# So I finally got my new Tegu!



## Justin_Navarro (Jul 18, 2019)

Finally picked up a Chacoan White Headed Tegu, he's gorgeous, and is incredibly smart. Within a day of having him, he learned to scratch the glass door for me to pick him up, and eats right out of my hand while remaining gentle. He's a few weeks I think, I hope he develops a high white color scheme, but I think it's near impossible to tell this early, could any of you seasoned vets tell?

He also has quite the origin story of how I received him!

So the UPS guy didn't even knock on my door that morning after I waited up all night for the little dude... Left a "We missed you" note and it nearly broke my heart, since as you guys know, you have to pick up the package the next business day, and by that point the animal is normally long deceased. So we spoke to 3 UPS representatives for about an hour and one finally told us we could catch the driver at his stop at a nearby mall.

So we rushed over there and found his truck behind a Party City, he knew immediately that we were there for the live animal. I flagged him down, signed it, opened the package immediately and hoped he was okay, he looked up at me in the bag and flicked his cute little tongue. I took him home and he's been so well behaved ever since.

For the first day, he slept a lot, likely due to the crazy ride, but was still willing to eat some fruit and roam around in between naps. Today I gave him 15 small crickets that he chased and ate no problem, then he fell asleep so I stopped giving him food lol. He's so small!


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## Walter1 (Jul 19, 2019)

Well, congratulations!


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## Justin_Navarro (Jul 19, 2019)

Walter1 said:


> Well, congratulations!


Thanks!

Do you know if Tegus can eat Veal Liver? I picked up some Ground Turkey, Veal Liver, Calciworms, Pinkies and Nightcrawlers. The Repti-Cal without D3 will be showing up on Sunday, so I'm trying to get him on a steady diet beforehand.

I tried shrimp and scrambled eggs last night, he only ate a bite or 2, even tried a little cat food but he's not a big fan. He seems to love moving insects. He annihilated 15 crickets 2 days ago, so I don't know if the issue is that I should be feeding him every other day or he just strictly likes crickets.

I'll try to give him the worms later today, I'm sure he'll gobble them up. By the way, do pinkies offer any nutritional value to a baby Tegu??


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## Walter1 (Jul 19, 2019)

I've not raised young argies, but forum experience says the like moving inverts, so I wouldn't worry about his narrow diet as long as he's growing and doing so in a healthy way = no mbd. 

Liver's good. 

Soon as you can start adding appropriately-sized mice, like pinks and fuzzies, and hoppers, all heavily dusted with calcium to compensatr for low calcium in baby mice.


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## Mamasaurus (Jul 24, 2019)

Look at him!!! Congrats. I always recommend whole prey. Be careful to size properly to avoid impaction. I use reptilinks to cut down on that risk. There's a food list about here somewhere that's amazing. Look into reptilinks. The variety is amazing and then you can just add bugs and fruit. Be sure to dust! Honestly I avoid beef anything to be safe. I'd feed gizzards though. So happy for you


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## Justin_Navarro (Jul 24, 2019)

Mamasaurus said:


> Look at him!!! Congrats. I always recommend whole prey. Be careful to size properly to avoid impaction. I use reptilinks to cut down on that risk. There's a food list about here somewhere that's amazing. Look into reptilinks. The variety is amazing and then you can just add bugs and fruit. Be sure to dust! Honestly I avoid beef anything to be safe. I'd feed gizzards though. So happy for you


Thank you!! I found out that he loves Veal Liver coated in Repti-Cal, but even with me cutting the liver into slivers, he still manages to find himself the big pieces lol! I don't know how (un)healthy it is though, but at least it's filling his tummy! I believe i've heard of Reptilinks, so i'll certainly look more into them. He's not too into fruits yet, which i assume is because he's still a baby but he loves crickets.

He's so inquisitive, curious and active. I love him! Though he may have eaten too much yesterday (i feed him every other day).

(He was so sleepy in the third pic, i got a clear belly pic than woke him up)


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## Mamasaurus (Jul 24, 2019)

Awah!!!!!!!! That little he can actually eat every day and once he's a bit bigger every other. They definitely eat more if it moves (it's fun and they're nebby) lol. It's not that it's bad as long as he likes it. I just avoid the beef meats because even low fat groundbeef is too fatty. Hard on their livers. Not sure about beef liver. It's an over time thing and he's just a babe. Just feed him!!!!!


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## Mamasaurus (Jul 24, 2019)

I missed the baby phase with my rescue but oh I adore him. Yesterday he went under my desk and came out looking like he had a beard walking to me "mum get this off my lips" lol


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## rats (Jul 24, 2019)

Absolutely adorable!!!! Congratulations!

