop it as a survival mechanism that allows them to escape.

If your tegu has lost their tail it’s important to keep the area clean and disinfected while a new tail grows and to make sure your tegu gets enough nutrition in its diet to replenish energy used to grow the new tail.

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پیوندهای سریع TEGU