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Thread: Questions about growing old tegu's

  1. #1

    Unhappy Questions about growing old tegu's

    Hi people.

    Tegus reportedly grow up to 1.30 ~ 1.40 meters, but mine is 4 years and it was only 1.15 meters, and frankly I've never seen a tegu over 1.20 meters, I think "1.40 meters "is legend.


    My adult male tegu is 4 years old and 1.13 meters long, was to be 1.15 meters but he lost 2 inches of tail a few months and they cm never grew back.

    The question is ...

    Even with 4 years of age, he still growing?
    Until the age tegus grow?

    My tegu is native, brazilian... and I feed on average 2 or 3 times a week with fish, chicks, live rats (1 or 2 per month) eggs, quail (1 per month, sometimes), banana and... banana (it's the only fruit he eats, usually 1 per week + calcium supp), sometimes, and rarely... I can make him eat pieces of tomato or mango, arugula, watercress, and a few basil leaves, in the meat.

    This diet is correct?

    My 4 year old tegu:




    Good shape?



    I'm a young brazilian guy, and... my english sux.

    =/
    Brasileiro com orgulho ^^

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
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    Central Maine
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    Your english is fine. I have seen worse from people who use english as a primary language. lol

    Male tegus generally get 3'5" to 4 feet in the first few years. After their first few years their growing slows, but they will continue to grow very slowly their entire life.

    The 4'5" feet long tegu is very possible, much like it is possible for a human male to grow to 7'9" feet tall. It's just not as common.

    So, I could say that human males can grow upto 7'9", but that would not be the average. The average would be closer to 5'10" to 6'

    Your tegus diet is varied, that is good. As far as the fruits, try feeding some ground turkey too because you can mix in some sweet strawberry, grape, melon, etc. Whatever you are doing is working. He is a good looking boy.

    I hope I have been of some assistance.

    Rick

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
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    Hello Mangue,

    Wow! You do have a very good looking, big boy. Congratulations ...


    Thank You for showing him to us.
    1.0.0 Argentine Tegu
    0.1. Colombian Tegus
    1.0.0 Genetic Stripe Reticulated Python
    1.0.0 Albino/Lav Reticulated Python
    1.0.0 Normal Dwarf Reticulated Python
    0.1.0 Dwarf Platinum Reticulated Python
    0.1.0 Dwarf Tiger Reticulated Python
    0.1.0 Normal Burmese Python

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Sweden
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    Really nice Tegu. Are there many breeders in Brazil? One of our Tegus comes from Brazil and I would really be interested in founding out more about it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    PDX, OR
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    he looks super cool!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    Earth
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    Ola, Mangue! Tudo bem? Bienvenido (desculpe, meu portugeuse esta muito mal).

    Your english is quite good compared to others I know down there, sem problema.

    I think only specific populations of tegus get to be of the larger size, most of the ones I saw in Brasil were about the same size as what you have, your tegu is likely fully grown.

    Beings as you are right where the tegus naturally exist, you can get fruits more like what they typically eat. Acerola, pitanga, jabuticaba, papaya, cherimoya......I wish I could remember all the names of the fruits down there I know they eat. Some other vegetables they sometimes would take would be some abobora (not the japonese kind, the orange one, try lightly steamed), sometimes couve.

    Although you are unlikely to find turkey as Rick suggested, in Brasil, frango will do just as well. You can get your butcher to grind it up, and then mix in various fruits and vegetables. Always make sure to use calcium supplement whenever you use meats instead of whole animal (you can also go with lean carne or pernil).

    Tchau

  7. #7

    Smile

    Thanks people!

    Isdrake, the Tegus are legal in Brazil but captive breeding is prohibited (stupid government), so breeders do not have much freedom, the illegal trade in animals is growing here because of this, unfortunately...

    Brazilian native tegus tend to be more beautiful in the wild, they are more striped and has stronger colors and beautiful than the Tegus captivity, and has more strong body...

    This video shows a wild female tegu feeding on banana native, in Macaé - Rio de Janeiro:

    Pay attention to the color of it, the yellow stripes are magnificent!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIhbm5yRRyw

    And this is the video of my boy, Draco, 2 years ago:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpd1r...eature=related
    Brasileiro com orgulho ^^

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Sweden
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    So there's a risk that one of our Tegus are taken from the wild? :O

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Wow! I just watched that video of the tegu chasing after bananas in the wild. What great colors! Other than appearance, I notice two other things different from our Hernando. Our boy has never run or jumped that fast for anything. And the gait -- this wild tegu moves his whole body different from our boy. Did anyone else notice a difference? Hernando has this kind of swivelly sashay, like he's walking to tango music and can't help dancing a little. This wild one seems so business-like by comparison.

    Does anyone share this observation with their tegus, or is ours maybe a little gay (I mean that in a good way)?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    Earth
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    I wouldn't say yours is gay, it's a matter of tempered (as in tempering steel) and exercise. Pet tegus, as a rule, are fat, lazy lizards and have never honed their skills at hunting on a daily basis. Wild tegus, on the other hand, have to be successful or they die, they are much more muscular and agile, and display much more purposeful movement.

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