Getting a tegu 2013

[Keef]

Hi guys, im thinking of getting a argentine bv tegu in the summer of 2013 when i get my own place and space. I have two lizards now, one adult bearded dragon and one semi-adult Timon Lepidus. I have about four years of experiance with lizards and i've been dreaming about a tegu for every day the last year. Im from Sweden so there's not a lot of tegus avalible here but at the reptile expos in sweden tegus sometimes are avalible and im thinking of getting a baby tegu. The tegu is gonna live in a 4ftx2ft terrarium for a couple of months, when the tegu is getting big i'm going to build a 8ftx4ft custom cage. Anyway do you guys think this is a good "first big lizard"? I've read a lot of caresheets and one book about tegus and also talked to people who's owned these lizards years ago. But i would love to hear your feelings and thoughts, especially about the first couple of months as a tegu owner.

Best regards
"keef"
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[james.w]

I think tegus are great first "big" lizards.

 

[TeguBuzz]

^ Agreed. I wish you the best of luck in finding one, and welcome to the forum.

 

[chelvis]

Tegus are one of the best first "big" lizards. They are easy to handle and don't get too big. Good luck and planning ahead will help a lot.

 

[Deac77]

Honestly I think tegus are a good lizard for any level of herper if you can provide the cage and food their temperament makes the a very easy animal to work with

 

[Keef]

Okey thanks great to hear How much do they usually grow in one year? When it comes to size, My friend had a female bv tegu that was 3.5 feet long, is it really a big size difference between males and females other than the "head size"? And have you noticed any difference in their temperament? (females and males).

 

[chelvis]

Males depending on what type (reds, giants, b&w, blues or golds) all seem to get bigger then females how big will depend on what type. My male blue is 4 feet long and I have seen male reds that are almost 6 feet long. Females most of the time do not get bigger then 4 feet, though some people here have some big girls. Blues and golds tend to stay smaller, blue become stockier while golds are more slender. Arg black and whites are in the middle of the spectrum getting around 5 feet and are heavy lizards. Giant black and whites and reds can get big, I have seen a 6 foot long red male at a show (wow what a show stopper!) he was long but I have seen some giants that have out weighted them. Then there are crosses which will depend on what they are crossed with.

As for temperament Blues, Arg Black and Whites, Giants and Reds all seem to tame down well Golds and Colm Black and Whites tend to take more work but it is possible. As for female verses male I truly believe that it depends on the owner and the tegu. That being said all the female I had hated me, my male has been a absolute sweet heart, lol.

 

[chitodadon]

Mine is a extreme cross b/w

from Samsung Galaxy S3

 

[chelvis]

Forgot the year growth rate... that depends on if they hibernate or not. Some only get a little over two feet or so if they hibernate others get to four feet the first year if they do not hibernate. They use the time they would otherwise be sleeping through to eat and grow, and they eat a lot that first year!

 

[chitodadon]

Godzilla is still up and will be 5 months old on the 15 when I measured him last week he was 28" and he looks like he grew a lot

from Samsung Galaxy S3

 

[Keef]

Ok! Thank you all for very informative answers, Chelvis: Any difference between the bv tegu and blue tegu in care? I've read alot about the bv and im getting a reptile magazine called "Reptilia" about red tegus but i haven't found that much info on the blues.

Chitodadon: Well, you picked a good name for the bigguy

 

[chelvis]

Blues care is identical to Argentinean Black and White. The only difference is they are a bit smaller and they sometime do not hibernate. Other wise lighting, diet, caging, taming is all the same.

 

[Keef]

Chelvis: Okey, appreciate it! I think i'll ask a couple of friends and some reptile stores to keep an eye open for a blue tegu baby, i love their bright colors but i think all of them are awesome so it dosen't really matter which kind i get, to find a blue in Sweden is kind of rare so i guess theargentine bv is more realistic.

 

[chelvis]

There is a member who breeds blue in the UK... I don't know how shipping in Europe works.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Finding a Blue or any other type of tegu where you are or at least close to where you are isn't hard at all. As long as they're legal where you are, transport shouldn't be much of an issue. I know we have members from the UK and Germany with different types. Chriswizz has a clutch of blues right now and he's in the UK. Maybe he'll be willing to hold one for you with a deposit and work something out like meet half way, ship or what ever works.

Here's his thread;
http://www.tegutalk.com/showthread.php?tid=12926

Other than that check the local classifieds, UK reptile sites and if you can make a trip to one of the shows over there like the Hamm show you'll find what you're looking for. There's another larger reptile show over there that I can't think of right now, I missed it while I was in Germany.

 

[Keef]

I know one really good reptile store who sell tegus at expos here in sweden, they had argentine bw and red tegus last expo a few months ago, so im going to talk to them about blues, but i don't care if it's a bw, red or blue really as long it is a healthy lizard. The bw cost around 450 dollars while the reds cost around 570 dollars, so it's not cheap... What are the prices in US?

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Price varies depending on type, size, availability with the time of year or what ever.
But B&W hatchlings you can get for $100 as they get older around $300-400.
Red babies I've seen for $150, older is about the same as b&w's $300-400 even that's high for me. It would have to be a hellova nice red for 400 the same goes for the b&w's breeder female or not.
Blue babies usually start around $250 but for an older blue especially a female you'll pay quite a bit well over $500

 

[chelvis]

$250 for a baby blue tegu... where?!?! lol they seem to be going up in price now a days.

 

[Keef]

Wow thats a big difference, i think tegus will become more and more popular in Sweden, in for example Germany they are really popular. I remember a few years ago when the price for one frilled dragon was like 400$, today it's a lot cheaper. At the same time, i've seen a lot of green iguanas in really bad shape because of some kid that bought it as a baby for 40$ and not being able to take proper care for it when it becomes big. No one would buy an expensive animal for hundreds of $ without being serious about it, though it's kinda crazy when the price is 400+$

 

[TegusRawsome80]

Blues are 300+ shipping almost without fail.