which type of tegu?

prcdslnc13 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-17-2005, 01:46 AM

im going to a swap meet this weekend and im really hoping to come home with a tegu. my preferred is a red i really love the pinks and reds they have and have an awesome personality. but i know they have very picky diets and need certain types of fruit in the diet to be able to shed correctly. ive read that blues have the same personality but less shedding problems. and black and whites as long as you get argentines yoll be ok. i guess my question is in you guys' experience which type is a better breed. size isnt really a matter as i have a 6x2x2 cage sitting empty. and money also isnt a huge issue as i just got a car insurance settlement. but id like o not spend more then 150$ but i will if i really need to to get a good tegu.

ann0306 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-17-2005, 01:49 AM

I'm jealous- I'd love a tegu! I've heard nothing but good things about their personalities, plus they look like dinosaurs!

Aren't most of them in sleepy mode this time of year, though?

NicoleRussell · #3 (**permalink**) 02-17-2005, 02:24 AM

buy an argentine B/W--chacoan male...you'll never go wrong with him

prcdslnc13 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-17-2005, 02:39 AM

ive seen them and they look like they may be a good choice. i have seen them on blue tegu.com and they may be what i end up with but i still like the reds

CC · #5 (**permalink**) 02-17-2005, 02:50 AM

Quote:

but i still like the reds

Then go with a red. Though I don't believe I have ever seen any type of Tegu for under $200 unless it was a Colomian B&W(which I don't recommend).

blue_tegu · #6 (**permalink**) 02-18-2005, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prcdslnc13

im going to a swap meet this weekend and im really hoping to come home with a tegu. my preferred is a red i really love the pinks and reds they have and have an awesome personality. but i know they have very picky diets and need certain types of fruit in the diet to be able to shed correctly. ive read that blues have the same personality but less shedding problems. and black and whites as long as you get argentines yoll be ok. i guess my question is in you guys' experience which type is a better breed. size isnt really a matter as i have a 6x2x2 cage sitting empty. and money also isnt a huge issue as i just got a car insurance settlement. but id like o not spend more then 150$ but i will if i really need to to get a good tegu.

6x2x2 is exactly what I have and believe me, it's quite a bit smaller than you think. I can't imagine keeping a tegu any bigger than my female blue in there, since she's the smallest of the tegus. if you're going to get a red, which grow absolutely huge, you'll need a bigger cage.

here's a little comparison to put it in perspective (thanks Russ!)

that is a female blue on the back of a male red.

and here's a pic of mine so you can see that female blues aren't small

Good Luck!

prcdslnc13 · #7 (**permalink**) 02-18-2005, 05:29 PM

holy poo yeah thats a difference. the bigger cage thing isnt really a big deal. you see one of my favorite parts of getting a new lizard is building a new cage. some times i like that even more then the lizard but thats a rarity. im starting to lean more toward blues and if i dont find one this weekend there are a couple places online that im thinking about. that i have seen some nice ones.

DragonRyu · #8 (**permalink**) 03-29-2005, 05:56 PM

hi everyone i just signed up. anyways i've been researching tegus for a while since im planning on getting one in a couple months, and heres a couple things i've learned that might be useful when considering which one to buy.

Argentine B/W and Blue: very tame and friendly and not overly large, although the B/W apparently has a big head. These are apparently the two best kinds of tegu to get if you want one you can interact with.

Columbian B/W: also pretty good, however it can be more timid than the others and therefore would require most time spent in order to get used to you.

Red: the most colourful and interesting to view. also the largest therefore needing a bigger cage than most. they are ok as pets however can be really picky and require alot of time and care since the medical problems that can arrise from them. basically, a good pet, but more trouble than alot of people want to handle with their first tegu.

Gold: i havent done a huge amount of research on this type, but from what i've heard, this type should probably be avoided. they look nice but grow to be about 4 feet and are simply more vicious by nature than the other types.

anyways, thats what i've been able to learn so far, however a large amount of this info came from other enthusiasts websites so some of it may be inaccurate.

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