Blue tegus originate from the northern region of South America. There is currently some scientific debate about their classification. For now, they are thought of as closely related to Colombian tegus. They were now bred to gain the blue tegu, but found in the wild. However, the story goes that all captive blue tegus in the US originated from 6 specimens, lending to quite a bit of inbreeding.

An exclusive diet of rodents may lead to hair impaction. I would offer a variety of meats, and it may eat some fruit, and may not. Being like the Colombian, it will be mostly if not all carnivorous, and will be awake all winter. Try whole little fish, whole rodents, organ meats, cooked egg, quail chicks (when it's bigger), and ground turkey. I like to alternate organ meats and ground turkey with whole food for mineral balance. A diet of just organ meats and ground turkey is low in calcium. I only feed cooked egg once or twice a month.

I'm not familiar with the redwood. It's easy to get cypress mulch here and that's what I use. Keep it moist, but not wet. I also feed outside of the enclosure when possible to prevent impaction.

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