# Columbian explosion?



## Draco D Tegu (Mar 5, 2011)

Is it just me or is anyone else seeing an explosion of Columbians on the market?

It seems to me they're becoming the next "Bearded Dragon", in that they're popping up in all the local pet stores, much more than I've seen in the past.

And the misinformation I've been seeing is just crazy. Walk into any petco around here and they ask what you're feeding and I say " A Black and White Tegu", and they say....OH THOSE THINGS ARE VICIOUS!

So, at that point I feel the need to educate the pet-store staff........but that's besides my original point.

I just wonder if it's a PA thing or if anyone else is seeing the Columbian explosion? One good thing is I haven't seen many argentines in any pet stores.


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## chelvis (Mar 5, 2011)

In Cali we've always had a good influcts of colubians coming in around this time, its import time from south america. Luckly most of the reptile stores really dont carry them, and it seems Petcos and Petsmarts have learned better now. 5 years ago i saw them everywhere, now you kind of have to look for them.


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## thomasjg23 (Mar 5, 2011)

I'm in western PA and I can confirm seeing many columbians in the local ads and expos alot but the pet stores around me only have argentines. The pet store closest to me has a 1.5 Year old red and one under an hour from me has a red a blue and a b&W. NEVER have I seen a columbian sold in a pet store.


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## Toby_H (Mar 6, 2011)

I'm seeing a lot more people posting on forums about newly acquired Columbians, although I have not seen any Tegus in my local pet shops (unless I take mine )

I've heard comments that they have bought them at local stores, online as well as at reptile shows passing through town. I think a lot of people are drawn toward them since they do not get as big nor need as large of an enclosure.

But I think many of those people are setting them selves up for dissappointment. While I do understand the captive bred Col Tegu of today is not nearly as aggressive as their wild caught counterparts... they are still not as docile as Argentineans....


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## slideaboot (Mar 7, 2011)

Toby_H said:


> I'm seeing a lot more people posting on forums about newly acquired Columbians, although I have not seen any Tegus in my local pet shops (unless I take mine )
> 
> I've heard comments that they have bought them at local stores, online as well as at reptile shows passing through town. I think a lot of people are drawn toward them since they do not get as big nor need as large of an enclosure.
> 
> But I think many of those people are setting them selves up for dissappointment. While I do understand the captive bred Col Tegu of today is not nearly as aggressive as their wild caught counterparts... they are still not as docile as Argentineans....



I think price and availability are the main reasons we are seeing so much of them lately. When compared to a 100-150 dollar tegu (a regular B/W, of course), a 30-50 dollar colombian practically sells itself if one is unfamiliar with the challenges that a colombian can pose. Of course, there ARE some folks who purchase Colombians, fully aware of their reputations and such. I think it's just another easy way for importers to make some easy money.


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## Draco D Tegu (Mar 7, 2011)

Ok, I was just wondering. I've been to 5 different pet stores in the last week or so, and 4 of those 5 had baby columbians.


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## slideaboot (Mar 7, 2011)

What kinda pet stores? Independent or PetCo style? Because it makes me worry to think that some uneducated idiot with a name tag and a blue PetCo shirt is selling people Colombians, telling people they make great pets.

Of course, not EVERY person that works at PetCo is an idiot when it comes to reptiles, but I'm personally yet to meet one that doesn't the description in the first paragraph. I have heard about them though!!!


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## Draco D Tegu (Mar 8, 2011)

Well one WAS a large wholesale joint. Great prices on stuff, but I'm not impressed with thier animal care. Same store that told the previous owner of one of my CWD's that "oh they're just like iguanas, they eat veggies and only need insects every once in a while". And....they don't even provide a pool for CWD's.

The others were mom and pop style stores, which I usally prefer to shop at as opposed to chain stores. They took pretty good of thier animals albeit I like to see animals in much larger enclosures.


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## HanChar08 (Mar 9, 2011)

I just bought a baby b&w columbian from a local owner-op pet store that specializes in only reptiles. He told me that it was simply a "tegu" and I did the rest of the research on my own. I don't know what sex it is yet, it's only around 7"-8" and right now I am feeding it live crickets and dried mealworms and offering it some fruit every couple of days, it has eaten small pieces of banana, but I think it was only because the crickets were around the fruit. I am still very new to Tegus but already find mine extremely interesting with a very unique personality.


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## Bwindi (Mar 10, 2011)

Time and time again, Petco fails at existing. Their hired staff is uneducated and have the skills and intelligence level of a janitor, because that is what they are hired for, to clean.

I saw a Petco employee feed a Sav in it's cage. Oh, and did i mention it was a live mouse? Right when the "employee" walked up to the cage the sav looked like it was being fed for the first time in weeks because it was so excited. 

That Sav will never and should never be sold to anyone with the level of aggression it has.

When I confronted that person they told me that they are just "doing their job." 

F*ckin' idiots. :bang 

I will bad mouth Petco until I die.


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## Draco D Tegu (Mar 10, 2011)

I know. I had a similar experience at one petco in my old neighborhood. 

Fortunately, the petco around the corner from me actually DOES have some pretty knowledgable staff. They are the exception to the rule however.

Although I had applied to them for a part time job a few years ago. I was told that I was over qualified for what they pay (based on 20 years in animal & rodent work).


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## DavidRosi (Jun 13, 2012)

Here in the UK, there are few big chain stores selling reptiles; and the ones that do only stick to Beardies, Frilled Dragon, corn snakes and the likes. Have yet to see any monitors or Tegu in anything other than a straight-shooting reptile store. Which is good.


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## laurarfl (Jun 13, 2012)

This is an old thread, but always a good one. I never see large lizards other than igs at my chain stores. FL is pretty tight about reptile sales because of the invasive problem, so that might have something to do with it. The large chains rarely even carry igs anymore.


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## dragonmetalhead (Jun 13, 2012)

I just saw a tegu at a local Petco. It was labeled Tupinambis merianae, but it was clearly a baby Colombian.


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## reptilecrazy666 (Jun 13, 2012)

*only reason i got a columbian is because he was a rescue and plus so many people said columbians are mean and i wanted to prove them wrong and i did my columbian is amazing *


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## DavidRosi (Jun 13, 2012)

I think a small part of me did the exact same thing 'reptilecrazy666'; had the option of a Argentine B&W, but the Columbian won me over... big time.


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