Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My son and his mother purchased a red tegu at a reptile show this weekend. He's very small about 15". I have one question and I have been reading alot about tegus. Is there a difference in attitude with reds vs black and whites. Some people say there's no difference it depends on the tegu and they're both docile and can be tamed. Others say they're much more shy and very skittish. Still others say they're more aggressive. Can someone shed some light on this for me. My son has been wanting a tegu for awhile and I wanted to wait for a blue. Now we have this red one. Did he make a mistake? Space doesn't matter to me. I have plenty of room. I just want a docile and tame tegu. My son is 14 and I will help him in taming the little guy.

Your son did fine...There are lots of really tame red tegus. It's all a matter of investing time in your animal. The more time and respect you and your son invest in your tegu, the tamer your lizard will be. Black and whites, blues, reds---it's pretty much the same thing. The ONLY tegus that tend to be more difficult to tame are the Colombians. But even then, in the last couple years, I've corresponded with a handful of folks who even have tame Colombian--because they invested a lot of time in their animals.

The early days are KEY, though. Let him settle in for a few days, but begin the handling / familiarizing / taming process after that. To be honest, all of this info and MUCH more, from a variety of quality sources and keepers, can be found at

www dot tegutalk dot com --EVERYTHING I've ever learned about tegus has come from that site and forum. THE most helpful bunch of reptile folks I've come across in 20 years of keeping reptiles. I highly suggest you go there, introduce yourself, and look around. The information available is amazingly helpful. Good luck!

I have heard that reds are bit more skittish, but I'm not sure why. I've had two male reds that were skittish, but they came from quesionable backgrounds. Early handling will make a big difference and I'm sure you and your son will have a great pet. There are two good tegu websites with great information.

i think tegus are like potato chips...you cant have just one! so go ahead and get ya another and report back your findings!!!...lol..seriously though, you will be fine, take good care of your red he/she will take care of you...enjoy