New to tegu's.

mmebwilliams · Member Joined: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 21

Hi i'm mike and if the photo's uploaded properly this is binxie. According to the pet shop's age he's about 5-6 months old, He's 23" long head to tail and i've had him for a couple of weeks now.

If they don't show properly I'm on page 17 of the album.

I'm ecstatic at the mo, as he has just eaten some fruit with some mealworms scattered over them as he hasn't been eating any fruit, UNTIL NOW.

I will add a link to a video in the near future when i've uploaded them on another site.

Just one question really do you think the age is right for his length? as i am currently feeding him everyday and have slowly changed his diet from solely mice(which is all they fed him in the shop) to large insects, fruit/veg and ground turkey/chicken aswell as the treats like eggs, etc.

Thanks.

eradi · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject:

Welcome and Nice tegu! I like the large black area on his sides.
Depending on how much and what you feed it, Tegus (while young) can grow anywhere from 2" - 4" a month. At any rate, I think everyone here
will agree that he/she looks good and healthy for it's age.
Variety in their diet is the best thing you can do for your new friend.
There are plenty of old posts you can read to inform you further.
Crickets, mice and fruit are most commonly fed. They also love nightcrawlers if you want to give them a treat. Don't forget to dust your
crx with calcium/vitamins and get a good bulb that emmits UVA & UVB
if you don't already have one. UV for tegus is a neccessity!

E
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1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

mmebwilliams · Member Joined: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 21

repti 8.0 uv light, and i try to vary the insects as much as possible and will be changing from large mice to baby rats soon aswell.

I also wanted to say that getting him out of the cage is still a bit scarey at the moment as he still huffs a bit and whips his tail on occasion but once he's out he's o.k.

Is there any advice on introducing another tegu, arg b&w of course and hopefully i will be getting a female, and would i need to do it soon.

eradi · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:46 pm Post subject:

Sounds like you just need to work with him a little more. If you handle it
1 or 2 times a day for 15 minute periods you'll notice a difference inside
of a few weeks. That is what I did with the 2 I had from hatchling size and
they are as tame as you can get. Don't overdue it on the handling because you can stress them out. As they settle in and get comfortable you can take them out for longer periods.
If the tegu is sleeping or in it's hide box it should be left alone until it's up and out own it's own. That will frighten them, make them grumpy and they will lose their trust with you.
Take your time with this one and get to know each other first. You can usually always find another tegu to pair him up with. You want to be sure
of the sex too. Two males will fight as they grow older and mature.
We're all junkies here and it's almost impossible to stop at one!

Good luck and enjoy!

E
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1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

blair0228 · Honored Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 150

that is a beautiful teguu! I love the pattern

VARNYARD · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:31 pm Post subject:

eradi, I hate to disagree, but males do not fight as you have suggested. I have several males housed together, and I might add there is never any fighting between my males. Males are very laid back in this species, even during breeding season.

The closest thing I have seen between males is mock breeding, and this is not done in aggression.

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mmebwilliams · Member Joined: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 21

Here's a video of him on his basking shelf taking mice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6MwSlvLo1g

Bye

nicolerussell · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:20 am Post subject:

my female is much more agressive then my male...he's a giant marshmallow with legs

_________________
Yours,
NiColeRuSSell

"I'm gonna do what I should've done in the first place. I'll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her... until she likes me again."
-Spike

eradi · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:21 am Post subject:

Maybe my friends experience was a rare occurence then?
He had two adult males and they absolutely did not like each other.
It did start out as a mounting dominance thing then over time it turned into
total tegu turmoil when a full on brawl ensued. Now they are kept separate...
_________________
1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

nicolerussell · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:44 am Post subject:

I try not to keep males together because of the whole dominance thing--with other species in general. I have to admit I never asked anyone about tegus specifically and currently I have one male....but Varnyard has many tegus and would know more then an average hobbyist of such things.
_________________
Yours,
NiColeRuSSell

"I'm gonna do what I should've done in the first place. I'll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her... until she likes me again."
-Spike

VARNYARD · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:26 am Post subject:

Bert also keeps males together. His breeding groups are made up of seven males to five females. This is done to keep the fertility rate higher in the eggs. When breeding a 1.1 group often times many of the eggs are not fertile. With the ratio of more males then females, the chances are much higher.

Nicole, you are also correct. Females do show signs of aggression, Mine must be housed separate after breeding. they can and will attack other tegus over guarding the nest. Bert also houses his females separate after breeding.

Also mmebwilliams, You have a very nice looking tegu. Looks like you are doing a great job with him.
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www.tegu.com and www.Varnyard-herps-inc.com

eradi · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:09 am Post subject:

So a little competition keeps the males strong and virile to ensure
better fertility of the eggs.? Interesting and makes sense.
Nature is awesome!
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1.1.0 B/W Argentine Tegu
0.0.1 Red Tegu

VARNYARD · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:28 pm Post subject:

Actually no, it gives the females a chance to breed with more than one male, thus having more fertilization for the clutch. So it is not about competition between the males as one would think. I agree in most lizard species there is fighting and competition between males, but this is not the case with these. Males in this species are real laid back as adults and I have never seen a fight or display of aggression between courting males.
If adult tegus are fed together, than yes they will compete for food, but so will young tegus that are fed together.
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mmebwilliams · Member Joined: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 21

Ezekiel · Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:00 pm Post subject:

yer youv'e got a real nice looking tegu there, we will have to meet up some time and get them breeding, considering you dont move out of England.
p.s hows the tegu room idea going?
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0.0.2 b/w Argintine Tegu
1.0.0 Gold Culombians
1.1.0 Emperor Scorpians
1.0.0 100% het axanthic ball
0.0.1 bosc monitor