Finally got a house now time to get some Family members

[triumphtt]

Good after Noon All. My name is Dane. I have a 6-7yr old adopted Beardie who came with the name puff, who my wife lovingly calls "puff-a-Lump" for obvious reasons. We just bought a house so I'm looking to get some more reptiles. I've been looking into & researching Tegu's a few months now and have the space for one finally.

I am looking to adopt a Tegu & don't have much of a preference as to what type. I was going to stay away from Colombians just because of the bad things you hear & I have a 4 yr old but after reading on here as a guest and watching videos I have reassured myself they are not as bad as people think as long as they get their respect (I was more less looking to prove that my thinking is correct that they arn't really that bad). Mainly because of my 4 yr old son and I believe in an open cage policy. Obviously if I had more reptiles that wouldn't get along I would change that and give them each roaming times. Does anyone know if beardies and Tegu's will be ok being around each other or would I want to start putting the doors up?

If you guys could chime in and let me know some prices I would expect to pay for some of the different types. I'm still learning the actual differences between extreme's, B&W, Red, Blue, Colombian (do they have 1 solid scale between the eye & mouth? and their pattern doesn't connect? vs B&W?) Also I would rather adopt 1st and then after I get used to caring for them I wouldn't mind paying for a breeder priced one. I live just south of Harrisburg, PA if anyone hears or knows of someone having one in my area.

Sorry for the book & I look forward to getting to know you all and reading the stories and advice you all have.

 

[Josh]

Welcome aboard! I personally wouldn't allow a tegu and a beardie to live in the same open space. Dedicated roaming time sounds more safe to me...

 

[m3s4]

Hey Dane,

There are many factors that determine price but as a general rule of thumb, Colombians are the cheapest as well as most common tegu. You are right that they deserve respect and they definitely aren't as bad as some people claim. Like anything in life, you have to compare them on an individualistic basis. Are they more flighty, a bit more of a handful and more active then the other tegus? Yes. Is this a bad thing? Not at all as long as you know what to expect and want to enjoy or welcome a more challenging tegu experience. That isn't to say the other tegus aren't without their own issues because again, you have to look at temperaments individually.

In the end, with proper handling and training procedures, it would seem all tegus tame down and are all able to become incredible pets.

The biggest difference between Argentines and Colombians is the skin. Argentines have bumpy skin whereas Colombians lack the bumps and are very smooth. Colombians have much longer toes, a longer, skinnier snout and are generally more "slender" in build, compared to the larger and bulkier Argentine's.

Their patterning is quite different as well as coloring.

Pricing? It really varies but again, Colombians are the cheapest - I've seen them go for $35 and yet I paid $165 for my black & white Colombian.

Argentine's are usually $185+ but I'd say on avg. they're around $200.
Reds anywhere from $250+ and blues typically well over $300.
AA's and extreme giants I've typically seen for $275-$375 but they really, really vary.

I'm not a professional tegu distributor so I can only give you prices that I'm used to seeing them sold for and what I typically have seen each particular species priced at.

You can get generalized pricing by visiting kingsnake.com classifieds and also faunaclassifieds.com


Adopting a tegu is a great idea and in the end I hope you find what you are looking for and I hope the little bit of info provided has helped answer some questions.

All tegus are awesome animals and no matter what you decide I'm sure you'll be happy with your choice.

Good luck!

 

[triumphtt]

Thanks for the welcome and info guys. I'll post pictures of whatever I get I just saw one posted on CL that's a 2 yr old red female. Anyone have any tips of how you buy your food for them or how you keep it? Do you use some of what you eat? Just looking for the best way since they eat a lot differently then a beardie.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

Rodent Pro for frozen feeders.