# Irresponsible owners... Damn you all!!!



## AvaHal12 (Sep 30, 2011)

Stuff like this really irritates me. Damn irresponsible tegu owners are going to ruin it for the rest of us. There are too many groups out there that will take you tegu off your hands than releasing it into the FL ecosystem.

Strange lizard caught in So. Florida
Sep 30, 2011 3:30 p.m.


A South American tegu lizard was captured in western Davie, after residents reported a large lizard roaming their backyards.

Tegus, which can grow to five feet, have established breeding populations around Tampa and Homestead. They arrived in Florida via the exotic pet industry and either escaped or were released, joining Burmese pythons, Nile monitors and other non-native species that have established populations in Florida thanks to the demand for unusual pets.

Officers of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured the three-foot lizard last week after being called in by the Davie Police Department. FWC Officer Nathan Brock said the lizard was fairly docile, suggesting it had been someone's pet. They took the tegu to the Sawgrass Recreation Park, where following a quarantine period, it would be given a home in the park's lizard exhibit.

The omnivorous lizards are likely to eat the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds, turtle eggs and young turtles, a variety of small prey and plants, according to a report by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Copyright (C) 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel


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## james.w (Sep 30, 2011)

Exactly!! There have been quite a few "Escape/Lost" tegu posts on here lately too. Many seem to have been found, but poorly secure enclosures is one of the causes of the problem.


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## slideaboot (Sep 30, 2011)

It's ONLY because these are reptiles that anybody gives a damn. How many ads for lost dogs and cats do you see on the DAILY? It's species-ism (or something clever like that).


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## Rhetoric (Sep 30, 2011)

I'm going to assume most of the ones that are found in peoples yards have been out there for a while, I don't blame them for being crabby. It'd be scary getting lost out there, I'd be grumpy if I had an empty belly! I can see how people would be intimidated, most people have only seen bearded dragons and CWDs, not many people have seen a tegu in comparison.


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## roastedspleen (Sep 30, 2011)

I always laugh at these news articles. Not because the article itself is funny because of the soccer moms and rednecks talking about killing it or makeibg it into boots or talking of how it could hurt someone.


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## Lynda (Oct 2, 2011)

roastedspleen said:


> I always laugh at these news articles. Not because the article itself is funny because of the soccer moms and rednecks talking about killing it or makeibg it into boots or talking of how it could hurt someone.



Hey...I'm a soccer mom...and I love my gu


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## Aardbark (Oct 2, 2011)

Well, at least there is good news in the article. The gu is going to be properly cared for, and now has a good home. Thats a plus in my book.


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## laurarfl (Oct 7, 2011)

I'm a ballet mom, is that even weirder, lol. I don't know why everyone assumes every found reptile has been released. Who releases a tame adult tegu worth some money? <slaps forehead> Escaped reptiles can survive pretty easily here in FL because there is food, warm temps, and high humidity. Tegus are the new weird, so they make the news. A few years ago it was man-eating, venomous Nile monitors. But I still hear more stories about dog bites and see more stray cats. People look the other way. They are desensitized so the media has to reach out for new, exciting stories.


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## monstruo-the-tegu (Jan 17, 2012)

i am glad i live in Virginia because nobody would release there tegu here and get it killed


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## Reptile_fever (Jan 18, 2012)

Watch next is tegus ,monitors or any non native species will be banned,might not be for our eyes but probably for our childrens ,if this continues!! the whole country suffers from what is happening in florida! I just wanna ring some ones neck!


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## martinreptiles_3 (Jan 18, 2012)

I agree with you Reptile Fever, I just want to ring someones neck! People are so irresponsible and they ruin it for the rest of us. It is not the Gu's fault but the idiots people who get in over their heads!


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## lalacroft25 (Jan 27, 2012)

martinreptiles_3 said:


> I agree with you Reptile Fever, I just want to ring someones neck! People are so irresponsible and they ruin it for the rest of us. It is not the Gu's fault but the idiots people who get in over their heads!



one of the good things about living in scotland is tegus would never get banned for that reason because they would never survive the harsh weather we have here. and tegus are still quite uncommon and very expensive here too. i had to get mine shipped from england


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## Compnerd7 (Feb 2, 2012)

*2 cents.*

I definitely agree that people who are Irresponsible with their animals should get a penalty. But I'm 50/50 on banning of exotic animals. I've had issues owning American Pit Bull Terriers where Irresponsible people use them as fighting dogs, when they are really one of the best dogs a family could have. 

I believe a ban is obviously an *overreaction* to the issues at hand: Invasive non native species being released and wreaking havoc on a native ecosystem.

Being a responsible owner of exotic animals, I would HATE to see them become illegal. But since I do LOVE the animals so much, I would give up my right to own them so that none are treated with neglect, forced to suffer, or fall into hands of the Irresponsible.

A solution to the issue really is to monitor ( haha ) the sales of exotic pets, and have certain REQUIREMENTS for owning them. I think if perspective Irresponsible owner were to read something like this:

*Requirements: 
Buy perching this animal I __________ agree to house this creature in a cage no less then 8X2X4 with proper substrate, lighting, food, humidity level, and handling. 6 picture requirements sent to [email protected] within 6 months of purchasing this animal is mandatory. If said deadline is not met, you will be fined $10,000 or 2 years in prison. Also, _________ agrees to pay a fee of $15 a year and updated 6 photos sent to [email protected] to ensue the safe keeping of this exotic pet, and the safety of our natural ecosystem. If you fail to comply with one or any of these requirements, your animal will be seized immediately and rehoused to a responsible owner. *

They would be much more inclined to rethink compulsively buying the animals we so dearly love and respect.


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## Non Crimen (Feb 2, 2012)

Happy Ending


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