HELP! Tegu or nah?

[teguORnahh]

I have been following and learning about Tegus for about a few months now and I really want one but Im not sure If Im the right fit for it. That said I thought the best answer is to ask the owners themselves if Iam the right fit for such AMAZING creatures!

For starters a bit of background Im male in my late 20s and have my own apartment by myself in Texas about 800 sqft. I work 5 to 6 days a week and very active with lots of things to keep me busy. My background on reptiles include caring for 2 rescue chameleon for about 7 years now. Only 1 of them remains right now. The female one died last year due to being egg bound. The male one is still going strong being an adorable pain in the ass. I was hoping that would give me a leg up over someone completely new to the needs and difficulties of owning a reptile.

Now I feel I would be very capable in terms of caring and nurturing a bond with a tegu but still I just feel like I should know what Im getting into first. All the nasty details all the nitty gritty and things they dont tell you even after watching HOURS and HOURS of tegu youtube content. Id hate to later find out that I should rehome this animal after a year or 2.

Tell me things like how bad the poop smells and how awful clean ups are. Things like how boring they can be during their "hibernation". Talk about certain times of aggression and upkeep cost. ALL THE BAD THINGS. Tell me about the tegus as if Im your bum of a coworker that wants one after seeing one at your place. Im already sold with these creatures you cant upsell me more on how awesome they are.

I just feel like a bearded dragon would be a good starting point if I want to take the responsible route but DAMN! Have you seen how awesome tegus are? Of course you have, youre in this forum. Anyways I thank you for your time reading this and hopefully if you dont mind sending me some input regarding this subject. Thank you so much and have a wonderful day!

 

[rantology]

The great thing is, you will always be able to get a tegu (assuming you dont move to a place that has banned them). I have lived in a 800sq ft apartment before and while you could probably make it work, a 8x4x4 cage is gonna be a squeeze. And moving a tegu enclosure like that is the stuff of nightmares if you ever move out. I recently got both a tegu and a bearded dragon in the last year... my 2c, I would keep the tegu on the wishlist until you are absolutely positively sure you have the right home for it ... it will make the gu' and definitely you a lot happier that way. Tegus are also not "puppy dog tame" out of the box - thats a terrible buzzword the industry uses. They take work and infinite patience in some cases. They can be volatile while going through puberty so you may not have an animal that you can interact with consistently until they are 1-2 years old even...unless you acquire one as a tamed adult - which is kind of like getting an adult dog and skipping the "puppy" phase and all it's issues.

I can't recommend Bearded Dragons enough though. My 10 month old male tegu is a huge challenge as he enters guberty right now, and my baby beardie is the most affectionate sweet little reptile I have ever seen. They are *amazing* and you can pretty much take them everywhere. Way less stressful than caring for a 'gu and would make a fantastic apartment pet.

 

[teguORnahh]

Thats what I thought as well. I was definitely thinking that my apartment space would be a factor and thats why I mentioned it in the post. Thank you so much. I definitely needed to hear that from an owner directed to me. I think I have concluded to getting a bearded dragon and a hognosed snake for the time being. Appreciate the time and reply.

 

[Stephen J. Williams]

I totally agree with rantology. Tegus take a lot of space, time, effort, and patience. A small apartment would not be an acceptable space for the large enclosure that an adult gu needs. They need specific lighting and humidification. My red male just turned 2 in June. I adopted him as a 3 month old. He arrived to me in a tiny deli container! He was really crazy and wanted nothing to do with being held. His first home was a 40 gallon breeder tank. As he grew, I spent a lot of time talking to him, having him smell me, and sitting in a dry bathtub with him. His next home was a 75 gallon. I continued my socialization efforts with little positive results. He has never been aggressive, but just didn’t want anything to do with me. In September of 2019, I moved my gu into his 8’x4’x4’ enclosure. He was still difficult to wrangle when I wanted to take him out of his enclosure. In the last 6 months my boy has really calmed down. Now when I sit on the floor, he will climb on my lap and sleep there for as long as I let him. He allows me to touch him all over and loves being rubbed on the top of his head, on his large male jowls, and under his chin. After almost 2 years, my tegu is a real joy! BTW, he Is 44” from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail; he weighs 12 pounds. I hope this shows you the reality and responsibility of caring for this amazing creature. If you put in the time and effort, you will be rewarded with an intelligent and awesome family member.

