columbian tegu advice

[rrcoolj]

From what I know, it seems all blue tegus stem from an orginal few that were imported years ago. So you are not going to find a whole lot of genetic diversity. If you sign up on tegutalk.com there is a guy there with the username "Dave Dragon" and he sells blues every year around the same time Bobby Hill sells his B&W. When I was researching tegus I looked at blues too but the price was just too high. I thought they only got 3ft but it seems there are plenty of 4ft males around.

As for your female tegu question, there are exceptions but for the most part female tegus top out around 3ft. My girl has pretty much stopped growing at 37" so technically you can keep a female in a 6'x3' enclosure since IMO it would be no different than keeping a male who will reach around 4ft in a 8'x4' enclosure. Of corse I would always strive for the 8'x4' size.

B&W are great pets to have and my mom has even warmed up to my lil girl so I hope you will find the space and resources to keep one.

 

[silvertip0]

From what I know, it seems all blue tegus stem from an orginal few that were imported years ago. So you are not going to find a whole lot of genetic diversity. If you sign up on tegutalk.com there is a guy there with the username "Dave Dragon" and he sells blues every year around the same time Bobby Hill sells his B&W. When I was researching tegus I looked at blues too but the price was just too high. I thought they only got 3ft but it seems there are plenty of 4ft males around.

As for your female tegu question, there are exceptions but for the most part female tegus top out around 3ft. My girl has pretty much stopped growing at 37" so technically you can keep a female in a 6'x3' enclosure since IMO it would be no different than keeping a male who will reach around 4ft in a 8'x4' enclosure. Of corse I would always strive for the 8'x4' size.

B&W are great pets to have and my mom has even warmed up to my lil girl so I hope you will find the space and resources to keep one.

Do you know how much the Blues cost and if he has any Albinos?

 

[coura]

Blue tegus have had their limited genetics increased by crosses with red and BW tegus, the hibrids or integrades are fertile. Albino blues if Im not mistaken cost like 3 grand each.

 

[HPIZZLE]

id really like a female B&W.
ive heard that bobby(at varnyard) can sex them at incredibly young ages. however, im skeptical about this. it seems though, he's been correct a few times. id really wanna make sure i got a female though.

for cage id still prolly do 8x4 or maybe 8x3 just because i could. and because she'd be in that 4-5 days a week while im in college. however, thats a few years down the road so i may just cross that bridge when i come to it. im still hoping i get to go to college, i was just worrying about it because i like to be prepared.

 

[silvertip0]

Blue tegus have had their limited genetics increased by crosses with red and BW tegus, the hibrids or integrades are fertile. Albino blues if Im not mistaken cost like 3 grand each.

I may just gets some hets then if they are that much

 

[Toby_H]

…they (parents) flat out told me they will not take care of a lizard of that calibur even with me home on the weekends…

　
My mother tolerated me keeping all sorts of reptiles growing up in her house but never once touched any of them… She then tolerated my niece keeping all sorts of reptiles in her home but never once touched any of them… my father even had a few during times when no kids lived there and my mother never once touched any of them…
　
My mother pets my Adult Arg Tegu every time she sees him and at least once a week asks if she and my father can have him… He has totally won her heart and her affection…
　
　

…but then i thought what about a columbian? i want an animal thats fairly tame though.

　
It is very realistic that you will be able to get a captive born Col Tegu “fairly tame”, but it is very unlikely that you will ever get a Col Tegu to be “puppy dog tame”. But do know the difference between the two are night and day.
　

im looking for advice from any kind of tegu owner on realistically how easy these animals are to "tame." (when i say tame i mean be handeled without wanting to eat and poop out my soul.)

　
If that is how you define “tame” then I think it will be very easy. But I think if that is how you are defining tame then you are denying yourself of a lot of wonderful opportunity to have a truly tame reptile.
　
　

because a columbian is much smaller so it could be easily managable. also ive recently heard a theory that most of the aggressive ones were imported and pissed off but the CB ones do much better at adapting to being handeled.

