Fluffy, the Columbian tegu lizard, needs a home!
There are several types of tegus (Tupinambis) in the pet trade including black and white Argentine, red, blue, gold and Columbian tegus. The calmest and tamest of the tegus are probably the Argentines, although some people would argue that the red tegus are also pretty mellow. The Columbians are probably the most aggressive, least expensive and the most commonly found in rescues.
Tegus are the new world counterpart of the monitor lizard. Tegus are found through Central and South America. They are tropical and are found in the rainforest areas in their range. They enjoy temperatures of 80 F on the low end to around 100 F in the basking area.
The diet varies depending on species, but they eat a lot of protein consisting primarity of insects and rodents in captivity. Some eat fruit, vegetables and eggs as well. In the wild, they include carrion in their diet. Be careful when you feed your tegu. They are known to jump up on their back legs to grab the food. If you value your fingers, use feeding tongs!
They can be good pets, but have high energy and need a lot of space. The rule of thumb is to make the width cage at least twice the length of the animal and the depth of the cage one and a half times the length of the animal. Tegus are terrestrial so they do not need a cage that is very tall. They are active during the day and need UV light in their enclosure.
Charm City Reptile Rescue, located in Baltimore, has a Columbian tegu, Fluffy, available for adoption at the time of this writing. This tegu is a little on the aggressive side. Many animals come into the rescue underfed and kept in poor conditions. This particular lizard arrived a little thin and very hungry.
For people who have a lot of reptiles, tegus can act as the garbage disposal for leftover rodents. They are bottomless pits, always searching for the next meal.
Tegus get to be a decent size, about 4-5 ft. As they reach maturity, the males develop puffy jowls. These reptiles are smarter than some of the smaller lizards. Always make sure that your enclosure is secure. Tegus can be surprisingly crafty in their escape attempts.
Tegus are a nice choice for a pet reptile, but they are not recommended for small children.
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