Outdoor Adventure USA

We like 'em!

What kinda lizard is that?

BlueFJ wrote:What kinda lizard is that?

He's an Argentine Black & White Tegu. They become very tame when handled alot. Adult size is 3-4 feet in length. Now that we've moved into a bigger place I can begin work on his 7x4x3ft enclosure.

mmm....eggs........we like em...we just do.

I love the color contrast on him.

is that a pet??? i have heard that people have gaekos and tegus as pets...are they aggressive when they grow up fully???

flaminjo wrote:is that a pet??? i have heard that people have gaekos and tegus as pets...are they aggressive when they grow up fully???

Lol, yes he is a pet. There's a big difference between geckos and tegus. Geckos can't take a nice chunk of meat out of your hand. But really, if you put the time into them they can make great pets. This is true with just about all reptiles. You just gotta put yourself in your tegu's (or other reptile's) position. He is small and you are very big. Big things eat small things. So in his mind he is thinking you want to eat him. To start with, you must build trust with your lizard. It is not going to happen over night. If you are gentle and slow when handling them, they will feel more comfortable, and respond better when they are handled.

Tegus are very curious; it is best to use this to your advantage when getting them to become calm pets. I use a method I refer to as ignoring them to tame them. Letting them come to you is a great method. I spend time in a room with them working or reading books. I just do not act like the tegu is even in there, they see me, but I am not trying to invade their space. They will learn that I am no threat and come over to investigate me, it is like the old saying: (curiosity kills the cat). They find out that I am not a predator looking for a meal, nor any kind of threat to them. They will come to learn I am a friend and not a foe. You need to make sure there is nothing that your tegu can harm itself on, this needs to be a tegu safe area. When your tegu comes to you to investigate you, do not make sudden moves or try to grab him. Just reach down and pet him the first few times, I would not even try to pick him up the first few times. When you do pick him up, think of them as your puppy, when you pick him up, do not grab him behind the neck or around the belly, just reach under him. Hold him with a light grip. Also, the first few times you do pick him up, do not raise him high off the floor, give him a chance to move from your hands and he will learn he is not restrained. You want him to choose to have your contact. He will never learn this if he is man handled. Tegus are the same as a puppy, they don't like to be grabbed either. Instead reach under them with a loose hand and be gentle. Also when handling them, let them move through your loose hands, just keep putting one hand in front of the other until he calms down and stops moving. Just remember, the more you grab them and try to restrict them, or chase them, the longer it will take for him to trust you and become tame. The more interaction you have with him, the better. But this does not mean the contact you are making with him is making him do what you want, remember force will be responded to with fight of flight. Just try to handle him with a very slow hand, in a calm manner.

You also don't want to feed them in their enclosure. Otherwise, they may associate you (or your hands) with food. Bring them to the food, don't bring it to them. So by the time they are full grown, you'll have a very tame and mellow little "dinosaur" as a pet.

Sounds like you have put a lot of time and effort with your dinosaur John. Can you bring Dino on a run?