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Thread: I'm new here, and have 2 new tegu's and questions.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mattituck, NY
    Posts
    2

    Question I'm new here, and have 2 new tegu's and questions.

    A couple of weeks ago I purchased a juvenile Columbian tegu possible 3 months old. Unfortunately he got away during a feeding, and made it out of the house. I searched for him for over a week non-stop. I'm sure it was as stressful for him/her as it was for me. A week later I purchased another Columbian tegu which I was told was at least 5 months old. She/he is eating well and adjusting wonderfully according to everything I've read through internet researching. Yesterday when I came home from work I found the 1st tegu sitting outside my door as if to say "I'm back". I brought him back in the house and gave him a seperate enclosure to stay in. I was surprised to see that he was still alive after the long week of thunder storms, temperature drops below 60 degrees and not having a reliable food source, not to mention the other predatory animals in the neighborhood. I gave him a soaking bath with Zoo Med ReptiSafe Instant Terrarium Water Conditioner to rehydrate him/her. He also ate some eggs and ground turkey immediately. Now here's where I have some questions I'm hoping someone can answer for me.

    The first tegu I affectionately named Frankie is younger than the second tegu Alice. Must I have them seperated even though they are both still juvenile Columbian tegus? Around how old will they have to be before I can find out their sexes so I can appropriately name them? lol. I've read that feeding live food to the Columbian tegus activates their prey drive and causes them to be more aggressive. Should I avoid live food? Frank and Alice also squirm A LOT when handling which I read is normal, will they; with lots of attention and handeling really get tamer or will they always want to eat me? lol.

    Any information I can get will be GREATLY appreciated.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    1,210

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    Welcome, Tanya223. Thank you so much for that great story with a happy ending.

    Regarding live prey, I would avoid any living meal bigger than a horn worm. Live food puts the tegu in hunter mode, when they feel they must grab the prey before it escapes and kill it real hard before it bites back. So the lizard is more prone to be an indiscriminate biter and to keep his tough on. But live rodents, even little hoppers, can bite and scratch your tegu. Even a little bite can lead to a serious infection for a reptile in captivity. So that's a primary reason why I don't even occasionally give our boy the pleasure of conquering his dinner.

    I've never kept a Columbian or two tegus so I can't advise on the other issues. But I'm sure other members will chime in. This is a great place to learn from others' experience.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

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    1) Yes, they will calm down and quit trying to eat you. Keeping them well fed while they are hrowing helps. I like to feed mine before handling so they calm down.

    2) I'm not sure of the exact size with Colombians, but when it reaches a length of about 18-20", you should begin to tell the gender. The males will have small little bumps called spurs or buttons located on each side of the vent.

    3) Agree with HM about live food other than insects.

    4) Keeping together is specific for each set of animals. I have a pair of Colombians that live together and do well. My female B/W tegus wouldn't tolerate a room mate. I would introduce them in a neutral place and maybe add some fresh mulch in the new cage to give it a new start.

    Welcome to the forum. That's a great story you have there!
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mattituck, NY
    Posts
    2

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    Thank you so much for your advise. I'm going to slowly introduce them to each other in a neutral place, and hope for the best. They're both so great and I can't wait for them to mellow out some.
    1 Dog "Samantha"
    2 Columbian Tegu's "Alice" & "Frank"
    1 Tokay Gecko "Tuki"
    1 preteen daughter "Cait"


    "Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain." ~ Vivian Greene

  5. #5

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    When I introduced my columbian with a friends columbian, I took my friends goo and put him in a clear rubbermaid container so that mine could see it. I would let them interact under close supervision, but during the night I put my buddies goo in the rubbermaid and just left him in the cage.

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