tegu for beginner? opinions?

[new.reptile.addict]

im new to owning reptiles, and dont plan on owning very many (under 10). i love reptiles but i was wanting to know your opinions on a tegu and why they do/dont make good pets for beginners. ive been doing research on them and am interested mainly in argentine b&w tegu's. i know they need a big custom built cage (8x4x4) and need lots of time to tame but i am willing to put in the time to tame and build the enclosure for it myself. whats your opinions on this? also how do you keep thhe temperature and humidity up in your large cages?

 

[Justin]

It can be done as I'm a first time reptile owner with a tegu however I certainly wouldn't recommend this for most people. For me the enclosure size is the only bad aspect. As far as humidity goes you minimize ventilation I have probably 6 square inches of ventilation for a 3x4x8 and can easily maintain 80%+ humidity on the cool end.
Here's my tips maintain at least 70% humidity.
Make sure to have proper substrate depth.
Keep proper basking temps have uvb.
Do Not Feed In Enclosure! You run the risk off substrate being eaten which could cause impaction.
I'm sure there's more.
One option you may want to look at is an ackie monitor I kind of wish I had considered one just because of enclosure size.

 

[beardeddragon111]

I say one bad aspect of them is that they are WAY more maintenence than a bearded dragon or chameleon. I have to clean my guys water bowl out like 4 times a day. I dont really see why they cant be a begginner reptile though. Theyre not hard to tame, and can even enjoy human interaction. Keeping humidity up just depends on how many vents you put in there. Hope i helped .

 

[Walter1]

A superb beginner lizard is the Crested Gecko. Tegus at intermediate+.

 

[beardeddragon111]

depends on what you define as intermediate.