How big are Chacoan Tegus?

[J.A.]

I was wondering how big Chacoan Tegus get. Are females smaller than males? If so, by how much? How much time until they are at adult size? What size enclosure? What if it was free roaming in my house, would it still need an enclosure? How could I keep it humid?
Lots of questions but all posts are much appreciated, thanks.

 

[Marcvptegu]

Well I'm not a specialist. But I do have a year old chacoan female. They are the biggest of the tegu species. Males get bigger then females. Males get around 4 to 5 feet and females around 4 feet as an adult. My female at a year old is about 2 ft nose to tail tip. Around 3 and 4 years they seem to not get longer just fatter. I do let me Tegus free roam my whole house. They still have an enclosure in doors and out doors for when I'm not home. Or time for them to sleep.

 

[J.A.]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[KritterKeeper]

Just wanted to add that even though you should give your tegu free roam time it needs to have a proper(and properly sized) enclosure..8'x4' is the minimum i believe but bigger is always better. If you want a healthy animal you cant just let it wander your house. You cannot give it the humidity it needs in your house w/o destroying your house. Also even though they do take alittle while to reach adult size its usually faster than people expect so you should be ready to build the adult cage pretty much right away so you dont end up w/ a large tegu living in a tiny cage for any amount of time..

 

[TegusRawsome80]

Chacoans are NOT a species, they are merely a locality of Black and Whites. This being said, they achieve the same lengths as other tegu species. 5 feet is rare, but happens in all the species occasionally in males. 4 feet is not an accurate average for females. My female "Chacoan" is an adult and about 3 feet long. And 8x4 is a good cage size. You don't need 4 feet of height however, just width. Height I recommend 2.5 feet to allow for proper basking temps.

 

[Roadkill]

I would say they aren't even a locality, just a name Bobby Hill tacked onto a "morph" he claims he produced.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

I would agree but to avoid conflict I generally say they're a locality lol. People refuse to believe they overpaid for an identical animal to the cheaper one.

 

[Roadkill]

I won't even do that. It's about time people wake up to what they're paying for. Mr. Hill had never been to South America, there are no documented "locality" types for any tegu, and it's hilarious when people start balking about someone coming up with a new name for something when that's all that has ever been done with these various morphs.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

I think there's a legitimate case for blues being considered at least a different animal in the sales market but chacoans are the same as black and whites.

 

[Roadkill]

I both agree and disagree. I do think all the "morphs" have a distinctiveness, and yes the blues as well. However, there are some very strong arguments against the names: when I have asked repeatedly for people to make a character list of what makes a blue (or other morph) a blue, generally no one speaks up. NO ONE will provide a comprehensive and complete list of character traits of what makes it that morph, or characters that if present/absent says it can't be that morph. Therefore, it is a subjective argument. Then there's the case of over in Europe where someone (Renske I believe) produced melanistic blues. Without a doubt, without providence, no one would accept those as blues if they encountered them 'in a vacuum'. And yet because they are clearly the offspring of what one would not argue against being both blue parents, it opens another conundrum. Without pedigree/providence, without being able to describe what a blue/Chacoan/etc. actually is definitively, then the whole thing becomes moot. As long as people can pick and choose the characters without need of pedigree, then ALL tegus either are or are not blues/Chacoans/purple people eaters/what-have-you.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

Burnt nose, blue/light turqoiseish coloration, smaller size(in US), not as heavy weight wise. Every blue I've seen has been incredibly distinctive from black and whites. I think the European Blues are from a different area, as they achieve different sizes and coloration is different also.

 

[Roadkill]

I find it interesting that you first say they are incredibly distinctive, and then point out how the US and European ones are different. Ok, so according to what you've posted, no burnt nose = not a blue, if it is larger = not a blue (what is the cut off size? this is subjective), if it has a greater girth = not a blue (what is the cut off weight? again, subjective). I'm pretty sure there are a lot of blue owners that would disagree with you. I would point out right away that blue/light turquoise colouration is highly subjective right off. On what scale do we use? Hue? Grey scale? By what you've presented, I gather you would then say that the case of the melanistic blues means they no longer qualify as blues? I would also point that whereas you have a belief that the traits of a blue are from a specific location, that those traits can be found in populations all over South America, just not perhaps all traits at once - does this qualify them as part-blue?

