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We have a winner, Markie Ritz AKA Markie has one a new tegu of his choice. There were many good ones and I want to thank everyone for the entrys, but this one stands out from the rest, so he deserves a fee tegu.
Here is his essay, it will be posted as a sticky in the contest forums:
Here is his essay, it will be posted as a sticky in the contest forums:
Tegu Essay!
When the average person thinks of a large lizard, a picture of a flighty green iguana or a vicious komodo dragon almost automatically comes to their mind. Needless to say, this creates a very bad image for large lizards and reptiles, in general. Very few people will first think of the large, even-tempered lizard we all know and love: the tegu. This is where I come in.
It has been my goal for many months now to have my own educational show about animals. I am almost to the point of advertising and I even have a handful of shows under my belt; however, my show is still missing something. Something big. Something beautiful. Something that will make a lasting impression on a child's mind and would teach him or her the proper respect for animals. Not just any animal would do. I needed a tegu. Now to get to the point of this essay.
I believe that this essay shouldn't be written for the sole purpose of proving to you that I know everytihng I need to know to keep a tegu. Number one because I have never kept a tegu before and there are some things you can only learn through experience. Number two because anyone can look up a simple caresheet online and call themselves an able owner. I believe that it is my job to prove that point and also to prove that I have the means and dedication to raise a healthy, happy tegu in my home.
Something to think about before getting a tegu is the size it is going to get. While a baby can start out in a 20-40 gallon tank, it will eventually reach their adult size of any where from 3 to 5 feet and need a much larger cage. As always, bigger is always better, but most people can only accomodate a 6x3x3 foot cage, the absolute minimum for a fully grown tegu. Your best bet with a cage this big is going to be to build your own, which would be my personal choice. If this is the option you are going to take, be sure your whole structure is sturdy and escape proof. Tegus are generally terrestrial animals who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, so height isn't of much importance to them. However, the top of their cage should be high enough to eliminate the risk of your tegu burning himself on the lights while he moves about.
For substrate, you will need something that can hold humidity well and that has minimal dust. Cypress mulch, Repti-bark, or something similar would do best. Be very generous with your substrate of choice. Tegus frequently like to bury themselves, so they must have a deep enough substrate to enable them to cover their whole body. Misting the substrate can help keep down any dust and will raise the humidity, which brings us to another topic of importance.
Tegus, coming from a fairly tropical climate, require a humidity level of anywhere from 60 to 70 percent. Keeping their humidity at the proper level will ensure that your tegu has a nice, clean shed and stays in good health. It is highly recommended that you mist your tegu's cage everyday, at least once. Another trick I have used to raise the humidity in my reptile enclosures is to place their water bowls on the warm side of the cage. This allows the water to evaporate faster, raising the humidity. As easy as this sounds, it also means that your tegu will run out of water faster. Always make sure your tegu has access to plenty of clean, fresh water. I think it would be ideal to offer your tegu a water bowl big enough for it to get into, so it will always have the option of soaking itself whenever it wants to, not only when it is convenient for you.
Other cage furniture should include a hide on both the warm and cool sides of the enclosure. A humidity gauge will also come in handy to make sure the humidity levels are ideal for your tegu. Some places sell humidity gauges that are also thermometers, which is another essential. A thermometer on each end of the cage is needed so that you can monitor both sides of the cage at the same time. If you are stacking objects (rocks, bricks, etc.) to form your tegu's basking area, please be sure to make the structure stable and nonmoving so your tegu doesn't end up injured or dead. It is also a good idea to check objects for sharp sides as this could injure your tegu as well.
Another important aspect to your tegu's home is it's heating and lighting. Your tegu should have a warm side, including a basking spot, and a cool side. The basking temperature should be no more than 110 degrees farenheight and the cool side can remain in the 70's. A UV light is an absolute essential for the care of your tegu and must emi both UVA and UVB lighting. UVB lighting is not optional for tegus as it helps in the production of vitamin D3. While calcium supplements should be used on your tegu's food items periodically, it should not be a replacement for proper UVB lighting. Your tegu's lights should be on for at least 12 hours a day, then turned off so as to create a day/night cycle for your reptile.
Once you have all of the necessities for your tegu, you can decorate the cage with rocks, fake plants, etc. Just be sure that everything you put into the enclosure is tegu safe and don't put so much extra stuff in there that your tegu only has a very limited place to roam.
Feeding your tegu is not a difficult feat. They typically enjoy a wide variety of foods and eat very well. Having said that, hatchlings tend to be more carnivorous than adults, but grow out of that as they age. Good sources of protein for hatchling tegus includes crickets dusted with vitamins, mealworms, superworms, roaches, pinkie mice, eggs (boiled or scrambled), and ground meats such as turkey and venison with vitamins added to it. Adults can also eat everything I've just listed and may also eat larger rodents, various kinds of fish including tilapia and salmon, and other seafood such as crab, scallops, shrimp, and crawfish. Most tegus relish fruits. The list of acceptable fruits includes, but definately is not limited to: mango, papaya, cherries, blueberries, kiwi, pumpkin, and pears. Also note that no seeds or pits of fruits should be given to your tegu. There is somewhat of a debate over whether citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, should be fed to tegus. While some people think it is acceptable to feed them occassionally, others disagree and say to avoid them altogether. In my opinion, if there is any doubt at all over whether the food item is safe, don't risk it. There are plenty of other fruits to feed your tegu instead of citrus.
