Tegu, Savannah Monitor or Water Monitor?

[Sans_Coeur]

My boyfriend and I are looking into getting a lizard since his ex wife killed his Tegu (she wouldn't feed it and wouldn't let their kids feed it... she wouldn't let him have t until their divorce is settled...)... So, we're looking into getting a new lizard. He's had a few Tegus, but we held a Savannah Monitor today and he also liked the size of the Water Monitors. We've been looking into Tegus (Speckled, Blue and Rainbow), Water Monitor and the Savannah Monitor.

So, the question is, is which would you chose? Also, Which of the 3 have the best temperament (calmer and easier when it comes to handling)? And, of the Tegus we listed, what exactly are their maximum size ranges (Head to tail)?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

 

[syddakyd]

that wife is a real piece of crap taking out the divorce on an animal. i think she personally should be brought up on charges. look into that. seriously.


and temperment wise savannahs are usually tamer. waters are known to have a nastier dispostition...and tegus range depending on type. i have heard golds are usually worse but that can be all hear say. personally experience tells me savannahs are like puppies.

 

[latshki]

ok
first off I do not think that any of those tegu types exist lol
the types of tegus are colombians and argentines, avoid colombians which are often balck and white colombians and gold colombians
the best and most mild tempered are reds, black and whites and chocan giants
make sure it is an argentine as the others are nasty
these guys will need an enclosure that is 8x4 feet minimum
a general rule is that if the animal is 3 feet long you have a cage that is as deep as the animal is long and 2x the animals length so a 6x3 foot cage would fit a 3 foot animal, but bigger is always better
arg. tegus are very calm very friendly animals that are generally easy to take care of if you have the space and money for food

savannah monitors are made out to be great pets and such but a healthy sav is usually not very friendly and will hiss and bite

water monitors are great as long as you can afford its feeding bill and to make a cage that is around 16x8 feet at the minimum

 

[Nabbig2]

both

 

[Sans_Coeur]

Well, I don't know much about the Tegus, let alone reptiles in general, I just know that he's had a couple of them... What they're really called is unknown to me. He was told that the ones he has had were called: Speckled and Rainbow... The blues we found online... The people at the pet shop we went to said that the Sav. Monitors were very calm and nice. We don't really know about the Water Monitors, which is why I was asking about those.


As for bringing up charges on his ex for killing his lizard... we are talking about that with his lawyer because he paid about 600$ for him...

 

[snakeguy101]

Water monitors are fantastic animals that can be tamed but they require the most work out of those choices, they get HUGE (reaching upwards of 9 feet long) but can be as nice as a puppy. Just be sure that the place that you get it from does not have it mislabeled and that it is not a Nile instead (they look similar but can be mean as hell and are much more difficult to tame down).

Savannah monitors are very chill and very easy to work with but all in all are not nearly as interactive as a water monitor. Great starter for Varanus enthusiasts.

I have never kept tegus but they seem to be the happy medium between these guys. they don't get to big and are a bit more personable than savannah's. It all depends on what you are looking for in your pet. but all of them have great qualities.

 

[Sans_Coeur]

The more I hear from people, and the more I read up on all of these guys, the more I'm kind of leaning towards telling him I want to get a Tegu... I don't really want something that can eat our small dogs... (Pug and a French Bulldog.. can't have big dogs because of where we live.. can't be over 50 lbs)... How big do the Savannah's get, head to tail though?? I also want something that if I'm going to handle it, it won't try to bite me every five minutes...

 

[KNMG]

A Savannah will max out at around three feet and 15-20 pounds or so. Just do a search for them. Sav's are probably in the top 3 of "pet" monitors. I would advise taking the Water off your list. There are not many people out here that have the devotion and understanding to give them what they need. Not many people in the private sector should even entertain the thought of keeping one. That is of course you are prepared to devote a huge chunk of your living space for the animals enclosure. Get a Tegu or a Savannah. Also as stated earlier stay away from Gold's and Colombians as they are usually mean. Good luck and do your research!

 

[CTU2fan]

I've found that about 80% of tegus at the average pet shop are colombians. If the store is charging under $100 99% it's a colombian. Once you've seen both they're not hard to tell apart:

Colombian, Tupinambis teguixin.

Argentine black & white, Tupinambis merianea.

 

[EricIvins]

Any of the three, when kept with proper husbandry and the right basking temperatures, will not be like a "Puppy" or a "Dog", or anything of the like.........Some tolerate Human interaction, most don't however..........Any Reptile that is kept cold and under-metabolized will be "tame", and can be very misleading......