 

[TegusRawsome80]

No, melanism is a genetic trait it doesn't disqualify them as blues, it merely makes them a "morph" just like albinos or any other "morph". And I guarantee if you gave me a line up of ten USCB "blues" and ten USCB "black and whites" I could definitely pick them out as such. They are distinctively different. I've yet to see a USCB blue over 4 feet. My male, fed the same amount as my other tegus, is only a bit over 3 feet and not growing a ton anymore. They're also leaner GENERALLY. There are exceptions, ie overfeeding, low temps will cause "girthy" blues but their bodies look like they're sleeker. There is a distinctive difference in every blue that I've seen. Not the same for Chacoans, which sometimes look the exact same imho.

 

[tommylee22]

I will say my Extreme "Bobby Hill" looks nothing like a normal B&W and is huge! They are like the crockadile vs the Alagator. they have longer noses much more white in them and well they get huge fast.. also the eggs are much larger.

T

 

[TeguBuzz]

Chacoan = Black and white, as Austin and Roadkill have made clear. It is nothing more than a marketing ploy to take more of your money. They are not the largest of the "tegu species", by any means, due to the fact that as stated above, they are not their own species. I have seen many reds outgrow your average black and white, as well as "ordinary" black and whites outgrow your so called "Chacoans".

Sorry for being so direct, but it's the truth.

 

[J.A.]

Thank you all for the info.

 

[tommylee22]

Not true they look so dif., head, size of eggs, whiter in coloration.. Would be like saying a Colombian is the same as a black & white

 

[TeguBuzz]

Not true they look so dif., head, size of eggs, whiter in coloration.. Would be like saying a Colombian is the same as a black & white

No. Colombians and Argentine b/w's can't be used as a comparison like b/w's and "chacoans/extremes". Face it, your tegu is just another black and white with high whites (if that), that has been selectively bred.

You're just reciting and spewing out, almost word for word, things that Bobby Hill use to tell his customers. Chacoans, extremes, blonde, platinum, powder blue , firebelly, and whatever else is used are all marketing tactics. At the end of the days your "chacoan/extreme" is just an ordinary Tumpinamis merianae or Salvator merianae (whichever one it is now). It is true fact, face it and move on.

 

[Roadkill]

TeguBuzz, I would say the issue revolves around what people want to see. If I didn't know any better, and I listened to someone supposedly more knowledgeable than I on what "the situation is", accepted this and dropped a sizable investment into that belief, I'd probably be reluctant to let go of that belief. This is pretty much what we see in these situations, an adherence to an ideal, and reluctance to let go of that ideal. It's been over 10 years since I was first made aware of the "blues are a new species" claim, and despite the fact that I dug into the issue, have repeatedly shown where so much of the idea of blues is nothing but conjecture from a few people who didn't know what they were talking about in the first place, it is an idea that still sticks. It is a testament to the power of an idea and the passion of people who want to believe. The St. Pierre's are no longer major players in the tegu community, and yet their creation of the blue ideal still persists to this day despite the evidence presented of their inexperience. Same goes for Bobby Hill's legacy. Add in the fact that it is almost impossible to get coherent and complete information about actual wild tegus, and it only fuels the fanaticism of the belief. Basically, we're struggling against a religion, and look at how powerful religions can get even in the face of concrete evidence to the contrary.

 

[tommylee22]

No. Colombians and Argentine b/w's can't be used as a comparison like b/w's and "chacoans/extremes". Face it, your tegu is just another black and white with high whites (if that), that has been selectively bred.

You're just reciting and spewing out, almost word for word, things that Bobby Hill use to tell his customers. Chacoans, extremes, blonde, platinum, powder blue , firebelly, and whatever else is used are all marketing tactics. At the end of the days your "chacoan/extreme" is just an ordinary Tumpinamis merianae or Salvator merianae (whichever one it is now). It is true fact, face it and move on.

Ok Tegu Buzz, please explain the head shape difference, the egg size difference, why all have dif. scale patterns on head than regular B&W? Why are they much quicker growers (not saying they are bigger than any) but they do have the potential to outgrow if properly fed and cared for any regular B&W. They are Dif. I researched them for a year before I purchased mine. If they aren’t then they are def. the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the Black & Whites.