New baby Columbian Black & White (Marley)

[Guest]

Here are some pics of my new baby Columbian Black & White. So far it is very good natured and does not mind being held at all.

 

[DMBizeau]

Very nice Bryan he looks great! Glad to see he is still nice and calm around you.

 

[Toby_H]

Congratts on having one you can handle. I had one many years ago and it was fierce. It's good to see the other side of that spectrum. Congratts...

Just to mention, I believe the 'Common Name' of Black & Gold is more accurate for the Columbians, with Black & White being reserved for the Argentineans. It's no big deal but inconsistencies such as this often lead to misunderstandings.

 

[DMBizeau]

Just to mention, I believe the 'Common Name' of Black & Gold is more accurate for the Columbians, with Black & White being reserved for the Argentineans. It's no big deal but inconsistencies such as this often lead to misunderstandings.

He put "Columbian" in the title I don't think anyone else felt there was any misunderstanding.

 

[Toby_H]

I agree I don't think 'in this thread' there is a misunderstanding about what species of Tegu he has...

But since "Black and Gold" is associated with Columbians and "Black and White" is associated with Argentineans... saying "Black and White Columbian" can cause confusion.

Accuracy in termonology leads to accurancy in communication... and the reverse is also true...


But I don't want to pull the focus of this thread off of your Tegu! I am always impressed when I see dossile Columbians. Having seen how menacing they can be.

What size/type of enclosure are you keepign him in?

I've heard that Columbians are much more inclined to spend time in water than Argentineans. Do you have any opinion/experience regarding this?

 

[Guest]

I have read that Black & White or Black & Gold can mean a reference to a Columbian Tegu and that Black and White is not just reserved for the Argentines. Anyway he is currently in a home made 2' x 4' x 2' enclosure, with cypress mulch as the bedding, a large water dish for soaking and a hide at one end.

 

[Guest]

Yeah my columbian tegu is definitely black and white, not black and gold, so I think columbians can be either. Also I think people should make sure they know what each looks like, and if you're talking about a black and white you should specify either argentine or columbian. There are two types of tegu and both can be black and white. Can't really change that, so you'll just have to learn to live with it.

Anyways, I am happy to see another docile columbian! It shows that these guys have the potential to be just as sweet as the argentines, even if its not as common.

 

[slideaboot]

I'm pretty sure that wholesalers and distributors began calling Colombian Tegus "black and whites" with hopes that people would confuse them with tamer, more desireable (on a popularity scale) Argentine Black and Whites. And, it DEFINITELY worked/works. I'm not saying that's what happened here, but all one has to do is look through previous threads where people ask what kind of tegu they have because it was sold to them as "black and white" tegu.

 

[Guest]

I still think its up to the buyer to make sure they know exactly what they're buying...I work at a pet store and I hate it every time someone comes in with a pet they just bought and they don't know what it is exactly or how to take care of it. People should always do their research BEFORE buying their pet so they know what they're doing, its just common sense to me. My tegu only has anything that could be called a gold color on the top of his head. The rest of him is black and white. The vendor I bought him from did not try and hide the fact that he was a columbian tegu. But then again it could be the fact that I asked him specifically about his columbians...

 

[slideaboot]

I still think its up to the buyer to make sure they know exactly what they're buying...I work at a pet store and I hate it every time someone comes in with a pet they just bought and they don't know what it is exactly or how to take care of it. People should always do their research BEFORE buying their pet so they know what they're doing, its just common sense to me. My tegu only has anything that could be called a gold color on the top of his head. The rest of him is black and white. The vendor I bought him from did not try and hide the fact that he was a columbian tegu. But then again it could be the fact that I asked him specifically about his columbians...

Well, I'm not calling YOU out personally, but most pet stores are THE WORST when it comes to misinforming people about reptiles. The absolute WORST. Granted, there ARE knowledgeable folks at some pet stores, the majority of pet stores have ZERO clue as to what they are talking about when it comes to reptiles. I'm not just talking about big chain stores like Petco, either.

So, I agree with you that people should do research, but many people go to pet stores to get information from people who not only should be, but ACT as though they are knowledgeable about an animal when really they are just clueless and trying to move product.

 

[Guest]

I bought him as a Columbian Black & White not as a Gold tegu nor was I expecting to get an Argentine black and white. The vendor was upfront in telling me that it was a columbian and not an argentine. The vendor also sells Gold Tegus and Argentine Black and Whites. From the pics I have seen, the Columbian B&W are mostly B&W with gold or brown coloring that will most likely fade with age, however from the pics I have seen of Gold tegus, they are primarily Black and Gold and as Adults they retain most of the Gold or Brown coloring and have very little white. I did my research and knew I was getting a Columbian. IMO the only reason this has come up for discussion is the fact that Columbians are always given a bad rep and Argentines are favored therefore they get the title of "Black and White".

 

[Guest]

Well, I'm not calling YOU out personally, but most pet stores are THE WORST when it comes to misinforming people about reptiles. The absolute WORST. Granted, there ARE knowledgeable folks at some pet stores, the majority of pet stores have ZERO clue as to what they are talking about when it comes to reptiles. I'm not just talking about big chain stores like Petco, either.

