Talk to an expert, before you leap!!!

[TeguResearcheR]

Afternoon everyone,
If you haven't heard of me my name is Rachel. I have worked with reptiles since my first snake at 4 years old, 25 years later I am an environmental biologist who specializes in reptiles, entering my PhD next year in ecology (using climate change modeling to predict potential spread and growth of invasive reptile, amphibian, and aquatic invertebrate populations). My background ranges from genetics, fisheries management, toxicology, climate change, evolution, animal husbandry, and animal behavior.

I have worked with tegus for 10 years, and been a tegu mom for 7 years. I currently have 4 tegus; a male blue adult, a rescued invasive argentine female adult, a yearling chicaon, and a Hatchling Columbian. I have been trained in vetinary basics, and am currently finishing my own 2 year genetics study on tegus, comparing wild harvested, captive bred, and invasive Florida populations with blood and scale counts.

I am here to HELP, I have personally rehomed/rescued 6 tegus in the last 3 years...and I am TIRED of the abuse and neglect they and many other Herps suffer from the pet trade and irresponsible owners.

So...if your prepared to build a 4x6ft cage, commit to a 20-25 year life span, provide a varied diet/regular soaks/scheduled socialization..then a tegu is for you!

I have a 10 page caresheet my vet and I wrote to get you started, and I am available by email for ANY questions. I also can get you any tegu of any color from the 3 species in the pet trade (yes only 3 species of the 7 recognized Are in the pet trade!). I work with a network of 5 breeders, 3 whole salers, Florida FWC, and 2 trappers..so I have the ability to get you just what you want from a good source, and I do NOT take any profit...you pay what I pay+ship+tax. I only ship within the U.S., but as I live in Royal Oak MI I am only 20 minutes from the Canadian border for those of you over the river

Babies are currently available for pre-order...though I don't recommend it

Here to help,

Rachel Pikstein
[email protected]

 

[apocalypse910]

Current tegu owner here...

If I can ask - Realistically how long lifespan wise are you seeing with captive tegus. I see some caresheets saying 8 and some saying up to 25. A lot of misinformation gets copy-pasted around and I was curious what you are seeing as average in your experience with captive lizards.

Also I'm not quite sure how to phrase this - but outside of neglect are there any non-commonsense husbandry issues that you suspect of causing shortened lifespans in tegus? For example when I was a kid I had a green iguana - At the time it didn't seem to be common knowledge that they needed pretty much constant soaks. Mine, like many at the time, died prematurely of kidney issues because of that and too much protein in his diet. I was devastated and to this day am paranoid of making similar mistakes with my tegu. There doesn't seem to be much information about long-term tegu health risks an issues so I was curious if you had any advice.

Sorry - I know this is slightly beside the point of your post - but this is a topic without many true experts so I hope you don't mind....

My Puppy:

 

[TeguResearcheR]

What a gorgeous tegu!!!! and soo happy in the natural setting
Thank you for sharing, and please drop me an email so I can provide my tegu care sheet...developed by me and my vet/mentor after 10 years of me working with them...I needed to write it all down for my boyfriend "a new tegu dad", and decided to go all out and make THE care sheet
[email protected]
To answer your question life span in captivity is 20-25 years, IF properly cared for without incidence. I only know 3 that made it that long personally, but the research on the species and its relatives support this (tegus have only been captive bred in the US 20-30 years, hence the lack of proper info!). YES the internet is full of bad tegu info...I have even seen recommended diets on websites saying 80% lettuces and 20% fruit...they are NOT vegan! We recommend 80% protein and 10-20% fruit/squash. In the wild they average 8-15 years or less...which is expected. Tegus, unlike iguanas and other "prey lizards" are TOUGH, and have few vulnerabilities.
What will affect them:
improper diet
too small of housing
lack of UVB light/vitamins
feeding live prey that can bite them
cedar/pine or any aromatic wood is toxic
toxic plants or bedding ingestion (rare.. they do not like plants usually, and will pull bedding from their mouth)
not soaking where shed builds up and binds/becomes infected (MOST common neglect I see)
too high humidity causes mouth rot, respiratory infections

I hope that helps, please drop me an email and I will send you my caresheet

 

[TeguResearcheR]

PS I never mind, here to help!

 

[Walter1]

If I could add two concerns?

Fresh air. Sometimes in short supply as an owner tries to control temp and humidity.
Thermal gradient. They don't always want to be at 90F. Provide a hot spot, followed by a gradient to somewhere in the 70s at the other end of enclosure.

