Yellow Ackie Monitors or Argentine Black and White Tegu

[Guest]

I am interested in getting either a arg bw tegu or a pair of yellow ackies. Which do you think is a better choice for a first time monitor/tegu owner. I have a 48 inch long 28 inch tall 28 inch wide cage that would be perfect for a pair of ackies. I also know how dog tame and docile argentines are but they do get pretty big and require a 8x4x4 cage which i have the space to build but are they expensive to feed? I also know that ackies are active and fun to watch them interact and also not that expensive to feed. Which is a better choice?

 

[JohnMatthew]

Argentine tegus aren't expensive to feed, especially since they can hibernate for more than half the year! Good luck on making the choice. I've never kept ackies but I wouldn't give up my GU's for nothin.

 

[Guest]

You have Argentine Black and White Tegus? I think i might go with a tegu from varnyard since he has them for 150 shipped which is good price compared to an ackie for 160 dollar plus 40 dollars shiping but the only thing i dont like about the tegus is that they hibernate for a long time and you don't get to see them much.

 

[Curtis T]

I have keeped various monitors over the years and have freinds that have them know. I getting set up to get my first Tegu after the first of the year. I have been into reptils for over 20 years know and never keeped a Tegu I have looked into keeping monitors (again) or going with tegus. As I have been checking on the needs of both I am going with tegus. As John M said the feeding is not so expensive if you look at it in the long run. I have set up a colony of Dubia roaches and looking to set up a colony of Discoid roaches next as feeders when the tegu is young as well into adult hood these two roaches get adult size of 2 inches also set up some supper worms. (I also have bearded dragons and chameleons that I am going to feed the roaches and supperworms to) If your colonys of insects get bigger than you need you can always sll or trade them off. Groung turkey meat, beef heat, chicken heart and gizzards is not all that expensive. As far as the rodents go you can always buy frozen or breed you own. What is nice about tegus is they eat so many diffrent things. ( right know I am having a hard time getting Lg crickets here on the west coast) I would just do your home work and see what works out best for you. Curtis

 

[Toby_H]

Keep in mind this is a Tegu site therefore it should be expected that responses here will favor Tagus...

But at the same time keep in mind that many members here have kept reptiles for many years and have put great consideration into which large reptile they've chosen to favor...


My 4'+ 12+ lb tegu eats $0.50~$1.00 worth of food per day about 5 days a week. Provided you do your homework in what to feed them and how to best acquire it, feeding should not be expensive at all...


As you acknowledged, your 48" x 28" enclosure will not house a tegu for life and cage three to four times that size will become necessary within a year or two. Therefore when the Tegu moves out of the 48" x 28" enclosure and into it's larger long term home, you will again have a 48" x 28" enclosure to fill.

So your decision doesn't need to be Tegu or Ackies... It is simply do you use the 48" x 28" enclosure as a short term grow out before you get the Ackies, or just get the Ackies now...

In other words, your question is simply, "should I get a Tegu?"

That is a question I think only you can answer...

 

[Guest]

That is so true. Well i think im gonna get a bw argentine tegu then the ackies later and i dont think i could even afford a pair of ackies and about a year is plenty of time to build a permenant cage.

 

[carcharios]

I can feed all three my tegus (two adults and one juvie) for $20 to $30 for the entire year. They all hibernate from about October to early April so no food needed then, and during the summer, I feed them eggs and chicken necks.

I can get an entire carton of chicken necks for a little over $1 at my local GIANT. One carton will feed all three Tegus for an entire week so if you figure they're active for about six months or 24 weeks, that's a little over $24 bucks for their entire year. Not bad - and healthy too.

 

[Blue Crab of PAIN!!!]

I was intrigued in Ackies myself but I thought I read somewhere that they're happiest when kept in threes. They may be small and lovely little monitors but I'm thinking that 1 Tegu may be less of a handful than 3 Ackies.

 

[Guest]

Ackies a great in pairs and trios and i don't think a trio of ackies or a tegu is a handful.