Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi. i need to know how well tegus do when housed together. i assume it's alright to have a 1.1 pair without having to worry too much, but is it possible to house males together (with or without a female present)? also, i've noticed that many of you house differnet species of tegu together (or at least let them interact), how does that work out? i have a hatchling arg. b&w, and i'm contemplating giving it an accomplice, possibly a blue female. however, i obviously want to know if this is okay or not and what experiences others have had housing tegus together. how do same (and different) sexes do together? how do same (and different) species do together? how do same (and different) sexes of same (and different) species do together? this forum and it's wonderful members are one of the factors that made me confident that i could always know how to properly provide and care for a tegu. a million thanks.

p.s. once i get some decent pictures out of my old digital camera, i'll post some pics of my gluttonous little male from agama international.

hey again. anyone know if there's any aggression between males (as there is with other animals) if they're housed together? does that depend on whether or not there's a female present? i'm looking to give my male arg. b&w a cagemate, and was wondering if sex was an issue. i've also noticed that many people here have photos of more than one species of tegu together, do they get along well? i'd like to get a blue companion for my b&w, at first i assumed it would need to be female, but i don't recall ever hearing that male tegus fight. would a male b&w tolerate a femal blue? or perhaps even a male blue? if not, i could always get another b&w, perhaps a chacoan as opposed to the normal morph. after all, it would be fun to see some significant variation between the two. again, i appreciate and encourage any anecdotes, opinions, facts, etc. that you may have to give. don't be shy. thanks.

In Bert's video, when they are nesting they can be aggressive toward one another. I have a red/blue cross and a red. They have been housed together outdoors. The red/blue became aggressive toward the smaller red and I separated them. At the same time the red/blue didn't like me, didn't like the dogs looking into the pen, didn't want to be picked up. It was p.o'ed at anything and everything. Since separation, the blue/red has settled down. I decided to keep my red and sell/trade the blue/red cross and have it at a friend's petshop.

I suspect that what I observed was just the natural annual cycle of tegu behavior. Some seasons they are communal (hibernation and breeding season). During nesting, egg laying, and hatching they are loners. Then as fall approaches they probably become more communal.

So in answer to your question, I would house them separately. There are going to be times when they need to be alone. When they are the appropriate size they can be together for a conjugal visit if you want.

Hope this helps.

Mike B.

I have a pair of argentine B/Ws housed together outdoors all year round with no problems.

I hear that once you add a third party, (male or female) you may be in for some trouble.

I've never mixed subspecies. I don't know if that would be a problem, as long as you provide each with their specific needs.

I plan on puting my female blue Siena with my Male Chacoan Santiago in may of nexit year. She still has to grow a little bit. Stella (Rons wife ) has told me that she has kept Chacoan males with blue females on a regular basis, and never had any problems with doing this. She has kept them indoors and outdoors together.Russ

with most other species i've kept and/or bred, housing males together is a recipe for didsaster, but sometimes they only compete if its for a female. are male tegus combative? or do they only feud when females are at stake? or... can they get along amicably? thanks a ton.

with most other species i've kept and/or bred, housing males together is a recipe for didsaster, but sometimes they only compete if its for a female. are male tegus combative? or do they only feud when females are at stake? or... can they get along amicably? thanks a ton.

I haven't housed 2 males together before, so I can't answer your question. I have seen pictures of groups of males together in the wild.

hey, does anyone know whether or not male tegus will fight if you house them together? even if there is no female present to compete over? they would be fed seperately also... they'd only share the enclosure. thanks!!!

i just corresponded with bert of agama international. he says that you can keep two males together as long as their enclosure is not large enough (100 sq. ft.) for them to get territorial. can anyone confirm this statement? anyone else have comments about keeping groups of tegus of all sexes and species? thanks a ton.

"i just corresponded with bert of agama international. he says that you can keep two males together as long as their enclosure is not large enough (100 sq. ft.) for them to get territorial. can anyone confirm this statement?"

i think if bert said it it's gotta be true

i was just wondering if anyone had tried it themselves. most of the tegu owners seem to keep groups with more females than males.

just to let you know, my two males are now living amicably together. i decided to get two males because i live in miami and would have to go out of my way to make sure that they would hibernate, so breeding was out of the question. therefore i went for two males because they're more visually impressive. i named them butch and sundance. once i fatten them up and hone my digital photography skills, i'll most likely post a picture or two.