Don't worry if he mostly eats crickets right now. That's what my Foley did (blue tegu) when he was a baby; he loved to chase his food. We kept offering other kinds of foods and he now ignores crickets (too small!!) but loves dubias, ground turkey, grapes (sliced in half lengthwise so he doesn't choke on them, just like I had to do with my kids!), eggs (hardboiled and scrambled), cooked chicken, and other fruits except bananas for some reason. He doesn't like veggies either.  Just feed that little critter every day, with some calcium dusting (not every day). When he gets older/bigger, you can go longer between feedings (every other day, then maybe every 3rd day -- though Foley is hungry every day and we have to be careful we don't overfeed him!!)


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## Justin_Navarro (Jul 24, 2019)

Mamasaurus said:


> I missed the baby phase with my rescue but oh I adore him. Yesterday he went under my desk and came out looking like he had a beard walking to me "mum get this off my lips" lol


Lol! Yeah Tegu's are certainly funny lizards, sometimes I just open the glass door to his enclosure, call him and he'll just mosey on out, right onto my lap, which I didn't expect from a recently hatched 9 inch Tegu lol. They're such quick learners!


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## Justin_Navarro (Jul 24, 2019)

rats said:


> Absolutely adorable!!!! Congratulations!
> 
> Don't worry if he mostly eats crickets right now. That's what my Foley did (blue tegu) when he was a baby; he loved to chase his food. We kept offering other kinds of foods and he now ignores crickets (too small!!) but loves dubias, ground turkey, grapes (sliced in half lengthwise so he doesn't choke on them, just like I had to do with my kids!), eggs (hardboiled and scrambled), cooked chicken, and other fruits except bananas for some reason. He doesn't like veggies either.  Just feed that little critter every day, with some calcium dusting (not every day). When he gets older/bigger, you can go longer between feedings (every other day, then maybe every 3rd day -- though Foley is hungry every day and we have to be careful we don't overfeed him!!)


Thank you!!!

Oh yeah he definitely goes crazy for crickets, as of recent he also goes crazy for Veal Liver powdered with Calcium (without D3). It's strange, I've also tried bananas, but he's not interested in them at all. He's really not a huge fan of fruits in general yet, outside of a bite or two of a plum/cherry, I'll have to try and give him some grapes. He also enjoys green beans but I haven't given it to him in a while since I don't know if it has any health benefits. He doesn't seem interested in smashed up hard boiled yolk either.

I've picked up some ground turkey, but don't know if I should switch it up between the liver and the turkey, or just wait until I've ran out of liver then start on the turkey lol!

It's funny, because originally I wanted to feed him twice a day everyday, but he sort've made it known to me within the week, that he will not eat the day after a meal, like I'll warm him up a whole dinner, just for him to smell it, and turn the other cheek! He's quite the picky little one.

I also don't know when to expect his first shed since there doesn't seem to be too much info around on the ins and outs of Tegu growth lol.


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## Justin_Navarro (Aug 24, 2019)

So he's been eating great, has had 2 sheds and has gotten considerably brighter in tone, some days it appears as if his entire head is a white-ish yellow, on others it seems like he's still a bright dull green.

This is him during his first shed on August 4th, (note the yellow tone)






this is another shot of him fresh out of his first shed (note the green tone)






this is him as of yesterday August 24th while finishing up his second shed,






this is him as of today


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## Walter1 (Aug 24, 2019)

W/in 2 mo. age, green disappears. He's a healthy young'un.


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## Justin_Navarro (Aug 26, 2019)

Walter1 said:


> W/in 2 mo. age, green disappears. He's a healthy young'un.


Great!! It's so fascinating how much lighter in color he's getting within the week!


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## Walter1 (Aug 27, 2019)

Must have sunlight and whole prey with added calcium + either fish oil or mackerel. Will make for a healthy strong adult. In Argentina, a major river floods annually. When it does, LOTS of animals are left dead on draw down. Many fish and cattle. Tegus eat it all.


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## Justin_Navarro (Sep 22, 2019)

Would you happen to know what I should do during the coming cold months? I've heard that Tegus hibernate, but I don't recall if it was strictly Wild Caught or if it pertained to Captive as well. Once it starts getting colder, will he start to slow down? So far he's been as great as ever, still relaxed, still extremely passive yet a feisty eater. I'll upload some pics of him soon, he's certainly getting a much more complex color scheme.


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## Walter1 (Sep 22, 2019)

All argentines will brumate starting so.etime in late-summer to early-fall with shortening days. Length of brumation varies among lizards. Some will even come out and look around from time to time.


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## Justin_Navarro (Sep 25, 2019)

Walter1 said:


> All argentines will brumate starting so.etime in late-summer to early-fall with shortening days. Length of brumation varies among lizards. Some will even come out and look around from time to time.


He has been sleeping quite a bit, but as you said he peeks out and even basks after about 4pm. His light blew out about a day or 2 ago, so it's been around high 60s-70s in his enclosure. I take him outside during the day and let him bask on the grill while I'm out there just so he gets the proper UV and heat. 

