Large lizard

[aidenb]

saskatchewan, people here only breed corn snakes or beardies and most reptiles are ridiculously priced, i paid $120 for my bell albino leopard gecko, i can get a columbian tegu for $130 but id much prefer an argentine, where are they $250?

 

[latshki]

just look around on the internet , try reptilecanada and keep an eye on the classifieds

 

[aidenb]

I think im gonna head up to calgary and edmonton to check out some stuff

 

[Mike D]

iguana



but i am biased. i have a big green and a rhino. love them both. my green is puppy dog tame and my rhino is calm. my green free roams regularly. best pet reptile i have ever had

 

[aidenb]

will comumbian tegus ever tame down (with work) to the point of putting up with people or do they remain super skittish their whole life

 

[aidenb]

I'm going with the Savannah monitor, I've been watching videos of them and they seem well behaved enough for me, I realize that reptiles get aggressive at times but I'm prepared to take on a monitor, thanks guys.

 

[Toby_H]

will comumbian tegus ever tame down (with work) to the point of putting up with people or do they remain super skittish their whole life

Almost all Columbian Tegus are Wild Caught or Farm Bred in Columbia...

We occasionally hear of someone with a fairly tame Columbian, but they are rare. I suspect it takes not only a very experienced and very patient handler, but also requires just that right animal...

I had one (Col Tegu) when I was much younger. I had a fair bit of reptile experience and it was horribly aggressive. Far out of my range. Fortunately the shop I bought it at let me return it for a full refund/exchange.


I have a Arg Black and White now. He is the sweetest reptile I have ever seen or could ever imagine. He is not only hand tame but is often 'affectionate'.

 

[rrcoolj]

A post too late again lol

I am also biased for argetnine black and white tegus. If you want something smaller you can go with columbians. They are much harder to tame but if you are patient and resilliant than your work will pay off. I suggest the giant red or giant argentine black and white tegu though. They get about as big as savs but IMO are much tamer.

I too was doing the same thing. Searching for a large "tameable"(should be used loosely for all reptiles) large lizard to keep. I researched everything from agamas like water dragons, australian water dragons, and frilled dragons. I also looked at savs and ackies as options. I found tegus to be the perfect fit. Based on what I see and hear, tegus are easier to tame than savs as long as you follow some things. Tegus can also be omnivores depending on the keeper and lizard. Plus CBB(captive bred and born) tegus are much esier to find.

I bought my breeder quality tegu for 150 shipped which isn't bad. Reds are like 200-250 shipped(remeber these are CBB animals). Infact as I am typing my tegu is crawling on my face(really need to cut his nails). In the end though it's up to you so I hope you get what you want. Just remmeber all "tame" lizards are skittish and jumpy when first acquired and even tame tegus and savs take time to become tame. It won't happen overnight.

 

[aidenb]

im aware how long it takes, ill give it a lot of time and im planning on working with it for the first year before id expect any good results. As of now im going with the sav but i can not pick anything up till september anyway so if i do come across a red or argentine tegu that is what i'd prefer, but a sav is good enough for me. and yes, i am aware that even tame reptiles get pissy and aggressive at times, thats just part of keeping them. The thing i like aout savs is that they will hiss to warn you, where as many of the tegus i've worked with will attack right away, granted most were columbians or rescues from bad homes.