Creating the Tegu Bible

[chelvis]

The Tegu Care Bible:

I know there is lots of great info on this website for tegu care and the care of some tegu like lizards. A new member brought up a great point, it’s not in print and its spread all over the forum. Yes there are care sheets but those only touch on the basics. There are a few books out there that have tegus in them, however most of the information is care sheet quality info (and we all know how much more info is needed to care for these guys). So here is my proposal: putting together the tegu bible. This would be a physical in print PDF that members of the forum could print if they wanted or have downloaded onto their computers. It would be nice to have it in real book form but that is expensive.

Most info is easily available by searching the forum and I know which treads I want to included on most of it, however there are some tegus and tegu like lizards I have not included. There is also some conflicting info (such as taxonomy and diet) that I may place a poll up for to see what everyone thinks. The idea is not to display every view point of the care of these guys but to give the basics in more detail, I am trying to keep it to 50 to 70 pages. What I have right now in the way of an outline is:

INTRO
What is a tegu
Is a tegu right for you?

TYPES OF TEGUS
Blacks and Whites (included will be Extremes and Blues)
Reds
Columbians (Golds and Black and Whites)

BASIC CARE
Before bringing home a tegu
Picking a good breeder or picking a healthy tegu
The first year
Adult life
Hibernation/burmation

CAGING
Dimensions
Lighting
Heating/Humidity
Bedding
Furniture and Hides

HEALTH ISSUES
Shedding issues
Tremors
Lethargy
Anorexia
Impaction
Prolapsed

INTERACTING WITH YOUR TEGU
Taming and handling
Tegus and other animals

BEYOND THE BASICS
Free roaming
Education animals
Breeding

BEYOND TEGUS
Whip Tail Lizards
Caiman Lizards


If you can think of another area that should be included let me know. Some of these are really broad topics and will need to be broken down. I could also really use some help in areas that people have personal experience in. I have been fortunate enough not to have a tegu prolapsed on me nor have I ever had a red tegu or Columbian longer than a few days as I was pet sitting.

I am really hoping this takes off, hey if it does go to print maybe the proceeds can go to setting up a tegu rescue network (sorry another pipeline dream of mine although tegutalk already acts as one really). The nice thing about keeping it in PDF is it will make editing and updating a lot easier.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

This is a great idea. I know in the Colombian section there's a guide we compiled, so look there for info on that species. You forgot to include a section on diet and supplementation, and there should a section for telling the different species apart.

 

[Dana C]

Thoughts and suggestions:
*I would avoid "absolutes". In other words, suggest or even strongly suggest something but don't make it sound like a new owner MUST do whatever. There is way to much of that already on a lot or reptile sites. This would apply to cage sizing, temperature and humidity primarily.
* Include respiratory problems in the health section and provide the links to the Vet Merck Manual, reptile antibiotic dosages and others.
* Encourage experimentation in some areas in an effort to find what "works" for an individual animal.
* Mention tail loss somewhere as it happens much more than many people think it does. People new to lizards "freak" when it happens when they shouldn't and should know what to do.
* Mention that buying an adult can be very rewarding. An adult can bond to you in a couple of weeks like he / she has been with you since it was a hatchling.
* Here is the big one IMHO. Don't recommend any specific breeder. Also, don't suggest that buying a farm hatched tegu is a terrible thing. Contrary to the opinion of many, I and a ton of other people have imported animals that are healthy, happy and a joy to have around. We also saved them from becoming wallets and fried tegu nuggets.

Don't be insulted or too bothered if you get some nasty or hostile posts as a result of your efforts. What you are attempting to do would be welcomed by many people new to Tegus. What is interesting I find is that I see repeatedly questions for which the answers are readily available in different areas on this forum and others as well. Sadly, when I have posted well researched thoughts they are largely ignored.

Having said that, Tegu behavior is the area that intrigues me and I would be happy to contribute what I have observed.

