I need advice! i am new to being a tegu owner

[Joshua Wu]

So im getting a tegu tmr.
The shop has a red tegu, black and white tegu, and also one with a green head
for some reason the green head is around 200usd more expensive.
The shop does not know its age but only says that they are below 1 year old.
I also have made a feeding plan for him

- Monday - Raw Turkey + Berries/Grapes
- Tuesday - Crickets + D3 vitamin + calcium supplements + more berries
- Wednesday - Eggs - Boiled/Scrambled + Chicken heart
-Thursday - break
- Friday Multivitamin + crickets + rat pups
- Saturday - Ground beef + worms/ eggs boiled/scrambled
- Sunday - Turkey/rat pups and some berries

My questions:
Should i get a black and white, red, or the expensive green headed tegu? What are differences between them?
Is my feeding plan ok?
I want to get a male because people say they are more docile and get bigger, but the shop does not know how to tell, is there a way i can tell?
I live in hong kong, the humidity is always around 60-70, the temp is around 25-30 but my air con is on so its about 21Celcius, do i need heat pads for him?
What are some of the key things that i want to look for in a tame and docile tegu?
Any other advice is appreciated.

 

[AlphaAlpha]

As far as I'm aware all black and whites are born green so this just means that one is probably younger or not changed its colour as fast.

Personally I feel your putting far too much effort into the feeding plan but the variety seems good, Plus your tegu will probably dictate when it eats. I would also add your supplements to every meal and try some cod liver oil too especially if you decide on the red gu.

you need a variant temp in the enclosure from around 21C to around 35C air temp and a basking spot at around 40C so rather than a heat Mat I would go with a basking bulb and tile or slate under it.

 

[Joshua Wu]

As far as I'm aware all black and whites are born green so this just means that one is probably younger or not changed its colour as fast.

Personally I feel your putting far too much effort into the feeding plan but the variety seems good, Plus your tegu will probably dictate when it eats. I would also add your supplements to every meal and try some cod liver oil too especially if you decide on the red gu.

you need a variant temp in the enclosure from around 21C to around 35C air temp and a basking spot at around 40C so rather than a heat Mat I would go with a basking bulb and tile or slate under it.

Thx for the advice. Is there a way i can check for its gender if its a young tegu?

 

[AlphaAlpha]

there is but its real hard and even after seeing many many tegu pics I still am not 100%

heres a link https://www.tegutalk.com/threads/how-to-determine-the-sexual-of-sub-adult-tegu.9934/

 

[Alexandria Nelson]

I tried making a feeding schedule for mine and he ended up not following any of it. Just keep in mind the foods that are better for them than others. Mine loves turkey and eggs it’s his absolute favorite and barely touches anything else right now.

 

[Joshua Wu]

I tried making a feeding schedule for mine and he ended up not following any of it. Just keep in mind the foods that are better for them than others. Mine loves turkey and eggs it’s his absolute favorite and barely touches anything else right now.

That's very cute. I don't understand what u mean by " keep in mind the foods that are better for them than others" can j elaborate? I want my tegus life to be perfect

 

[Alexandria Nelson]

I’m relatively new to being a tegu owner as well. Some of the readings I did about their diet though talked about how some foods like a lot of leafy greens can cause digestion problems. I remember specifically it said bananas and strawberries were bad for them too. But overall they have been known to eat almost anything. I think it’s mainly up to the tegu’s preference. It seems the younger they are the pickier they are too. It seems like yours will be in great hands though.

 

[Joshua Wu]

I’m relatively new to being a tegu owner as well. Some of the readings I did about their diet though talked about how some foods like a lot of leafy greens can cause digestion problems. I remember specifically it said bananas and strawberries were bad for them too. But overall they have been known to eat almost anything. I think it’s mainly up to the tegu’s preference. It seems the younger they are the pickier they are too. It seems like yours will be in great hands though.

Thanks for the support and advice! I will avoid bananas and strawberries!!

 

[Alexandria Nelson]

Good luck!

 

[AlphaAlpha]

@Alexandria Nelson you could find that your Colombia might not eat any fruit or veg.