　
I agree that a Col will be able to be kept in a slightly smaller enclosure and will eat a bit less, but I do not think it is accurate to say “it could be (more) easily manageable”.
　
　

also if you have expierence id like to know what cage size you recommend. i personally figured with a columbian coming out daily to excersise in his own basement, id do around 6x3x2(?) ive heard they climb so not sure on height.

　
Columbians are more agile and more active by nature. So the size of enclosure one will need is really not much smaller than an Arg Tegu. I believe a 3’ Col would need more space than a 3’ Arg… and I believe a 3’ Arg would be MUCH easier to free roam than a 3’ Col…
　
　

really though, i would like a B&W

　
Stop right there… that’s your answer…
　
Don’t compromise. If you want a motor cycle you don’t buy a moped because it’s easier. Since you do not “need” any reptile, and it’s only purpose is to make you happy, they get the one that will make you happy or wait until you can get the one that will make you happy. Compromising and getting something less will only deepen your desire to have what you really want without satisfying that desire.
　
　

but id want a female just because of the smaller size and i think my mom would bond with her more and she'd want to keep her.

　
I’ve only raised a male, but from what I hear, although females will get just as tame as a male, they still have their moody days. I am not suggesting getting a female is a bad idea, just sharing a detail that I have very consistently heard from owners of females.
　
　

well i was hoping to avoid the evil nasty columbian stereo type. ill be able to work with him every day, and if for some reason not at least 6 days a week. i think the difference to them is the food bill and the size of the enclosure, however i believe there logic is flawed. i just dont tell them because im tired of my dad wooping my smart ass with a text book.

　
Have your father do the research with you, or if he isn’t interested share the results of your research with him.
　
Col Tegus are more active than Arg, so they need more space (pound per pound).
　
Either species gets quite big and needs a big enclosure. So ask yourself, would an 8x4 really be that much more intrusive than a 6x3? I’ve found once you go “frikkin huge” overall size becomes less impacting and making the thing manageable to move and fit into a space becomes the deciding factors.
　
Also, which would your parents be more favorable to… a big fat lazy Arg Tegu that lays around most of the time and then wonders casually around (while free roaming) looking for a better place to take a nap… Or a slender active Col Tegu that is climbing all over everything and jumping from the couch to the table then trying to climb the curtains…
　
　

any one know how much smaller female (Arg) B&Ws tend to stay than males?

　
Males very typically get 4’… females typically range anywhere between 3~3.5’ as adults.
　
But there is also a large difference in girth. Males get fatter and develop the traditional ‘jowls’. While males may only be 10~20% longer, they will be 25~50% heavier…
　
　

id really like a female B&W.

　
Then I suggest you do not compromise. If you can get one, do so…
　
　

ive heard that bobby(at varnyard) can sex them at incredibly young ages. however, im skeptical about this. it seems though, he's been correct a few times. id really wanna make sure i got a female though.

　
I’ve been on Bobby’s forum (www.TeguTalk.com) for three years (Toby_H there) and I have not once seen a customer post a complaint of getting an incorrectly sexed Tegu. I think you should have complete confidence in his ability to sex his hatchlings.
　
　

for cage id still prolly do 8x4 or maybe 8x3 just because i could. and because she'd be in that 4-5 days a week while im in college. however, thats a few years down the road so i may just cross that bridge when i come to it. im still hoping i get to go to college, i was just worrying about it because i like to be prepared.

　
Because when you are away for school, you will not be around to free roam your Tegu, I think you should go as big as possible on the enclosure. I also think you should consider making a double decker enclosure. It’s important to give your Tegu space to explore, not only a bigger box…
　
　
Several other people made some great points and shared great ideas. There were several things I wanted to comment on but looking up… I think I’ve already taken my web space for now… lol…
　
~Toby H

 

[rrcoolj]

Do you know how much the Blues cost and if he has any Albinos?

I don't think he sells albinos and I believe his blues go for like 350. I am referring to pure blue tegus. I know Bobby Hill sells "all american tegus" which is a cross of reds, B&W and blues. I have yet to see an adult of those yet. Personally I am a bit of a purist and like to stay away from hybrids but that's just me.

