Quick answers to common questions:
General         Food         Housing         Health

General

Q:  What are the Different types of Tegus?
A:  Blue, Albino Blue, Black & White, Gold, and of course... Red.

Q:  How much do Tegus cost?
A:  I have personally seen them sell for as little as $50 in bulk price to as much as $500 for a colorful adult. Prices depend on sex, size, color, age and lineage. Just remember that the price of the Tegu is only the beginning. You still need to buy the cage and all the supplies. That can run about $200+ depending on your choices.

Q:  Do they bite?
A:  Any animal with teeth can bite. If they are handled properly they generally do not bite. Their teeth are sharp and pointy. If they bite, you must be careful not to pull away and thereby cause a tear. The other thing to be cautious of is a “death roll”. Just like gators and crocs, when they bite, they roll in order to tear off chunks of meat from large prey. Tegus will also take up an aggressive posture, tail whip and head butt when they feel threatened.
 
Q:  How big will my Tegu grow?
A:  It varies due to many factors and they all grow at different rates. With proper husbandry, a Red Tegu of good genetic background can grow to about 4 foot and weigh 20 lbs. Just like people, they grow at different rates and have growth spurts where they grow so fast you can almost see them grow. Some factors that can influence the growth rate of a Tegu include: Genetic background, cage size, amount and type of food, competition for food, amount of light, type and amount of UV light, proper vitamins and supplements, being raised indoor or outdoor, stress levels and the general happiness of the animal.

Q:  Is it safe to have a Tegu with a small child?
A:  Keeping any animal with teeth and sharp nails with a small child should only be done under close parental supervision and only after determining the temperament of the animal. Tegus are generally calm and docile once they reach sub adult size. Once acclimated to being around people and being handled they are for the most part friendly and gentile. My children and their friends have been handling our Tegus since they were 8 years old and never a mishap. It is important to wash hands with an antibacterial soap both before and after handling.

Q:  How much attention do they need?
A:  The more you handle your Tegu, the tamer they will be. It is important to feed them and clean their cage daily.

Q:  When I hold my Tegu he squirms and scratches me. Am I doing something wrong?
A:  Do not hold him! Let him hold you. The tighter you squeeze the more he will fight. Support him, do not try to restrain him, just let him hold onto you. Make sure he has a firm footing, letting him grab onto the front of your shirt or hold onto your shoulder will make him more comfortable. Remember that Tegus are terrestrial. They can climb but they feel more secure when they are on or close to the ground. Make sure that if you pick your Tegu up, he feels secure so he does not try to jump off. It helps if you cradle him like a baby.

Q:  I bought a Red Tegu but he is not red. Did I get ripped off?
A:  Probably not if you purchased from a reputable breeder. When they are first born, they are quite green. Tegus can have dramatic changes in color over their first two years or so. Tegu genetics is still a bit of a mystery. By breeding multiple generations of animals with a particular color trait, that color is more likely to be passed on.

Q:  My Tegu escaped from his cage now he is lost. Can I use food to catch him?
A:  A Tegus first instinct is to hide. He will probably not come out looking for food readily especially when people are around. If you have hard wood or tile floors you can sift flour onto the floor than when they are out they will leave tracks that you can follow. Try looking in low dark places, they generally won't climb up things as much as crawl under and into things. If you have potted plants, check to see if they have dug a hole in them. They generally don't go far. Look inside furniture. They get under a couch and end up exploring the springs and padding. They will fit into amazingly small tight spaces. The tighter the space, the more secure they feel.

Q:  Is my Tegu a boy or girl?
A:  The only way to sex a juvenile Tegu is to probe just like a snake. When they mature, males will develop pronounced jowls. More importantly, males will have a small BB size bump on each side of the base of his tail by the vent.

FOOD

Q:  What do they eat?
A:  They are primarily carnivores. They start out eating Crickets, roaches, worms and other bugs. As they grow so does their appetite. They will be on rodents by the time they are a few months old. I also use a ground turkey mixture with supplements and eggs from the time they are a week old. It is also important for Red Tegus to regularly get fruit with vitamin C.
A typical week’s diet might look like this:

Turkey mix
assorted fruit
a proper sized rodent   
more fruit
eggs and fruit along with high protein pellet food
more fruit along with your choice of bugs
a proper sized rodent

Q:  How much do they eat?
A:  It depends on their size and their diet. When they're a few days old, they can eat a dozen crix a day. As they age, it can go upwards of 50 crix at a time. Since variety in diet is helpful in getting them to eat well, I offer many types of foods. Of course as they get bigger they eat more. Care must be taken that they do not overeat. Just watch their weight so they don't eat too much.

