Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This guy came to a good friend and his rescue last year, hes friendly, cakm, has a big section of tail missing but is still over 4ft long. I use him as an example when I see people with "15-28lb tegus" lol. This lizard after gaining some noticeable weight, is right around 9lbs, he is a huge tegu. In fact I have told others I use an easily calibrated digital scale that goes to 50lbs to weigh any animals in question.
Keep in mind I keep a few very large monitors, as well dwarfs so I keep accurate weights on all plus a good friends rescue animals as well their massive collection of reptiles.
Heres the video, its been on file for a year or so..
Legolas eating peeps

Could not see video.Try posting a picture. Whats his Snt to vent? Mine is 21"Here is a couple of pictures of me with him. Im6' 1" and weigh 225. Enjoy . PS You he a very big Female Blck throat.

Another

last one and he weighs 18 lbs .

Stop feeding it bricks!

Rick
-----
The Tegu Community - theTegu.com

from The video I saw He is Defently smaller than My tegu . What A pig.He has about half the body size that mine has . My guy is not over weight either.. . How much and how offten do you feed him? thanks For the video. Russ

I took this video on monitor/tegu/turtle feeding day at my friends house (alot of animals) over a year ago. Hes was lighter in the video in appearance as he just showed up, but in about 4 months he appeared to be 2 times as heavy but he was only around 11lbs if I remember right, Ill have to reweigh him when I get a chance. Hes just over 4ft long but he is missing part of his tail from an old injury, who knows how old he is. They were contacted by someone who couldnt handle him but raised him they sent him the next day to Tonys wife. He eats mutliple chicken peeps, small rats, and jumbo mice every 3 days I believe, have to ask again. Their red tegu is over 4ft long and heavy bodied, hes only 7lbs, doesnt look that way until you pick up my male albig whos just over 4ft then see how light the red tegu is. I have some old pics, one close up new of Legolas from an educational show I helped them with.
My little (LOL) baby is almost 6.5ft long and shes under 3.5 years old, shes a world record for a female albig (the old one was an old BT female at 6ft 2 inches). Shes a hybrid albig, a BT/WT/WT cross (who says Rob Faust crosses stay small). Shes a second generation inbred (line bred). Shes 30lbs, and feels 65-70 lol!!! Shes just shy of 3ft STV,lol..

And what are you trying to say? That tegus dont get 15-25Lbs!I weighed Mine at my vet on there scale .18.13 lbs. 4.5 feet tl.21" snt to vent, and he will be four years old this june. .I know of a red tegu that is 25 lbs. Also I have been told by a guy that has worked an expert in Brazil That Argen Blkand whites can get 10kg.Your monitor is nice looking, and a very big lizard.So again What are you trying to say?Go to blue tegu .com . You can see what Ron and Stella have up on there web sight. You can see there tegus and the size they get. They had a red that was 27plus Lbs.I think that reds and argentin tegus are as heavey bodied lizard as Black/white throat monitors .Thanks Russ

That Santiago is that heavy, but Ive said this from the first time I looked at bluetegu.com, that red is no where near 27lbs. That would make a red tegu thats obviously smaller than Santiago almost twice his weight. I dont know about the "experts" claims about the wild animals, chances are they are like the 10-16ft croc monitors that were always sighted by famous European Explorers in New Guinea, or Megalania Prisca sightings in Aussie. Ive looked at pics people have posted for years from either educational shows, from their home, and seen many in person, all were said to be twice as heavy or more than they actually were. You say your vet weighed yours, ok then, Ill agree to that weight as you have by far the largest tegu Ive seen on the internet or in person.
Ive seen the many claims also on green iguanas, my favorite one to hear or read "yarns" about. Anyways I have a pic of a green iguana taken from a business near by years ago, dont know if its still alive but he is the biggest Ive ever seen, enormous, missing a little tail to him (18 inches STV). In a pic I stored somewhere you can see the light dome next to him and estimate accurately also Ive measured his STV size in person. By the size of the cage he is in, you can tell his total length or close. Its just funny to read some of the claims on size and weight of many peoples lizards. Ive personally looked at 8ft plus 100lb obese water monitors that lost even 10-20lbs and were still obese. Ive looked at and held many lizards that owners claimed were 4-7ft 15-35lbs, when in reality were 2-4ft, and 1-8lbs. After all I help on occasion with a reptile rescue.
Not saying that so many are wrong, but I just cant believe the claims I read after dealing with so many in person, measuring and weighing them for records kept for tracking their health. I just go by what I see in person and by what people who I trust tell me. After all the internet is a funny place, you read about alot of funny things.

