Tegu

[AndrewChes]

Hello.I want to get a tegu as my first lizard and have done a ton of research. I know they Need uvb a minimum cage size 8x4x4 and what they eat as babies, yearlings and adults. I have read a lot about how to tame them and i will once it is a year and half or two i will build a outdoor 10x10x6 cage for it i am totally prepared to make a huge commitment. But i want to know should i get a little more experience with another animal or get the tegu.

 

[tommyboy]

Have you owned any reptiles before? Or any pet that required daily attention? Do you have the finances required for the tegu, it's housing, expensive lighting and food?

 

[AndrewChes]

Have you owned any reptiles before? Or any pet that required daily attention? Do you have the finances required for the tegu, it's housing, expensive lighting and food?

I own 2 corn snakes a dog and 3 cats.Yes money is not a problem

 

[james.w]

How old are you?

 

[AndrewChes]

How old are you?

15

 

[HeatherN]

i dont think age is very much a factor if youre competent enough to do research and understand the commitments. though a tegu is a HUGE commitment, even compared to other pet ownership. are cornsnakes your only other reptile experience? id rate them as a "Beg-intermidiate" reptile as opposed to a "int-adv" reptile like a tegu. before i got into my tegu, i bred bearded dragons and had kept a myriad of other herps, including bull frogs, pacman frogs, leopard frogs, anoles, alligator lizards, fence lizards, whiptails, swifts, etc.

even with that experience and a background in bio, i thought it through a lot. im not saying "turn back now, kid!" just saying make sure you know this species inside and out and have read all the articles on this forum and perhaps a lot of the topics on general husbandry. some claim to have researched when they don't even know the adult size (which you seem to fathom, just an example). if you need any help, have any questions, lots of people here are willing to help, including me. just promise to "sleep on it" so to speak. make sure its not that sort of random urge that passes soon. i personally get a lot of those. (not my tegu though, none of my animals actually)

 

[james.w]

The reason I asked his age is he said money is not a problem. Do your parents know the cost and requirements of a tegu? What are your plans for college? I think tegus are fairly easy to care for as long as you do your research and are willing to take advice from other more experienced keepers.

 

[AndrewChes]

The reason I asked his age is he said money is not a problem. Do your parents know the cost and requirements of a tegu? What are your plans for college? I think tegus are fairly easy to care for as long as you do your research and are willing to take advice from other more experienced keepers.

Yes they do. I Have also saved up a good amount of money to build a indoor cage and get all the equipment and the tegu its self.

 

[Rhetoric]

I think age can be a big issue. I do understand that some people are more mature and have the capability to care for an animal but james asked a good question about college. There are a lot of people (myself included) who get animals at a younger age thinking they will be able to care for them long term. I was 19 when I got Guru and I quickly added 2 more tegus. I planned to go to school locally but earlier this year I found out about a possible move, once I realized how much money/time/effort it would take to get everyone squared away I realized I rushed things a bit. I got rid of 2 tegus, ended up not moving but started going back to school. They aren't necessarily hard to care for but they can be time consuming and vet bills add up quickly.
TL;DR: things come up. really think about your college/future plans before making a 10 year commitment to a tegu.

 

[AndrewChes]

Do you have any advice to clean the cage. I have read a lot but people have a lot of different answers so do you have a favorite the works best.

 

[HeatherN]

honestly, if spot cleaned, it usually isnt something that needs to happen more than once every couple of months. at least for me. with burrowing substrate, its really a matter of cleaning up poop when it happens, churning the substrate to prevent mold, and just preventing stagnant substrate. if not, im either doing something terribly wrong or terribly right.

 

[james.w]

Like Heather said, spot clean daily, "stir" substrate every couple weeks and everything should be fine.

 

[Murkve]

Sorry, as I know you don't want to hear this - but wait on a Tegu.

In 3 years you will be going off to college, the military, or starting a job. You may believe that you will be able to find an apartment that allows an 8'x4' cage that weighs approximately 1/2 ton, but the truth is that this is very unlikely. Plus, if you're anything like many young adults, you will become very mobile after graduation - often living in a new place year after year. An animal like the Tegu needs a stable home with a stable income. You said money was not an issue for your parents, but ask yourself how willing you think they would be to foot the financial burden of their 20 year old's gigantic pet lizard, when all they really feel obligated to do is support their 20 year old.

