Argantine Black-White Tegu

[Tim and Julie B]

Steeve you couldn't be more right! I got bit last month on my finger (second knuckle). It was already closed at the time and I had a firm hold of the Tegu with my other hand (thank god!). They do not let go for anything I tried dunking it, running water over it. What finally worked is Julie put the feeding tongs in its mouth and spread them apart. They are sadistic, every 30 seconds they give you this extra little squeeze just to cause more pain. It didn't hurt to bad at the time (not a lot of blood) but the next day my knuckle was swollen and was difficult to bend. I only have Golden Tegus to they are less then half the size of the larger species. Thank god those larger species are more docile!
I let one get a hold of a glove yesterday and it grabbed it and shook it so hard it went air born back and forth until it let go and hit the side of the cage. I don't ever wear gloves to pic them up it makes it harder to hang on to them. But I wanted to see what would happen if it ever got a good bite.

[Steeve B]

then you know exacly what I meant, just a little tipe! I keep grape fruit peel in my reptiles room at all time, my breakfest residue, if you squeze a peel in your lizards mouth, tecnicaly there suposed to releas imidiatly.
whats funny about this, I never even tryed this yet!
nevertheless I always have a suply at hand.

[Tim and Julie B]

Good idea because I think I would rather take the pain then waste the gin in the freezer! lol I will remember that one.

[asphyxia]

Thanks for the thread folks, very informative.

Best regards
Brian

[Tim and Julie B]

Ok they are both smooth. No clusters. For sure! Julie is going to barrow a didgy cam from work so I will post some pics. But they deffinatly are smooth.

[JeffT]

Yeah those are great looking lizards. I saw some at the last reptile show here in Calgary. What is their adult size? How big a cage do you need?

Jeff---ThE KiNg

[Steeve B]

4.5 feet 25lbs you can visit Ron St-Pierre at www.Albinotegu.com
he breeds all morphs.
Rgds

[chuck911jeep]

Hi folks!
I own a argentina black and white tegu since he was young(about 6 inch). One day, he bite me and i can tell you it's painful and it was bleeding a lot lol. With all your info i'm dissapointed, it's a male. I use balsamic vinegar to release is jaw
Thank's
Justin

[ectotherm]

Great thread. Very nice animals Steve. Because varanids require permits in my state, I am considering tegus instead (Can't figure out why monitors are illegal but tegus aren't) . Both Bert of agama international and Ron St. Pierre have some incredible animals.

Funny analogy I was told with regard to being bitten by a large tegu:

"I'd rather have my hand slammed in a car door than ever get bitten again."

[Steeve B]

they do have a savage bite! but if you get a babie argentine fro Run or Bert or even myself depending on your location (where is MA- Miami?) they most likely will never even try to bite you. they realy get tame and will give ample worning when anoyed.
Rgds

[ectotherm]

I'm a bit closer to Canada.

MA - Massachusetts
Still in the planning stages of a reptile room in our basement. What the wife can't see, she can't complain about, so I plan on building a small room for herps.

[Steeve B]

hey I know a guy in Salem who keeps Indicus sinse 87 guess what the city cant see, the city cant complain??
where is the injustice, you keeping varanids? or not alowing you to keep them?
injustice is something you fight in court, justice is what you get in court, fighting with burocrats pasing uninformed regulations whont give you justic, in fact it will leave you in the same position as obeying them blindly.
this kind of battle I alredy been thru, dont go thinking you cant change this, cause if you do then you alredy lost.
on the other hand if your satisfied with tegus then no need to fight, but sooner or later they will ban tegus also, then remember this. Rgds

[unBOAlievable]

Super good thread,

I purchased my BW tegu from Burt, hand picked at his awesome compound 4 or 5 years ago. It was in January and but chillin cold and we didn't miss a cage. Picked one from under a large piece of carpet.

Usually he is calm as can be but he has been real aggressive after hibernation and the slow moving tegu hit that high gear, the one normally at feeding time and nailed my index finger and I heard bone crunch The pain was immense and I held on. They love to sling intestines everywhere for some reason and he tried to do the same to my finger. After a little silicone and a bunch of duct tape all that is left is a big scar. Oh and a little more awareness around the slow moving tegu. He's still my buddy though.

[Tim and Julie B]

" They love to sling intestines everywhere for some reason and he tried to do the same to my finger. After a little silicone and a bunch of duct tape all that is left is a big scar. "

OK! :jawdrop: Hospital?

[markb]

Back in 1971 I got a Argentine b/w for $2. I can still remember the bite = very painful.

What a great thread here re: sexing tegus with great pics Steve!
Very helpful, and insightful, even to an old dummy like me. Its been a long time since I worked with Teiidae, and if I recall, I do not recall ever seeing anything in any books sexing them as easily as you show here on this post!! I think another book on Tegus in order

But more interestingly, I remember when I fed it caterpillars, it scraped off the bristles before eating it - are the bristles toxic in N. American caterpillars? He did this repeatedly, not just once, but with every caterpillar I ever fed him.
Great animals if you don't get bitten, and fortunately, with him it only happened once....wish I could say that for the V. bengalensis I had! haha...
cheers,
markb