During brumation would he still need both lamps on? Or could I leave the UVB off?

Here's some pics from yesterday:


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## AlphaAlpha (Sep 25, 2019)

Dam thats brave.........and i mean BRAVE .... cause believe me if something spooks him hes lost as the acceleration of these animals is unbelievable and top speed faster than us it would take some sort of luck to catch him again.

Talking from experience due to mine breaking out of a harness and me only catching him again cause he got stuck in a fence. Alpha had 5 meter on me before I even realised he was loose.


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## Justin_Navarro (Sep 25, 2019)

AlphaAlpha said:


> Dam thats brave.........and i mean BRAVE .... cause believe me if something spooks him hes lost as the acceleration of these animals is unbelievable and top speed faster than us it would take some sort of luck to catch him again.
> 
> Talking from experience due to mine breaking out of a harness and me only catching him again cause he got stuck in a fence. Alpha had 5 meter on me before I even realised he was loose.


LOL! I know _*exactly *_what you're saying, I had him on my shoulder in my room a month ago, and he went from relaxing to darting right across the room, behind my shelves.. he almost went into the radiator hole in the wall, but luckily (or unluckily) he lodged himself in between the drywall and the wall behind that, with only his tail showing.. so I had no clue how to approach him without either his tail coming off, or his ribs rupturing (he basically squeezed himself in there).

He trusted me enough that when I pulled a bit on his tail to get some reaction (figured he may have squeezed himself to death), he turned full 360 and I managed to get a steady hold on him.

So after that you'd probably be surprised I would ever take him outside without any type of restraint, but to my defense he is extremely calm when he's either in my hands or under some kind of heat (he loves the sun). I will need some kind of leash at some point though.


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## Walter1 (Sep 25, 2019)

Justin_Navarro said:


> He has been sleeping quite a bit, but as you said he peeks out and even basks after about 4pm. His light blew out about a day or 2 ago, so it's been around high 60s-70s in his enclosure. I take him outside during the day and let him bask on the grill while I'm out there just so he gets the proper UV and heat.
> 
> During brumation would he still need both lamps on? Or could I leave the UVB off?
> 
> ...


You're a caring steward of your tegu. In my opinion, in this case you're playing with fire and lucky more than you know. You'll feel awful to lose him. Consider a leash.


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## Justin_Navarro (Sep 26, 2019)

Walter1 said:


> You're a caring steward of your tegu. In my opinion, in this case you're playing with fire and lucky more than you know. You'll feel awful to lose him. Consider a leash.


Thanks! and yeah I'll definitely pick one up, what would you recommend as the best brand to go with?


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## Justin_Navarro (Sep 26, 2019)

Here's some clearer pics from that day outside, I can't help but take tons of pics of him lol, his colors are just so striking:


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## Walter1 (Sep 26, 2019)

Justin_Navarro said:


> Thanks! and yeah I'll definitely pick one up, what would you recommend as the best brand to go with?


Chime in gang with your choice leashes to help Justin. Mine remain in enclosures


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## Justin_Navarro (Nov 12, 2019)

What do you guys do when it comes to feeding your Tegus during the Winter? My Tegu's been sleeping a lot, entire days at a time and I'm sure it's due to brumation/temp drops, however I don't know whether to feed him and keep the lights on all day or? I've been feeding him here and there but he only briefly comes out before going back into his underground den.


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## Walter1 (Nov 12, 2019)

Cool temps, a basking light on for reduced time. When hungry he'll scratch around.


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## Justin_Navarro (Jan 22, 2020)

So monthly update, he's still brumating, hasn't really left his den he's created (combination of a piece of my t shirt, his dirt/sand substrate and some rocks, pretty proud of how creative he's become lol)

However he doesn't come out, i only know he's still alive because i check under his slate every now and again to see him still in a deep sleep. I don't want him to starve to death, however he's not overly skinny so i'm assuming he's packed in all his fats like a bear, but he's still thinner than i'd like right now.

He gets annoyed when i move his rock so i try not to do it often, but i just wanted to know, do these guys normally brumate/sleep for this long at such a young age? I've had him since July, and i read Tegus only start to brumate when they hit about a year or so.

He hasn't eaten but i took him out of his den a month ago and he drank water for a solid 5 minutes straight.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!


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## Lochlan (Jan 22, 2020)

Man I wish that I could have experienced mine as a baby I just got mine a month and a half ago and he's around the same age as yours (he's around 22 inches) and when I got him he wasn't worked with so I'm just now gaining his trust. You shouldn't have to worry about him brumating mine hasn't gone into brumation yet and I live in Colorado but I do have experience in brumating with other reptiles as long as he doesn't get to skinny or coughing or anything like that you should be fine


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