Similar to tegus??

[Dirkthejerk41]

So just out of curiosity, I was wondering if there were any herps out there that ya'll think are similar to tegus, temperament wise. Do you think any other reptiles can become as tame as tegus (generally speaking, of course. I realize every animal has a unique personality), or do you believe they are in a class of their own. Please share your thoughts.

 

[psychocircus91]

Not really. Bearded dragons can be eager to come out of their enclosures and of course very docile, but still don't seem as personable as a tegu.
Some monitors and Iguanas can become tame, but it is not nearly as easy and they still don't seem as "attached"
There are obviously docile geckos and skinks, but they seem to not have any "connection" with an owner.

 

[chelvis]

Caiman Lizards I am finding really seem to tame down well and have great personalities. Darwin will come out and explore and Bacardi was very into pets and figuring out where I was.

I had a Sudan Plated Lizard that was also very tegu like.

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

blue tongue skinks are great with recognizing their owner, greeting at the door eager to come out.

 

[Dirkthejerk41]

Very cool. How big do those sudan plated lizards get, anyways?

 

[BatGirl1]

My sister-in-law has a blue tongue skink who is very 'affectionate ' towards her

 

[psychocircus91]

Very cool. How big do those sudan plated lizards get, anyways?

I don't think anyone mentioned those, but they can reach a little over two feet. I've seen people debate between these and a blue tongue skink, and most people said go with the skink. (especially if you want something closer to tegu personality)

Edit: Just noticed you had a columbian so I think you would definitely be pleased with a temperament of a bearded dragon or skink.

 

[Dirkthejerk41]

Chelvis mentioned the sudan plated lizard. and so far so good with my colombian

 

[chelvis]

Mine was just over 2 feet so not too big, he was a family pet. My dad got him before I was born, he passed away at the age of 20 years old. Great lizard ate everything. Would reconize people when they walked in the door.

 

[Dirkthejerk41]

wow, sounds pretty cool!

 

[psychocircus91]

Chelvis mentioned the sudan plated lizard. and so far so good with my colombian

woops missed that. and yes columbians can definitely get tame. they're just different, so to speak, than argentines.

 

[Dirkthejerk41]

Yeah i feel you. Mine is still a baby, probably 9-10 inches long, and hasn't even opened his mouth at me. Worse thing he does is get a bit flighty while getting out of the cage but after that he is good

 

[Roadkill]

Corucia zebrata are also very personable (similar to tegus, ranging from downright evil to very affectionate), many crocodilians far surpass tegus for intelligence, personality, and being affectionate, and I had a Polychrus acutirostris once that practically lived on my shoulders for the better part of several years.

 

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Ameivas

 

[bfb345]

ive seen a lot of puppy tame black throats out there i dont know much about them though they get huge haha

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I used to work with a Sudan plated lizard named Spike. He has severe MBD due to the improper care he'd received before I came into the picture, but he was somewhere between 13 and 15 years old. His back had a dip and he could walk very well, but he was very sweet and an eating machine. I'd love to have one, but I almost never see them for sale.