My dad has been wanting to trim my 6-year-old Colombian Black/White tegu's nails for a while, but I'm kind of nervous to do it. It makes sense since in the wild, tegus and most other tropical lizards climb and walk over rougher terrain which keeps their claws filed down over time. Hebi however, doesn't have that experience in her tank so hers are a little overgrown by now. xP What do you think? Should I give it a try? I've never done it before and my tegu is REALLY squirmy and goes into a fit whenever I pick her up. If yes, then what kind of tools should I use and what can I do to help calm my pet? (I heard I should clip only the tip about a millimeter or two at an angle)
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:07 am
Are they thick nails like a dogs, or more like cats? I was curious once about the same thing for my tortoise, but the answer to that question is to give her rocks, slate tiles and stuff to climb on and she'll file them down herself.
I'm not a lizard specialist, but if you put rough object in it's cage (like rocks) they will file down themselves. And if she doesn't like the new, rough terrain, try positive reinforcements. Like, when she climbs onto a rock, give her a worm ( I don't know what are lizard treats. <,< ).
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:48 am
i used to clip my beardy's nails when she was alive. i just used a normal cat claw trimmer and just got the tips off. also having rough stuff in the tank will help keep them good longer
also since she is squirmy keep her in a towel and have someone else hold her while you trim, and keep the towel over her face so she wont panic as much
I might consider buying another log branch then, once I get more money. I also thought about training her to be outside in her own little corral so she could get exercise. Thanks for the tips! I'm going to a pet expo this weekend so I'll ask there too.
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm
I'm not a tegu expert, but I thought they got huge. Like 4 or 5 foot, and needed big enclosures. Like an enclosure size of 8 feet by 4 feet, with a height of 3 to 4 feet with a lid. Not sure of a tank size that can give that... I know they need UV lighting, and high humidity.
Russian Tortoises have very long nails anyway, but when I first rescued Bratanik he was way over grown. Like, Freddy Kruger. So I trimmed them a LITTLE, but in his enclosure I put a climbing rock and made sure he had rough rocks in his outside area during the summer and that has kept them under control after that.
Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:31 pm
Akiska
I'm not a tegu expert, but I thought they got huge. Like 4 or 5 foot, and needed big enclosures. Like an enclosure size of 8 feet by 4 feet, with a height of 3 to 4 feet with a lid. Not sure of a tank size that can give that... I know they need UV lighting, and high humidity.
They're usually supposed to, up to about 4 feet. But mine is little, only about 2 feet...I'm not sure if it may be due her particular species' genes or maybe she's just a runt but it's usually the Argentine ones that I always see are way bigger. *shrug*
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