Argentine B&W tegu or bearded dragon??

[Alexandra]

I know I'm probably going to get biased answers on here, but that's ok with me! I have narrowed it down to these two. Because I heard they make great pets and are very friendly! So here is the info that I can provide about me-
I have owned a lot of reptiles before, so I'm experienced.
The largest cage I can provide is around 6 feet long( maybe a couple inches longer), 2-3 foot wide cage. But the lizard will get taken out of their cage daily.
I am aware of the diet needs of both animals, but I'm not sure how much a tegu eats. Do they have an endless appetite like a bearded dragon? Are the portions of their meals large ( for baby and adult)
How much more expensive are tegus to keep than to keep a bearded dragon?
Thank you guys very much!

 

[Dejahsaurus]

I just went through a similar decision. I had a Beardie back when I was in College and was looking for something again. I went with the Tegu, but I have to admit, I had some buyers remorse initially as it became obviously quickly that the Tegu was going to require a bit more work and in general, presented a more dangerous animal to my kids. I actually looked at maybe even finding the Tegu a new home and then replacing with a Beardie again. however, I chose to give the Tegu a try. personally, I am very glad I am. Dejah has turned out quickly to be a wonderful animal who is very interactive, and it is quite fun to have her out of her cage. While I knew I would "see" the Beardie more as they sleep out in the open, you get to interact more with the Tegu while it is out. it is fun to see her explore everything around her.

Secondly, the Beardies like their life food from time to time. you need to keep crickets for them. Personally, I like being able to feed the Tegu a wide variety of stuff that can be bought at the market, rather than the pet store. I also only have room for a 6 X 2 cage for her, but that's why I got a girl, a bit smaller and understand with just one of them that this should be a large enough cage.

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Oh this question is right down my alley. I've had lots of reps in my life too. And right now, I have a beardie and a new tegu. Omg I love BOTH. Why? Because the species are such opposites, so between them, I get my cake and eat too so to speak. Beardies are awesome to just hang out with, sleep with, watch tv with. Always available for the most part and great travel buddies. But ... they pet rocks to me. LOL. I wanted something big, BIG, and as wise but more interactive as my beardie. So I chose a tegu. So far, she has been a real handful. A bit more than most. Shes no the chill scaled puppy that some have. Shes very fast, doesnt like to be held too much, and way too wild to let out without a proofed room. Going out has been out of the question so far. The up? She is FUN. Lol. Interesting. And she is as smart as a parrot. She is taming down, (she is only a year and a half as far as I know), and its been getting better and better. Very exciting. Cost. Hmm. Sigh. Okay, the cost of the set up was way way more than what people said online. At least for me. But once set up, the food is really nothing if you ask me. It seems like it would be expensive because of how much they eat. But if you choose to offer mixed meats and fruits, you are really using a lot of innards, etc, and it lasts a long time when you make a mix and freeze it. If you use whole prey in addition or instead, you can find places that sell them in bulk. It might be expensive for an order. But it lasts a long time. I find it so much easier to feed them then the continual bugs and salads that I have to give my dragon. Typically they eat every day up to a year or so. Then its every day. Eventually its like 3x a week. If that. Everyone is different. right now, my girl is 3 foot long, just past yearling age and she eats every other day to 3x a week depending. Shes not as big an eater as some. She will eat one large mouse, or half of a baseball or so of a mixed meat concoction. I hope this helps you. If you want ... I just started a blog about owning a tegu. It starts the very day we bought her!! Goes over all the challenges to a newbie etc. www.wolfystegu.weebly.com (you start reading from the bottom)

 

[Alexandra]

Hmm ok thanks. Very helpful. I'm still not sure which one to go for though. I'm scared to make the wrong decision. I guess I'll research a little more too

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Yeah one major consideration is time. Beardies are naturally chill, wont bite, will sit with you forever. Doestn matter if you don't give them attention each day or for many days. You can really leave them alone for long periods and it doesnt affect how they feel about you. Tegu's are wired for activity and intelligent, so, just sitting around isnt their thing. I mean they will ....... but for the most part they like to move around, explore and interact with their world. I have no idea what would happen if you ignore or let a tegu go without attention for days or long periods. I guess it just matters on what age and what their personality is. I just know my girl ... and I really feel that if I didnt pick her up every day at least once and spend time with her, she might not want to be around me so much because of her age as well as her temperment. Tegus are a big commitment, in a good way.

 

[RickyNo]

With only a 6x2 or 3 cage you cannot provide even the minimum cage size required to have a black and white. I would go with a columbian if thats the case because they do not get as big. Or stick with the beardie. I can give you another option that would work out great for you. Have you ever looked into ackie monitors? Their size might be a little better for the space you can provide.

 

[Jacobhreptiles]

Or a blue tongue skink? Or a Lacerta!!! A Lacerta is like a mini tegu in my opinion so I definently recommend that over a beardie but if your still nervous about the tegu

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Lacerta's are very cool. Somewhat easy too? They are much smaller though. One thing is, its' actually very easy to compare a dragon to any of these other lizards. As I said, these guys are like pet rocks. They just ... hang around. Don't count on them doing much of anything. Some hardly walk around even. So, if you just want a buddy to be a velcro pet, or someone to chill on the window sill, go out wtih etc, a dragon is the way to go. If you want a larger pet needing more commitment etc, then a tegu is to go. If you want less commitment (I mean only in some ways) and much more activity, than a lacerta or even an ackie is the way to go.

 

[Jacobhreptiles]

lacertas are basically mini tegus, lots of personality and aggresive insect feeders. they can be tamed down reaaallly tame but take some work. ackies are very high energy and i would say not trustworthy to sit and watch tv or soemthing just because they are high energy and always moving around and i agree with rebecca beardies are just like pet rocks(other than feeding) and tegus are inquisitve, love exploring, do need work but can end up being super tame. its really a personal choice

 

[Rebecca Stout]

Thank you so much for the added info about lacerta's and ackies. I've had experiences with them, but brief. Never owned them. I had the wrong impression that Lacerta's might be more hyper than ackies. Something else that might be helpful. Find a rescue and go visit the different ones and adopt. If there is nothing near to go visit, then maybe consider an adult lizard. I say this because I'm finding out that tegu's can vary in energy level or temperament. They are very much individuals like parrots, even if you raise them to be a "certain way" since birth. I guess its an intelligence thing? It'd be unusual, but for example, you might find an unusually super hyper tegu that never settles down and is a handful or you might find a super calm/tame other kind of lizard thats supposed to be hyper. It's always nice to know what you are getting, especially if you are new at it. Juts something to consider if you are nervous.