falling in love with Tegus

[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?

[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

[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.

[jclaiborne]

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?

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?

[pmarks]

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

[jclaiborne]

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

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.

[jclaiborne]

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.

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

[phil89]

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?

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

[jclaiborne]

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

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

[phil89]

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

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