Does anybody out there have an opinion on whether males or females make the better pet companion? (Tegus) I have only ever had females and they were very nice as far as attitude. I've heard that males are testy by nature. Any thoughts on this?
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JUST CURIOUS
1tegufan
Dec 10, 2003 11:01 AM
Replies (3)
jiffypop
Dec 10, 2003 07:15 PM
My two favorites are Argentine males. Felix is easy to handle and never aggressive altho he doesn't tolerate handling for long. I can feed him by hand with no tongs or forceps. Domino, on the other hand, has a terrific feeding response..I have to use forceps and don't dare wear white socks without shoes! LOL But, when he's not feeding he's more like a dog than a Tegu. He likes to be picked up and cuddled and we do this little huffing game when I'm holding him. He freeroams the house and will occasionally decide to sleep on my bed. I'll leave him there when it's time for me to go to bed and usually he ends up under my pillows by morning. He never bothers the other lizards, cats, or dog and will bask laying over the top of a tortoise! 
I really need to get some photos.
bast
Dec 11, 2003 06:53 AM
How do you deal with the amazing and copious tegu bombs. I have given in and let my tegu roam during the day. He has gotten out of every cage I have; including tearing right through the screens in a Neodesha cage. Except for the occasional attack on the plants he's pretty good when out. BUT a nine pound tegu makes a serious mess he he deficates! I have worked with many species of herps at the univeristy and I spent a summer working at a major zoo...never saw crap like this!
I have isolated him in the dining room with a linolioum floor. What do you do?
Thank you,
Brian
jiffypop
Dec 12, 2003 06:27 AM
Dom has 2 spots that he likes to use as a toilet. Fortunately both are convenient for me to clean up. He used to use the bathroom floor quite frequently but more recently he's taken to using the laundry room floor which also happens to be a half bathroom. Tegus can be coaxed into using a certain spot for their duties.....a dry litter pan or one filled with some kind of substrate, or even just some newspapers in that spot, make cleanup pretty easy.
