Selection.. and why??

[AWD247]

I have a question to all and would like everyones opinion and why they think so, I would like to hear PERSONAL reasons why, not hear say.

When deciding on having a Tegu as a pet, I always questioned which would make a better pet, now I know you pet give you back what you put into it, but ive always heard that more tend to me more tolerant than others,. Also health issues, longevity, etc

Normal B & W's
Extreme's
Blue's
Red's

Male's
Female's

( *Not interested in Columbians Gold's etc, the norms with temperment issues from the start )


What would you in your opinion think to be the best in temperment and being tolerant to human contact from babies to adulthood?
Or does it even matter.

 

[AWD247]

I wanted to add, I have read the technical info posted, but just want to see if anyone has specifics on why thier specific type works for them,.

 

[DaveDragon]

Because Tegu's personalities vary and the average person has only had 1 or 2, any personal opinion would almost be a random luck of the draw.

Our first was a hatchling B&W that we thought was originally female but turned out to be male. He went through the usual "puberty" stage around 8 months old (lasted for a month). He was randomly aggressive but suddenly at about 15 months old he matured and turned out to be very mellow. So their personality can change while they grow and may not be final until they're 15 to 18 months old.

Our second is a female Blue (4 years old) who's always been a bit untrusting. She's gotten somewhat better in the 2 years we've had her.

Our third is the Red male (8 years old) that's currently for sale. When we got him he was living in a dog crate and was very cage aggressive. Once he got into a full size enclosure he calmed down and he is very mellow now.

Our fourth is a male Blue (4 years old) who was living in a wire rabbit cage. He was very cage aggressive until he got into a full size enclosure, now he's the mellowest we have. Is there a pattern here??!!

Our fifth is a small female Blue (5 years old) who's a bit cage aggressive and untrusting.

We bred our Blues last year. Out of 18 that hatched I'd say only 2 were a little wild. Most were very mellow. They were too young to sex.

So in my experience males are mellower than females. The type of Tegu doesn't seem to matter as long as it's not a columbian.

Healthwise, we've found that improper hydration and too much rodent fur can cause impaction. Inadequate heat can also be a factor. We spent a lot of money last year saving our breeding pair from impaction issues. Now we only give them rodents once a week. This only applies to adults, younger Tegu's eat smaller mice which have less fur. A little cod liver oil mixed in their food helps keep the innards moving properly. They get at least a 15 minute bath on the weekend. They've been without an impaction for 7 months.

 

[AWD247]

Thanks Dave, its so hard choosing :bang the more I read the more I want lol

 

[DaveDragon]

Thanks Dave, its so hard choosing :bang the more I read the more I want lol

You need to FEED the addiction!!!! :mrgreen:

One thing you didn't mention was to get a hatchling or an adult. We got 4 of ours as adults and one as a hatchling. The hatchling was harder because they need to eat as much as possible as they're growing. I fed our Blue hatchlings twice a day. And you have to put up with the changing personality/moods of a growing Tegu. As an adult they've already gone through all of that and they're set in their ways, as long as they're comfortable in their surroundings. An unhappy/scared Tegu is almost always going to be nasty.

 

[VARNYARD]

I have lots of tegus, but no pure Blues, and I have never had a hair impaction in my tegus, I also feed lots of rodents and chicks. It must be a temp thing Dave. :chin

 

[DaveDragon]

I have never had a hair impaction in my tegus, I also feed lots of rodents and chicks. It must be a temp thing Dave. :chin

Very probable. You live in a warmer climate, and keep your Tegu's outdoors. Ours probably don't bask enough for proper digestion. There's not much I can do about it, their temps are good but I can't make them bask. Keeping them in cooler climates indoors with much less natural sunlight can't be as good for them as how you keep them.

 

[AWD247]

So will Hatchlings tend to bite and be nasty?? The vids Bobby had showed the temperments to be very good actually as long as everything is done slowly, smooth and non restrictive.
Im used to having monitors and never really had problems with the babies ive had, it wasnt till they got a lil older when the atitudes started changing for about 2-3 months, then it was back to being handled just fine. Its like they almost try to see how much they can get away with and scare you, till they lose interest


** Also Bobby thanks for the call, it definately put things into prospective on which im more interested in. ( well for the type atleast ) :lol:

 

[DaveDragon]

Last year our Blue hatchlings we great! They were handled every day because they make such a mess the newspaper substrate needs to be changed often. They ate twice a day also. Hatchlings that aren't fed or handled are probably nasty due to hunger and not trusting humans.

 

[AWD247]

Hatchlings it is, heres my other question, You guys know the HUGE enclosure im building, basically 9ft long,

Starting from left to right is the section for viewing and basking, it has sliding glass now, it tapers down to another viewing section with non moving glass, then the last section will be set as a hide and burrowing/hibernation area completely closed for privacy, its all one free flowing enclosure and will have a large drop in water bin, also the entire lenght of the top is on hinges now and opens completely for easy cleaning.
Its been completely sealed and treated for moisture. Ive spent over $400 on other goodies too. One includes an automatic misting system
(any suggestions for improvement welcome)

Now back to the question, is this too much for hatchling?? should I start him in a smaller enclosure 1st?

 

[DaveDragon]

I start them in a 20G long. You'll never find it in that huge thing!!! But it's going to look great!!

 

[AWD247]

 

[AWD247]

Thanks for the replies guys,, Its official Ill be getting an Extreme hatchling this coming tuesday. Ill be posting pics very soon.

Wow I feel like a kid waiting for x-mas day to hurry up and come :woot
So many of you guys answered a ton of questions in several posts to help me make my choice. Thanks :cheers

 

[Jefroka]

I think you made the right choice. Yes, you may have personality changes as they grow and go through puberty, but with a hatchling, you know what its history is. Its always good to know your pet's history if you can.

I came very close to purchasing this guy: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4PjL3GJwEZvKPkfmXJnDxQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCLbAtM_PkITD8QE&feat=directlink" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4P ... directlink</a><!-- m -->

He appeared healthy, but I believe he was fed an inadequate diet and husbandry was most likely poor as well. He had several toe ends missing. My wife and I had grown attached but after talking with Bobby and doing some research, I decided on a hatchling Extreme Giant from Varnyard.

I still love reds and will most likely get one from Bobby in the near future, but I based my decision on knowing my pet's history and overall disposition of Extremes.

I am happy with my decision thus far.

My .02, definitely house yours in a 20g long for the first 3-4 weeks or 'til its outgrown that set up. A smaller enclosure will help you bond better with your little new one.


...Jefroka

 

[AWD247]

The 1st enclosure is what im using for the hatchling not the crate, did you mean to put it something smaller than that?


This is for the Hatchling
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[Jefroka]

AWD247, if you have a 20g long this is great for a hatchling for several weeks while you are trying to bond/tame your tegu. The larger the enclosure, the more work on you, until you have established trust and a routine with your tegu. With even the smaller of the two, IMO, it may be too big right off.


...Jefroka

 

[AWD247]

I actually think I have a one laying around in the basement if I do I might look into using that for a few weeks to start depending on how its temperment and comfort is when I get it, Thanks

If I cant find it, maybe since this was originally a plasma stand, I can put the middle divider back in and make it smaller.

 

[Jefroka]

Sounds like a plan man.


...Jefroka