 

[apocalypse910]

What a gorgeous tegu!!!! and soo happy in the natural setting
Thank you for sharing, and please drop me an email so I can provide my tegu care sheet...developed by me and my vet/mentor after 10 years of me working with them...I needed to write it all down for my boyfriend "a new tegu dad", and decided to go all out and make THE care sheet
[email protected]
To answer your question life span in captivity is 20-25 years, IF properly cared for without incidence. I only know 3 that made it that long personally, but the research on the species and its relatives support this (tegus have only been captive bred in the US 20-30 years, hence the lack of proper info!). YES the internet is full of bad tegu info...I have even seen recommended diets on websites saying 80% lettuces and 20% fruit...they are NOT vegan! We recommend 80% protein and 10-20% fruit/squash. In the wild they average 8-15 years or less...which is expected. Tegus, unlike iguanas and other "prey lizards" are TOUGH, and have few vulnerabilities.
What will affect them:
improper diet
too small of housing
lack of UVB light/vitamins
feeding live prey that can bite them
cedar/pine or any aromatic wood is toxic
toxic plants or bedding ingestion (rare.. they do not like plants usually, and will pull bedding from their mouth)
not soaking where shed builds up and binds/becomes infected (MOST common neglect I see)
too high humidity causes mouth rot, respiratory infections

I hope that helps, please drop me an email and I will send you my caresheet

Thanks! I really appreciate the detailed information - That is exactly what I was looking for. I'm extremely encouraged to hear that they can live so long with proper care. Out of curiosity do you know if the animals that reached that age hibernated or not?

 

[TeguResearcheR]

Nope, but as far as I know, and my vet recommends...tegus do not need to be hibernated/brumated for health, only breeding to increase hatch yields. I drop the cage temp 10 degrees tho in winter to simulate natural conditions...60-65 at night and basking of 80-85 during day

 

[TeguResearcheR]

If I could add two concerns?

Fresh air. Sometimes in short supply as an owner tries to control temp and humidity.
Thermal gradient. They don't always want to be at 90F. Provide a hot spot, followed by a gradient to somewhere in the 70s at the other end of enclosure.

Thanks for the add ons...ALL reptiles and amphibians should have cages designed for a thermal gradient!!!!!!!! If you dont know this you clearly did NO research first .
Lights always off at night! They need a natural transition light-dark, hot-cold. ONLY add night heat if the cage drops below 65 at night for tegus and desert/decideous forest species, 70for tropical species.

Air quality isn't something to worry roo my h about...make sure it's safe for you and our animals will be ok. Open windows in seasons you can, avoid spraying/useing harmful chemicals, and I have a cool trick....
Place magazines or newspaper on top of screen cages, with heat lamps on one side leave 2 inches btwn paper and lamps (safety concern!!!!) and 2 inches open at opposite end of cage. This pulls air in, across, and out...as well as pulling heat through cage for a proper gradient! see pic of my hatchlings 75 gallon

 

[John McLaughlin]

Hello Rachel, I thought I would take this opportunity to say a few words for my little operation. I'm not out to offend anyone.

The difference is simple
I can only speak for myself when talking about a small tegu breeding operation. I have 1 breeding pair and this year out of 27 eggs I have 25 healthy babies. The male and female are pets and bred indoors. Their diet consists of small F.T. mice, F.T. chicks, smelt, Quail eggs, fresh water prawns, F.T. large crickets from Asia, black seedless grapes, blackberries and blueberries. The eggs incubated for 66 days in a climate controlled incubator. They hatched indoors and where placed into a 125 gal. set-up with U.V. light, basking spot, a log, 2 water bowls, a small single room sized cool mist humidifier and puppy pads for substrate. Low side 78 degrees warm side 85 with a basking spot of 110. Humidity 80+. They started on adult sized crickets and I currently go through a 1000 in five days. They also are now eating pinky’s, mackerel, smelt, fresh water prawns, black grapes, blackberries and blueberries. All food items are placed in whole and they tear them up. My hands and arms are in the cage daily, cleaning, feeding or just hanging there allowing them to check me out and when they feel like it they start climbing onto my hand and up my arm. When they do I raise them out and hang out for a while. They rest in the palm of my hand, on my arm or climb up and hang out on my shoulders. I am very much a part of their world. Trust was established shortly after hatching.
The difference is this, for those of us who happen to live north of Florida our tropical environments have to be created artificially. That’s all my babies know. I am not looking for mass sales, just 25 people who want what I believe is the best possible start to having a great pet. You have already made the right decision in going with captive breeding. Now realize that covers a broad spectrum on how the animals are cared for. You can open the box to a Tegu baby that hasn’t been inside, hasn’t had the best diet and has little or no human interaction. Still most likely a healthy animal, and with time and proper technique, trust will be established. Or you can open the box to a lizard that has only been inside, has had the best possible diet and has had a lot of human interaction. Trust doesn’t have to be earned, only continued.

 

[TeguResearcheR]

Excellent work your doing. You truly put in the effort...I truly believe you should AlWAYS pay more to guarantee health then go cheap and buy sick/imported/parasite ridden from a scum bag wholesaler!!!!!!

One comment, I like that you feed whole and let them rip the meat, but this shouldn't be done under 6 months when the diet is mainly insects and eggs...closest to wild diet and quick to put on fat! Also if an animal is gravid or sick...best to make meals easy little bites