 

[HeatherN]

i think its a great idea, but like stated, everyones opinions and research differ at varying degrees. id avoid topics (or show the differing views, making sure thats clear) that there isn't a general consensus about, such as tegus and other animals.

and idk dana, whenever i see you post that kinda stuff i know i listen and i believe others do as well, but i appreciate good research in a world of rumor-style "experts"

 

[Thelegendofcharlie]

"fried Tegu Nuggets"
mmmmm....

 

[Murkve]

i think its a great idea, but like stated, everyones opinions and research differ at varying degrees. id avoid topics (or show the differing views, making sure thats clear) that there isn't a general consensus about, such as tegus and other animals.

I, for one, greatly appreciate it when an issue is presented from multiple sides; ideally telling multiple personal stories. For an animal such as a Tegu, whom I'm sure many people are drawn to precisely for their interactivity, neglecting to include a section on keepers' experience with socializing Tegus and other animals would be disappointing.

When a subject does not have a definitive answer, presenting multiple experiences is much more beneficial to a keeper trying to make a decision than avoiding the topic entirely.

 

[chelvis]

I do like the ideas presented so far. The idea is to show as many sides as possible and at the start mention that these are guidelines to help new people get started but by no means the rules to raising a tegu. I am very unconventional in the raising of my tegus so I know there are many view points that could be represented. When I get a working draft down I will put it out here for editing suggestions and critiziums. The idea is to make this as well rounded as possible and there is no way for me to do that alone.

 

[HeatherN]

well i meant to say (i worded it terribly lol) that you make sure its made clear that they are separate takes and don't present them as an absolute

 

[Murkve]

well i meant to say (i worded it terribly lol) that you make sure its made clear that they are separate takes and don't present them as an absolute

Of course!

I could definitely see what you were saying, and just wanted to state that I thought avoiding it entirely might be in error.

 

[Dana C]

i think its a great idea, but like stated, everyones opinions and research differ at varying degrees. id avoid topics (or show the differing views, making sure thats clear) that there isn't a general consensus about, such as tegus and other animals.

and idk dana, whenever i see you post that kinda stuff i know i listen and i believe others do as well, but i appreciate good research in a world of rumor-style "experts"

Thanks Heather. That means a lot.

 

[chelvis]

For the medical part most of it is going to be home remedies to help aid an owner until they can see a vet. Because dosing and administrating meds even as non toxic as antibiotics can be harmful to a reptile if done wrong I really do not want to put dosages up. Really anything that requires medication should be looked at by a vet first, I know finding a good reptile vet can be hard but having someone giving the meds for the wrong ill-ment could kill a tegu.

As for the tegus and other animals, I think I can show the different sides of tegus. Again this is a guideline of what can be done not what should be done.

 

[james.w]

What good is a "bible" that has a bunch of different opinions? All it is going to do is confuse people even more. Let's say for example someone is trying to decide what substrate to use. I have heard/seen people on here use anything from dirt, aspen, cypress, eco-earth, newspaper, blankets, and even none at all. How would a book with all these suggestions help anyone decide what to use? There are too many people with too many opinions/recommendations without the experience to back up what they are claiming. Just because your lizard has been alive for a year without the proper humidity doesn't make it ok, or because you don't provide a burrowable substrate doesn't make it the right thing to do.

 

[Dana C]

I would think that there are recommended things that most experienced people can agree upon. The "recommended" guidance points can be listed as such. In other words, "you can do this, this, that, and that". "Most experienced successful keepers do this#1 and that #2" This would provide a choice factor in the "bible".
I am assuming that patently wrong suggestions would be expurgated as in the no substrate, blankets etc. example.

As for the medical portion, my suggestion could have been worded a little better. I didn't mean to suggest that self medicating a tegu or monitor with antibiotics would be recommended. However, the links that I can provide cover antibiotics, anesthesia, parasite treatments etc. These are a handy thing to have to share with a vet that doesn't have any experience with reptiles. Before anyone says, "go to a different vet", understand that in rural and semi rural middle America most vets fall into the "no experience" category. Providing a list as I describe and the names of vets that have lizard experience and will do telephone consults is IMHO a must. I am not saying that the information should be a part of it but links to the sites should be.

