Identification

[Broncofan73]

Hey y'all I'm new to this site and was wondering if someone could tell me what kind of Argentine Tegu I have a friend had given him/her to him and he gave it to me

 

[Jessicak]

Looks like a black and white like mine

 

[Jessicak]

 

[Broncofan73]

Ty Jessicak I just wanted to be sure I have no experience at all with tegu's I did though raise a green iguana for 12 years so I'm trying to get all the care information that I can lol

 

[Jessicak]

Not to complicate things, but it almost looks like he could be a red/b&w hybrid. I don't know for sure but the coloration on his back looks like it. It's just so hard to tell because they're so similar

 

[Broncofan73]

Lol ok I thought there was b/w,red,gold,c/b/w,and blue what is a red/b&w hybrid?

 

[Jessicak]

It would just be one parents was red and one was b&w. They have Colombian gold, columbian b&w, argentine b&w, red, and blue? I'm pretty sure blues are the same scientific name as blues. They're just a specially bred morph I think? Reds are the ones from Paraguay? Maybe. Correct me if I'm wrong though

 

[Walter1]

Red is a separate species from Black and White. They are occasionally hybridized. I believe that yours is a cross where either one parent was red ar had red in it.

 

[Broncofan73]

Ty Walter like i said in my previous post I'm still very new to the Tegu but I figured if I was able to tame a green iguana I should be able to handle this guy or girl lol but still doing more research on them

 

[Walter1]

Bronco- I think you're good to go with this tegu. We're all here to help and learn.

Guess what? I have 24 yrs of green iggy keeping experience. One remains at 14 yrs of age, and I decided to try something new so here I am with a 1.3 from tegusonly.

Keeping big lizards like iggies helped me a lot. Also, fun to see how different their behaviors are

 

[Walter1]

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[Broncofan73]

Well I really appreciate that this seems like a great site you guys and girls seem really nice and helpful. But my biggest concern is this hibernation process lol I never had to worry about that with my Iggy I scrolled through the topics on this forum (a lot of information btw) but I just got my gu yesterday and i know I held my Iggy alot to build a bond when I fist got him but my gu has been hiding all day and hasn't even come up for water lol I had to take him out of his hide last night so I could post a pic to try and figure out what i was dealing with

 

[Jessicak]

Just go ahead and pull him out. I was told to handle mine every day. He likes to hide under the substrate so at night before bed I'll give him a soak and hold him for a little while. They don't mind much

 

[Roadkill]

I don't see anything in the photo to suggest it is a possible hybrid at all. Looks like a regular Salvator merianae.

Tegus in a new home typically hide a lot, as Jessicak suggests feel comfortable in pulling your tegu out and handling it, it isn't going to compromise its health. It may be preparing for hibernation, but that shouldn't be much of a problem with trying to get your tegu accustomed to you.

 

[Walter1]

Yup, take him out.

 

[Vastra]

I have had really good luck with "wearing my tegu" I let him bury himself in my hoodie or in a small blanket while he is against me. It has really helped him to relax around me since he gets to know I am not going to hurt him. He takes a nap, I watch Doctor Who, it's a win/win lol.