Wishing to become an owner

[pionusparrots28]

Hello, I am wanting a Tegu. I have decided I like the Colombian the best. I have read MANY MANY MANY MANY Caresheets and ALL have conflicting storys.. I would like to know how people here care for them. And if getting the Colombian is okay for a beginner in the Tegu world. I have had Iggys,Beardies,CG,Leos,Tokay,Savannah Monitor(working on an Ackie), Steppe Runners, Turtles, RES, Maps, you name it. Large Macaws. Small bird. Parrots. Never a Tegu. and I have decided I want one. Lol. I have about 2-3 hours a day to spend with one and on the weekends pretty much all day. Can anyone help?

 

[james.w]

How did the Savannah monitor keeping go? Do you still have it?

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Colombians are awesome. They don't hibernate like the Argentines and reds do. I can tell you they're not as aggressive as a lot of the care sheets say they are; Kodo has NEVER given any sign of aggression (no gaping, no tail whipping, no back arching, no hissing, and certainly no biting) and gets along with my dachshunds. They have a lot of personality and are very rewarding if you are willing to put in the effort. Since you have some experience with larger lizards, you'll probably do fine. May I ask why you prefer the Colombian to the Argentine?

 

[Dubya]

Gwangi is my first tegu. He is a (so called Extreme Giant) black and white. He is tame as a kitten and he is better than any reptile I have ever owned. Care and feeding are pretty easy too. I am mostly into exotic mammals, but I have to put my tegu right up there with them. He seems way more intelligent than any reptile I ever had and my whole family loves him. I can't say 100% for sure, but I think he is starting to know his name. It is also very easy to feed him. He is doing well on a balanced diet of high quality hot dogs (for protein), on buns (for carbs), topped with relish and/or sauerkraut (for veggies). He sometimes has a problem with gas, though.

 

[pionusparrots28]

The Savannah keeping went fine. I spend about 4-5 hours a day with her and take her on walks.. She likes her walks. Lol. I do still have her. I had her since she was a little hatchling. and spent that long with her ever since. Only got bit 2xs. She gets aggressive when any one else goes near me or my BC/L mix.(dog)
And from what I've read, The Colombians seem to have a bit more personality.. They seem to work well for my type of set up, They look pretty neat. The other ones didn't seem to have much of a personality.. The ones I was reading about just layed around except from feed time. I would like one that would like to be on the move kinda like my Savannah... But not as aggressive as her.. just a very active one that wouldn't mind to go on walks(once they trust me of course). A neighbor has one and it won't move. and then his other one is Super aggressive if you go near his cage..

 

[KritterKeeper]

I went with a columbian for my first tegu and i say go for it. Mine goes under his rock in the evening but during the day hes either basking or running around climbing and digging. I feed every other day - ground meats from hare-today.com (which he loves), crickets/roaches and also occasional f/t pinkies/fuzzies.
Theyre def more flighty than an arg. but you just have to spend more time with them and let them figure out that youre not a bad thing, and ive heard they settle down more with age/size. Ive had mine for 3mo. now and although i didnt handle him much at first i now take him out in a safe area and he crawls all over me and hes getting less and less shy and no longer hides when i go near his cage, he actually comes toward me and will crawl out onto my arm. He does still 'hiss' but hes never made any attempt to actually bite though i got hit with a tail a time or two in the beginning lol.
My husband doesnt understand why i like him because hes not laid back like my beardie but i knew what i was getting into and i have no regrets. I think as time goes on he's just gonna get better and better.
The fact that theyre so pretty is a bonus =)

 

[james.w]

Can you post some pics of your Sav and its enclosure? How long have you had it?

 

[pionusparrots28]

I have had it 6 years, And I think I might have pictures somewhere? I'll have to look. and Thats cool. All my animals are active, so it seemed to fit that if I was going to get a Tegu, it would have to be active as well. Lol.

 

[pionusparrots28]

So, What is the best diet/substrate/handling scheduled for the CT? and wheres the best place to get one?

 

[Logie_Bear]

So, What is the best diet/substrate/handling scheduled for the CT? and wheres the best place to get one?

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone ever really breeds the columbian tegus. So you'll probably have to go through fauna or kingsnake to find someone selling imports. Cyprus mulch is a great substrate if its available in your area, but dirt works fine as well. I use sphagnum peat in many of my reptile enclosures b/c it is very resistant to mold and holds moisture great (and its CHEAP!). Also, as another member mentioned- check out hare-today.com for some great food options.

 

[pionusparrots28]

I looked there. But I was hoping someone could tell me how much of what to feed at a time and when stuff like that. I have that for all my other animals. Lol. I am very organized with my animals. Everything has to be a certain way and I have to have an exact time table for everything. (My animals are soo picky.. Lol)

 

[laurarfl]

I have not been feeling well, plus school started back this week. Hopefully I can type o longer reply this evening or tomorrow.

 

[KritterKeeper]

When i first got my columbian i was all worried about this too and it took a week or so to figure out a feeding schedule and amounts. I now feed every other day whats probably around 2-3 tablespoons of the whole carcass ground meats and randomly in between ill give crickets and/or roaches if he wants them. Weekends are usually the time ill give him a pinkie/fuzzie or two. If his belly still looks very full i wait until he poops to feed him or he wont eat.
When mine is done eating he walks away from the bowl so they kind of tell you how much they need. I just try to pay attention to how much food im giving and then see if he leaves any or is still licking the bowl and go from there. My guy is very healthy and growing like a weed(for a CT anyways) so this seems to be working for me.
I have mine on Eco Earth. Im not sure how i feel about it at this point, it can be a bit dusty. I may look into switching it out in the future.

 

[pionusparrots28]

Thanks. I know my Savannah likes everything just so so. I kinda figured the CT would too.I couldn't find any pics o I will have to try and take some.

 

[pionusparrots28]

There she is. That is her feeding cage.

 

[TeguBlake]

Wow she's a good looker! Very nice Savannah!

 

[chitodadon]

She looks good

from Samsung Galaxy S3

 

[james.w]

I would say by the looks of your Sav, you won't have any problems with a tegu, Colombian or Argentine.

 

[pionusparrots28]

Thanks everyone! But it wasn't easy getting her like what she is. that is thanks to 8 hours everyday of getting her use to me. I may get 1 of each.. Lol. I have A hard time making up my mind. If I could I'd have every animal in the world. Except octopuses... Those things are just creepy.. I am going to check what all i have time for and go from there. Thanks for all your help!

 

[laurarfl]

What??? Octopuses are amazing!!!

The tegu I ever got was a young WC Colombian back in 2006. She was quite fiesty. I worked with her a lot and she is much tamer today. Her friend Chester is tamer than some Argentines.

Since these guys live closer to the equator, they don't have a wide range of temps and rily carnivorestolerate cold very well. I keep mine with cold side/nightime temps of 80 in the summer and 70-78 in the winter. The warm side is around 90 and the basking spot is 100-105. They stay pretty humid, about 60-70%. I'd like to keep it more humid, but that's about as good as I can get it on average.

They are not strict carnivores. As juveniles they are primarily carnivores as they require protein for growth. But they will readily eat fruit. Mine enjoy berries, papaya, mango, peaches, melon, cherries, grapes, banana. I do feed rodents a couple times a week and leans meats. In the wild they eat a lot of large insects and amphibians. They have a lean diet and seem to be prone to obesity in captivity. I have read several reports of owners whose tegus went through surgery and the vet saw a lot of fat tissue around the organs.

As for substrate, I use cypress mulch. Since that is getting harder to find, I'm thinking of switching over to a peat and soil mixture.