Taxonomic Confusion

[dragonmetalhead]

So I've been doing some research and I am starting to think Kodo is a Columbian black and white tegu, not an Argentine. The pet store said he was an Argentine and Kodo didn't look like the Columbian in the other tank and gave me the usual pitch about how Argentines are more docile. He was nearly double the price of the Columbian. I will love him not matter the species, but I'll be annoyed if I was the victim of false advertising. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pics from a couple months back.

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Another pic.

 

[Rhetoric]

100% colombian. Judging by your other posts you seem to have a very nice colombian! It was harder to tell in the picture of him on your shoulder but these pictures show it a lot better.
I really hope the pet store you got him from was misinformed and not trying to scam you.

The argentine b/w's have a white stripe down the side. I don't think the loreal scales are something to really go off of. Some members have mentioned that their argentines have a single scale.

 

[james.w]

Yep. Columbian.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Dammit. Thank you guys for your help. Since there was another, separately marked Columbian and this store is more like a mini reptile zoo, I'm fairly certain it was an honest mistake. Nothing I can do about it anyways. Now I feel stupid for making this mistake. I've been treating Kodo like he's an Argentine, is there anything I need to do differently since he's a Columbian? He really is a sweet lizard and I will do ANYTHING to make sure he stays that way.

 

[Rhetoric]

Not that I'm aware of. They don't hibernate/brumate though! You'll get to play with him all winter

 

[dragonmetalhead]

That's a huge plus! I was gonna ask if there was a way to prevent hibernation but now I guess I won't, lol. As far as I'm concerned, Kodo is still my boy and I will love him on matter how many times he poops on the carpet.

 

[Piercedcub32]

Have you called the store to report what you have discovered? I wonder how they will respond... I have a 9 month old colombian that is very sweet never shown any aggression (of course hissed and huffed when I first got him). Such a difference my 2011 extreme is only 2 months old and already the same size! lol.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I'm planning on going tomorrow to by more silversides. Should I even say something? I don't want to cause a fuss. I really like the people there and they take good care of their stock.

 

[Rhetoric]

It's up to you. If it were me I would but only to help them. I'd just let them know that you had purchased a tegu that was sold as an argentine and its really a colombian. Maybe mention that you appreciate what they are doing but you would hate for it to accidentally happen to someone else. If you are truly pleased with your tegu let them know that.
If I were a business owner I would want to hear about things I might have messed up on. It's a way to figure out what needs to be improved and what needs to be changed to make my business successful.

 

[kellen.watkins]

yeah chances are they paid for an argentine tegu as well

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I think I'm just gonna say that when I took him to the vet they did some bloodwork and it turns out he's a Cloumbian. I don't want to accuse anyone of dishonesty without sufficient evidence.

 

[tora]

There's a huge difference in how they look though, so you don't even have to go that far. Just tell them the tegu forums you frequent pointed it out and showed you the differences between the two.

 

[Kebechet]

I think what you need to do, is decide what you want, and then use that to form a plan. What is your goal in informing them that Kodo is not an Argentine? Are you trying to get refunded part of your money? Are you trying to warn them that their distributor may have been dishonest? You seem to want to express your concern that he was mislabeled, but don't really state what you plan to achieve with this.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I don't want any money back. My dad's a lawyer and he says any money I potentially got back wouldn't cover my legal fees so it's not even worth the time to pursue the matter. If anything I just want them to know in case they were misinformed. If I ever buy a tegu in the future I will make sure to count the scales on the face.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

I just sent you another Pm but just to add to it instead of sending another one,.. check your receipt for the type of animal that was sold to you Colombian or Argentine and take it with you. I would talk to the owner, if you can remember who you talk to when you brought him that would help also.

Let them know that you're not trying to get anyone in trouble just offering helpful information so that it doesn't happen to anyone else. For what ever reason,.. if the sales rep didn't know the difference and or the label on the tank wasn't changed.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I went in today and told them Kodo's Columbian. They were legitimately surprised as the person who sold them the tegu swore it was an Argentine. The Columbian they already have is wild and since Kodo is so placid, it just reaffirmed the error. I told them I wasn't unhappy or angry but worried that they'd been fooled. Both staff members apologized to me (which wasn't necessary but still appreciated) and everything is fine.

 

[Rhetoric]

I'm glad it all worked out. I think you did a good thing. Like I said before, if it were my business I'd like to know if I made an error... As long as the person pointing it out wasn't a butthead about it lol.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Thank you. I was really afraid I was going to piss someone off; I really like the people at this store and I like giving them my business so I was worried I'd sabotage the relationship. I'm just relieved it was an honest mistake.

 

[laurarfl]

He looks like a nice Colombian. Here's a couple differences in the way I keep mine:

* Diet is the same. My Args and Colombians both eat meat and fruit. Just like there is misinformation that Colombians are mean and can't be tamed, there is the misinformation that Colombians are completely carnivorous. The young ones eat more meat, but my adults gobble up fruit. They can be picky eaters and fixate on one food though.

* Temp is a bit different. Colombians aren't cold tolerant at all. I keep the basking temp a bit lower, around 100-105, sometimes up to 110. But the cold side is 78-80 in the summer, and never below 68-70 in winter or at night.

* Humidity and everything is the same.

Hope that helps