 

[Alexandria Nelson]

He likes peppers and likes fruit juice but doesn’t wanna actually eat them

 

[AlphaAlpha]

Alpha doesn't eat them and never has so i gave them up....haha

 

[Alexandria Nelson]

Haha! I’ve given up on several things because he won’t eat them he licks everything though hahaha

 

[Mamasaurus]

* Remember frozen/thawed or prekilled is safest for your reptile. Please do NOT feed live.

• Captive raised insects
• Crickets
• Roaches
• Meal worms
• Super worms
• Wax worms
• Silk worms
• Horn worms
• Night crawlers earthworms
• Snails – NOT wild caught.
• Crayfish/crawdads
• Shrimp/Prawns – shell on
• Whole fish like sardines, silversides, smelt, trout etc
• Scallops
• Mini crab or soft shell crab
• Quail chicks
• Baby chickens
• Rabbit kits (pinkies)
• Mice
• Rats
• Hamster
• Gerbil
• ReptiLinks (my choice, unsure is available near you)

Meat (Remember, always offer raw, tegus cannot digest cooked meats)

• Soft-boiled whole egg or raw egg yolk, no whites.– given in moderation. (You can feed whole raw egg just not constantly because the avidin can affect biotin levels)
• Quail eggs are healthier than chicken eggs and don't have to worry about avidin and can feed daily

· Chicken
· Lamb
· Turkey
· Venison
· Frog legs

• Fowl
• Beef in moderation as too much can cause liver and kidney damage.
• Fresh fish filets – choose low in mercury fish, freshwater is better than saltwater
• Organ meats: liver, hearts, gizzards – Go easy on liver as it contains high amounts of Vit D which can be overdosed.

Fruits Tropical fruits:

• Mango,
• Papaya
• cantaloupe
• honeydew
• casaba
• watermelon
• Bananas- in moderation
• Apples- in moderation
• Cherries
• Grapes- Thompson seedless; green and red Concord grapes higher in oxalates
• Tomatoes- high in oxalates**
• Berries: Strawberries- high in oxalates** and goitrogens* so in moderation
• blueberries
• raspberries
• blackberries
• Figs -fresh or dried Dates
• Kiwi
• Peaches- high in goitrogens*
• Pears- high in oxalates**
• Pumpkin

Veggies

• Acorn squash,
• butternut squash
• Kabocha squash
• Parsnip
• Alfalfa
• Okra
• Green beans
• Green peas,
• snap peas
• Leeks
• Prickly pear cactus
• Dark leafy greens like:
• Chicory greens (Escarole)
• Collard greens Dandelion
• greens Endive
• Mustard greens Turnip greens
• Spaghetti squash
• Bell peppers
• Rapini Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Radish Yucca root- cassava- tough, should be shredded
• Asparagus Broccoli in moderation, high in oxalates**
• Beets and Beet greens in moderation, high in oxalates**
• Carrots and tops in moderation, high in oxalates**
• Bok choy - in moderation, high in goitrogens*
• Brussels sprouts- high in goitrogens*
• Parsley- good source of calcium
• Cabbage- in moderation, high in goitrogens*
• Cauliflower- in moderation, high in goitrogens*
• Coriander- in moderation, high in oxalates**
• Rutabaga Sweet potato-
• feed rarely Corn- feed rarely or never, low in Ca and high in Phosphorus Spinach- feed rarely or never, high in oxalates and goitrogens
• Swiss chard- feed rarely or never, high in oxalates**
• Lettuces -low in nutrition
• Celery- low in nutrition
• Cucumber- low in nutrition

 

[Mamasaurus]

Schedule isn't necessary tbh. Don't stress. They don't eat every single day once they're a yearling, sometimes sooner. Offer variety of whole prey and fruit daily. Veggies are a whole other story with them like little kids. Most folks recommend using the supplement without the D3 also just to err on the side of caution. I would worry more about having the proper temps (cool, hot, basking) proper sized enclosure which is a minimum of 6 ft X 3ft, and the right substrate to hold humidity, resist mold, etc. I also recommend feeding your Gu in a separate container if he cooperates just to avoid eating the mulch. Mine refuses to eat anywhere but in his home in that case you could feed on the basking shelf or a tile to avoid eating the bedding. Honestly, Toothless eats fruits and then his whole prey is ground with veggies and quail eggs so he doesn't know he's eating them. I give him a shallow bath bin daily. He eats, poops, and sheds like a champ. Good luck!

 

[Tiamat]

Argentine or Colombian?