Hey all... I'm going to post two pictures of my tegus and see what everyone thinks. One was a "captive bred" (ranched) import from South America, likely born in early February. The other was captive bred in North America, purchased by someone last year in July as a hatchling, and later picked up by me when they no longer wanted it.
Two things stand out to me right away. First, overall size: the 2010 import baby is currently 18" long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. The 2009 American bred tegu is 19" long from nose to tail. However, the '09 has more girth to it, whereas the '10 is long, but slender. Granted, I know the '09s previous owners weren't the brightest bulbs on the shelf and well known impulse buyers at our local reptile shop, so they may not have fed it properly and it may also have tried to hibernate during the Winter. Still, the 3-4 month old baby is already almost as big, so it makes me wonder about what role genetics play.
Second, the shape of the head... the 2010 has a much narrower, pointier head. The '09 has a much rounder, blunter head in comparison. Whether that's due to age and girth I cannot say, but they're almost the exact same length so I would think the head size and shape would be more similar in that case. That's what makes me wonder if whatever farm, or however they do it down there, in South America may have been breeding with larger stock related to the locality which produced Varnyard's extreme giants.
Anyone have an opinion on the matter? Chime in!
Two things stand out to me right away. First, overall size: the 2010 import baby is currently 18" long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. The 2009 American bred tegu is 19" long from nose to tail. However, the '09 has more girth to it, whereas the '10 is long, but slender. Granted, I know the '09s previous owners weren't the brightest bulbs on the shelf and well known impulse buyers at our local reptile shop, so they may not have fed it properly and it may also have tried to hibernate during the Winter. Still, the 3-4 month old baby is already almost as big, so it makes me wonder about what role genetics play.
Second, the shape of the head... the 2010 has a much narrower, pointier head. The '09 has a much rounder, blunter head in comparison. Whether that's due to age and girth I cannot say, but they're almost the exact same length so I would think the head size and shape would be more similar in that case. That's what makes me wonder if whatever farm, or however they do it down there, in South America may have been breeding with larger stock related to the locality which produced Varnyard's extreme giants.
Anyone have an opinion on the matter? Chime in!
