SableDragonRook
New Member
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Hi all! We're new to these tegu forums, but we're old hands at caring for reptiles, and we'd like to add a tegu to our home in the next one to two years. However, we're a little baffled about which breed of tegu would ideally fit in with us. We are searching for:
1). Something large
This leads me to Chacoan or Argentine tegus as opposed to, say, a blue tegu.
2). Something "friendly"
I know this comes down to the individual's personality. However, my understanding is that on average, Argentines tend to be more amenable to taming than Colombians.
3). Something less "jowly"
You know, the big ol' jowls that males tend to get. We appreciate tegu females who don't have these jowls pronounced as much, so suggestions of breeds where the females don't get as jowly would be welcome. That being said, a tegu is a tegu, and we would love any addition to our home, even if he was dragging around the biggest jowls you've ever seen.
4). Something that is more omnivorous than carnivorous
We've heard tell that Argentines seem to appreciate an omnivorous diet with fruits more than Colombians. Neither diet is a problem, but given some of the other reptiles we have, providing an omnivorous diet would be more convenient.
Does anyone have suggestions on what tegus might be a good fit for us? It seems to me that getting a Chacoan female is going to be the way to go -- less jowly but large (in general, despite being female), omnivorous, and generally friendly. However, I haven't really heard whether Chacoans are similarly tamable as Argentines and have no idea about female Chacoans. We believe that tegus are likely an overall better choice than monitors when it comes to a large lizard with these characteristics.
We would welcome any input on breed selection! Cost is not an issue; we are looking for a good fit rather than at what the price might be. We will be putting an 8x4x4 enclosure up for the tegu and have a large, pesticide-free yard for walkies if that's something the tegu enjoys.
1). Something large
This leads me to Chacoan or Argentine tegus as opposed to, say, a blue tegu.
2). Something "friendly"
I know this comes down to the individual's personality. However, my understanding is that on average, Argentines tend to be more amenable to taming than Colombians.
3). Something less "jowly"
You know, the big ol' jowls that males tend to get. We appreciate tegu females who don't have these jowls pronounced as much, so suggestions of breeds where the females don't get as jowly would be welcome. That being said, a tegu is a tegu, and we would love any addition to our home, even if he was dragging around the biggest jowls you've ever seen.
4). Something that is more omnivorous than carnivorous
We've heard tell that Argentines seem to appreciate an omnivorous diet with fruits more than Colombians. Neither diet is a problem, but given some of the other reptiles we have, providing an omnivorous diet would be more convenient.
Does anyone have suggestions on what tegus might be a good fit for us? It seems to me that getting a Chacoan female is going to be the way to go -- less jowly but large (in general, despite being female), omnivorous, and generally friendly. However, I haven't really heard whether Chacoans are similarly tamable as Argentines and have no idea about female Chacoans. We believe that tegus are likely an overall better choice than monitors when it comes to a large lizard with these characteristics.
We would welcome any input on breed selection! Cost is not an issue; we are looking for a good fit rather than at what the price might be. We will be putting an 8x4x4 enclosure up for the tegu and have a large, pesticide-free yard for walkies if that's something the tegu enjoys.
