Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I searched the forum and didn't see this question posted.

I've been surfing the classified section and noticed a few ads listing redXblue tegus crosses. I'm curious to know what your opinion is on the crosses?

If you are a current owner, how is their coloration, relative to a standard blue or red Tegu?

Not sure how many of you are fans of the argus/sand monitor croses, but it seems that a lot people comment that the crosses have a more appealing coloration. Just curious to know if that's true with the tegu crosses.

IF YOU HAVE PICS TO POST, PLEASE POST THEM

Regards,

Vake J.

www.bluetegu.com check the hybrids section and the photo gallery for pics of baby and young adult blue/red crosses. personally, i think they look awesome, i just dont know how much inbreeding it took to achieve. but they're reasonably priced though.

well, as the st. pierres state on their site, it's still too soon to see their adult coloration, but so far, the f1 hybrids look pretty appealing and unique to me. the f2s, while still young, also look very different. there's been hearsay that the hybrids are more aggressive, but i've never seen it. it may have just been the individuals, or perhaps they were just in their nippy growing stage. also, many people see hybridization as just bastardization of naturally occurring animals. i think they look pretty neat and i wouldn't mind having one at some point. i dunno if anyone in this forum is going to get up on a soapbox and preach for one view or another, but if that's what you want to see... there's plenty of it at the hybrid forum. but i'd also love to know more about the hybrids. perhaps the st. pierres will comment on their temperment, care and coloration. i'd love to see some new pics of crosses if anyone has them.
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if nothing else, i at least amuse myself!

I saw an adult hybrid for the first time yesterday. I have to say it looks completely different from any other tegu out there. It's predominantly black, with spots of orange, picture a black and white mostly black with orange instead of white. The head is also a brownish color. The only really cool part of her was her flaming orage belly. Very cool to see but I don't think I'd like to look at her everyday. As I said, is predominantly black and I would prefer my high contrast, stunning blue to a hybrid any day.

Chris and Amika

The male pictured here at one year of age just before going into hibernation ( they are still currently sleeping so no new photos till spring when they come out of their dens )

It's mother was an Argentine RED tegu
It's father was a Blue tegu
So not black and white in them at all , can't see how they are going to look like a black and white with orange on them anytime soon since they have no orange on them now =P

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Stella St.Pierre
www.bluetegu.com

Female picture taken at one year of age just before going into hibernation (she's sleeping in her den now too )

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Stella St.Pierre
www.bluetegu.com

How large are the hybrids compared to the parent species? Have you (Ron & Stella) considered crossing reds and Arg. b&Ws? Given the possible hybrid vigor this could be a tegu are generous proportions!

Brian

So far the first hybrids are almost 2 years old and are about the size that Red Tegus are at that age. I won't have a good indication of size until 3 years or so but I suspect they will be much larger than Blues.

At this time we have no plans for future hybrids of any other sort. Our first ones happend by accident as a Red female housed with a group of Blues was apparently bred by the Blue male present. Interest was great enough that I kept 1.2 from that breeding and bred them together at 1 year of age producing the second generation babies.

The second gen babies are beginning to look VERY different than the first gen hybrids and are very variable. Some are completely dark red while others are light red/green and a few were an odd olive color with distinct dark bands. Time will tell what the outcome of these will be but it appears to me that they will be highly variable and substantially different than the first gen hybrids.
RSCBR

Ron, I understand you're in the business of selling hybrids and don't want them bad-mouthed, but I'm only describing a hybrid that I personally saw. Yours may in fact be quite different. And from the pictures of them it appears that way. And as you yourself said, they are highly variable. I have no idea how this one was produced, it was just at the local reptile store and is sub-adult to adult judging by her size. I'll try and take a picture of her there and post it on here. But there's no mistaking, she is predominantly black with orange spots, a flaming orange belly, and that maroonish head that characterizes the hybrids. I know what I saw Ron, and I have great respect for you and your business as well as how helpful you've been to myself and everyone on this forum, but please, don't infer that I'm lying or have no idea what I'm talking about.

Actually that was Stella that answered that post and I think she misunderstood what you meant and you misunderstood hers. Neither of us believe or intended to imply in any way that you were lying and my apologies if you or anyone else took it as such.

All of our 1st gen babies and the handful of others I have seen pretty much looked the same. It is the second gen babies that are showing alot of variability. All of the 1st gen babies I produced or have seen looked like the pics that were presented on this forum.

Now I have no doubt that what you saw was presented to you as a hybrid. There was at least one other person that produced 1st gen hybrids and these may have been what you saw. I am not sure if these hybrids were blue x red like mine or whether they were blue & b&W or even red x b&w.

What Stella was saying/implying is that what we produced (blue x red) do not look like what you were describing. No offense intended . Quite honestly I'd be happy if I ended up with some that looks like what you are talking about. Anything thats different keeps me interested.

And believe me that hybrids make up less than 1% of what we do here and are not the focus of this business whatsoever. They are merely a neat diversion and will not ever be anything more than that here.

Ron St Pierre
RSCBR

Thanks Ron. No offense taken. I went back to the store today and should mention that her origin is unknown. It's definitely not a blue x red cross, but possibly an black and white x red cross. I'm actually going to buy her tommorow I'm so impressed. I'm really excited and will post pics of her tommorow. Thanks again Ron and sorry for any confusion.

Just a note to let you know that it is not uncommon for Argentine black and white tegus to get orange on the bellies , alot of them have it . Just because they have orange on them they should not be considered a hybrid.
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Stella St.Pierre
www.bluetegu.com