Which Tegu is the Tegu for Me?

[Fai0607]

Hello I'm new to this forum I'll add an introduction of me momentarily!

I have a certain criteria that needs to be fit NEARLY 100%. Here's a BIG nono - Insects. My dad said absoultely NO insects, but im trying to let him be okay with frozen mice.

I'm looking for a pretty hardy species you know. Not a HUGE lizard. Can't have anything bigger than 3 and a half feet, so Reds and the B&Ws are out.

I was told the "dwarf" tegu AKA the Amevia is good for me but lets hear from pros.

I cannot include their diet with insects at /all/. If I was to get a tegu (it WILL be a baby) I'd like to feed mostly rodents as well as fruits and occasional egg and other meat. Appreantly dog-food is good too. For babies, I plan to feed snails.

I am NOT a first time owner of reptiles. I own a R. Aucitilarus (Gargoyle Gecko).....9th of Oct. Im still fairly new but I have a reptile under my care. We will not be getting a tegu right away, but I just want to research till the day happends.

I dont want anything too fast you know that will like sprint around my house and Amevias are pretty quick so yeah =/ The strictest rule here according to my dad is the diet and size. Housing will NOT be a problem later on as by the time my dad accepts a tegu we should be finacially okay.

Blues seem good.. but I have no clue so im coming to you guys. Thanks a bunch! Always wanted a tegu but the problems of their size occurs. I understand the care is HIGHLY different from a Gargoyle Gecko but I acknowledge that. But to begin my research, I must know which type of Tegu I will be working with.

[txrepgirl]

Hi Fai0607. Welcome to our Tegu forum family. I don't want to be rude but I don't think a Tegu is the right pet for you then, since you can't have any insect :( . If you would get a adult Argentine blue Tegu or a Columbian Tegu ( Columbians don't grow as big but are a bit harder to tame ) then you wouldn't have to worry about the insect part. But if you get a baby Tegu it is very importent that he/she will get the right diet. Wich includes insects. They eat feeder crickets, roaches and different worms ( all bred not wild caught ). I would be careful with feeding the Tegu snails. If you get them from the wild you never know if they have any parasites or are sick in any way. I also wouldn't get them from the fish store because they put chemicals in the tanks. You could get some escargo ( sorry for the spelling ) from the store if you can find it but it will not be cheap. Most lizards eat insects. Sorry if I disapointed you.

[Pikey]

i agree 100% if insects are a No No then a Baby is also a NO NO. i have 6 tegus and let me agree with TX that insects are a major part of a babies diet.
But most red / Black & whites dont get much bigger than 3.5-4ft, if you can find an adult red female they tend to reach the 3 - 3.5ft mark
& adults can be fed on rodents, fruit, fish, & various other meats, but dog food is not a good food source. (dog/cat food can be used if it's 100% organic & i say ONLY if the tegu is very under weight and you are nursing it back to health, but used only for a short time)


P.S. Welcome to the site, & nomatter what you end up doing we are here to help & everyone is/will be more than happy to help with any questions and/or problems you might have.

[Ben3233]

Due of the size and your criteria, I would forget about any tegus. But you could check for :

Egyptian Uromastyx (near 3 feet and herbivorious) and have a very good temperament.
Regular Uromasty (Around 1 feet and herbivorious) and have a very good temperament, just smaller.

[Nessie]

I agree with Ben about the Egypian Uro, you still get a large lizard that looks so amazing and isn't a very fast mover like other lizards. Your dad would be happy since not only do you not need insects but no rodents either.

[nordica]

First off, welcome to the forum!

Secondly... yeah, I agree 100% with what the other members have said; a tegu is just not right for you. It's not *just* the restriction your Dad has placed on you about bugs either. You made the comment, "by the time my dad accepts a tegu we should be finacially okay"... tegus can be a very expensive reptile to own (because of their voracious appetites and housing/lighting requirements), and shouldn't be gotten on a supposition that you MIGHT be financially secure in the future.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but a tegu just isn't a right fit for you.

[venom34]

I agree with what was stated above, but also you mentioned maybe getting an ameiva. That also will not work because their entire diet consist of insects. Maybe a blue tongue skink would be good for u.

[Sephora]

I agree with all of the posts and also nordica's post, that's very important, I was gonna point that out but it's already been done so. I'm sorry Fai, but after reading all the replies to ur post, u should ask urself: Can I really have a Tegu and take proper care of him/her? And well answer honestly! I'm sure there has to be another lizard u can keep. Good luck Fai.

[Fai0607]

Hey thanks everyone! And no its alright I understand. I do not want to take an animal under my care if it means that it'll die due to the lack of proper diet. I'll always love tegus, though. My friend as them and she'll climb on me and sleep.

To Nordica - Yeah I figured about the food because variety is key. Its not so much that we're poor its just my dad doesnt want to spend so much money when we are already spending money on our solar panels and redecor and everything.

To Ben - Thanks! I'll look into them. I heard that Uro's are omnivores but idk probably a different type.

To Venom - I heard about them or Uro's my dad wants the easier one to take care of. I'm also from Long Island and I have yet to see either breeds at the reptile expo :c

Now talking generally, I want to thank you all again. My biggest fear is to not be able to give them the proper diet due to the restricts place down on me. I personally dont mind crickets as much but my dad skeevs them so its not anywhere near a choice. But I'll look into Uro's more as I have been looking into BTS but people just suggested a tegu and im glad I went here :3

[the enigma]

I used to have a Nigerian Uro. He ate crickets like once a month and showed barely any interest unless he was really hungry. Blue Tongue Skinks are pretty cool tho.