Male or Female

[Vt_house_of_exotics]

Hello guys, this is my first argentine black and white tegu, Tazz. he/she is about 11 months old and around 30".I have had him/her for about 10 months. Things have been going amazingly until recently he suffered a freak break in his front right arm, but after a quick vet checkup, they were able to put him in a mini cast and wrap his leg to his body. Im glad to say he made a full recovery in about 3 to 4 weeks! Phew!! Anyways, It has been killing me that i am not able to properly sex my gu. I have read about feeling for the bbs, but i just can't tell. I was wondering if someone more experienced would be able to tell by the picture i attached. If not I can definitely provide more/better pics. Somehow i snapped this beauty on my own at my tegus discretion .

 

[dpjm]

Looks like female to me from both pics. In the first pic, with a tegu that size I would expect larger jowls. In second pic I don't notice any beads or even any of the smaller scales that would surround them.

 

[Dee-Dee Idrais]

Glad to hear Tazz has recovered, very happy for you and HER. Yes, I'm thinking a girl as well.

 

[Vt_house_of_exotics]

Thanks guys! So, female it is! I was secretly hoping for a male, but am just as happy that Tazz is a female. She has been literally the best tegu since the day I purchased her (9/20/15) from the pittsburgh reptile expo. I have had no issues with aggression, biting, or dialing in her habitat needs. Her eating and bathroom duties are regular and healthy! Not to mention she's growing like a weed! After her break, Tazz got an X-ray, and the vet told me that her calcium intake was good and her bones were strong, just a freak break, ill attach the X-ray pics, as they're pretty cool. You might be able to just barely see her break on the front right humerus. I couldn't have asked for a better tegu though!

Now, this brings up another question I have, If i was looking to get a male, what would be the best way to go about adding a tegu? Should I get one now while my female is on the smaller side and get a male thats a comparable size to be housed with her? or should I wait till she's larger to add an adult male to her setup? OR is it not even practical to house a male and female together now or later, year round? Basically the last answer would mean waiting until I have space for another enclosure and build one for a future male.

 

[Walter1]

I would wait until she's sexually-mature, then introduce a male.

 

[dpjm]

OR is it not even practical to house a male and female together now or later, year round?

A male and female should get along pretty well most of the time and I can see the attraction of keeping one of each sex together. But there are a couple problems that can come up and for these reasons I don't recommend it unless you are experienced.

Due to potential egg-related health issues, I usually prefer to have females not lay eggs. They will always produce them at the appropriate times, but what ultimately happens to the eggs depends on if they have been fertilized. In my experience, females will lay fertile eggs and reabsorb infertile eggs. There is a big advantage to not laying eggs. A lot of resources go into the eggs and they are lost when the eggs are laid. If the eggs are instead reabsorbed, all those resources are again available to the female. I think that in the long run, females who consistently lay eggs can become weakened and it may affect their life expectancy. There is also the potential issue of egg-binding, which can kill a female quickly. Egg-binding does not occur when eggs are reabsorbed. So in general, it is likely that your female will be overall healthier and live longer if she does not lay eggs.

Above I said that a male and female would get along most of the time. I didn't say all the time because a female who has built a nest and is preparing to lay eggs will be very defensive of her nest and will attack the male, even if she is very used to him being around.

I also said that experienced keepers could get around these issues. They would keep a spare enclosure that the male could live in during breeding season when they would be most likely to mate. They could be brought back together afterwards. Experience would tell the keeper when they should be separated. In the event that the female does build a nest and lay eggs, the male could be housed in this separate tank during this time as well.

You could keep two females together. Since there is no male, they are unlikely to lay eggs and so probably won't be aggressive towards each other for the most part. I have also heard that males tend to get along pretty well, but it looks like you already have a female.

 

[Vt_house_of_exotics]

Okay! wow, first, thanks for all the info!! its pretty clear that mixing sexes is pretty much left to the more experienced keepers. I really do want to do some breeding of tegus in the next few years, and I am moving to florida with the critters in the next month or so. I'd love to find somewhere that I can work with reptiles, but we will see. Maybe I could find a reptile mentor down there. I don't know, anyway, back to tegus, its really tough to even think about Tazz going through the egg laying process, especially if an issue arises. I think I will keep her by herself for the foreseeable future. But, you mentioned people keeping two males together and having no issues? Obviously there are chances that they will not get along...but say if I were to buy two baby males and housed them together for life, (or until i breed them if I ever go that route) would that lessen the chances of them being aggressive toward each other? I guess I have always assumed you couldn't house two males together.

 

[dpjm]

But, you mentioned people keeping two males together and having no issues? Obviously there are chances that they will not get along...but say if I were to buy two baby males and housed them together for life, (or until i breed them if I ever go that route) would that lessen the chances of them being aggressive toward each other? I guess I have always assumed you couldn't house two males together.

I've never tried to house two males but I've heard that from others. I think you're right that starting them together early will give you the best chance for compatibility.