Welcome to the tegu forum and kudos to you for doing your homework first.

1. What are some of the best species for beginners?
Argentine Black and White and Reds would be best for beginners. Colombinas are great, too, but require more patience and time for handling.

2. Do they require any special lighting like Bearded Dragons and such like this?
Yes, they are dependent on UV for proper calcium metabolism, especially when young and experiencing rapid growth. They also require heat for basking. They are active and need more space than a beardie in proportion to their body size.

3. What are some of their favorite foods, and how often they need to be fed?
Young tegus under 18-24 months should be fed daily, as much as they will eat (which can be quite a lot). Adult tegus can be fed every other day so as not to encourage obesity. I gauge the look of my tegus (I have 4) to determine frequency of feeding to maintain an ideal weight. I let them eat their fill at each meal.

They are omnivores and opportunistic feeders, so they eat just about anything! Whole foods are best so that they get a natural source of vitamins and minerals. I feed mine fruit and meat at each meal, about 1/3 fruit and 2/3 meat. Some days they eat more meat, some days more fruit. I rotate their choices, but they get rodents, quail chicks, small fish, organ meats, chicken, insects, watermelon, sweet potato, cherries, grapes, apples, pears, papaya, banana, peaches, mangoes, grape tomatoes...basically whatever is on hand.

4. Can they be trained to be able to sleep on a nice mat with newspaper and with a heat pad and then be able to go to be potty trianed?
Hmmm...probably. If you set up a nice basking spot, they may hang out there, but they usually sleep in burrows or hides. I have a Colombian tegu that prefers to poo on paper outside of her enclosure. But I think she has us trained, LOL.

5. Would you suggest a male or female?
Either. I don't think there's much difference there. The males get bigger, but I like the sleek head of the females. It's just personal preference.

This is a bit of a slow forum since there are two huge tegu websites out there. I have to run, so I don't have time to dig for pics. I did want to answer your questions, though!

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