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Thread: 'Dwarf Tegus'

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    6

    Default 'Dwarf Tegus'

    My son has recently aquired a pair of Amevias. They also are known as Dwarf Tegus or Jungle Runners. We are trying to find information on these beautiful reptiles. We were told they are a breeding pair. They are roughly 18 to 24 inches long. They have ravenous appetites. We have found some info that the male has larger jowls and blue on the inside of the front legs. We are seeking information on breeding, brumation, diet (eating crickets, strawberries, cantelope, top quality dog food from a reptile store and the occaisional hopper mouse) and anything else that anyone can share. These are awesome creatures and he loves them to death. My son is quite experienced with reptiles. He has
    1) pair of amevias
    2)6 leopard geckos
    3)8 month old female veiled chameleon
    4)2 year old male veiled chameleon
    5)female northern pine snake
    6)female albino corn snake
    7)a male Iguana
    2 week old baby geckos
    9)water dragon

    Has also had beared dragons and a black and while Tegu. Any info gratefully received. Adam1 in Canada. : Thankyou.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Eddington, Maine
    Posts
    1,312

    Default

    please do them a favor and dont feed dog food.. its dog food for a reason.. sry..
    0.1.0 Col. Tegu
    0.1.1 Arg. Tegu
    0.2.0 Leos
    0.0.1 Spotted Python
    0.0.1 Painted Turtle

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

    Default

    I have a male green amevia and he is an interesting little creature!I'm quite certain mine was WC and he is not handleable at all. He will however take food from my hand and let me pet him on the back a bit if he's in a certain mood. Otherwise, he's a display animal in my bedroom that aggravates my husband ("What's the point of having that animal?" he says).

    Mine will only eat insects and small mice. I've tried ground turkey and I've tried fruits, but he just walks away from them. I've even tried canned food, but he doesn't eat that either. I don't believe all canned foods were created equal, and I know people have different opinions about canned foods. Dog foods have a lot of filler and grain products in them, so I choose cat foods. I also stay away from canned reptile foods because the first ingredient is usually corn. The canned cat food I use is Blue Buffalo Spa Select or another organic equivalent from PetSmart. Blue Buffalo has whole foods and added fruits/veggies to the diet. There is not a lot of added chemicals and not a lot of added phosphorous. A lot of canned pet foods are also high in phosphorous which is not good for reptiles.

    Mine likes a tropical environment and drinks a lot of water. I give him clean water daily and mist frequently. I keep the temps around 95-100 and use a linear 10.0 UV that is hung inside the cage to bypass the mesh screen. He likes to climb, so he ends up basking on top of the UV fixture and hanging out. I provide a lot of fake plants for him to hide in and he seems to prefer them. He's very skittish which is why he stays in my bedroom (low traffic). I've also had to put up black paper as a background on three sides to prevent him from running into the glass.

    Mine did not brumate last year.

    I imagine breeding info will be difficult to find as these guys are not widely bred. There is a wild population in S FL and many are WC or ranched. The selling price at reptile shows is around $15, so there is not much incentive to develop a breeding program for a wild, hyper lizard even if they are quite cute! I didn't even purchase mine, he was the grand prize of a trivia contests at a local reptile show. I saw it from a distance and thought it was a baby tegu. You might find ads on kingsnake or visit reptile shows and ask people who are selling amevias if they have any info. I'm going to Daytona and I have to go out to Glades Herp next month, so I'll see if I come across anything for you.

    Have fun with your pair! Perhaps yours is not as wacko as mine seems to be, lol!

    Here's a couple of care sheets, although it seems that you have found some already.

    http://www.reptileallsorts.com/ameiva-cs.htm ***perhaps the most accurate

    http://centralpets.com/animals/repti...s/lzd5952.html ***second best

    The petco care sheet is not as accurate (shocker!)...I think the basking temp is too cool and I'm unsure of the fruit part.
    http://www.petco.com/caresheets/lizards/Ameiva.pdf

    Not the best picture, but here's my guy...known as Patrick, Knick-Knack, or just 'mevia

    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
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    83

    Default

    thank you laurafl for that wonderfull info and i hope you can help me by getting as much as you can from that place your going to! they are wonderfull animals and i do wish to try and breed them mabe i can start some thing new with them as a great pet i have them in a 6foot long 3 foot high tank that is great for them cuz they love to run around and hide under the rocks as soon as i get my camera working ill put some picks up i know they arnt a tegu in a sense but they do have a name of the dwarf tegu thats why i was looking here by the way that was my mom that was asking the questions before trying to help me with them they dog food i feed them is an organic one that has big chunks of carrots and other veg in them its actually really expensive around 7 bucks for a tube of it i feed them crickets and hornd worms silk worms i have a mega ray bulb on one side and a 100 watt reptile bulb on the other with the cool zone in the middle of the tank i also have a uv bulb on them aswell. any other info would be great thank you again laurafl for the info and i promise to get picks up asap

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    Sounds like a nice set-up!

    They are teiids, in the tegu family, so it is very appropriate to post here.
    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

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    1,233

    Default

    If you could tell us the exact species or maybe post a picture of them we could provide you with more accurate information particular to the Ameiva sp. you have.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    83

    Default

    like i said before i will be posting pics and asfore what they look like there is a pic in the post lol

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    1,233

    Default

    Uh, no, that's laurafl's Ameiva, not yours. There are a number of Ameiva species, and they don't all have exactly the same requirements, same as there's a number of tegu species, and they each have their own particular requirements. Knowing what YOUR Ameiva species is will help us tell you more about their needs.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    Mine is white underneath and I'm really just 80% sure it's A. ameiva. If yours has blue underneath, it could be A. festiva. A fuscata is really colorful, too. Try looking up those names and see if they fit any descriptions.
    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

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    83

    Default

    its the exact same as yours

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