With some tegus, getting them to eat fruits and/or vegetables can be a bit of a challenge. I really like the idea of mixing fruits and vegetables into ground meat such as turkey, lamb, and venison. This makes feeding an easy task and can help in getting your tegu to eat fruits or vegetables by "hiding" them. Of course, I wouldn't recommend feeding this every day as I believe that variety in your tegu's diet is key. When feeding ground meats, it is always a good idea to add vitamins, including calcium, into the meat. Unlike whole prey items like rodents, which still contain the bones of the animal and such, ground meat can be lacking important vitamins that your tegu needs.
Another important concept that goes along with feeding your tegu is the size and frequency of the meals you offer it. Hatchling and juveniles should be offered food every day and be allowed to eat as much as they want. As your tegu gets older, the feedings should decrease to about every day or every third day. When they are adults, they should have set portions of food instead of being allowed to eat as much as they possibly can so they do not become obese.
The very best way to feed your tegu is to take it out of its cage and put it into another container where its food is already waiting. This method of feeding reduces the likelihood of your tegu having cage aggression. It is also a way to ensure your tegu gets handled at least for a few minutes a day, which really helps with the bonding process.
One of the best parts of owning one of these amazing animals is the ability to handle them. When you first get your tegu, don't handle it too often and give it the chance to settle into his or her new home. In fact, it is probably best to leave him alone altogether except when taking him out for meals. There is a right and a wrong way to go about handling your tegu. The wrong way would be to grab his body from above and lift him out of his enclosure. Most likely you will end up with a wiggly tegu in your hands that just wants to get as far away from you as possible. The first thing to remember is to never grab your tegu from above. Baby tegus are small animals and are prey to some other species of animals, who, 99% of the time, are going to be grabbing them from above. Approaching your tegu from the side and sliding your hand under its belly will eliminate some of their fear of being eaten. Also, never restrain your tegu. Keep your hands firmly under the tegu to make sure you don't drop him, but don't squeeze or grip hard. Your tegu should remain somewhat relaxed if you just remember to approach him from the side and to not restrain him.
When you first start the handling process with your tegu, only take him out for short periods at a time. As your tegu becomes more comfortable with you holding him, you can increase the amount of time spent with you more and more. Eventually, you can let your tegu free roam with supervision in a tegu-proofed room for awhile each day. They generally like this free time and enjoy exploring around the room.
Some owners have taught their tegus how to tolerate a harness and leash. Some people disagree with this method, saying that it is either unsafe or give the classic speech about how tegus are not dogs and shouldn't be treated like one. Others find that this practice works very well for them and their tegu and use it as a safety measure while giving their tegu free time outside. While I do not want to give the impression that I am promoting the use of leashes on lizards, I feel that this is a topic that should be discussed. New owners should realize that when there is talk about "leash-trained" tegus, these owners are not taking their lizards out on a walk, they are ensuring that their tegus don't run off if spooked outside and they are doing this entirely for the safety of their tegus. Not everyone has a backyard with a fence, or even a backyard. Sometimes leashes are the only way to give your tegu natural sunlight and outside roaming time, which I think they should be able to experience every once in awhile. As long as your tegu is comfortable in a harness and you believe it is a necessary precaution, I think this is an acceptable practice, but if your tegus are thrashing around and you fear that they may harm themselves, leave the leash alone and find another way.
One more important concept that I would like to cover is the most common ailments in tegus that all owners should be aware of. In no way am I covering all illnesses that your tegu may experience, but there are a few that owners should be educated about and know the symptoms of. Also, I am not a vet so do not take any advice that you may find in this section of this essay over advice that a qualified vet may give you.
Something almost every reptile owner will experience at one time or another is dysecdysis, or incomplete shedding. You may notice that, after a shed, your tegu has pieces of dry skin stuck on his toes, tail, or some other area of his body. This means that he has experienced a bad shed. The most common cause of an incomplete shed is a lack of proper humidity. Dietary problems and stress can also cause a bad shed. To remove traces of a shed, soak your tegu in water and then you can help remove the dry skin by getting a cue tip and rolling the skin off. All of the skin may not come off right away so this process may have to be repeated over the course of a few days. Also, if humidity was the culprit, be sure the keep the humidity in your tegu's enclosure up so this doesn't happen again.
Another ailment that is fairly common in tegus is metabolic bone disease, or MBD. This disease causes the bones of your tegu to soften and break down. It is caused by your reptile not having enough calcium in its diet or its inability to process that calcium because of a lack of UVB rays. The most common way to check for MBD is to gently squeeze your tegu's jaw and if it feels soft, that is a pretty sure indicator of the disease. Other bones in the body also may have softened or broken down, causing your reptile to take on a bent, twisted look. Treatment for this disease includes ensuring that your reptile gets enough calcium in its diet and gets plenty of UVB rays. If the condition worsens, a veterinarian should be contacted immediately. This is a very serious disease and if left untreated, could eventually lead to paralysis or even death.
I think this about covers the basic care of the Argentine black and white tegu. If I have left some important topic off, assume that I only forgot about it while writing this as I believe I have read most of the material written on tegus that is available online. While I don't think I deserve a any more than any of the other members on this forum, I still believe I deserve one. My whole life is built around my animals and I can provide an excellent, loving home for a tegu. Also, a tegu would be an invaluable animal to have in my educational show and could help change many people's perception on reptiles. If this essay didn't quite convince you that I deserve a free tegu, at least you will be assured that the tegu I buy from you anyway will be in a capable environment, with a person who is both fascinated with this wonderful creature and enamored by it.
