Any other tegu keepers?

[Umbra]

Just picked up a 27 inch red tegu from the pet store, ran me a pretty penny, but worth every cent of it! He's a bit nasty when I try to remove him from the tank, as he hisses and puffs and lashes out with his tail, although he's considerably quiet once I have him out. I'll give him a month or so and I'm sure I'll have him alot more tractable than he is now. Anyone else keeping any tegus or other large lizards?

 

[Nate77]

nice i used to have a black and white dont see many reds at the shops around here and when they have them they are around 200-300 at 8-12inches

 

[AllyBabba]

He might settle down with fequent feeding, I work at a pet store and we get them in all the time. They always come in jerks but after a couple of good feeding they settle in.

 

[lophius]

yes .. i have a pair of paraguayan B&W's .. male 49", female about 42" ..

am thinking about getting another female ....

carl

 

[warren126]

I used to have a black & white he was a ass had him about 6months had too get rid of him e just would not calm down he was about 27"

 

[Super G]

Here she is!

 

[Umbra]

Lophius, at about what length do the jowls of the male start developing? Mine is about 26ish inches and it looks as if some jowls are beginning to develop, but I've heard from mixed sources as to when they should be sexable by methods other than probing. I've been told by some sources that the jowls on a male should be in by 25 inches, whereas other sources have told me that they aren't fully developed until the lizard is about 36 inches.

Well either way, puma is already making handling progress after just a couple of days. I took it out today for the first time, and although she resists being lifted up and squirmed a bit and hissed a little, it made no attempt to bite. I slept in a tshirt and threw it in the tank this morning, and after I got back from afternoon classes it was curled up and sleeping in it Once out of the tank, it explored my hallway (and left a little surprise by the door ) and ate a few pieces of banana that I had left on the ground for it to find. I'm trying to get it used to eating outside of the cage so I don't get a feeding response while trying to remove it or changing the water dish, etc. It's alot more calm once outside of the tank and it will crawl up my arms onto my lap and back onto the ground. Putting it back into the tank was a bit more of a chore, I think it still wished to explore more, but I had to go out. All in all it's calming down quite nicely and is already getting used to me as a keeper

 

[Super G]

old pics of my red female

 

[Umbra]

Another update; puma seems to have learned that when I open her tank it's good, and readily crawls onto my arm to be taken out, and is now eating kiwi, orange, banana, dandelion, crickets, waxworms, roaches, etc, gonna try mice soon. She's great when she's out, however she gets a bit suspicious when I pick her up and walk around with her while she's out, she doesn't want to go back in lol.

 

[lophius]

Xioa .. very nice teg ... hard to tell at that size the sex but my guess would be female .. my male started to exhibit jowl development only when it was about 32". sometimes female develop jowls, or ales may not develop particularly prominent ones .. I think you'll have to wait until it grows a little to be sure.

Also it looks as though yours may have lost part of its tail in the past? there is no striping towards the last 1/3 ...


They are incredibly intelligent lizards and do learn very quickly ... a lot of fun though.

carl