# Found the best tegu ever, but I have some problems



## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 10, 2007)

So I was at the petstore today applying for a job and to get some crickets for my other pets, then I came across a awesome 3' male red tegu, with unusual patterns, this tegu had no missing body parts anywhere, he was healthy, no broken anything, he had the perfect body structure, then I was able to stay for his feeding time, he ate like a champ, he had 2 fuzzy mice, bits of scrambled eggs, and fruits and vegetables. But before the feeding time I was able to hold him, after that he kept on staring at me for like 6 seconds after the food was dropped into his cage
I knew this would have been the perfect pet for me, but since it was too perfect it was priced at $500, and I would have had to pay another $350 for a building a good sized enclosure and the supplies, but my parents are still against this idea, the last time I mentioned my monkey tail skink, i ended up getting yelled at, so........any suggestions?
I mean, I'm ready for this, I know how much they eat, I know how much space they require, I know everything about the care for a red tegu such as this one, but again it's my parents that are in the way, I mean, I'm 16 years old, have my own reptile room and all, but why don't my parents allow it? should I just buy it anyways, and see what happens? you guys' parents don't care if bought a reptile, right?


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## dorton (Nov 10, 2007)

Good luck, my parents didn't want me to have any reptiles at all!
So I had to wait till I got my own house.
Later
Justin


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## greentriple (Nov 10, 2007)

Who's house is it? Who pays the rent or the mortgage? Is "your" reptile room in THEIR house? Who pays the electrical bill, the H2O? If you contribute to all these things you have some point to argue from, if your parents cover all this I'd say you should honor and respect their position. 

You're 16, so you have 2 more year and then move out and get your own place and you can get whatever you want. $900 is quite a bit for a 16 year old to spend on anything. Be wise, not impulsive.

Just my 2 cents.

BTW - yes I'm a parent.


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## chelvis (Nov 10, 2007)

I kinda have to agree with greentriple on this one. I was lucky that my mom enjoyed me learning about reptiles and though my hobby was healthy for me. On the other hand when i built my first reptile rack and had heaters and incubators, filters, lighting and what ever else going on, i started paying half the eletric bill. I was luck h20 is covered by the HOA dues which are realitivly small and included so much that my mom didnt see a point in me paying a part in that. Regradless I didn't get anything that was the price of an apartment rental, lol. I did have a black throut monitor as a foster rescue for the human society. But he was free and temporary. 

You can try to convince your parents that a tegu could be a good learning experiance, chances are they wont go for it. Consider yourself lucky though your parents let you keep reptiles. One of my friends wanted a leopard gecko in high school, not exactly the hardest or scariest reptile to take care. Her parents said no becuase reptiles are not pets, they're just pest.


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## olympus (Nov 10, 2007)

To hell with all that. If u have the money but it and say u cant return and your stuck. If u dont have the money try to raise the money and follow step one.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 10, 2007)

ohh, i know, i heard that red tegus hibernate for 6 months and don't start eating until July or something, would that be a good reason?
yes, i do pay for the feeders, supplies, the enclosures and all, but not electric or water, those are something that our whole family uses, so..............no need to worry about that


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## COWHER (Nov 10, 2007)

dude you're dealing with a culture difference and everything all i can say is respect you parents, but beg like hell till they cave in. :lol: but don't go buy it with out there permission. that will just cause problems and if you keep you love for these guys alive you have the potential to do alot of good for their species and that will be a nice reward till you can get one. :wink:


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## greentriple (Nov 10, 2007)

Remind me not to have Olympus over for dinner once my kids are teenagers!! :lol: 

Go with Cowher's opinion.

BTW - you reasoning is faulty. Everyone in your family uses a "normal" amount of the utilities. Reptiles require more and your share would be greater. 

I know at 16 it's hard to delay gratification or get the whole parent thing, that's part of being 16 and it's wonderful. But don't just get the Tegu, don't let it be a "object" used by you and your parents in a power struggle. Your intentions for getting it are good, but to get it without their permission and begin a "war" would corrupt this.

(I'm practicing, sorry)


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## lizardboy101 (Nov 10, 2007)

Beg beg and beg some more...then beg even more. lol. Talk to them like a mature adult...meaning don't go out and buy the animal without their permission. Remember this...they're ur legal gaurdian...u tick them off by doing something like that, well bey bey reptiles.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 10, 2007)

ok, well.....my birthday is in like 2 weeks, i'll be getting a job in less than a month, and i'll be getting my drivers license really soon, and i'll be getting like $1200 in 2008 because of my leopard gecko breeding, so yeah, just a couple weeks and i'm pretty sure i'll be allowed by than, thanks guys
but hey, is it really true that the red tegu hibernate?


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2007)

There is no pet like a tegu. I believe that parents have a desire to make their child happy, but only to the extent of their means. Get the supplies first. Prove to them that this is not a whim. Parents don't want this to be a hasty decision because whether you know it or not, owning a tegu is like owning 3 dogs to a certain extent. There is no danger, but there is a lot of responsibility. Get your cage done, get the lighting setup, then you have grounds for the proper begging.