So, I agree with you that people should do research, but many people go to pet stores to get information from people who not only should be, but ACT as though they are knowledgeable about an animal when really they are just clueless and trying to move product.

Yes I know that, most pet stores are horrible when giving advice about telling people how to care for their pets. Thats part of the reason I was hired - I know a lot about reptiles, snakes particularly, and the store had no employees with a background with reptiles. But thats why it makes me all the more annoyed that people buy animals and expect the pet store employees to tell them what to do with it. Most pet stores put business first before the animals they sell and people should know better than to trust a college student to be the expert on all the animals in the world. I would not be offended in the least if someone asked me a question at work but didn't take me at my word and went home and researched it (or better yet did the research first). In fact, I prefer people do that. Buy a book or ask a REAL expert, like a well-known breeder.

IMO the only reason this has come up for discussion is the fact that Columbians are always given a bad rep and Argentines are favored therefore they get the title of "Black and White".

I think so too. Yes, a lot of Columbians have a bad attitude, but some can be great pets!

 

[Toby_H]

The use of "Common Names" in general invites misunderstand...

Inconsistency and/or redundancy in those common names makes it even more likely...

Tupinambis teguixin, or the Columbian Tegu, like just about egvery species of animal, does show some variety in coloration. Regardless if a Tupinambis teguixin is "Black and Gold" or "Black and White" it is the same species.

Thus calling one line of Tupinambis teguixin "Black and Gold" and another line of Tupinambis teguixin "Black and White", is simply making the false impression of a variance that will likely mislead people.

Creating common names to add value to a less valuable species, or to mislead potential buyers into overpaying, are very common tactics used by less respectable breeders/sellers.

This is not to suggest anyone here bought from a 'bad breeder' or were in any way manipulated. But it is to suggest that utilizing inconsistent and/or redundant contributes to the misleading process that others have begun.

This is by no means limited to Argentinean/Columbian Tegus nor even reptiles.

 

[Guest]

--oops, messed up!--

 

[Guest]

But.....my tegu IS black and white. Why call it black and gold when it isn't?? That seems even more misleading to me. Why call it black and gold if its not black and gold? Its not its common name, its what it is. Its common name is Columbian tegu, not black and white/gold.

 

[Guest]

If all Columbians are the same, then why does almost every vendor that sales both, and article on the internet, list them seperately as Columbian B&W or Gold Tegus.
It is also my understanding that the Gold ones are considered to be even more aggressive then the Black & White Columbians. Another example would be the Black & White and Blue Argentines. They have the same scientific name but are considered to be 2 different species since they look totally different, as do the Columbian B&W compared to the Gold Tegus.

 

[slideaboot]

If all Columbians are the same, then why does almost every vendor that sales both, and article on the internet, list them seperately as Columbian B&W or Gold Tegus.
It is also my understanding that the Gold ones are considered to be even more aggressive then the Black & White Columbians. Another example would be the Black & White and Blue Argentines. They have the same scientific name but are considered to be 2 different species since they look totally different, as do the Columbian B&W compared to the Gold Tegus.

Because people are either misinformed (and don't do their research) or they are trying to portray their product as better than it is (they've done they're research and know better, but want to sell you something). It's really easy for a vendor to say that a Black and White Colombian is going to be tamer than a black and gold because most people associate colombian tegus with aggressive behavior while, at the same time, people tend to think of black and whites as being tamer because of Argentine B/Ws. This makes it easier for the vendor to tell people something along the lines of, "Aggressive? Oh no! You're thinking of Black and GOLD tegus...this here's a black and WHITE tegu--TOTALLY different." When the truth is, it doesn't matter if it's black and white or gold--if it's a Colombian, it's got a helluva good shot at being aggressive.

If a vendor / breeder is misinformed (which happens ALL THE TIME) or if they are simply trying to move more product, this is a potential result. I've been involved in this hobby for years and have personally seen this sort of thing MANY, many times.

 

[Guest]

So then what you are saying is that all of the pics on the internet or in books that clearly show a definite difference in coloration between what is called a Columbian Black&White or a Columbian Black & Gold or a Gold Tegu are labeled incorrectly in stating that the picture shows one or the other.

 

[Guest]

So, vendors can't separate their Columbians by color simply because Argentine's already have a claim to the title"black & white"? And all vendors that do this are simply misinformed to the fact that their black and whites are not the same color as their black and golds?

I think you're being a bit ridiculous saying that people can't call black and white Columbian tegus black and white, even though they are black and white. Its simply specifying which color the tegu is!

 

[slideaboot]

So, vendors can't separate their Columbians by color simply because Argentine's already have a claim to the title"black & white"? And all vendors that do this are simply misinformed to the fact that their black and whites are not the same color as their black and golds?

I think you're being a bit ridiculous saying that people can't call black and white Columbian tegus black and white, even though they are black and white. Its simply specifying which color the tegu is!

People CAN call their tegus WHATEVER they want...THAT'S the problem. THAT'S why we're having this discussion...