 

[Debita]

I agree with Rant, and Stephen....once you're ready, (spatially as well as mentally) it's better to think Tegu because it can be a rough go in the first 2 years. It's a crap shoot trying to know how a young Tegu will be in it's first couple years. I've had both. Satan's Spawn, and The Peach. Both were worth the effort, but if you get a little sweet one that turns into Satan, you'll wonder what you ever saw in them. Then, you need the patience of Job, and you shouldn't give up. You'll want to.

Anyone who thinks they're the most awesome animals as you do, should def own one. Look at as a journey, and keep in touch with others on this forum so you can keep yourself together. We get panicked owners almost every day. There's lots to read!! (You need a bigger place - I felt the pinch in my 2500 sf home!!)

 

[Debita]

I totally agree with rantology. Tegus take a lot of space, time, effort, and patience. A small apartment would not be an acceptable space for the large enclosure that an adult gu needs. They need specific lighting and humidification. My red male just turned 2 in June. I adopted him as a 3 month old. He arrived to me in a tiny deli container! He was really crazy and wanted nothing to do with being held. His first home was a 40 gallon breeder tank. As he grew, I spent a lot of time talking to him, having him smell me, and sitting in a dry bathtub with him. His next home was a 75 gallon. I continued my socialization efforts with little positive results. He has never been aggressive, but just didn’t want anything to do with me. In September of 2019, I moved my gu into his 8’x4’x4’ enclosure. He was still difficult to wrangle when I wanted to take him out of his enclosure. In the last 6 months my boy has really calmed down. Now when I sit on the floor, he will climb on my lap and sleep there for as long as I let him. He allows me to touch him all over and loves being rubbed on the top of his head, on his large male jowls, and under his chin. After almost 2 years, my tegu is a real joy! BTW, he Is 44” from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail; he weighs 12 pounds. I hope this shows you the reality and responsibility of caring for this amazing creature. If you put in the time and effort, you will be rewarded with an intelligent and awesome family member. View attachment 15062View attachment 15063View attachment 15064View attachment 15062View attachment 15063View attachment 15064

Love the "Tegu in a basket"

 

[Dylan koch]

My main concern to you would be alot of people dont realize the cost associated with own a tegu let alone caring for them properly! Its expensive! Enclosures well prebuilt ones are very very expensive! If your handy you can build one. I literally build all mine for my 4 regus for free because my gfs dad is in construction and remodeling so I used recycled wood and shower doors and glass panels. But then their is the bulbs, heat, uvb plus the light fixtures, substrates, hides, water bowls or soak dish. Basking tile or rocks or ect. And also food which is very costly! Tegus need a varied diet and when yound eat daily even mostly insect for a young tegu gets pricey. Plus suplements and also of course the tegu! Which all that stuff could easily run 2000$ plus. And also what type of tegu would you prefer? I have four. 1 100% het pure blue female, 1 100% het blue ice male and 2 red tegus which were supposed to be 1 male and 1 female but thinking they are both males 1 forsure is 100% male. But my blues from day 1 of getting them were Angel's and super sociable as babies idk if they were just interacted with more from birth or what but blue are known for being alot calmer! And my reds were very very difficult and aggressive from the beginning but over time chilled out and are just like my blues puppy dogs. And also not only needing space but I have 12 acres but my backyard I let them get natural sunlight daily for a hour or so I take them out in either morning or Afternoon and also night! It's very very Time consuming carrying for them but super rewarding! Also I never feed them in enclosures to avoid impactions and prolapse! But my tegus eat better than I do! I feed them every other day now insects that I breed to keep cost down, quail egg and chicken eggs everything always raw. Ground turkey, salmon or cod or ect, quail, chicken, chicken gizzards, hearts, liver, rats, mice, fruits occasionally and suplements forgetting some stuff I'm sure! But it's worth it but is very costly

 

[Dylan koch]

Not trying to scare you off but tegus grow extremely fast and alot of people dont realize how fast and ends up cost alot more because people dont realize it and get small enclosures which they can grow out of in a month. It's better to make or get a large one and make a sectional. You can always message me with question or concerns. Or on here