Did you just look at thetegu.com or JOIN it? And I hope you read Bert's caresheet and looked at his galleries. Now that thats out of the way...

No reptile 'enjoys' handling or is 'playful'. Some barely tolerate it, some hate it with a passion, some put up with it, some look forward to it (food!), and some are curious about it. Any animal can be any of these. It depends on the species (probability, not set in stone. There are evil beardies and tame Nile monitors. Beleive me, I've seen both.) and individual(both individual animal and individual keeper.) If you want a tame tegu, get a blue, since you want a small one. Blues are the smallest (not columbians!) and often tamest. Blues have a bigger following, are much prettier, and there are more high-quality breeders of them. RON ST. PIERRE! Hes your man for tegus. I would have said Agama Intl., but youre not looking for args or reds.

Tegus are in between beardies and monitors in difficulty. The only thing people really have trouble with are tameness (because they almost always get a crappy WC columbian b&w, the worst choice in tegus) and size. Blues are often the best in both these ways. They are the smallest (they can get 4 ft , but 3 is more common) and calmest. They also dont require as much fruit and vegetable matter as others, but still require some.

What I suggest you do is contact Ron St. Pierre (bluetegu.com) for availiability (hes top-notch! if you cant wait for babies, you arent patient enough for tegus), JOIN thetegu.com, and be ready with all the supplies you need, the food ready to go, and the cage built (you have to BUILD an enclosure! aquariums are for fish) BEFORE you purchase a tegu, or ANY animal. Contact rodentpro.com and mulberryfarms.com for quotes on feeder pricing. These two are world-class in service, pricing, and quality. I suggest placing orders for whatever size mice or rats you need for whatever size tegu you get (youll need rats later!)

BUT, before you do any of this, honestly ask yourself if you can afford the time, money, blood, sweat, and tears the tegu will cost you. It will take about 20 minutes a day out of EVERY day, not to mention vet trips, cleaning the cage, and everything else. It will cost several hundred dollars for the initial setup, along with monthly feeder and electric bill costs. The tegu WILL make you bleed at some point, whether you like it or not. You will put in lots of work into cage building (no small feat!). And when the tegu dies after the long q5 years it should live, you will mourn the loss of a dear friend. If you are a minor, I would suggest waiting till after college, once you get a real job and a real house. I think that speaks for itself. Waiting until after college also applies to anacondas, big pythons, monitors over 4 feet, iguanas, hots, and crocs of any kind. These guys are a BIG responsibility, but INCREDIBLY rewarding. If you want a medium-sized, visually pleasing, tame lizard, youve made the best choice! If you have any specific care (or anything tegu-related) questions, ask away here or on thetegu.com! Just make sure you do that BEFORE you get it. Good luck! Remember, join thetegu, Ron St. Pierre, blue tegu, and dont be stupid.

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