@HIPIZZLE- As mentioned Bobby Hill should be able to sex your animal with very good accuracy. He does say he cannot garante 100% but again there are very little times he's wrong. I did originally ask for a male from him but I didn't care and i told him that. I ended up with a female and it really doesn't matter to me. She is just as sweet. That being said you still have to work with them to get that tame lizard, it's not going to happen over night. You need to dedicate time and have patience those first crutial months you have her to make sure you implement certain things into her and to get her accustomed to you and her new surroundings.

As always you should do lots of research. Google carehseets, read forum posts, etc so you know as much as you can to make a solid decision. GL with whatever you descide .

 

[HPIZZLE]

thank you so much for the posts guys. ive been researching argentines for almost a year. i remember wanting one for my last birthday and researching the hell outta it and its almost my birthday again. my definition of tame was some what of a joke, im just tired of getting responses from people saying that like, "no animal is really tame" or "columbians are untamable" witch i believe is just ignorance to the subject on their part. but i do see how they think no animal is totally tame, but their comparisons are prolly based on cats and dogs.

i think im going to just go ahead and get the argentine. ive convinced my mom and my dad prolly wont even notice the 8x4 enclosure for a few months(sad i know, but he has some problems with being smart.) plus i have some big fishtanks still laying around i can use for a while, but i'll deff build the enclosure this summer just to make sure it gets done.

now on to the "off days" with females subject. as far as im concerned ALL animals have off days. but my mom is very over dramatic with these types of things. she cant catergorize "off days." to her the animal is mean, or nice. i think i should be able to just handle her in my room then bring up stairs every once in a while to get used to other people. my mom really loves my Blue tongue skink. but, im also worried about when my moms taking care of her. i really dont think she would ever try and handle her, but if she does while the gu is having an off day, and im in college, there is potential for disaster. as far as i know, these animals have pretty strong bites. id hate for anything to happen to either one of them. ive seen a youtube vid of "tegu puberty" or something along those lines that demenstrate that behaviour with a female, but ive heard that its only when their young? she would prolly be right around 2.5 years of age when i go to college, so not quite an adult but not a baby. I will have plenty of time to spend with her daily though. most of my animals "enjoy" (prolly closer to tolerate) the hum of my bass guitar when i practice. theres a real soft vibration to it. with the exception of my ackie. he associates the bass with "someone is out there!!! ima go beg for food!!!" so there should be plenty of time she could be out then. im not going to try that until ive had her a few months though.

but thanks again for your guys' helpful responses. do you know which part of the year bobby hill's clutches start to hatch? and ive heard that bobby's tegus because of what part of the country hes in, start to hibernate at around the same time as most the other tegus he produces. when do yours start to hibernate, and around how long? is there a noticable difference between male and female hibernation periods?

 

[jewbo]

Thank you for the compliment on my tegu and Foamy the alligator. I wasnt including her tail in my measurements just her body. Cod liver oil by the way does have a lot of protein in it just thought id clear that up. My tegu whenever she has an off day usually hisses when i go to pick her up and it only happens occasionally. As long as you frequently handle it you should be fine, and blue tegus are just completely over priced and pointless to buy. Just go with columbian, theyre not as bad as what most people make them out to be. Like i said before i love mine to death. If you have any other questions just ask.

 

[rrcoolj]

^You must have something mixed up. As mentioned cod liver oil does not contain protein but it is full of omega 3 and vitamins.

As for the "off day" thing. It USUALLY does not consist of hissing or lunging at least in my case. My female would take defensive positions or simply try to escape when I picked her up. Nothing major. I honestly wouldn't worry about it that much but I feel it is something worth mentioning. The video "tegu puberty" is a pretty extreme case although I have read about similar situations with other owners so it is not unheard of.

It's like the teenage stage for reptiles where certain things seem to piss them off. Something i can understand . I am unfamiliar with male sexual maturity but If I recall they like to let their "junk" hang out when they become sexually mature.

Bobby usually has his tegus hatch around June so that's when he will start selling them and he usually runs out around early September.

Tegu hibernation patterns vary but usually their first year they will hibernate for like 6months. When they go under is completely up to them. Some go under as early as September and some as late as December it just depends. This year my tegu decided to wait until early January to hibernate. I have read that as they get older they usually start to hibernate less. But again it is up to them.