# Getting a tegu 2013



## Keef (Dec 10, 2012)

Hi guys, im thinking of getting a argentine bv tegu in the summer of 2013 when i get my own place and space. I have two lizards now, one adult bearded dragon and one semi-adult Timon Lepidus. I have about four years of experiance with lizards and i've been dreaming about a tegu for every day the last year. Im from Sweden so there's not a lot of tegus avalible here but at the reptile expos in sweden tegus sometimes are avalible and im thinking of getting a baby tegu. The tegu is gonna live in a 4ftx2ft terrarium for a couple of months, when the tegu is getting big i'm going to build a 8ftx4ft custom cage. Anyway do you guys think this is a good "first big lizard"? I've read a lot of caresheets and one book about tegus and also talked to people who's owned these lizards years ago. But i would love to hear your feelings and thoughts, especially about the first couple of months as a tegu owner.

Best regards 
"keef"
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## james.w (Dec 10, 2012)

I think tegus are great first "big" lizards.


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## TeguBuzz (Dec 10, 2012)

^ Agreed. I wish you the best of luck in finding one, and welcome to the forum.


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## chelvis (Dec 10, 2012)

Tegus are one of the best first "big" lizards. They are easy to handle and don't get too big. Good luck and planning ahead will help a lot.


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## Deac77 (Dec 10, 2012)

Honestly I think tegus are a good lizard for any level of herper if you can provide the cage and food their temperament makes the a very easy animal to work with


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## Keef (Dec 11, 2012)

Okey thanks great to hear  How much do they usually grow in one year? When it comes to size, My friend had a female bv tegu that was 3.5 feet long, is it really a big size difference between males and females other than the "head size"? And have you noticed any difference in their temperament? (females and males).


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## chelvis (Dec 11, 2012)

Males depending on what type (reds, giants, b&w, blues or golds) all seem to get bigger then females how big will depend on what type. My male blue is 4 feet long and I have seen male reds that are almost 6 feet long. Females most of the time do not get bigger then 4 feet, though some people here have some big girls. Blues and golds tend to stay smaller, blue become stockier while golds are more slender. Arg black and whites are in the middle of the spectrum getting around 5 feet and are heavy lizards. Giant black and whites and reds can get big, I have seen a 6 foot long red male at a show (wow what a show stopper!) he was long but I have seen some giants that have out weighted them. Then there are crosses which will depend on what they are crossed with. 

As for temperament Blues, Arg Black and Whites, Giants and Reds all seem to tame down well Golds and Colm Black and Whites tend to take more work but it is possible. As for female verses male I truly believe that it depends on the owner and the tegu. That being said all the female I had hated me, my male has been a absolute sweet heart, lol.


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## chitodadon (Dec 11, 2012)

Mine is a extreme cross b/w

from Samsung Galaxy S3


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## chelvis (Dec 11, 2012)

Forgot the year growth rate... that depends on if they hibernate or not. Some only get a little over two feet or so if they hibernate others get to four feet the first year if they do not hibernate. They use the time they would otherwise be sleeping through to eat and grow, and they eat a lot that first year!


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## chitodadon (Dec 11, 2012)

Godzilla is still up and will be 5 months old on the 15 when I measured him last week he was 28" and he looks like he grew a lot

from Samsung Galaxy S3


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## Keef (Dec 11, 2012)

Ok! Thank you all for very informative answers, Chelvis: Any difference between the bv tegu and blue tegu in care? I've read alot about the bv and im getting a reptile magazine called "Reptilia" about red tegus but i haven't found that much info on the blues.

Chitodadon: Well, you picked a good name for the bigguy


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## chelvis (Dec 11, 2012)

Blues care is identical to Argentinean Black and White. The only difference is they are a bit smaller and they sometime do not hibernate. Other wise lighting, diet, caging, taming is all the same.


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## Keef (Dec 11, 2012)

Chelvis: Okey, appreciate it! I think i'll ask a couple of friends and some reptile stores to keep an eye open for a blue tegu baby, i love their bright colors but i think all of them are awesome so it dosen't really matter which kind i get, to find a blue in Sweden is kind of rare so i guess theargentine bv is more realistic.


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## chelvis (Dec 11, 2012)

There is a member who breeds blue in the UK... I don't know how shipping in Europe works.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 11, 2012)

_Finding a Blue or any other type of tegu where you are or at least close to where you are isn't hard at all. As long as they're legal where you are, transport shouldn't be much of an issue. I know we have members from the UK and Germany with different types. Chriswizz has a clutch of blues right now and he's in the UK. Maybe he'll be willing to hold one for you with a deposit and work something out like meet half way, ship or what ever works.

Here's his thread;
http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=12926 

Other than that check the local classifieds, UK reptile sites and if you can make a trip to one of the shows over there like the Hamm show you'll find what you're looking for. There's another larger reptile show over there that I can't think of right now, I missed it while I was in Germany._


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## Keef (Dec 11, 2012)

I know one really good reptile store who sell tegus at expos here in sweden, they had argentine bw and red tegus last expo a few months ago, so im going to talk to them about blues, but i don't care if it's a bw, red or blue really as long it is a healthy lizard. The bw cost around 450 dollars while the reds cost around 570 dollars, so it's not cheap... What are the prices in US?


