Tell me about TEGUS!

[M_surinamensis]

I know nothing about tegus, but had an interesting time reading things from a relatively local (to me) breeder at this website: http://www.siscoreptiles.com/

Aliza

That's Rick Sisco, also a great guy with a pretty much sterling reputation. He was actually the other side of the debate fiasco surrounding the use of the word "Chacoan," though he stopped using it (or said he was going to) as a result of the discussion.

I still don't agree with everything he says about the behavior, but that is because I am a picky, stubborn bastard obsessed with precision that gets uppity over semantics. His care information is all credible, he keeps, breeds and sells immaculate tegus and deals with very high quality stock animals, carefully selected and paired.

Every bit as good as Bobby, though the two of them might not like the comparison. Egos and internet debates... you know how it goes.

 

[Sunset]

Those are pictures from Bobby Hill! He’s the breeder I got my little Dragonfly from!

He’s amazing, if your considering a tegu, go to him. He has the best prices and takes amazing care of his tegus. He had 3 pages on tegu care in reptiles magazine January issue.
Red Tegus: The biggest of the tegus. Males get 4-4.5 feet long and upwards of 20 pounds as their extremely bulky. Females get about 4 feet and 14-18 pounds. Red tegus are also more shy and tend to be a bit harder to tame/not get them so skittish.
Blue tegus: Extremely hard to find breeders because their was a limited shipment that came in. Their actually illegal to export/import. The originally batch that came in was around 6 blue tegus and it was by accident. These guys are beautiful! But not as cold tolerant so you have to watch the temps closely. Their also smaller, males getting about 3.5 feet and females getting about 3 feet. Ranging anywhere from 4-8 pounds.
Argentine black and white tegus! These guys are my favorite because their the “standard” tegu! But I love these guys. Their the most cold tolerant of all the tegus and are the second biggest. Males getting about 4-4.5 feet and upwards to 12-14 pounds. Females (like mine) get about 3.5-4 feet and are anywhere from 4-10 pounds.

Alright; Housing!
You can start off with a 55 gallon tank for a hatchling. But they will QUICKLY outgrow it! And by quickly I mean 1 year (if they hibernate) and fewer than 6 months if they do not. Most tegu owners make custom built cages. It’ll only cost you about 200, unless you want to go big, bad, and baddest lol. Someone on another site spent 600 dollars on their cage. The cage Im building will be simple but sufficient. You’ll need a 6 x 3 x 3 cage for these guys. The custom cages are made from wood and plexi glass.

Heating;
These guys need uvb & full spectrum basking lights. I usually like to tell people to get a mercury vapor bulb that is uvb,uva, and basking all in one bulb. The tegus basking spot needs to be between 105-110 while the hot side stays about 85-95, the cold side 72-80. The night temps should be between 68-78, if it gets below that you’ll probably want a ceramic heat emitter to boost the night temps just a bit.

Substrate;
These guys need a lot of humidity and therefore going to lowes or home depot and buy a big bag of cypress mulch. It holds moisture in amazingly well and is extremely cheap! Some people also use pet store coconut fiber or repti-bark. It’s a little more expensive, but it all works.
Humidity;
Tegus need their humidity levels 60-75 percent. Which means spraying it down twice daily or getting a fogger to go off at multiple points in the day. Humidity is EXTREMELY important, because they can get respitory problems and have problems shedding if it isn’t up to where it needs to be. I also put a little bit of moss on the cool end hide to boost the humidity a little bit. They also need a good sized water dish, something they can fully soak in.

Feeding;
Though they look big, a normal tegu cannot eat a rabbit unless it is a baby rabbit. Those tegus you see in the pictures are bobby’s line of “Extreme giant tegu” that gets to be 5.5-6 feet long. Those guys still only eat extra-large rats, quail, and baby chicks. A tegus diet usually consists of: Ground turkey, chicken, turkey neck, chicken hearts/gizzards/liver, lean ground beef, beef liver, and pinkies (when they are young, and you upgrade as they get bigger), baby chicks, quail, baby rabbits, and various fruits. When they are babys you can throw in crickets, superworms, wax worms, and dubia roachs. All their food should be sprinkled with calcium , and to help with shedding you can put cod liver oil on their food twice weekly as well. When feeding them you want to put them in a separate “feeding bin” so they don’t become food aggressive and associate your hand with food.

Tegus are amazing lizards! Mine, I always tell people, is better than a cat! She seeks out my attention and loves to lay on my stomach while I watch tv. When she gets bigger, I plan on letting her free roam quite a bit and probably sleep with me most nights. Once these lizards get fully grown most people put a small dog harness on them and leash and take them outside to catch some natural sunlight.  Also note that they hibernate 6 months out of the year….and it can be stressful for a first time owner. Believe me, I know considering I am one! They usually go into hibernation around late august early September and come out usually febuary-march. However, some tegus never hibernate and some only slow down, others only go into a small hibernation for a month and that’s it! Unfortunately for me, my little dragonfly decided to hibernate late august and is still in hibernation! Let me know if you want to know anything else!

