Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I heard that one of the black and white tegus are more easier to handle then the other one. Problem is I forgot which one. Which one is easier to tame the Columbian or Argentinian??? Sorry for mispelling

I have experience with both and in my opinion the Argentine's are great and usually have great temperaments too. Most Columbians have poor attitudes and don't take to socialization like the Argentines do, but there are always exceptions.
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JS

"It's funny how from simple things, the best things begin."

Usually it's the argentine that is associated with being the mellowest of the black and white variety of tegus. However, I honestly think that colombians have gotten a bad rap. (Pardon me while I get up on my soap box here, and for any others that may have heard me do my schpeel a few times before, sorry, but here she goes again )

Because colombians are and can be wild caught, transported to wholesalers who then sell them to pet stores, who buy them for super cheap (I know numberous people in the pet trade industry), sell them for a "reasonable" amount of money, and make a HUGE profit; they are the cheapest tegu available. Because there are so many first timers out there who don't always right off the bat know that there necessarily is a difference between the aregentine and the colombian, they buy the colombian under the assumption that they are getting a lizard that should be dog tame. When they get it home, they may not fully understand what they are getting into with a larger lizard and may not fully put in the time and effort and patience necessary to establish a bond, and the animal suffers.

Because local pet stores are obviously so easily accessable to the general population, and colombians are pretty common in pet stores, it stands to reason that theres a lot of people starting off with colombians. People just starting out don't always do all their homework (I'm not trying to bash and new people, I'm just saying that there are a lot of people out there that expect to be able to walk into a pet store and boom buy any animal). Behavioral problems can be caused due to a lack of understanding how to properly handle, feed, and basically care for an animal. I think that colombians are particularly susceptible to this.

Now I can say all this because I own a 2 year old colombian (as well as a blue and four bearded dragons) and I work in the pet trade (I know, I know, seems like a conflict of interest, but there are a few good people out there). I definitely spent a whole heck of a lot of time establishing that bond with Blake my colombian. But it has so totally paid off! I would consider him dog tame. I take him into pet stores. I take him on trips to my parents' house. And the best thing is that I can trust him. But I know that if I hadn't bothered to consistantly spend time with him and slowly work with him, that that bond wouldn't be there.

I'm really sorry that that took me so long to get that out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're willing to put in the time and effort and love, either tegu will work out for you.

Lindsay