Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i've heard a lot of things about blue tegus, unfortunately, a lot of them are downright contradictory. i've heard they only eat meat, i've heard they love fruits and veggies. i've heard they're just as tame as argentines, i've heard they're as wild as comlumbians. i've heard that they don't dig as much as argentines, i've heard that they do. whats the truth? i've been waiting almost a year to get a tegu, and although i find blues more visually appealing, i'm reluctant to get one because i get so much conflicting information. i've spent the last month building an awesome eight by two custom tank, which should be big enough for a blue, or even an argentine. unless i can get some reliable and decent information about blues, i want to go with an argentine, because i know that there's plenty of reliable information on them in case i run into any problems. i would love to enlist the informational aid of any blue tegu aficionados out there. lend a hand if you can. i'm especially interested in reliable information about their diet, temperment, their urge to dig (or lack thereof), and whether or not they ever get the inclination to hibernate. again, thank you all very much. if i can get enough information to feel a little more comfortable about getting a blue tegu, i may purchase one at the daytona expo next month. either way, i'll be going to the daytona expo for a tegu, i'm just not sure whether it'll be a blue or an argentine black and white. thanks a ton, folks.

i am no expert but i love my blue tegu. i have only had him about a month or so. he is a little skittish but he is still a youngun. he is definetly not agressive in any way and calms down within a minute of holding him and then he's as sweet as can be. he loves to dig and does eat fruit but only when it is mixed in with his sdz diet. i think many factors depend on the individual animal but for the most part they are gentle, great pets. and they dont get as big as argentines. again i am no expert and i have only had him for about a month but i love him. he is quickly becomeing one of my favorites.

hey, thanks for your time. anything you can tell me will be greatly appreciated. anybody else? thanks a ton.

Well I can only speak to what I have seen my blue "Tegan" do. He is very docile, does get a little squirmy but settles down. As far as diet goes, I have only been able to get him to eat meat. Specifically ground turkey. He shows no interest in anything else and I have tried everything. I even tried "scenting" a few things with turkey before feeding and it never worked. Tegan loves to dig burrow, mainly in his hide box however. In general I think it depends on the animal and how it is raised. I raised tegan from a hatchling. I was told that blues are the easiest to keep from hibernating by the breeder. Basically if you keep their cage above 75F they will not hibernate. I think if you want some really good info you should call Stella St.Pierre @ bluetegu.com She can give you all the info you need. I had a great experience with them and think you would too. best of luck on your tegu journey!

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Peace!
KofSeattle
Reptile-Like
Here lizard lizard.........

hey, thanks for your two cents. btw, does keeping a tegu from hibernating in captivity, even if it would usually do so in the wild (i.e. reds, argentines) cause any effect (adverse or otherwise) to occur? anyone know? or at least have an opinion or theory? thanks.

I've been keeping Tegus for about 7 years now, starting with a Gold. I now keep B/W's, Reds, and Blues, more Blues than the others. I love them all and don't see much difference in personality, habits, or temperaments. I do prefer the Blues aesthetically...they seem to have a cleaner look, more contrast to the colors and pattern. They can be just as calm and tame as the B/W's or Reds. I feed all of my Tegus the same...mostly rodents but interspersed with ground meats mixed with veggies and fruit. My Blues do like to burrow but are out daily basking and hunting. I have had them hibernate but it seems like it's for shorter periods of time. They will sleep for a week or two and then be awake for a period.
We frequently take some of our Blues to shows and educational expos and they behave quite nicely. We display them in the open, on the top of a dog crate covered with a towel and a heating pad. They are wonderful educational animals!

That has to be the cutest photo in the world...my daugher just loves it!
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Yours,

NiCoLE

"Trying to save someone from their own stupidity is like trying to teach a pig how to dance: it wastes your time, and annoys the pig."

- Robert
Heinlein

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I have a blue/red cross will be a year old in September. I also have a red that's this year's crop. When I purchased the blue/red cross I thought that meant as it got older it would be an irradescent blue on a clay pot background and tame as an
African fat tail gecko. The colors are coming in now...I don't know what it will look like in a year. Behavior is sometimes good as my Llewellin Setter or as bad as a croc. I'm working on that.

My red is friendly, personable, inquisitive...thoroughly fun. They are housed together and it's funny how excited the red gets when I start digging around the substrate looking for the blue/red. Other than this and feeding time I never worry about my fingers with the red.

Bert and Hester Langerwerf at Agama International have put together a video where they go to Brazil and film tegus in their native habitats. The quality is home made but the info is good. I consider my copy $24.00 well spent.

Hope this helps.

Mike B.

I've only met one Blue in my life..and it was a nile monitor at heart. As for the fruit vs. meat thing - I know of RED tegus that refuse fruit. So I'm gonna say it sorta differs from tegu to tegu. And sorry to all the blue fans out there...Female reds or Male B&Ws are my favourites...
Peace....A true red fan

hmm... well, thanks for all the information, folks. i know that there will be plenty of baby black and white tegus at the daytona expo, and i assume there will be high quality captive bred blue hatchlings as well. is this the case? i still haven't decided, i guess it will all boil down to to actual animals i see and the prices expected. we'll see what happens. again, thank you for all your help.