# why are tegus so awesome?



## Anthony (Jul 25, 2009)

So i always wanted a monitor or a iguana and i started looking into getting one but then i saw a article on how there not good pets and it listed a bunch of pets that are good for first time lizard owners and it had a tegu on it.... i did some research and the rest is history... my tegu is awesome and i think there better then any type of monitor as far as personality not to mention there easy to feed since a lot of what they eat can be bought at a regular grocery store... im so glad i did my research


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## TEGU_JAKE (Jul 25, 2009)

i had got a water monitor and a tegu at the same time to see what one i liked better. then a few months later i got another tegu. i fell in love with my tegus and got rid of my water monitor and got another tegu and now i have one coming this week from bobby


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## AWD247 (Jul 25, 2009)

Ive had Large monitors for about 10+ years, out of lets say 20 different monitors Ive had about 3 that werent really tameable/ tolerant to handling no matter what I tried, The taming and handling process is basically the same, TRUST, TIME, REPITION. In my own personal expeirence you CAN get monitors just as tame as Tegus, Ive had Savannahs, blackthroats that were literally super tame, I mean had feeding and all with not one sign of aggression, but I used to handle these guys for hours at home, walking with them in my hands and on me for long periods of time, 
The One BIG difference that I think make Tegus much better, is Ive seen some that actually seek attention/ affection, they come to you, climb on you, they take the iniciative to interact with you, You wont find that with a monitor, 90% of the time monitors want to just be monitors, its almost like Tegus want to be your friend if they "trust" you enough..lol Thats why i've switched to wanting to own tegus.
I would definately say try the tegus 1st, a tegu will teach you tons if you want to get a monitor down the road for your personal experience of owning one, just be well prepared and informed on both before you commit.


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## Richard21 (Jul 25, 2009)

Totally agree with AWD I had to take care of a blackthroat for a few months and she was as tame as a puppy.


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## 4Horse (Jul 25, 2009)

Yeah Anthony, I was wanting a big lizard and was thinking along the lines of an iguana or monitor. While I was doing research on them I saw a show on Animal Planet that showed some Tegus. That was it, I started reading about Tegus and just had to have one! After I saw some of the videos by the breeders showing how affectionate they could be I placed my order for a Blk. & Wh. Arg. Tegu. I haven't had any regrets whatsoever!!! I love my Tegu, Tank!

They are awesome lizards indeed!!!


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## k412 (Jul 26, 2009)

When I decided that I was getting a lizard I had thought about iguanas. An old friend of mine had one that was super tame (green). When I looked a little more into it I decided that a tegu was a better fit for me.
I was working the other day and a call to 911 came in from an elderly woman that stated there was a "huge alligator" in her garden. I t turned out to be a rhino iguana and having been freshly bit from my tegu I waited and respected his power. He turned out to be really sweet and fortunately I got him back home to his keeper. He just wanted to shred her veggies and soak up the sun.


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## Toby_H (Jul 28, 2009)

IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ve kept a handful of reptiles spread out over the course of many years (20+)Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

I had an Iguana that was as hand tame as I believe an Iguana could getÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ and a Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?pairÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ of Collard lizards that were two of the most affectionate pets IÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ve ever ownedÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

In both cases this was the result of daily handling over the course of yearsÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ 

I handle my Tegu at least once a week for an hour or soÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ often more, rarely if ever lessÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ At 13 months old she has never bit nor tried to bite me, she has gone out visiting friends and has always been exceptionally friendly (ask Anthony  ), SheÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢s even been to Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Å?reptile daysÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã¢â??Â¢ at two local colleges and made friends both timesÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦

I am simply amazed at how wonderfully tame she has become with so little input. 

Please do not take this post to be condoning or supporting minimal input into TegusÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ instead read it as you get out of it what you put into itÃ?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¦ and wonderful results start even in modest amounts of handling!


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## jmiles50 (Jul 28, 2009)

I was a vet tech for almost 8 years. I was fortunate enough to get a job working for the president of the herpological society for about a year, and had a friend who owned a reptile shop. Through the both of those I worked with and treated lots of herps, but as soon as I saw a tegu in I think 2001 and have been obsessed ever since! I checked them out and read for years before I got mine, and they definetly part of the family! I didn't even get my first one till October of 08, and it was long over due!!! My lady, my mom, my friends ALL love my GU's. They live in the living room so they're with and see my family and people all the time, and you can tell in their temperments!!


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