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 11, 2012)

_Price varies depending on type, size, availability with the time of year or what ever. 
But B&W hatchlings you can get for $100 as they get older around $300-400. 
Red babies I've seen for $150, older is about the same as b&w's $300-400 even that's high for me. It would have to be a hellova nice red for 400 the same goes for the b&w's breeder female or not.
Blue babies usually start around $250 but for an older blue especially a female you'll pay quite a bit well over $500_


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## chelvis (Dec 11, 2012)

$250 for a baby blue tegu... where?!?! lol they seem to be going up in price now a days.


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## Keef (Dec 11, 2012)

Wow thats a big difference, i think tegus will become more and more popular in Sweden, in for example Germany they are really popular. I remember a few years ago when the price for one frilled dragon was like 400$, today it's a lot cheaper. At the same time, i've seen a lot of green iguanas in really bad shape because of some kid that bought it as a baby for 40$ and not being able to take proper care for it when it becomes big. No one would buy an expensive animal for hundreds of $ without being serious about it, though it's kinda crazy when the price is 400+$


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## TegusRawsome80 (Dec 11, 2012)

Blues are 300+ shipping almost without fail.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 11, 2012)

_It was a couple of years ago that I got my blue from dave dragon for $300, since then I have seen some cheaper than that. That's why I said "price varies depending on type, size, availability with the time of year or what ever"._


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## TegusRawsome80 (Dec 11, 2012)

I've never seen one cheaper than 300 and I scan the classifieds almost daily but that's just me.


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## Deac77 (Dec 11, 2012)

I saw one seller this year that was 275$+shipping for blues 

That being said my hybrid was 240$ and well worth it 

Also for your I for Kirby (my tegu) was born June 14 he's 29 inches long already I expect he will hit 3 foot by the first of the year he sheds every 2 weeks like clockwork lol to give you idea on growth speed (if they don't hibernate)


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 11, 2012)

_Well I guess if you haven't seen it then it hasn't happened right? 
Now you have.

This one started at $400 and dropped to $250
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180705&page=2

$250 straight up.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187565
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35816

Around the same time I got mine, Davedragon dropped what he had left to $250.
http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=5329&page=4

Google "blue tegu for sale $250" or something along those lines and you'll see more. Not everyone's out to make a profit when reselling their pets. Last year someone on her got a blue practically for free all they had to do was drive and pick it up._


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## TegusRawsome80 (Dec 11, 2012)

Two of those had problems(runt and regenerated tail), and the other one was from 2004(way longer ago than I was talking about) AND had a regenerated tail. Dave dragon sold most of his for 300(again the stock price) however I will admit that I missed his 7 tegu sale. It happened but I wouldn't have bought any of those tegus since they all had problems. For a perfect baby you would've paid 300 + shipping not including the 7 or so that DD sold for 250 + shipping. All I'm saying is it's held steady for quite some time.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 11, 2012)

_Just like I said "Price varies depending on type, size, availability with the time of year or what ever" but some saw $250 and ran with it. You said you've never seen one below $300, now you have, intact, kink, full tail, no tail or what ever. 

Unlike some I don't put out false info, I say what I mean and mean what I say. If or when you question that, you best believe I can and will prove it. If or when I make a mistake I have no problem saying so and correcting it but this was not one of them._


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## TegusRawsome80 (Dec 11, 2012)

You posted tegus that were only priced low because they had problems. I personally wouldn't buy a tegu that had a regenerated tail or wasn't growing right. Sorry for the technical error.


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## Brittneym (Dec 11, 2012)

A tegu baby is a tegu baby  no matter the nips or regenerated tail. Although most want the "ideal perfect baby" i feel the nips here and there add character  Hell it might even help you think of a whity name which well give the animal even more personality before you meet it!


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Dec 12, 2012)

_As if a tegu with a regenerated tail or grows slowly wouldn't make a good pet. But okay,.. here's the one I mentioned earlier from last year that someone drove to get, sub adult in perfect condition for $175.
http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=8524_
_To the OP Renske just posted an update of their blues, that's another person closer to you. Maybe you can ask and find out where they get theirs.

http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=12989_


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## Brittneym (Dec 12, 2012)

You are very good at tracking down information Bubblz


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## chelvis (Dec 12, 2012)

I got Bosoc for $175 back in the day, not saying its not possible just unlikely.


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## Skeetzy (Dec 12, 2012)

*Re: RE: Getting a tegu 2013*



Brittneym said:


> A tegu baby is a tegu baby  no matter the nips or regenerated tail. Although most want the "ideal perfect baby" i feel the nips here and there add character  Hell it might even help you think of a whity name which well give the animal even more personality before you meet it!



Agreed 100%. My beardie has a slight nip in his tail, a good inch or so. My tegu has a small scar on his face. Gives them character. Even if they turn into breeders, it's not like a nipped tail, missing toe, or scar is hereditary and will pass to the babies.


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## Keef (Jan 13, 2013)

Finally, in April im getting a baby black n white or red, im leaning towards the black and white. Getting it from a reptilestore at an expo here i sweden, the babies come from a german breeder. I've seen tegus from that breeder before and they looked really healthy. Now it's just a long looong wait but "I'm Busting!" as george costanza would put it


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