 

[Diablo]

What good is a "bible" that has a bunch of different opinions? All it is going to do is confuse people even more. Let's say for example someone is trying to decide what substrate to use. I have heard/seen people on here use anything from dirt, aspen, cypress, eco-earth, newspaper, blankets, and even none at all. How would a book with all these suggestions help anyone decide what to use? There are too many people with too many opinions/recommendations without the experience to back up what they are claiming. Just because your lizard has been alive for a year without the proper humidity doesn't make it ok, or because you don't provide a burrowable substrate doesn't make it the right thing to do.

I think what everyone here is trying to say is that it would provide the BEST suggestion to use but it would give a couple other examples of things to choose from. Not just entirely all opinion, but strongly suggesting a certain thing and then explaining why it is good but at the same time giving room for a tegu owner to choose. Honestly, I don't think anyone would want to raise their tegu exactly like someone else. I for one would like to raise my tegu while doing some of my own ways to make him/her special to me. Not saying I'm going to raise it without uvb or heating or something extreme like that, but making little tweaks to how I tame it would be cool so I could tell people "Yeah I taught him/her to do this" or something like that. Not sure if this made sense or not but there has to be a good mixture of opinion, and absolutes.

 

[Murkve]

What good is a "bible" that has a bunch of different opinions? All it is going to do is confuse people even more. Let's say for example someone is trying to decide what substrate to use. I have heard/seen people on here use anything from dirt, aspen, cypress, eco-earth, newspaper, blankets, and even none at all. How would a book with all these suggestions help anyone decide what to use? There are too many people with too many opinions/recommendations without the experience to back up what they are claiming. Just because your lizard has been alive for a year without the proper humidity doesn't make it ok, or because you don't provide a burrowable substrate doesn't make it the right thing to do.

Of course there are accepted standards within the domain of any animal's care. I don't think anyone was suggesting that the care suggestions of this guy:

Should ever make their way into the document.

However, there are some differences between care for even the most experienced of keepers. For instance, take a look at Varnyard and Tegu Terra's sections on substrate:

I recommend using cypress mulch, orchid bark, Lizard litter, Repti-bark or eucalyptus mulch. These should not be dusty dry or wet. You can mist them a little to keep the dust down, this will also raise the humidity. Make sure it is not tacky, as to stick to their feet. Also your tegu needs to be fed where he will not ingest these substrates. You do not want him to have a intestinal blockage. - Varnyard

I strongly recommend Coco Husk Coarse Chips as a primary bedding! However, there are other options such as the following:

a Orchid Bark

b.) Aspen Shavings

c.) Eucalyptus Mulch

d.) Repti-Bark

e.) Eco-Earth

f. ) Pure Cypress Mulch, not the "blend".

- Tegu Terra

Both seem to be generally the same, indicating a consensus between these two well known keepers. However, if we were to look at BarelyBreathing's (A well known and respected online presence for large lizards on forums such as HerpCenter, Reptile-Parrots, etc.) caresheet for Columbian Tegus we see a different preference:

Tegus love to dig and burrow. The inside of your enclosure should accommodate for that. I use and recommend two feet of sandy soil substrate. I find that a mixture of dirt (I use Eco Earth, which is a coco-fiber substrate sold by Zoo-Med) and children’s washed play sand mixed at 60% dirt/40% sand is a great way to achieve the desired substrate. Other keepers opt to use commercial cypress bedding for substrate. That also seems to work well, and I’ve added cypress bedding to half of my juvenile’s enclosure, while my adult gets the former. Substrate should be moistened at depth, but not wet. - BarelyBreathing

This soil-sand mixture was not even mentioned by Varnyard or Tegu Terra, but even judging by this forum, it seems to be well known and used often. BarelyBreathing goes on to mention other methods used by well-respected keepers in the hobby as alternative options.

 

[chelvis]

This project has been put on hold, sorry. Bacardi has become very sick and I am currently focused more on that at the moment.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Hope he gets better soon.

 

[HeatherN]

aww bacardi is so great, good luck

 

[got10]

Yes by all means deal with the lizard cause we aint going anywhere anytime soon