They are extremely tameable. They are one of the few lizards that seek human attention and interaction . Even though mine has been in hibernation since I got her pretty much, I still love her to death! Im glad I got one from Bobby, he was amazing and worked with my schedule. Dragonfly didnt even need to go through the "taming process". She was already completely tamed by time I got her.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Wow thank you SO much for all that detailed info Sunset... it makes us want one evey more now They sound like amazing creatures, but I couldn't imagine sleeping with one tho my hubby was under the impression that for the length that they would be a lot heavier. Thanks for including the weight range. That was very helpful to putting the overall size into perspective for us.

They would be small baby rabbits since I breed show rabbits I have them right from birth (no bigger than your thumb) till whatever size/age would be needed as the tegu would grow. I could always cull and freeze to make sure I had a variety of sizes available. Most of my full grown rabbits are about the size of a jumbo rat. How long do juvie tegu need to be on insects for and during their insect diet time you use the alternative meat sources you mentioned as well intigrated with fruit on the same days or alternating between meat days and fruit days? Aside of a calcium (is that with D3) suppliment do they need a multi vit as well or are they good simply thru varied diet? Dusting a rabbit should be interesting or do you just put like a 1/4 teaspoon (or less) in their food mix?

From the info you gave and the stuff I got on my tegu forumit sounds like Bobby Hill might be the way to go if we decide to add one to our collection. I wonder if my dogs would freak a tegu out altho I have seen quite a few youtube videoswith people letting their pets socially interact, under supervision of course, while their tegu was out. I was really surprised to see the tegu didn't go after the other animals.

 

[Sunset]

No problem! They are amazing creatures, and they get a bad name because people relate them to monitors. And they DO NOT have the attitude of a monitor….in any way shape or form!

Well then the rabbits, I think, would be alright. Id still put in some mice/rats though because the protein levels and such of a rabbit might be a little bit different. Juvis have insects in their diet until their too big to call it a meal . With juvi’s, you still give them ground turkey and pinkies, fruit and the other meats I mentioned. And you can just alternate on what you feed them on certain days. Like with mine, I have days I give her superworms, crickets, and pinkies. On other days I give her ground turkey, chicken hearts/gizzards/liver, and throw in various fruits on whatever days you want. More than likely, your juvi wont eat fruits because most of the time their purely carnivorous when their young! With the juvis you want to feed them every day, and give them as much as they will eat. When they get older, 7+ months, feed them every other day.

When your giving rabbits and mice you don’t need to dust them, : ) because they have the calcium/proteins from their bones. What I do is I sprinkle some multivitamin on their ground turkey once a week, calcium with d3 supplement once a week, and calcium without d3 the rest of the week. You kinda just sprinkle a pinch of it over their food : ).

Naw, tegus won’t go after your dogs ( :, in the wild their scavengers so anything bigger than them their not going to chase. ( : Other than rats and small birds. Also, tegus are burrowers so you need a lot of mulch for your babies!

 

[M_surinamensis]

When she gets bigger, I plan on letting her free roam quite a bit and probably sleep with me most nights.

...

Please don't do that.

 

[Sunset]

...

Please don't do that.

I mean in a controlled environment, Im not going to let her walk around the house while Im not there lol.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

What do you mean monitors are aggressive or have a bad attitude. Yes some are, such as the crocodile monitor, But savannah monitors are as tamable as most tegus. Columbia. Tegus and specifically the golden tegu can be as nasty as some monitors. Part of it is the fact that monitors get much larger. It really depends on the species and even more on the individual reptile. I'm not trying to be rude, I just don't want to spread te information that monitors are typically aggressive.

 

[M_surinamensis]

I mean in a controlled environment, Im not going to let her walk around the house while Im not there lol.

By definition it is not a controlled environment. Sleeping in your bed with you at night? That is... just... GAH!

You just wrote a post where you yourself stressed the need for specific environmental conditions, for temperatures and humidities, for UV exposure and substrates that aid natural behaviors. You said all these things. You.

Then you finish it by saying you're going to let the animal roam around your house and make it sleep in your bed with you. No. Just no. Bad. Wrong. No. For so very many reasons, do not do that.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

I agree that it is probably best not to let them free roam. That is just giving them a opportunity to get hurt and be in danger. Free roam is more common with larger lizards just because people often do not have proper enclosures and they work out that if they let them free roam, its fine to keep them in small enclosures. Ive heard mainly about people letting iguanas free roam.

