• Hello guest! Are you a Tegu enthusiast? If so, we invite you to join our community! Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Tegu enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your Tegu and enclosure and have a great time with other Tegu fans. Sign up today! If you have any questions, problems, or other concerns email [email protected]!

Red Tummy

ToadHallBetty

Member
Messages
77
Location
Citronelle Alabama
Little Buddy has become friendly enough to walk all over me. Last night I noticed some orange red coloring on his belly scales. His scales are fine, he's not injured. I'm just wondering if B&W tegus all have some red orange color on the belly or is Little Buddy expressing hi creative side?
Thanks, Betty Morgan
 

LizardStudent

Active Member
Messages
118
Location
Nashville, TN
My girl is about 12% red, genetically, and she has little orange/red scales scattered on the bottom of her feet and her belly, mostly the feet. Maybe at some point one of your gus relatives was a red! If its not a very red belly and is just some bits of scales are
 

ToadHallBetty

Member
Messages
77
Location
Citronelle Alabama
Thanks everyone,
I've done some online searching and evidently I have a "Florida Firebelly"
Some of the Florida Tegus have this trait, no way to know what may be in the mix, but that's okay. Little Buddy is fine just the way he is.
 

Debita

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,218
Location
Prescott, AZ
Typical firebelly from Florida wild caught. It's almost an orangey-coraly color, that distinguishes them from other Tegus. My Skully's is almost gone now - as he gets older, it has faded.
 

ToadHallBetty

Member
Messages
77
Location
Citronelle Alabama
Typical firebelly from Florida wild caught. It's almost an orangey-coraly color, that distinguishes them from other Tegus. My Skully's is almost gone now - as he gets older, it has faded.
Orangey-coraly is a good description .I didn't notice the color when I got Little Buddy but I didn't look for it. Not until he got tame enough to come out of his inclosure on his own.
 

Phlip5150

Member
Messages
66
My Girl Sketchy is a wild Florida caught as well. Her belly has reddish scales too and her white scales on her back has orange in it too.
 

Attachments

  • 20210408_143549.jpg
    20210408_143549.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 7
  • 20210408_144334.jpg
    20210408_144334.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 7
  • 20210408_143529.jpg
    20210408_143529.jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 7

ToadHallBetty

Member
Messages
77
Location
Citronelle Alabama
Little Buddy has a redish Belly, it almost looks like he was sitting on wet red clay.. Pictures will be coming as soon as he decides to stop brumating .
Your girl is lovely. It's amazing how easy it is to tame a wild Florida tegu.
 

Roadkill

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
497
Location
Earth
That red belly is a very common trait in Salvator merianae, and contrary to what some people want to claim, it has nothing to do with coming from Florida wild caught. It's a very common trait seen in tegus in the wild in South America, it doesn't relate to it being a cross with Salvator rufescens, the term "Florida fire bellies" is just a marketing scheme.
 

ToadHallBetty

Member
Messages
77
Location
Citronelle Alabama
That red belly is a very common trait in Salvator merianae, and contrary to what some people want to claim, it has nothing to do with coming from Florida wild caught. It's a very common trait seen in tegus in the wild in South America, it doesn't relate to it being a cross with Salvator rufescens, the term "Florida fire bellies" is just a marketing scheme.
LOL, you have to admit that "Florida Fire Belly" sounds good. I never even noticed Little Buddy's red belly until he became tame. I'm glad I didn't purchase a "fire belly" because it is fading away.
 

Debita

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,218
Location
Prescott, AZ
Agree with Roadkill, but the name has caught on, and you can pretty much count on the wild-caughts from Florida to have them....like a signature. If there's red scales anywhere else on the animal, like it's face, I would presume it was crossed somewhere with a red.

With breeders lying about captive bred, and your new Tegu has a coral belly, there's a good chance (not sure if it's 100%) it was wild-caught from Florida. If someone knows that I'm absolutely wrong about this, I'd love to know. thanks!
 

Roadkill

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
497
Location
Earth
Agree with Roadkill, but the name has caught on, and you can pretty much count on the wild-caughts from Florida to have them....like a signature. If there's red scales anywhere else on the animal, like it's face, I would presume it was crossed somewhere with a red.

With breeders lying about captive bred, and your new Tegu has a coral belly, there's a good chance (not sure if it's 100%) it was wild-caught from Florida. If someone knows that I'm absolutely wrong about this, I'd love to know. thanks!
With regards to your first paragraph, I'd very much disagree with this. Salvator merianae shows tremendous variability and although I wouldn't say it's common, I HAVE seen red colouring in them that I can guarantee had nothing to do with any kind of crossing with S.rufescens. Now having said this, the red colouring I've seen in S.merianae was quite distinct from that typically seen in S.rufescens. It is more of a peach or salmon hue, compared to the rust or burnt red of S.rufescens.

Considering how common the "firebelly" trait is, I wouldn't say it a good indication of it being wild-caught from Florida. However, beings as almost no one really keeps track of provenance or pedigree, and claims are often made up out of conjecture....it's really hard to say one way or another if you came across one where it was likely from.
 

ToadHallBetty

Member
Messages
77
Location
Citronelle Alabama
LOL, thanks everyone, I have learned a lot about red bellies :)

Little Buddy was wild caught in Florida, that was part of the reason I purchased him. I live about 30 minutes from the Florida state line and I think it is a good idea to snag tegus, chameleons...whatever is invasive and get it into the pet trade instead of just killng them.

Little Buddy is getting really tame. LOL my Florida Fire Belly ;)
 

Attachments

  • little buddy.jpg
    little buddy.jpg
    2.1 MB · Views: 2

Members online

No members online now.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
20,091
Messages
177,789
Members
10,316
Latest member
Juiced
Top