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All tegus are equal.

Liz135721

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5 Year Member
Messages
20
This just came to me. All tegus are docile,intelligent,human loving lizards . But each species shows it in a different manner.
Argetines are laidback and are pretty active.But they also have go crazy moments(When a lizard just starts running around)
Columbians are extrmeally active this is why they hate being handled but they are just as nice as other tegus they just show it in a different manner , have you ever held a active lizard they just jump out of your hand.

This is all based on opinon. Feel free to add your own detail and comment on this.

I am getting my first tegu at a pet store this friday. But every tegu has a personality like you and me. And treat all tegus as if they where family members. This also goes out for all reptiles.

Their is no true mean lizard out there, just mistunderstood.

This only covers Captive breed lizards. Wild caught lizards are more aggresevie than captive breeds and can die very easy in capivtiy. Only very expericed keepers should keep wild caughts.
 

Kazzy

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
613
I somewhat agree...but I've worked with a columbian that would jump at me trying to bite me anytime I was near the cage...lol!
 

Liz135721

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
20
Some lizads are like that. Their are mean people in this world . Or the tegu could have been abussued in the past. How big was it when you got it. It could have been a wild caught to. IMO I think even a abused baby tegu can have a hatered for people its whole life. How often did you spend time with the tegu?
 

mr.tegu

New Member
5 Year Member
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427
whats up kazzy where have you been?
i have never owned a col-teg but think i would rather have a water monitor then a col-tegu because of the horror stories,,lol
 

Kazzy

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
613
Nothing much here, Mr. Tegu!! You?

He wasn't mine, I just worked with him. I'm pretty sure he was wild caught as I'm not sure if anyone is really breeding the columbians. No one abused this one, and I'm sure with handling he would have been fine...I would have just suffered a bunch of bites...lol! I came very close to buying him, but the pet store I worked at had him priced like an Arg. (they were told Arg. even though I assured them he was not).
 

hoosier

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
592
i am not trying to sound mean i am just stating my opinion on the topic im going on the fact that you are talking about captive tegus because i have never heard of a wild tegu seeking human attention for any other reason besides food. i have a problem with people calling any large and potentially dangerous animal "docile", "tame" or anyother word such as that to explain how "calm" an animal can be or how it "loves" them. i have known monitor keepers calling their salvators, and other large lizards, tame and then the next week posting about how it attacked them randomly. i just believe that those words give new keepers false hopes about how their animal will act and sets them up for potential diappointment in the future if it dosnt live up to the hype and then then they get rid of it. i believe that they are smart enough to realize that these monkey like creatures bring them food and are not going to use them for food and control the fact of rather they live or die. its more of a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. we give them food and dont hurt them and in return with get their companionship. but trust me, if you cross the boundry of your animal you will pay the price abused or not.

just my 2cents,
Mat
 

hoosier

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5 Year Member
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592
its cool. most of my last post was based on captive bred. 8) and im sorry if i sounded rude or mean at all. im just noticing a pattern in new keepers selling their animals because it wont let them hold it or it bit them when people told them the species wont bite and that it loves being handled and will even seek out your attention.
 

Liz135721

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
20
Iam not mad at all . Alot of people these days just get a lizard because it looks cool. I got my bearded dragons from a breeder. In their old cage at the breeders house they always try to eat my figures. But now I have them and they are as tames as can be.
It just takes more work to tame other lizards, but the harder ones to tame are always worth it in the end .
 

hoosier

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
592
very true. its just that not all lizards will get as tame as the person thinks and they may not beable to handle it as much as they want or even at all. just something i wish all new keepers would see. it would make things in the pet trade alot easier. 8)
 

DaRealJoker

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5 Year Member
Messages
291
I have a Columbian and yes it's wild caught. He's almost a year old and is growing nicely. I will say that they are more aggressive and have too much anxiety when people are near. I can however handle it and it does "calm" down. None of my animals are tame. They all agree to co-exist. Just it's easier to convince some creatures than others. Columbians are quite hesitant tho. I think all reptiles are "wild" at heart. It just matters if the animal wants to put up with you or not. Aswell I'd like to remind about the dog conditioning experiment. It's where a guy rings a chime everytime he's about to give the dog a treat. Eventually the dog starts drooling whenever he hears a bell. I think lizards are trainable. Aswell I think they will exploite any situation and I beleive that's what's happening when our tegus come over to us and lay on our "warm" chests and backs. They're catching a free "warmth" ride lol
 

Liz135721

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
20
I can agree with that. Iam getting a columbian from the tyed iguana and the owner said the little baby tegu is really jumpy but he just chilled on my arm so that is the one iam getting for christmas. He is only 4months old and he seems very healthy. When i get him I will try to post pictures of him. His name will be Tex the tegu.
 

hoosier

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
592
basically just respect them and they will respect you. take time to learn their behaviors and act accordingly and all shoud be good :)
 

Jason Berryman

New Member
Messages
4
I see it like this. Most reptiles will only tolerate human affection although from my experiences black and white tegus seem to appreciate it. The whole “tegus only like you for heat and food” is a wrong notion because if so how come after eating and basking in their enclosure or vice versa many a tegu will come to greet and crawl on their owners or lean into a nice head rub?
 

Walter1

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
5 Year Member
Messages
4,384
You tapped onto an old thread, but the topic remains relevant. To thread the needle, I see the highly intelligent, by human standards, tegu, as a necker cube of dog and cat in a scaley suit. Some extremely aloof. Many not. The rest in between.
 

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