# Tegu or Sav. Monitor???



## Jacob1750 (Aug 2, 2011)

I am looking to buy either a savannah monitor or some sort of tegu in the future. I am aware of the needs and requirements of both the species but I was wondering which of the two would be best. I know a few different subspecies of monitor but tegus are new to me so if someone would like to explain the different subspecies and their behaviors ,and then compare and contrast tegus in general to savannah monitors that would be great.

Jake


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## TeguLouie (Aug 2, 2011)

for the information on the different Tegu species, you can go to Varnyard-herps.com and look at all of bobby's information on them. as for the monitors, i couldnt tell you but there are a lot of peolple here that can.


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## herpgirl2510 (Aug 2, 2011)

I have both hands down a tegu. My savannah is 3 feet and can be very moody she went through a month of whipping me whenever I would go near her. Tegus are great you can have them out free roaming savannahs you cannot my girl cools down super fast especially since her basking spot is 130 degrees. You have a much better chance taming a tegu than a monitor. Monitors are so secretive and distrustful in the wild they are never seen by people. I think they act similar in captivity just not to the same degree. I can pick up tonka my B&W who is 40" and try to force a syringe in his mouth with quite a bit of force and he will struggle but will not bite. My savannah on the other hand would not think twice she is definitely a monitor. Also considering 95% are imports most die before they reach 1 years old. Their diet isvery expensive over a 2 week period Lilo wiped out 700 dubias.Her body language is easy toread this is her get the hell out of my face look.




She can also be cuddly...


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## Jacob1750 (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks for the help. Though something I'm worried about is that tegu aren't really available in my area an I've heard they are rather expensive.


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## Dereks-Dragons (Aug 2, 2011)

you can order tegus online  of corse bobby hill at varnyard is hands down the best to get one from you can also look in fauna classifieds. i know a guy who is selling baby black and white hatchlings for 150 shipped right now, hes kinda a friend of mine. i can give u his info if you wanted. i think black and whites are the cheapest, well other than columbians.


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## Jefroka (Aug 2, 2011)

Jacob1750 said:


> Thanks for the help. Though something I'm worried about is that tegu aren't really available in my area an I've heard they are rather expensive.



No offense but if you're thinking with your pocket book right from the get go, perhaps you should consider putting some money aside and later on purchasing an animal you have thoroughly researched.

The purchase price of the animal is just the beginning of your expenses, you have enclosure, heating, lighting, substrate and feeding costs that will be associated with owning one of these large lizards.

Not to mention if for some unforeseen reason your pet lizard would require a trip to the vet, would you be able to incur those expenses?

Right now the idea of owning one of these lizards is appealing to you but do your research and decide which would be best for your situation and the future of the lizard in question, as both live a very long time and will need your care throughout its life.

After you have thought this out very carefully and have the means to take care of it, then and only then would I suggest you purchasing one.

I have owned both types BTW as well and recommend a tegu by far, hands down.


...Jefroka


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## herpgirl2510 (Aug 2, 2011)

^^^^ agreed. If your think about $100 difference now wait exotics can be expensive to keep especially if they need vet care.


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## Jacob1750 (Aug 2, 2011)

I already have a large enclosure and supplies from where I had a very large burm. Cost really isn't a big deal I have a grand put to the side for this project. I live in West Virginia and I would just like to find a breeder close by so I wouldn't have to have the animal shipped half way across the country. If there were transportation complications I wouldnt want to have to pay for another animal. Also If you have a site I can visit for some good info on tegus that would be awesome. I was recommended this site from one of my friends and he said I could get some useful info here.


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## chelvis (Aug 2, 2011)

Hands down would be a tegu. I can have my tegu Bosco out for a roam with the dogs and there is no worries, alwaysed supervised of course. Before i had a tegu I had gotten a Savy, like you it was avaliblity and cost at the time, also I was 15 so there you go. I loved that monitor but he was a tank. Had a short fues and the most random thing could set him off. He was calm and tamer than my Argus Monitor which was a pill. I miss keeping both monitors but when it came to moving and i could not take them with me it was not heart braking to sell them. Fastforward a few years and I saved up enough for my goal animal a blue tegu. He arrived in January and by Febuary he trusted me enough to wear a harness and leash and we made our weekly trips to petco. When i had to move again and was not able to take my tegu with me I actully boarded him untill i moved back. Big differance I could not part with my tegu like i had the monitors. 

As for more info on the different types:
Here is a general list: http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=7401#axzz1SwOampkd

http://www.varnyard-herps.com/
unfortuntly the other link i normal give out was agama international inc, but with the passing of bret there is very little tegu info out there. 


As a general rule
Reds - require more fruites in their diet, are longer and have a good personality
Black and whites - tend to be heavier, tame down very easily (when from good stock and CBB) 
Blues - shorter and smaller than the two above (4ft), tend to have a good personality
Columbians, Golds, common Black and whites - all tend to be WC (there are a few CBs out there) Do not calm down nearly as easily as those mentioned above (it can be done), get around 3 to 4 feet.


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## M4A2E4 (Aug 2, 2011)

I've also heard that Sav monitors actually have a specialist diet and should only ever eat inverts (or at least don't feed it mice often). Apparently in the wild they almost never eat mammals, even if they're available to them. When a Sav monitor is fed too many rodents it usually suffers from severe health issues and dies a young death.
http://savannahmonitor.org/


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## james.w (Aug 2, 2011)

Nice to see you made it over here. 

If you are looking for something to handle, get a Tegu. If you don't really care about handling it, get either one.


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## Rhetoric (Aug 2, 2011)

M4A2E4 said:


> http://savannahmonitor.org/



awesome website, I referred to it a lot when I had my savy.


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## chelvis (Aug 3, 2011)

I too had heard that feeding a savy a high diet of nice and even chicken could cause issues such as fatty liver and kidney failure.


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## got10 (Aug 3, 2011)

Jacob1750 said:


> Thanks for the help. Though something I'm worried about is that tegu aren't really available in my area an I've heard they are rather expensive.



where are you located ?


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## new2tegus (Aug 3, 2011)

It depends what you are looking for. I thought about it, and I knew the size these animals get, and the general consensus was that the tegus are quite a bit more tame, and able to be handled and even seek out attention. I went from being completely scared of having my tegu hate me because I was nervous about his substrate. I'd feed him on a paper plate which was fine, until I gave him beef liver one day, and he shook it all over the place, and it was like it had velcro on it. Every piece of substrate would stick to it,but he was so hungry he didn't want to let it go. Now I'm to the happy place of him coming over to my hand in the cage, walking over it without running or freaking out,and even walking over my hand with his back to it. So they will trust you, and mine is starting to. I had to switch the cage around to accommodate us both. Half is just a reptile carpet, where he's fed, the other is cypress mulch where he burrows, and basks,and where there is a repti fogger going. He's now shed twice,and I've had him since the 18th of last month,and I love the little guy.


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## herpgirl2510 (Aug 5, 2011)

If you read danial bennett's monitor book it is considered the bile of keeping monitors. He talks aout how in the wild savannah's have access to huge insects we could not provide and that feeing whole prey in captivity whe they are adults is acceptable to a point. I feed my savannah erery two days. She goes longerthan my tegus if you try and feed her before that she won't eat may times. I also don't feed her even close to the same amount of whole preyat a meal. Many people who have issues with fatty liver etc powerfed or mostly fed whole prey when their savannh's when they were juveniles.


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