Keeping and Caring for Monitor Lizards and Tegus

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Once they learn to trust you, then you will have a close companion for many years! This species includes a type called the Chacoan tegu, believed to exhibit a greater amount of white coloration on the body and face, and with a tendency to grow a little larger. Salvator merianae also includes a blue form, which has gained popularity in recent years, and I suspect it may receive species-specific classification eventually. They can be differentiated from the other types by their black noses and the black teardrops below both eyes.

A breeder noticed the difference in their coloration and skin texture and bred them selectively. Today, interestingly, increasing numbers of albinos are being produced from blues. As hatchlings, red tegus display very little red coloration, but it intensifies as the lizards mature.

The males are solid, deep red, while the females are more of a patterned dull red. These tegus, too, reach lengths between 4 and 5 feet. They are from the western parts of Argentina, as well as Paraguay.

The Paraguayan reds exhibit some white patterns mixed with the red. The males also tend to become stockier than other tegu species, as well as their female counterparts. The yellow tegu is from Brazil and has never been imported into the U. It is very rare, and Brazil will not allow any exports.

As of this writing, the only yellow tegus I know of in captivity are those kept at tegu farms and zoos in Brazil. This tegu comes from a much warmer climate than the Argentine black and white. Many Colombian tegus will not become as tame as the Argentine species, but this may depend on the keeper.

Tegu Lizard Housing And Care Information

As with any other animal, build trust first and be patient. I owned a Colombian tegu that would take naps with me on the couch! One thing I noticed is that they can be one-owner pets, and once a Colombian tegu learns to trust you it will normally be only you it will trust unless you allow others to handle them and build that trust.

This tegu is not being bred in captivity in the U. Tupinambis teguixin includes a gold variant, known as the gold tegu, from northern and central South America, as well as Panama. I definitely recommend obtaining one as a hatchling only, as a full-grown, wild yellow tegu is extremely tough to tame! Gold tegus are known to be very aggressive, but many people have raised and kept them as pets with no problems.

Their golden coloration is gorgeous. As with the Colombian black and white tegu, wild-caught golden tegus are readily available in the pet trade because no captive breeding is taking place in the U. The breeding of blue tegus seems to be producing more albinos. Some have red eyes and some have brown eyes. I personally think the brown-eyed specimens may have the stronger genes, as the red-eyed ones are extremely sensitive to light, and some have been born blind.

A gradient in temperature and light provided in a properly sized enclosure, give areas to bask, find shade, feed, drink, and sleep. The minimum length of the enclosure should be twice the length of the entire body. The tail is included in length measurements because it is also an important feature in thermoregulation.

The minimum width should be snout-tail length, and the height tall enough to allow for deep substrate and bulb placement. If multiple animals are kept together, allow an increase of one half of each dimension per additional animal. If plants and logs are added to the enclosure, allow for half of the floor space to remain open for ease of movement. Most adult tegu enclosures are 8ft x 4ft wooden or acrylic cages.

The Best Pet Lizard

Hatchlings can be kept in 30, 40, and 55 gallon enclosures then upgraded as they grow. If temperatures allow, tegus can be housed outdoors in secure enclosures. They are avid diggers and climbers. Precautions must be taken to ensure that they cannot dig out underneath the floor of the habitat or climb the wall to escape.

While a single bulb may be sufficient for a hatchling tegu, cluster lighting is the best way to achieve a proper basking area for an adult.

Basking temperatures are measured at the surface with an infrared temp gun. Current trends have moved away from measuring the ambient temperature of the basking area and instead look to the surface. A series of flood lights at lower wattage provide a larger and more effective basking zone than one higher wattage flood.

During the winter months, many tegus brumate.

Keeping and Caring for Monitor Lizards and Tegus

The use of UV-B bulbs in lizards has gone through a variety of debates. Carnivores have the ability to obtain all of the Vitamin D3 they need through a proper diet, however some herbivores rely solely on the sun to allow their bodies to produce Vitamin D3. No concrete data has been obtained on the Vitamin D requirements of omnivorous reptiles such as tegus. It is known that Vitamin D can be manufactured and regulated in the body in safe amounts in the presence of UV-B.

This fact supports the addition of UV-B in the enclosure. Since UV-A and UV-B also drive some of the behaviors of reptiles, adding it to the enclosure of captive reptiles can only add to their well-being. Cypress mulch was the most recommended substrate in years past. Ideally, at least one end of the enclosure will have feet of substrate so that the tegu can engage in normal digging behavior.

If the substrate is of the right consistency and depth, the tegu can create his own home that will hold a healthy amount of humidity and the owner has the satisfaction of observing natural behavior. Commercial potting soils can contain additives such as fertilizer that are harmful to reptiles.

Be sure to select an organic brand or select a safe spot in which to dig your own soil.

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Dark soils can stain a lizard so coir is often used as a mixture instead of black topsoil. Be sure to keep the substrate moist so that dust does not irritate the tegu. Adding a layer of leaf mulch on the top of the substrate can help to retain moisture. Small organisms that inhabit the soil naturally will decompose small bits of fecal matter and leftover food, creating a bio-active substrate.

So far, no tegus have escaped under or over these fences. Corrugated plastic tubes, such as those used for drainage, can be used to simulate burrows.

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Tegus hide in these tubes or make a room at the end. If you have the space, tubes can lead to hide boxes somewhere cooler, so the lizards have more temperature choices. Tegu hide boxes should contain a slightly moist substrate, such as leaves or hay, to provide humidity. Wild tegus spend about 80 percent of their time in moist underground burrows, so captive tegus that lack these moist hide boxes encounter shedding problems. Hide boxes also should have an inspection door, so you can check on the tegus or check for eggs. I use chimney blocks for my hides.

These pieces are exactly the right size 1 foot by 1. The blocks have round openings at the top, and I cover them with large water bowls filled with dirt. I surround the rest of the chimney blocks with dirt until 8 inches of dirt covers them.

Housing a Tegu

By lifting the water bowl tops, I can see into the hides. In the winter I place a big heap of leaves over these hiding places. These baby Argentine black and white tegus Tupinambis merianae are eating ground chicken. The author grinds bones into the meat. In principle, indoor enclosures do not need walls higher than 3 feet tall, but local regulations might actually state otherwise.

A friend in Florida told me he was fined because the walls of his tegu enclosure were less than 4 feet tall. A moist hide box is a must indoors.

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