I have had my Arg. B&W for five years this week. He is one of the greatest reptiles that I have ever owned! I purchased him from Bert Langerwerf at Agama International. My tegu still had a little green on his head when he arrived. Today he is just over four feet long and approximately 20 pounds.
My tegu isvery tame because I have put a fair amount of effort into spending time with him and socializing him. Don't expect any animal to be tame without such effort. This is really important with tegus as the are large and very strong as adults. This bite is EXTREMELY powerful!
My tegu's appetite seems to have dropped a bit. I believe that most of his growing is done. Reptiles grow until they die (indeterninant growth), but as they age their growth gets slower and slower. I don't think Elvis (my tegu) will get much bigger. He ate A LOT when he was younger.
Insects are the basis of a young tegu's diet. In the summer they can be collected from clean (pesticide free ) areas. IF you are one of those CHEATERS living in Florida or Texas or some other warm place you could collect them all year. Rodents are expensive. I feed Elvis lots of chicken. I always feed him thighs or wings that have the bones. Young tegus grow VERY fast and need that calcium! I also feed whole rodents as the rest of the body (organs and gut contents) holds important nutrients.
Tegus eat fruit too! Elvis ate more when he was younger. I just give him a little of the fruit that I buy for myself. Now I have to mix it with ground turkey or chicken for him to eat it. I also mix in vitamins and Ca powder as well. He gets that about once per month.
The bigger the cage the better. Typical reptile answer...not very helpful. Elvis is in a smaller cage than I would like, but he broke out of everything else. He ripped through the screens of a six foot Neodesha cage. He is now in a Vison cage. Vison makes wonderful cages, but I do not suggest them as they are GROSSLY over priced. (I got this one second hand for a song!) I suggest making your own or have one custom made by a local carpenter. I let Elvis free in the living room when I am home to make up for his small quarters. I do this as often as I can.
Elvis is in an outdoor pen from Memorial Day until Columbus Day. This pen is 6X8 feet and he can dig as deep as he likes. I have put some logs and tree roots in the pen. I hide his food in the roots. There is also a water tub...that he never seems to soak in. He does get VERY un-tame when he is outdoors, but calms down with in 2 hours when I take him home in the Fall.
Outdoor pens are extremely beneficial but there is an issue. The cool nights in May trigger his hibernation responce. He digs a burrow and doesn't eat much. It screws him up. (I do not hibernate him at all.) I could leave him indoors longer, but I liek to give him the room as long as possible. Again this may not be an issue if you are a southern cheater.
Tegus are great! He would be the last critter that I would give up. I hope all this was helpful. Sorry for the length.
Good luck,
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Brian
"The Earth was not given to you by your parents. It is loaned to you by your children."
1.0 Argentine Tegu
1.0 Bearded Dragons
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 California Kingsnakes
1.1 Children's Python
3.5 Russian Tortoises