Q:  What about hand feeding them?
A:  In a word NO. If you feel compelled to do so, remember that a strong feeding response is desirable and may not be conducive to hand feeding. Holding a rat by the tail might get you bit if your Tegus aim is not very good.

Q:  Do I have to feed rodents and bugs?
A:  Young Tegus need protein to grow. If you are squeamish about live feeders, you might want to consider a different type of animal for a pet. You can use a turkey mixture to supplement other protein but I believe it is not sufficient by itself. As they get older they need less protein.

Q:  Can crickets eat my Tegu?
A:  Yes, leftover crix can do a lot of damage to a Tegu if left in overnight.

Q:  Can worms eat their way out of my Tegu?
A:  No, it's an urban legend.

Q:  Can I feed my Tegu bugs from my garden?
A:  It is safer not to. You don't know what they may have been exposed to. Pesticides, germs, parasites… can all have a deadly effect on your Tegu. Never feed luminous bugs (fireflies) as they are poisonous.

Q:  Does my Tegu need a water bowl?
A:  Yes. They get moisture from their food if they are fed properly but they need more. They also love to bathe and soak when shedding High humidity is important. You can mist them occasionally, they usually love it.

Q:  How do I get my Tegu to eat fruit?
A:  Red Tegus will naturally eat more fruit and less animal protein as they reach maturity. They are attracted by movement so dropping them into the bowl may help. Another method is to chop the fruit into small pieces in a bowl and put worms or other bugs in with it.

Q:  What are supplements? Do I need to use them?
A:  Supplements are vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and D3. YES you must use them for a healthy Tegu. You add them to the food items. You can dust bugs or add it to the turkey and fruits. I feed Rep-cal juvie dragon pellets occasionally as well as food items dusted with T-Rex products. If these products are used, additional supplementation may do more harm than good.

FOOD WEB SITES
Beautiful Dragons Nutritional Information
Insects as food      Nutritional Value of Various Insects
Melissa Kaplan's Nutrients of Foods Commonly Fed to Carnivorous and Omnivorous Reptiles
T-Rex foods    Rep-cal Foods    Silkworms

Housing

Q: Can I house more than one Tegu in a cage?
A: Never put 2 mature males together. Even mature females can fight. My experience is if you want to keep Tegus together they need to be put together at an early age before they get territorial. Always, always, always quarantine new animals for a minimum of 30 days. (I recommend 90 days)

Q:  How big a cage do I need?
A:  Adult Red Tegus should have at least 24 sq. ft. of floor space. 6’ X 4’ is good; 8’ X 4’ is great.

Q:  Can I use a hot rock for heat?
A:  NO! Do not ever use a hot rock. Tegus should get heat from above with a basking lamp. The hottest spot should be 105F-115F so they can properly digest their food.

Q:  Should I use a heat light at night?
A:  NO! Tegus can see the light and black lights are bad for their eyes. The cage should be dark to allow them to rest and cycle properly. Night time heat is not needed unless temps drop below 65F inside the cage. If that is the case you can use a ceramic heater for heat from the top or a UTH (under tank heater) if it is feasible. Generally, if you have a sand bottom, the UTH will not penetrate because the sand will insulate it

Q:  What should I use on the bottom of the cage?
A:  I use cypress mulch or cypress blend. Tegus are smart enough that if they get a mouthful while eating they will spit out the mulch. It should be moist (cage humidity 50%). You can mist the cage lightly on a daily basis to keep the humidity up. Sphagnum moss can be used in the hide for even more humidity.

Q:  What about a hide?
A:  Tegus love a tight fit, it helps them feel secure. You can provide a hide by simply placing a wooden board on the ground. They will dig a burrow under the wood and settle in. If you want something above ground, a small hide box that they can curl up in is fine.

Q:  Can I use tree branches from my yard in the cage?
A:  Use dried out wood. Soak in a 10% bleach solution for several hours then let dry until there is no smell. Fumes are toxic, be careful. You can also bake it for several hours at 200F

Q:  What is a UV light? Do I have to use one?
A:  UV is ultraviolet light. The sun provides UVA and UVB that your Tegu uses to manufacture vitamin D3. This is needed to absorb and use the calcium ingested to stay healthy.

This is a hotly debated topic. I believe it is better to err on the side of caution and use a good UV light. It is my experience that Proper UV lighting can help some Tegus maintain better color, have a better appetite, grow and thrive. This is not true in all cases and there are breeders who raise their Tegus with no UV light, just supplements and have no reported problems. There is a smaller margin for error however when you rely strictly on supplements.  There are many UV lights to choose from. There are also many BAD UV lights that do little or nothing in the way of UV. For florescent UV lights I believe the standard is the Reptisun 5.0.

