• Hello guest! Are you a Tegu enthusiast? If so, we invite you to join our community! Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Tegu enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your Tegu and enclosure and have a great time with other Tegu fans. Sign up today! If you have any questions, problems, or other concerns email [email protected]!

Advice for Prospective Owner

jerseabeth

New Member
Messages
1
Hello everyone! First post here. I've been researching tegus for several months now (after learning they existed at all, hah); I recently discovered this forum and decided to join after seeing it mentioned here and there on several blogs, and after it showed up in a few Google searches. In the last month and a half I've caught myself daydreaming about having a tegu of my own. Everything I have read seems to agree that a well-socialized tegu will be companionable in a way that most reptiles are not, and that they're highly intelligent animals, and I find them fascinating.

I've cared for a beardie and an iguana in the past, so I'm not an inexperienced reptile keeper, but I'm concerned this is not enough experience to keep an animal like a tegu. So I have a couple questions for the owners more experienced than I am; what is the hardest part about owning a tegu? What kind of experience should someone have before getting one? What are some things about tegu keeping that you wished you'd known when you got your first one?

Also, finally, a disclaimer: I know several months seems like a short period of time to be researching, but if I did decide to get a tegu, it would be a year and a half to two years in the future. I want to be sure that I can take care of a tegu and that I've read everything I can about them.

Thanks for reading! I hope I put this thread in the right place!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Walter1

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
5 Year Member
Messages
4,384
Hello everyone! First post here. I've been researching tegus for several months now (after learning they existed at all, hah); I recently discovered this forum and decided to join after seeing it mentioned here and there on several blogs, and after it showed up in a few Google searches. In the last month and a half I've caught myself daydreaming about having a tegu of my own. Everything I have read seems to agree that a well-socialized tegu will be companionable in a way that most reptiles are not, and that they're highly intelligent animals, and I find them fascinating.

I've cared for a beardie and an iguana in the past, so I'm not an inexperienced reptile keeper, but I'm concerned this is not enough experience to keep an animal like a tegu. So I have a couple questions for the owners more experienced than I am; what is the hardest part about owning a tegu? What kind of experience should someone have before getting one? What are some things about tegu keeping that you wished you'd known when you got your first one?

Also, finally, a disclaimer: I know several months seems like a short period of time to be researching, but if I did decide to get a tegu, it would be a year and a half to two years in the future. I want to be sure that I can take care of a tegu and that I've read everything I can about them.

Thanks for reading! I hope I put this thread in the right place!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Welcome, and good that you're researching, that you're here, and that you've kept lizards before. Providing an acceptable enclosure is the toughest, followed by maintaining a proper diet. For some, one or neither of these are difficult. For many, they are rigid considerations that require some work to meet, such as enclosure size.
 

Ivyna J Spyder

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
51
Important to note: They may not actually be as friendly and personable as videos would show. I think social media only shows us the best case scenarios.

I've tried socializing mine for months and she still lunges, bites or runs away from me. She might never calm down. So you might end up with a giant lizard that could do serious damage to you, or a giant lizard who really doesn't want anything to do with you, so be aware.
 

Tizzay89

Member
Messages
83
Important to note: They may not actually be as friendly and personable as videos would show. I think social media only shows us the best case scenarios.

I've tried socializing mine for months and she still lunges, bites or runs away from me. She might never calm down. So you might end up with a giant lizard that could do serious damage to you, or a giant lizard who really doesn't want anything to do with you, so be aware.

Yes. Every where says puppy dog tame... but the other side is a lizard with a bite force of 300+ on the scale. Pitbulls rank at 275. This reptile has the full potential to remove fingers,lips,ears etc. Other hand it may be your best friend for many years it is a dice roll.

Care is as Walter said cage and food. In my opinion your better of just building your own b4 you even get the tegu. Set your decorations. Put lots! Nice leaf over hangs hides etc. Tegus explore and can be pretty active. A hide and basking plat is in my opinion not enough. Food I find to be hard.. my tegu loves 1 thing 1 day but refuses it the next. Wont eat fruits or vegetables unless mixed.. it's like a child lol really if you get 1 and you treat it and care for it like you would treat a kid you'll probs end up with a nice relaxed 5 to 6 foot lazy cuddle buddy. The thing I regret most of me getting my tegu as you asked is.. the light bill. Here in Alaska it takes one 100watt bask and one 150watt ceramic to give my tegu proper temps in summer mixed with 16watt uvb and a fogger. It's a 35 to 40 extra each bill.. also I have started breeding worms and crickets. I hate bugs ! But when you give your tegu a nice back rub and it falls asleep worry free.. worth
 

Walter1

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
5 Year Member
Messages
4,384
Along the line of Tizzay's comments, you hear puppy dog tame only because no one buys a rabid dog. Some just are best left almost alone, and everything in between.

Also, yes, lots of things fot them to flip and explore. They are by our standards intelligent.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
20,091
Messages
177,789
Members
10,316
Latest member
Juiced
Top