Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is a 10 yr old kid we're talking about thats been posting on every reptile forum they can find. At the same time he/she posted on the Iguana board he/she also posted on the Monitor forum looking for a lizard to fit in a 7x3 cage. Now any lizard thats big enough to utilize that space... is going to be too much for a 10 yr old to handle. As far as I can find out.. the only thing Cillie has is a Bearded Dragon as far as reptiles go. If I'm wrong.. he/she can correct me. I do not believe any animal with the strength of an iguana.. or even a small monitor to be appropriate for a 10 yr old.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
2.1.1 Leopard geckos (2 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short) and 1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
1 Gerbil
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Sahara and Hercules)

i have a corn, a beardie, and a garter that is sick. i cared for an anole for a wile fotr my friends birthday. and ive been reading about tegu care for months. and on the tegu forum i asked if a tegu would be fine for a ten year old and alot of people said it would be fine.

i wouldnt recomend a tegu for a ten year old kid.. tegus are strong by nature as well as iguanas..

have you checked into blue toung skinks and other lizards like that? they dont get big but they are eays to care for.
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
1.1.0 Hedgehogs

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ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

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they look weird. i really think i could handle a b/w tegu, ive read about there care for months, and they are very cute.

i think you could care for it but.. they are very strong... my friend has one and when he wants down he gets down..lol he is very stong and he leaves nice cuts on your arm...lol
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
1.1.0 Hedgehogs

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ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

i can get a small b/w, and i dont really care for cuts, i get bit by snakes lizards and get scraped by blACK BERRIES ALL THE TIME. and they all cause bleeding

Cillie... I'm really not trying to be rude here but you need to listen to this. We;re trying to think of whats best for you and the animal in question. A 10 yr old has no business owning a monitor...an iguana or even a Tegu.. especially since your parents have no interest in helping you care for said animal. I have a 3ft Savannah Monitor and I can barely handle her.. and doesn't even weigh 6 lbs... but she is VERY strong. Getting bit or clawed by one of these animals is NOTHING like being bit or clawed by smaller lizards or even bitten by snakes. Their jaws close with enough force to crack land snail shells and turtle shells. Their teeth are serrated and will do major damage to muscle.. bone.. joints and nerves if they take it into their head to bite. A 10 year old could very well lose a finger to a large animal like you're considering. Any bite from them will earn you a trip to the ER for stitches or even possibly emergency surgery and lots of follow up care. Thats without even addressing the claws.. which can quite easily tear through a concrete-hard termite mound. Your skin and flesh would be no match for those clothes. I've got scars on my arms from my Savannah and she wasn't even being agressive when it happened. She was just trying to walk up my arm. Tegu's, like Monitors, can be mean tempered and require careful handling. All the research in the world does NOT prepare you for how truly strong a 10 lb lizard is.

And there are many other things to consider. Do you have the room to properly house the animal as an adult? Can you provide the right food items and supplimentation? How are you going to manage cage maintenance for a lizard that can get over 5ft long when it stubbornly refuses to move from its burrow? Picking up my 3ft Sav is no treat. I even wouldn't want to try picking up a 5ft Tegu. You HAVE to know your limits in this hobby or you're going to end up 1 of 3 ways... Very badly injured from ignorance...or With a dead lizard... or dumping the lizard off when it gets too big for you to handle and your parent's begin to realize that this animal is dangerous to their child. I sure wouldn't let my child have their own Tegu. Small lizards and snakes are one thing. Large lizards that require huge amounts of room and food and heat are entirely out of the question. In the end you'll do what you want if you can convince your parents..This is just some food for thought for you. Please do think about it.
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
2.1.1 Leopard geckos (2 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short) and 1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
1 Gerbil
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Sahara and Hercules)

i have trouble keeping my iguana calm and he is like a big dog he is very tame but when he gets his mind set on getting down he doesnt stop.. and i am alot older and stronger than you... have you ever watched animal planet when the Croc hunter catches monitors he has trouble holding on to them some times and he cut up real bad.

and large reptile claws are not like black berries or small snakes or smaller reptiles.. we are talking about a lizard that gets to be about 5 feet long and depending on the tegu or monitor can weigh anywhere from 6 pounds to 20 or more pounds and the claws are easily 1/8-1/4 inch thick and are long and razor sharp..

maybe you should have your parents read up on tegus and read some of these posts and see if they like the idea of you getting one. i know that every time i go to get a new reptile i sit down and i write down the good and bad things and then show it to my parents and they have told me i just cant get it because it is to dangerous.

also you are only 10 and these animals can live for around 12-15 years where are you going to be at that point in your life? are you going to want to care for it when you are around 20?

Mike D
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
1.1.0 Hedgehogs

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ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

All I have to say is where is this child's parents?

Shame on them, for it is not the child that is at fault.

i know i sound rude but a ten year old kid should not own a tegu or a monitor.. it is just one of those things that kids shouldnt have.. he could gte very badly hurt... and when he does his parents will feel real bad...
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
1.1.0 Hedgehogs

My Email

ITS NOT ABOUT YOU DYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ITS ABOUT MAKING YOUR ENEMY DIE FOR HIS.

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

i agree. im 20 and i wouldnt even get one. its hard enough dealing with 3 iguanas, im still learning alot about the animals i have. its a lot of hard work. a chid just can not give an animal like that everything it needs. between school and playing and anything else they have to do, they would quickly get tired of the responsibility. and the child is sure to get hurt. i have scars up and down my arms just from iguanas. plese get a hermit crab their pretty cool.