falling in love with Tegus

i really want a Blue Tegu, i have zero experience with monitors of any sort, most of my experience is with BPs.
ive read a lot of the care sheets and i am beginning to see that while the demands are high so are the rewards. i dont have a "ton" of space but i do have the willingness to build a decent enclosure for him/her and i would love nothing more than to handle and care for him/her.
my local pet store has one i really like and the price is really nice at $45. i think i might have to jump all over that.
any veterans wanna give me a few pointers on starting out?

I had my doubts, as I have never heard of them until this post. BUT a giant lizard that acts like a dog? Sign me up :gj:

At full grown they will need at least a 8x4x4 cage unless u have an extra beedroom u can turn an enclosure into. U should check out the mcgiver on YouTube. They have a tegu that runs free in the house. If raised right they can be super sweet.

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Originally Posted by phil89

i really want a Blue Tegu, i have zero experience with monitors of any sort, most of my experience is with BPs.
ive read a lot of the care sheets and i am beginning to see that while the demands are high so are the rewards. i dont have a "ton" of space but i do have the willingness to build a decent enclosure for him/her and i would love nothing more than to handle and care for him/her.
my local pet store has one i really like and the price is really nice at $45. i think i might have to jump all over that.
any veterans wanna give me a few pointers on starting out?

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Ok, first a tegu is not a monitor, they are very distantly related, second 45 dollars for a blue tegu is unheard of, do you have pictures?

A blue tegu should go for way more than $45 so be sure to do your research and make sure it is a true blue Argentine tegu. Stay away from the Colombian tegus as they are usually more aggressive. Also be aware of the power and strength of these amazing lizards as they get bigger. I had lots of retic experience but it didn't even begin to prepare me for an angry sub adult tegu that didn't want to return to its cage. Lol

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Originally Posted by SnakeBalls

I had my doubts, as I have never heard of them until this post. BUT a giant lizard that acts like a dog? Sign me up :gj:

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I will say while mine can be very cool and calm, she also has her moments when she thrashes around and is anything by puppy dog tame. Amazing animals and I wouldn't trade her for the world, but not all will be the calmest animals, to me that is part of the appeal though.

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Originally Posted by jasonmcgilvrey83

At full grown they will need at least a 8x4x4 cage unless u have an extra beedroom u can turn an enclosure into. U should check out the mcgiver on YouTube. They have a tegu that runs free in the house. If raised right they can be super sweet.

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The only issue I have with that youtube channel is that it would be hard to maintain the correct humidity at all times.

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

Ok, first a tegu is not a monitor, they are very distantly related, second 45 dollars for a blue tegu is unheard of, do you have pictures?

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okay spoke to the guy at the store again and asked him to confirm it was a blue, because i agree the cheapest i had seen before that one was in the high 300's
he asked who told me it was a blue like i was outta my mind, so no it was a black and white, after researching some more i should have been able to tell the difference immediately. THAT is why he was only 45
still wanna get one i will have to figure out an enclosure long before though. might just build one. thanks for the response guys

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Originally Posted by phil89

okay spoke to the guy at the store again and asked him to confirm it was a blue, because i agree the cheapest i had seen before that one was in the high 300's
he asked who told me it was a blue like i was outta my mind, so no it was a black and white, after researching some more i should have been able to tell the difference immediately. THAT is why he was only 45
still wanna get one i will have to figure out an enclosure long before though. might just build one. thanks for the response guys

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45 is still pretty cheap how old is it? It is for sure an argentine correct? Yes definately build a cage first, but a very rewarding lizard to keep, lots of patience though

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

45 is still pretty cheap how old is it? It is for sure an argentine correct? Yes definately build a cage first, but a very rewarding lizard to keep, lots of patience though

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yeah i guess its a sale though, having a tough time selling them. not a whole lot of reptile enthusiasts in my area, most people see my snakes and give me a wide berth

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Originally Posted by phil89

yeah i guess its a sale though, having a tough time selling them. not a whole lot of reptile enthusiasts in my area, most people see my snakes and give me a wide berth

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Lucky you haha

If it is $45 it is a WC Columbian B/W Tegu. I scored and got my Adult male Blue for $450 from a local guy just a few months ago. He's pretty dope but just waking up and he's a little crabby, lol.

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Hello I have a blue tegu they are grat pets spend some to make him or her tame the way I did was I layed in a empty bath tub & the tegu had no choice but to interact with me climbing on me walking all over me then they will lay on you with time & hang out I let my blue tegu out to Rome the house with my dogs & cat everybody gets along good luck in you search get a blue tegu from a breeder

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Originally Posted by Albertocolon

Hello I have a blue tegu they are grat pets spend some to make him or her tame the way I did was I layed in a empty bath tub & the tegu had no choice but to interact with me climbing on me walking all over me then they will lay on you with time & hang out I let my blue tegu out to Rome the house with my dogs & cat everybody gets along good luck in you search get a blue tegu from a breeder

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I don't fully agree with "forcing" them to interact with you. You should take time to build trust with little steps, first with feeding, then just getting use to your hand in the cage, let them come to you.

I also agree that 45$ is still ridiculously cheap for a black and white. I bought mine from a breeder in FL for $200. Even Varnyard sells them for 150$. Definitely post some pics to confirm its not a Colombian, as their dispositions are completely different. In my experience Argentine Black and White Tegus are pretty naturally curious. Once my baby tegu settled in he would come out of his burrow when I opened the enclosure and climb onto me. It is pretty freaky how they almost demand attention from you.

Just be aware that they grow incredibly fast. Almost over night they go from a tiny green hatchling to this large animal. Feeding is much more intricate than snakes, and you need a diverse variety of foods for them. Do your research and if possible try to find someone with a full size adult to handle. Although they are predisposed to being very tolerant of human interaction, if you don't interact with them routinely they can grow pretty nasty and unwieldy.