 

[Sunset]

Okay 1) Im not saying let it free roam all day long. Im saying, free roam for maybe an hour at a time. Back in the cage. Come back out later for an hour, back in the cage. An animal does not need to be under a uvb light 24/7. And by me saying that I know your going to take it out of context so let me begin by saying If their out from under the uvb light for 2-3 hours your tegu is not going to get mbd. Everyone on other forums let their tegu roam freely for at least an hour or two a day. Not a big deal, its obviously controlled, not saying just let him go in whatever room he wants and leave him. Im saying, watch him, be a responsible owner. YOU are taking it WAY out of context.

2) Once again your taking it out of context. I said some nights. And their are plenty of people that have done this before, Ive talked to people with perfectly happy healthy stable tegu owners who have done such. Every night? No. I didnt MEAN every night. Every other night? Maybe, yes. If you choose to and have a tegu-stable room.

You can try to pick a fight all you want. You took everything I said completely out of context and made it sound like Im saying to let it free roam 24/7, uncontrolled, unsupervised, and not put it in his habitate at all.

I said Free roam quite a bit. Not every hour of the day. Please re-read.

Oh and your right clemson guy, I didnt mean to bash all monitors. Savannahs and Ackies are cool, but I was mainly talking about the more aggressive like nile and black throats .

 

[Dog Shrink]

No need to get upset sunshine... they're just expressing their concern as all of us here are highly devoted, just like I'm sure you are, to the best interest of the herp. Maybe a little too much reading into things but I just took it for what you meant... I don't think anyone would free roam a tegu 24/7 considering their special needs. and sleep with them every night, altho I couldn't imagine sleping wit a lizard at all, I'd be afraid I'd be waking up to a lizard eating my neck or some other horror story my mind would create

It's all good hon, breathe, reboot... no one's attacking you...

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Your right in the fact that many people do it and have healthy monitors and a couple hours out of UVB wont hurt it but what are you going to do if it sprints off and cashes into a bookshelf or a door gets left open and it slips out. It will be just as happy in its cage all day and taking it for a walk on a leash will probably be fine but just be VERY careful but it sounds like you will. We are not trying to insult or attack you, just look out for your tegu. As for sleeping with it, I have heard of people sleeping with snake but Ive heard of someone who was and then it suddenly quit eating and the owner took it to the vet. It turned out the snake was starving itself planning to eat the owner, not that a tegu will do that but thats just a scenario of what happens. Plus tegus are escape artist and will probably jump off your bed and roam arounf looking to escape. If you want the tegu to have a room to room, you could build a larger cage, 8x4x4 or just devote and modify a room for it.

 

[M_surinamensis]

Sunset, I want to hit you in the face with a rolled up newspaper. Do not sleep with your tegu in your bed. Ever. Not every night, not every other night, not ever.

As for sleeping with it, I have heard of people sleeping with snake but Ive heard of someone who was and then it suddenly quit eating and the owner took it to the vet. It turned out the snake was starving itself planning to eat the owner

I have no words for you. Just rage. You stop it too.

Goddamn this thread went downhill quickly today.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Goddamn this thread went downhill quickly today.

Ya know!!! Back to Tegus folks (hands Seamus the rolled up newspaper ) forever the fire stoker.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Sunset, I want to hit you in the face with a rolled up newspaper. Do not sleep with your tegu in your bed. Ever. Not every night, not every other night, not ever.



I have no words for you. Just rage. You stop it too.

Goddamn this thread went downhill quickly today.

I do not know what you think I mean by this. I still am a fan of snakes, I respect snakes, honestly who ever this was was an idiot, I just commented to express that they are animals and what can happen if you expose to animals. I heard this story from a relative whose friend was the owner. I do not know the context. And why you "feel only rage for my i do not know".

 

[wylerr]

clemson, he is getting so mad because that story is bogus. I've heard it too, from a friend whose cousin's friend was the owner lol. Its an internet story going around.

Anyway, sleeping with a reptile is just an awful idea for both you(risk of bites, scratches, escape, disease, etc) and the reptile(not enough heat, you rolling over, etc). I'm sorry to say that if anyone loves their reptile at all, they wouldn't risk their animal's well being over such selfish ideals

Just my 2 cents

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Thanks, I heard that from my cousin so I figured it was true but your probably right, it seemed a little off.

 

[SeyrenEremes]

hi guys, i want adopt bw for my pet. but i need to know about this tegu, any1 know when tegu ready to breed until their egg hatch??

is red tegu same like bw?? i mean for they nature

 

[NinjaDuo]

Sometimes I let my Nile crocodile cuddle with me haha, and my velociraptor gets jealous....