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## COWHER (Nov 11, 2007)

Good point Aprilla. show them that you can handle it and that you really want it. hopefully they will come to like him but they have to have open minds before they will even let him near.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 11, 2007)

oh man, can't wait till i have enough money, so that i could build the enclosure and buy all the supplies, and i was able to do a little math, it would cost about $120 to build a 6' long, 4' wide, and 2' tall enclosure, if that's okay with reds, i'm going with it
and seriously? do red tegus hibernate?


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## DaveDragon (Nov 11, 2007)

What will you say to your parents as you're building this enclosure??

You might want to make it a little longer. Mine are 7ft x 3ft x 2ft. They cost about $200 each to build but that includes $40 for 13 feet of mylar background. It's a good size for our Blue Tegu's but possibly a little small for our Red. Red's can grow to 4.5 feet. Ours is less than 3 feet but he's missing at least 1 foot of tail (rescue). He's 7.25 lbs. He's been going under for 1 to 3 days and then comes up for a few days. We never know.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 12, 2007)

i know it's a little bit small, but it's still pretty good, but 8 foot would be great
and i'll probably end up saying "um....school project"
then they'll probably allow it after they find out that i'm serious about the tegu


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2007)

KoreanDeathKid said:


> i know it's a little bit small, but it's still pretty good, but 8 foot would be great
> and i'll probably end up saying "um....school project"
> then they'll probably allow it after they find out that i'm serious about the tegu



Smart man. It's really a huge responsibility. Once you've got a cage, there's no question that you're serious. It's a bunch of work to do, and a lot of money to invest. Hell show your parents some research you've done. It's a worthy pet that is fairly simple to get used to and enjoy. It's not gonna eat the cat, it's friendly, and it really will learn to recognize you. The reptile/human bond is a very strange phenomena. There's no animal to compare it to. The dog gets bit by a crawdad out by the creek and you laugh, but if your tegu sneezes, you rush to his aid like someone just stabbed your brother in front of you.


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## COWHER (Nov 12, 2007)

I agree if you show them what a awesome animal tegus are then they may see the good in them. i think the more they see that you love these guys and are committed to them the more they will warm up to you having one.


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## DaveDragon (Nov 12, 2007)

Ours are big enough to put a mattress into. Maybe you could work that in there somehow!


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 14, 2007)

i'm changing the plan, i already have enough wood at home to make a enclosure, that's about 5.5' long and 2' wide, i know that sounds horrible, but once the tegu is allowed and big enough, i decided that he can roam free in my reptile room
how does that sound?, it's my birthday next thursday, so.......i already told my parents that i want a red tegu, and they don't seem to talk to very much about the present i wanted for this year's birthday after that looooooooooooooooooong beggin for a red tegu, i just hope that they're not pissed


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## VARNYARD (Nov 15, 2007)

Good luck on your quest, I hope they say yes!!


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## greentriple (Nov 15, 2007)

I smell trouble.


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## PuffDragon (Nov 15, 2007)

Do any of your friends have a Tegu? If so maybe you could have your friend over to introduce your parents to a Tegu. As long as it's behaved! That on top of your already built enclosure might seal the deal. Good luck!


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 16, 2007)

thanks, but why do you smell trouble? 
only one of my friend owns a tegu, but it's a columbian, and it is the meanest little critter on the face of this planet, my other friend owns a baby savannah monitor, but they already said no to that after the amount of rodents they eat
a red tegu is perfect for me


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## playlboi (Nov 16, 2007)

you come from the same boat i come from koreandeathkid. being asian myself, my parents aren't too pleased with my fondness of the reptilian friends. but over the years, they've grown accustomed to it. i mean i have it, but they never see it. only when i bring them out while watching tv or hanging around. all i can say is that it takes time.


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## olympus (Nov 16, 2007)

Okay good for you. I'm glad you held your mind to it and got it done. GOOD MAN...


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## VARNYARD (Nov 16, 2007)

Yea, I hope it works out, it might be easier if it was a younger animal, that would be a softer blow than the full grown adult.


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## dorton (Nov 16, 2007)

VARNYARD said:


> Yea, I hope it works out, it might be easier if it was a younger animal, that would be a softer blow than the full grown adult.




Thats the plan with my little one, my wife thinks all reptiles look mean.
Especially tegus, "they look evil" she says.
If I keep showing him to her every few days, she doesn't realize how big he will be in a year or so.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Nov 16, 2007)

i don't think no animals look evil in opinion, and playboi, where in asia do you come from, and what kind of reptiles do you own? i guess every body is different, and your parents are at least okay with you owning reptiles, but my parents just doesn't like the whole idea, but i still don't know why they gave me a reptile room, and now i have to fill it up to replace 20 hamsters i had before i moved, and plan on doing this by getting a big animal, such as the red tegu


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## playlboi (Nov 17, 2007)

oh, i don't live anywhere on the asian continent. i am vietnamese descent. but i live in the states. it's pretty cool your parents gave you a reptile room, shows that they at least allow you some freedom. i don't think they mind you buying such a large lizard, but i think maybe they are just worried about all the money you'd spend on it? i currenly own 2 tegus, 1 jackson chameleon, 1 leopard gecko, and i just recently purchased a baby green iguana.


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