The truth is, getting a Tegu with so many life changes and uncertainties ahead of you is irresponsible and unfair to the lizard. You may think you are ready and committed "right now", but it's equally as important for that also to be true every year for the next 15 years, and you just can't promise yourself that.

Wait. If this is an animal you really want as a companion, then you will still want it 7 years from now, and you will still want it when you reach the necessary means and stability to care for it.

I'm not just blowing smoke either - this is exactly what I had to do - and I'm glad I did.

 

[HeatherN]

you might as well hear the other side of that. i got mine several months before im moving out to college, which is in several weeks. im going to be personal here, and reveal i have a pretty crippling condition and my reptiles help me through it. i understand people may say im irresponsible for getting an animal around this time, and its selfish to put something through that for my own benefit, but when it comes right down to it, thats the real reason we keep animals. our own fascination and connection with them, and its our duty to respect them and provide for them, which i feel i do well enough. now, i am not a financially unstable person. ive been saving up for college since i was in elementary school, and my parents are kind enough to offer their support, as well as some of my other relatives. i am much more stable than most young adults in my position, as i have an apartment (that allows animals and has the space), ample amount of time to care for my animals, and a sense of responsibility and love towards them. unfortunately, all the love for your animals in the world does not make one stable enough to care for them long term, and its how many cases of neglect happen; accidentally.

i shared this not because im trying to convince you one way or the other, but to try to help you understand murkve's incredibly important and insightful point: that its a LONG TERM responsibility as well. it may be impossible to say for sure whether you can support this wonderful creature in the future. i think i am an outlier in that im am lucky enough to be in a good position to care for my animals. though i am constantly re-evaluating my position and their health. animals are my passion, especially herps, which is why im going into wildlife biology and herpetology. i love to see other share that passion, but i feel its also very important people understand what kind of hardships come with it.

long-winded point: a tegu is draining time wise, money wise, space wise. though they are rewarding, you must be able to provide the best possible care for their entire life. ask about things such as "where will i be during college?" "will i even be going?" "will future part-time to full-time work be an issue?" "can i support something that costs much more than a dog to feed?"

i just want to help, and this was my process. i would never forgive myself if my tegu suffered for my selfishness or irresponsibilities and i hope everyone who considers owning one feels the same.

 

[Murkve]

Thank you Heather, and you are correct. I should have added in my post that there are a lucky few that are able to handle the responsibility on all levels through their formative years, and you are right in that they are in the extreme minority.

So to the OP: I hope you seriously reflect on this. Put your desire aside and ask yourself the tough questions.

 

[AndrewChes]

I'll be thinking about it but while I do.Do you Know of any reptiles that will get me ready for a tegu?

 

[Murkve]

I don't subscribe to the notion that you "build up" to certain reptiles. Some require more extensive knowledge and intensive care, for sure - but as long as you have these, most reptiles found in the pet trade are manageable by your average keeper, with above average motivation for that particular species. For instance, the only reptiles I kept before my Tegu were a Corn Snake, and Gargoyle Geckos - two species commonly regarded as ridiculously easy. Unfortunately, for that reason I found them boring. I didn't get much back from them.

That being said: A small, omnivorous Skink might suit your needs. Specifically, a Fire Skink. They burrow, eat primarily inverts but will take fruit, they need UVB, they need high humidity, and their attention needs to be earned - much like a small Tegu.

 

[Logie_Bear]

I'll be thinking about it but while I do.Do you Know of any reptiles that will get me ready for a tegu?

I think Crested Gecko's are hand's down the easiest reptiles to own and care fore. Most snake species are very easy as well (if you've never kept one). Plus, if it turns out in 3-4 years you DO want to study abroad, go to live in a college dorm, etcetc, they would be much easier to re-home than a 4-ft tegu needing specialized care from the right kind of owner.

 

[HeatherN]

a good starter for me were my bearded dragons. theyre not as hands off as some of the flightier species, and my particular beardies were intelligent and active, and were greta practice for socializing medium sized lizards that tame down pretty easy. they were great companions too.

 

[AndrewChes]

There a lot of list of what to feed tegus is there any thing you shouldn't feed them i know not to feed them bananas that much like 1 once a week.