Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am looking to get a black and white tegu but have seen that there are columbians and argentines. Is there much of a difference between the two besides the country they come from. Also can someone let me know of a breeder and a good site to check out. It seems all of the sites I have gone to try and learn about these guys say one thing and someone else says the other thing. I would like to have accurate info on the care and maintance. Thanks for the help.

I could write a novle on the differance between the two, but i'm bad at writing and only have a short time on the computer. For the best resocurse of all tegu species, housing and anything tegu related check out thetegu.com its an open fourm you dont even have to join but you'll find out everyhitn u need to know and more.

Basicall th agr black and whit ar larger easily tamed and make great pets.

columbians are smaller (not samll but smaller then an arg) they are alittle more bitty and skittish.

there are alot more differance in care, housing and physical apperances. Best bet is to check out thetegu.com fourm.

Well, it seems that whenever you look at care sheets of any herp, you find conflicting info, in my opinion. The Argentine breeders I recommend would be either Varnyard herps or Sisco reptiles, both of which you can find on the thetegu.com. Likewise, thetegu.com has the most reliable info. In the meantime, here's a quick summary of the differences. We have two Argentines and a Colombian in our house.

Argentine B/W
Averaging in length to around 36 inches snout to tail, with a calm dispositiion if handled properly. Can be food aggressive and territorial, so consistent handling and feeding techniques will serve you well! Ours eats outside of her 6ft enclosure (they require a lot of floor space) and then walks around the living room for a while. Very docile and easy to handle, even at her size. In the pet store, they should be priced at around $80-$100 for a hatchling and probably $200 and up for an adult. They eat a whole food diet consisting of rodents and other meat sources along with fruit.

Colombian B/W or Black and Gold
We love our little girl! She's a little under 2 feet long but most of it is tail. She is much more territorial, huffs and tail whips, but can be picked up if you slide your hand underneath her. She is faster and less trusting of her environment, so we don't let her cruise the living room. She likes to sit on our shoulders, though. They just require a lot more time to settle down and will never be as handleable as the larger Argentine. They are sold in pet stores for $40-$60 on average, so sometimes people think they are getting a cheap Argentine. You must learn to tell the difference if you want an Argentine and not a Colombian! They are carnivorous and do not hibernate like the Argentines. While we like our Colombian, I would not recommend them to anyone as a pet unless they knew what they were getting into and had a lot of time and patience. If you're looking for the large lizard to hang out with you, the Argentine is the way to go. I don't know of any Colombian breeders; most of them are farm raised if they are captive bred and at a pet store. There may be an occasional breeder here and there.

Thanks for the info. It sounds like the argentine is the more appropriate route for me. The temperment would be more suitable for my daughter who at only 2 and a half is a huge herp lover. I breed boas and currently have 27 at the house but she has been asking for a lizard. I never have really cared for the smaller lizards such as the anoles and have always thought the tegus are just awesome.

26 columbian red tails
1 reticulated python [this was a rescue]
2 dogs
2 kids
1 wife

I think the Argentine would be much more suitable as they are calmer around the actions of small children. They are excitable when they are hatchlings and some have a teenage period. I have a boa and a burm and I treat my large lizards like my large snakes...respect their feeding schedules and handle them consistently and they are much more predictable. Tegus can get quite food aggressive when fed in the cage or by hand, so if you have children (like I do), you definitely want to feed them outside of the enclosure when they get appropriately sized and never by hand. We clicker train ours just like we condition our snakes to have a feeding routine and use snake hooks for handling. Tegus are awesome, have fun!