Health

Q:  What is the white stuff in my Tegus poop?
A:  That is the urates (pee), just like a bird.

Q:  My Tegu has messy, smelly poop. Is that normal?
A:  It can be, depending on diet. If you are concerned, get a fecal. (Take a fresh poop sample to the vet to check for parasites. This should be done twice a year anyway)

Q:  My Tegu has not pooped in days. Should I be concerned?
A:  What goes in one end needs to come out the other. As Tegus get older they don't poop as often. Adults may only poop several times a week. You can give him a warm bath to help him go. It will relax him. If you see him straining or twitching his back legs or problems walking, he may be impacted. If a warm bath does not work, go to a vet fast as impaction can kill your Tegu in a short time.

Q:  I just got my Tegu and he is not eating very much. What could be wrong?
A:  Many Tegus take a while to get acclimated before they start eating well. Give it a few more days. Cage size and basking temps can also effect eating.

Q:  My Tegu is not eating very much and is not very active. What could be wrong?
A:  He could be getting ready to brumate. Make sure your basking temperature is at 105-115F.

Q:  My Tegu sleeps all the time, is he sick?
A:  Some Tegus “brumate” sort of like hibernation, for up to 3 even 4 months at a time.

Q:  Is it normal for my Tegu to keep his mouth open?
A:  If he does it all the time your temps may be too hot or it could be an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI). If he is gaping all the time, has a mucus around the mouth or nose or has difficulty breathing, get to a vet for a prescription of Baytril ASAP. (More info on Baytril)

Q:  My Tegus tail came off, what do I do? Will it grow back?
A:  It will grow back but it won't look like it did before. This is why you don't pick your Tegu up by the tail. If your Tegu is with other Tegus, separate him. You can use an antibiotic cream to reduce chances of infection. If there is a lot of blood or persistent bleeding, get to a vet ASAP. If the break is close to the body go to a vet. If it does not start healing in a few days go to a vet.

Q:  Do Tegus like water?
A:  Most Tegus do like water and enjoy a misting or bath.

Q:  What could be causing my Tegu to throw up?
A:  Tegus digest their food with the help of heat from a basking light. Poor digestion is normally associated with temperatures below 105-115F. It is also possible that the food items he is trying to eat are too large. To much food can cause vomiting too. Do not handle your Tegu after a meal. The stress can cause the animal to thrash around and throw up Anytime a Tegu throws up, it is a serious matter. They have bacteria in their stomach to help digest food. The loss of this “gut flora” makes it harder to digest food and so it needs to be replaced. A probiotic should always be given when a Tegu has digestive problems. Pedialyte is good to help rehydrate him and replace fluids. (More info on Probiotics and Pedialyte)

Q:  How do I trim my Tegus nails?
A:  They can be trimmed with a nail clipper (not scissors) just like people use. Only cut off the tips. Have a blood clotting agent available in case you get a bleeder. Products like we use for razor cuts work for Tegus too and are available at most pet stores.

Q:  My Tegu is getting a faded look like a ghost. Wheats wrong with him?
A:  He is getting ready to shed. The moisture is building up under his top layer of old skin so it can peel off. Generally, Tegus don't shed all at once however. Their skin may come of in patches. Soaking them in a warm bath can aid in this process by allowing additional moisture under the skin. Keep in mind however, you also need to make sure the cage is hot and dry enough to allow the skin to dry so it can flake and peel off. As it starts to dry, providing something for them to rub against is a help too.

Bringing your Tegu home

When you get your Tegu, the best thing is to take him out of the box right away and put him in a warm bath for about 10 minutes, then into the cage with a food bowl. Let him get used to things for a day or two before handling him. When you do handle him start slow and only for short periods (a few minutes here and there). Attitude and appetite will tell you when he is ready to be one of the family.

I use cypress mulch for a substrate. Lighting is on from sunup until sundown.

I keep their feeding routine here varied to make things more interesting for them. Feeding time is about 10am-noon depending on when they wake up and when they bask. You must give them time to warm up.

If you want to feed crix, give him as much as he can eat over a 10 minute period, a few at a time. You should dust the crix with the T-Rex cricket dust. This helps to balance the phosphorus:calcium ratio. If you are not using prepared foods then use the appropriate calcium supplement regularly (with D3 for indoor, no D3 for outdoor).

Make sure you have his enclosure set up and ready for him before he arrives and the temperatures are OK.

Hot side: right under basking light, 105-115 Cool side: 80-85 A place to perch/climb under the basking spot. A place to hide to get out of the light, a shady spot or a cave. I recommend a quarantine period of 90 days.

Updated 5-26-04