Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a tank that is four and a half feet by two feet tall and eighteen inches deep. I am tryin to decide what lizard to get, based on spacing requirments, and such. If this isnt big enough how long would it last? I was wanting either a Blue or a red. Let me know what you think

thanks for your time Kyle

Kyle,

I would not recommend a cage any less than 6 feet long and three feet wide, although the Blues to the best of my knowledge are a bit smaller than the reds, the Red Tegus are by far the largest of this family of lizards, and personally I would give a Red Tegu far more space. perhaps a cage 7 feet long by three and a half feet wide.
Either way the cage you have seems far too small to house any of the Tegus you mention and keep in mind Tegus, Monitors, all lizards especially grow fastest their first year of life, the cage you describe may last a tegu a few months at best.

Good Luck in finding the herp you want.

-Kit

Hi there, thats what I thought just was makin sure before i crossed them off my list. Thanks
Kyle

"...CROSS THEM OFF YOUR LIST"

Stop. Don't do it. You're going about this in the wrong direction (In my humble opinion.) If you are just looking for something to fill your tank, that's OK.
But don't you think it would be better to:
identify which type of Reptile you are attracted to;
which type you are capable of keeping/nurturing/caring for;
which type has the nature/disposition compatible with yours etc.??

Tegus are not for everyone. But they are certainly one of the best lizards to keep. They are hardy and relatively easy to maintain. They (generally) have great dispositions. (My 3 daughters 3, 5, 7, are holding our 2 juvenile tegus every day.)

AND....the people on this forum are THE MOST friendly and helpful herp enthusiasts you will ever find. What more can you ask for??

Anyway, sorry this is so long, but when you indicated you were going to cross Reds and Blues off your list just because your tank was too small, it seemed to me you were putting "the cart before the horse" as gramma used to say. I know space is a huge consideration. But don't limit your choices to that. Otherwise you may end up with an appropriately sized reptile, that you neither love nor enjoy.

To me, that sounds like a detrimental compromise.

Just my thoughts........MAP