new addict :)

[Guest]

alright well not quite but iv been lurking around here for quite sometime and cant stop looking at all of your fantastic tegus. i sadly dont have a tegu quite yet but am hopeing in the next few months to get one.. problem is im not sure which im looking for. so im here to learn and do some research and have u kind folks answer a few questions if youd be so kind.

what are the main diffrences among the tegus? and is one better to "start" off with?

is there a big size diffrence between males and females like there are in snakes? and whats the approxamate size of an adult of each

and how long would a 6x2x3 last a baby? cause im about to have one open up.

im no noob to reptiles but am however a noob when it comes to lizards and really hope to learn so i figure ill start with a tegu instead of a bearded cause they just dont quite do it for me
these are the most important right now ig and as i come up with more ill be sure to ask.

thanks in advance for all the help and knowledge

 

[tora]

A B&W or a red would be good to start with, they're pretty much the same, aside from the reds eating more fruit. They're the same size. I think if anything the B&W get longer but reds are more beefy from what I've seen.

As far as size, I think females average about half a foot less in length and aren't as bulky. Males usually get around 4'.

Blues are smaller, not sure about how easy to tame they are but I've seen a lot of tame ones.

A 6x2x3 would be good for a blue or a female tegu up to adulthood, though maybe on the small side. The rule of thumb is 2x the length of the tegu = length and 1x the length = with. So for a 4' tegu a 8' x 4' is good. They don't climb much when they are big so 3' is ok for height. If you go for smaller thats ok so long as they get out quite a bit.

 

[Guest]

so as long as i let them out alot (iv seen some people on hre even leave there doors open and just have a tegu proof room) then a smaller enclosure wouldent hurt? cause i have no problems building a bigger one im a firm believer in dont have more animals then u can house and really arnt a fan of rack or stuff (which is why i ave one snake that is a big spoiled brat) i just wanna see if the cage i already got would last for awhile. cause it would need some lizard ready renovations but other then that itd be pretty good i just dont wanna scrap it if i can use it

 

[Guest]

I would guess a cage that size would be ok for about two years . Then a bigger one would be great .. Females are smaller than males . As they live a long time you should start out with exactly what you want to end up with ...

 

[Guest]

oh yea.. im not one for reptile trading and what not. i feel as im not gonna get a pet i cant and wont care for throughout its entire life, i know reptiles dont "bond" for say with there owners but i feel as if i do bond with them andget a feel for them and there attitudes which is why i get what i want and not "build up" reptiles or "similar" reptiles

 

[Guest]

It's actually difficult to say just how "long" your 6' x 2' x 3' enclosure will last, because tegus can grow at such a rapid pace, depending on a lot of different factors, such as if they hibernate and for how long, their diet, their lighting provisions... I've talked to members who have tegus that are over a year old and still less than two feet, and others who have had tegus that were pushing four feet at only eight or nine months old. In both instances, both tegus were perfectly healthy and were given fantastic care.

Now, a tegu CAN be housed in a smaller-than-recommended enclosure if they are given plenty of free-roaming time. However, you run into the problem of humidity requirements at that point depending on where you live. There's another member I talked with who let her tegu roam all over her house in the beginning. She began to run into serious shedding problems because she lives in CA, which is very dry, and her tegu was spending too much time out of his moist enclosure.

There are plenty of people who believe that a tegu is NOT a great pet for a first-time lizard keeper.

If you DO decide to get one, start out with an Argentine Black and White. It's kind of like... your "base model" of Argentine tegu. They're some of the easiest to tame, the least expensive, and the easiest to find (though I'd wait until you can get one from Varnyard here, rather than just jumping at the first one you find).

 

[Guest]

Yeah I figured as much cause that's how snakes work here's a general rule but there are always them oddballs, just kinda wanted verification. Got alittle reading to do before I decide to jump into it

 

[tora]

I don't see why people think tegu's aren't good for people who haven't owned a lizard before. They aren't any harder to take care of than my dog, if anything it's easier. >_>
So long as you have the money and space, and you aren't ignorant to their needs, then it's easy. Last lizard I owned was when I was 8, and it was a pain in the butt iguana. lol. (I'm 21 now)
I don't have to worry about 'preparing' food more than once a month (I buy meat in bulk, proportion them off into baggies, and freeze 'em), at most I stick it in the sink with warm water and forget about it for a while, then plop it on a plate with some cal. When I eat my fruits and veggies I distribute them amongst all my pets as well, so it's not all out of the way. Yesterday I found out my tegu likes peas. :lol:

 

[Guest]

can u further explain bulk? cause i know thats so much cheaper and actually hadent thought about buying in bulk and breakin it up.. got a huge freezer mom wont let me keep rats or bunnies i but im sure turkey/chicken mush wouldent hurt lol


she acts like the bunnies and rats are scary or gross :crazy