Trust me I hae seen 20 pluselb red tegus. Bennet at beardie dragon , has a 25 lb guy named Fred.I know santiago is Large for a tegu. I under stand what your trying to say .but there are excetions. Take care Russ

My red is 4.5' (at last measuring) and 25 lbs. He is almost 2 years old (will be this August)

>>Trust me I hae seen 20 pluselb red tegus. Bennet at beardie dragon , has a 25 lb guy named Fred.I know santiago is Large for a tegu. I under stand what your trying to say .but there are excetions. Take care Russ
>>

Here is a picture of Fred from Bennett's album on theTegu.com

Rick
-----
The Tegu Community - theTegu.com

Id have to see them weighed in person to believe those readings. I just dont see how a lizard that in many examples the same size or larger are only 7-10lbs or in the example of Santiago 18lbs, yet a few examples the same size and smaller weigh so much more. I just dont believe those high claims, Ive been dealing with reptiles for over 20 years and just am not that gulible. Here are some pics of Legolas when he first showed up, the only newer one is a close up of his head. He weighed 9lbs and was over 4ft with a good length of tail missing. He gained alot of obvious mass and weighed 11lbs the last time I checked for them. their 4ft red tegu is fat, chunky, and is 4ft long, yet he has weighed from 6-8lbs total.
I used to estimate their weights years ago, I stopped when I was wrong too often and just use a digital scale.
Like I mentioned about the iguanas also, heres pics of some examples, the iguana on the right is over 5ft long, he weighs 9.5lbs, hes thick, fat, and healthy. By the way also missing a good length of tail.

An old pic of Legolas..

A new pic.

This is an old pic of the red tegu, he was 4ft in that pic, its a few years old now.

It just seems funny to me that too many times when asked how someone comes about weights of their lizards, they say my last vet check up was when it was weighed. Maybe its just me but I only take my reptiles to a vet if they need to or if theres a reason to. After all the vet cant tell me anything I dont already know minus blood tests etc. In fact most cases any vet you choose couldnt tell me much about my own lizards, in fact Id be educating them on most things. After all I havent needed any medicines or treatments for any reptile since I learned to keep them correctly.
Now dont get me wrong, most people should set regular vet appointments to keep track of their animals health as they dont know better when something is wrong. Just to make sure that the vets know something about them, not just being an exotics vet (they specialize in small mammals, and birds).
I love seeing peoples happy healthy big growing lizards, so maybe Ill have to travel in person sometime to see some of these creatures someday.

Then I guess you dont know mutch about tegus then do you!!!!!!!!!!. The 20 years of exsperence taught you not alot about tegus.I can tell you That santiago was 11lbs and 47 1/4" at one year.Did you come to this forum To pick a fight?That is what it looks like to me. Why dont you go back to the Monitor forum . You can pick all the fights there you want. Have a nice life .piece Russ

Maybe you misread my last response.
Anyways to reitterate, I guess Id have to see the animal in person and weigh it to believe so, as I said, experience has taught me otherwise.
I dont keep tegus, Ive considered it, but monitors specifically whitethroats, and a few other species are my addiction. Ive cared for tegus, helped teach educational shows on them, but dont keep them in my collection. Ive personally cared for and helped care for several species of tegu from Arg reds, Arg B&Ws, columbian B&W, goldens, Blues, dwarf false monitors, the full sized peruvians, etc.
Im sorry if you think Im looking for confrontation or a fight, thats not my intention at all. As I said maybe Ill have to see some of these animals in person someday when I have time. Ive offered to others anytime arrangements can be made to see my animals if someone doesnt believe or is fascinated enough to see them. Ive even taken a few to shows to meet people, it depends how busy the show is, or how much room is available. Sobek I cant take to reptile shows, the management of such shows do not like giant "dangerous" monitors amongst the public or even behind a table, Ive seen a water monitor that was locked in a shower area as the table next to them had little kids roaming uncontrolled under, over, and around the tables nearby (irresponsible parents).
I guess to me its like the 53 lb blackthroats (5-6.5ft)I heard of 10-14 years ago. I can believe the weight of Santiago by his sheer size, but so many others that say 15lb 3ft 8-10 inch long, or 25-27lb 4-4.5ft reds, I just dont believe it, everyone Ive seen or held ever seemed very light for their size.
I enjoy having a good discussion and seeing-hearing about others beautiful animals.
Have a nice day

Sorry for the misunderstanding. As for reds at 25 lbs. I have seen a red that was larger than Santiago ,and wieghed 22 lbs..Im shure if a tegu was 5' It would be atleast 20 lbs.Take care RussPs here is my Female blue tegu 5.5-6 lbs only 39-40 " long