size question..

[jmulley6]

should I be concerned with my tegus size?
my little guy is about a year and a half old now and is 31 inches now.
for the first year of his life he was a very picky eater and did not hibernate (that I know of).
He was growing at a very slow but steady rate. (till hes recent growth spurt).
He was always given proper heat,humidity and UVB.
For the first year he would only eat pinkies, mice and super worms. He was always given calcium and a multi vitamin a few times a week.
the past 6 months he has started eating a better variety and bulking out more.
He was eating like a pig for the past month. and growing at a rate of 2 inches a week.
not it seems that his eating has slowed down again but I'm still keeping an eye on hisgrowth, if he keeps going at this rate he'll be fine but I keep seeing pics of 2 year old tegus and they seem a lot larger than him (he does have another 6 months to go)
I know they all grow at different rates but I'm just concerned about him reaching a normal size.
wondering if anyone has one of similar age that I can compare to or had a slow growing baby?
heres a pic of him now and one from January 2010 shortly after getting him.
[attachment=2622][attachment=2623]

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

I know they all grow at different rates

You answered you own question,.. no need to be concerned. Even if some one posted up a pic of another tegu from the same clutch as yours,.. it could be bigger or smaller. The same goes for one that's younger than yours.

He looks much better now in the first pic compared to the second when he was smaller. He has a nice, thick tail base that's proportionate with his body and no prominent bones showing.

On another note,.. are you sure he's a male? Any spurs yet at the base of his tail just below to each side of the cloaca?

 

[jmulley6]

Thanks Bubblz, I figured he was ok but I didnt know if he was abnormally small or stunted in some way from not hibernating.
about the sex, I really dont know I tend to just call him a him. lol
I have tried to figure it out sometimes I think I feel a button other times I don't..
He does do that jowl poping thing every once and a while.?
I'm horrible at feeling the difference, he/she is my first and without a comparison I have no idea (and seems odd to molest someone elses tegu).
I was going to ask on here because I do want to know.

 

[herpgirl2510]

I wouldn't worr he looks healthy. Tonka is 34" I can really feel the bulges from his hemipenis maybe you have a girl.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

That's why I asked,.. it's always a fifty fifty shot to guess and get it right but,.. that first pick looks like a girl to me. It's more than old enough especially with out hibernating to show some sort of male jowls or buttons. They usually start to show if not with in the first year, around the 3ft mark.

But,.. there's still some time and it could be a late bloomer.

 

[Rhetoric]

I wouldn't worry about it. Rango and Gary are almost 2 and are both right around 3ft. Guru is almost a year and just over 3.5 ft long. They all grow at different rates.
Gary and Gurus spurs are definitley noticeable. Rangos spurs are questionable, he has one thats very noticeable and another that you can see but not really feel. He did develop jowls seemingly over night though.

I would agree that yours looks like its a female. Again, it is still young so there is a chance its just a slower developer.

 

[Toby_H]

If he is a year and a half, then he was born in the Southern Hemisphere. It seems logical that being shipping half way across the world at such an early stage of developement may have delayed his growth rate a bit...

From the Ages of 9 months to 18 months my Tegu exploded in growth and was around 40" long at 18 months.

I agree with the others that yours looks more like a 30" female than a 30" male, but sexing via pic is not very reliable. Keep groping him and feel free to grop other Tegus that you meet. While it will seem odd from the outsiders perspective, the Tegu owner should fully understand.

Seeing that your Tegu experienced long distance travel (stressful and likely included a several day fast) at a very young age... and has also had to adapt to a different hemisphere (while this is not harmful, it still confuses the system)... it doesn't seem surprising that he (or she) may be a bit of a 'late bloomer'. Though I do not think it would cause a life long effect.

 

[jumper123]

My baby is very small too! 10months old and only 22inches! I hate seeing everyones bIg 1 year olds that are almost 3 ft long.. Mine never hibernated either.

 

[jmulley6]

Thanks all!! I'll keep checking for spurs . I was just hoping she/he was male just because I love the jowels !
He/she is very easily stressed out, even adjusting to the new enclosure she acted like it was torture. So its very possible shipping her as a hatchling slowed her down at the start. Any other Gu's have anxiety? Mine seems quite high strung new people, places and outside! Forget it. I'm trying to let her slowly adapt but it isn't seeming to her any easier ..

 

[Jefroka]

I would think you would have seen sperm plugs way before now if you had a male. My vote is you have a very nice female!


...Jefroka

 

[jmulley6]

figures, its always the opposite of what I think! lol when I was 12 maybe my first bearded dragon I assumed male until she laid eggs..
I really want to wake her up to feel for lumps again but the little brat slept all day yesterday and is still not up now!
I will have to re-name him if he is a she..

 

[Toby_H]

I named my Tegu Delilah when I thought it was female...

He turned out to be a male but the name Delilah stuck... It doesn't bother me because "Delilah is all man..."

 

[new2tegus]

Female...all the way.

 

[Rhetoric]

I named my Tegu Delilah when I thought it was female...

He turned out to be a male but the name Delilah stuck... It doesn't bother me because "Delilah is all man..."

It's not like the tegu knows the difference! Plus I have a male name :blush:

 

[jumper123]

I asked my vet about my tegus size. Being only about 22 in and almost a year old. He said he was perfect. He also said that he shouldn't be fed everyday ( because of his mbd). He said that growing too quickly can be a problem in the long run. So I should be patient and enjoy is baby size years!