Hatchling or yearling?

[Ivyna J Spyder]

After years of trying to convince my parents, I may finally be able to get a tegu this year! So I'm checking out my options.

Mr. Hill says he has 09 babies left, but now I'm totally stuck on whether I should get one of them, or wait for a hatchling.

I've raised some lizards from babies and others I adopted as juveniles or adults. I find it is much easier to get an older animal due to how delicate babies can be. But, they usually aren't as 'attached' to me as one I got as a baby. (Though it can really vary depending on species and their individual personality.)

How different is the care between a hatchling and a yearling? Could a yearling go into an adult-sized enclosure? (He says they're 15 inches which seems borderline for a 40 gallon.)

Does anyone have any personal experience?

Thanks!

 

[reptastic]

i got 3 09 tegus from varnyard and from my peronal experiece the hatchling seem to be much calmer. i got nero as a 5 wk old hatchling and never so much as a tail whip, i think that at a younger age, when handled often they calm down faster. i got achilles at 6 mo. and i got pyro at 8mo. and both of them were vey skiddish achilles has calmed down alot and no longer tries to bite or tail whip and pyro im still working on. now every tegu is different i think that since they hibernated they didnt get a lot of socializing with humans were as nero ha been a round humans since she was a baby. if you decided to get the 09' tegu if its 15" it can stay in a 40 breeder but not for long. i just got my red at the beginning of march and he was 14" now he is boderline 20" and he is going into a 4x2x2 enclosure very soon. hope this helps you out!

 

[White_Lotus]

i have gotten a sub-adult i have gotten a hatchling i will tell you...young tegus are not as fragile as you may think. Tegus have seriously intense growth spurts when feed the ample amount(NOT power feeding) i bought my male argentine he was a foot and a half 6 months later he was 3ft long. i would suggest getting a hatchling they dont stay small and cute forever and it is a great time in their life that only comes once and is gone in less than a year. =P Also with hatchlings it gives you time to prepare for adult hood, you can figure out what they like, how to handle them, their temperments and warning signs all before they are big enough to do some real damage. also 15inches isnt all that big lol compared tot he 4ft they can reach that is relatively baby-like lol my black nd white tegu reached 15in then got to 24in in a 2week period lol