Reptile & Amphibian Forums

il lmake it shorter thn my normal posts #1 are tegus good beginers # 2 are they tame #3 how big of a cage do they need # 4 how big do they get

1) Tegus are not a good "starter" lizard. This is subjective and does depend on if you get a juive or one that is already handable/tame. Tegus that need work to tame are definitely not for beginner lizard enthusiasts.

2) Yes, tegus can be quite tame and handable if one knows somewhat how to handle and respect them. We have 6 (well one is going to a new home Tuesday)........all are handable and very nice.

3) A 6' x 2.5' x 20" (ht.) would be a minimum for an adult black & white, red, or blue tegu. You could get away with a smaller one if say you had a dwarf tegu. We have 3 housed together in an "L" shaped enclosure that measures roughly
5.5' x 3' x 20" at one leg of the L, and 6' x 18" x 20" at the other. These 3 are approx 1 yr. old and will get bigger too and may need a little bit larger home. Another thing though is that these are roaming are home throughout the day, at night when we are home. For a baby tegu, you could place them in a 50 gallon aquarium-sized enclosure for a bit.

4) B&W up to 4.5'-5' as adults and avg 15 lbs.; Reds same length and up to 20 lbs.; Blues approx. 3 to 3.5' and 10-14 lbs.
Dwarfs avg. 18-20"

Good luck in your search!!! Also check out www.bluetegu.com for further info on most of these species on diet, heat, etc. Ron & Stella provide some very useful info!!! Also Jane (jiffypop) has a ton of knowledge that can help you further!!!

Greg