New Gu Owner here

[Krystlerose88]

Hey there!
New Gu owner here and of course I know how big tegus get, but I was wondering more about avg milestones w age? I got a BW Argentine male in August. He’s 3 months old today and 26.5” long from nose to tail. He has grown an insane amount since August. I was just wondering if he is bigger than avg for 3 months old?

also he is still a bit skittish at times. He lets me reach in and pet him and crawls out in my arm sometimes(mostly when he wants treats or food) and sleeps on my lap, but still hides sometimes. Is that pretty normal until he gets a bit bigger or should I handle him more?

 

[Debita]

I would continue to handle him as much as he'll allow. Males could be that big (mine was), but he's def on the large size. TBH, it's hard to tell if he's a he yet. I thought my male was a she for at least 6 months!! No wonder he was aggressive. They grow so fast that you'll be shocked. It's incredible between 3-8 months.

Being a bit skittish is totally normal, in fact that's good behavior. Be careful with your little boy in the pic. Tegus go through puberty at about a year, and it lasts almost another year. They can change dramatically - hopefully not yours - but every owner is surprised when their seemingly tame Tegu becomes that huffy puffy beast. Little kids might not understand how to handle that, and most likely, they won't see it coming. They also have their moodiness (grumpy) when they shed.

 

[Krystlerose88]

Thanks, I got him from Rose City Reptiles, we watch his youtube channel all the time, he was the biggest one out of the goup, so I’m hoping he was sexes correctly but if not that’s ok lol. I cannot believe how much he has grown.

Oh for sure. He knows not to get in his face now, nor is allowed to hold him without us there. There’s a tegu in puberty at the local reptile shop that charges you when you approach, which is a good example of how they get at that age so we take our little guy there and it helped him under why he can’t hold Fafnir “faffy” alone and how he won’t be able to for his “grow up time”

 

[Zyn]

Sexing them outside of probing which isn’t often done is just an educated guess my female we thought was a male till he was a year old but the jowls never came but all looks good and normal to me

 

[Debita]

Thanks, I got him from Rose City Reptiles, we watch his youtube channel all the time, he was the biggest one out of the goup, so I’m hoping he was sexes correctly but if not that’s ok lol. I cannot believe how much he has grown.

Oh for sure. He knows not to get in his face now, nor is allowed to hold him without us there. There’s a tegu in puberty at the local reptile shop that charges you when you approach, which is a good example of how they get at that age so we take our little guy there and it helped him under why he can’t hold Fafnir “faffy” alone and how he won’t be able to for his “grow up time”

So cute - you're doing a good job. I hope he turns out to be the male you want, and I'm not suggesting I'm any kind of expert. His rate of growth does indicate a male. My female grew much slower than my male. Cross your fingers!! I agree with Zyn about the probing and would never suggest that.

 

[Sriracha]

If Joey at Rose City sold you him as a male, it's a male.