The Cold Blooded News

Tidbits of Information - Tegus

Reprinted from the newsletter of the Toledo Herpetological Society, Vol.12, No.1, January 2001.

Scientific Name:: Black and White Tegus (Tupinambis merianae) Red Tegus (Tupinambis rufescens), Argentine locality are the most red.
Blue Tegus (Tupinambis teguixin), only the adult males show the most blue.
Amazonian or Golden Tegus (Tupinambis nigropunctatus)

Size:: Hatchlings 8 to 10 inches. Adult males are larger then females. Blue Tegus are smallest 3 to 3.5 feet, the rest of the species up to 4 feet (Red Tegus are the largest).

Captive Care:: 29 gallon long size tank for hatchlings, 18 square feet of floor space for adults. Use substrate that helps to maintain a high humidity like Cypress mulch or Carefresh. Do not use carpeting. Tegus like to dig and will eventually dig at and pull loose strings in the carpet potentially getting their toes caught and possible serious injury. A small clean water bowl should be available at all times. Do not use a water bowl that is large enough for the Tegu to soak itself in. The water bowl should be placed in the cool side of the cage. A hide box should be used and placed in the cool side of the cage.

Temperature:: Basking area of 100-110°F, ambient daytime 80-85°F, with cooler at night. The black and white and the red varieties are the most cold tolerant. These two varieties also occur at the southern most part of their naturally occurring range. Tegus do become inactive and will refuse to eat over winter, but do not go into a true hibernation. This inactivity with a slight cooling to an ambient daytime temperature of 80°F is necessary for reproduction. A basking area should still be maintained during this period. The black and white Tegus have been successfully maintained overwinter in outdoor enclosures as far north in the United States as Birmingham, Alabama.

Lighting:: Lighting to maintain a daily diurnal light cycle is necessary. UV generating lights are not required if the Tegus are fed a diet of mainly whole rodents.

Food:: Hatchlings: a varied diet consisting of crickets, superworms, waxworms, pinky mice, Zupreem Tegu and Monitor diet, ground turkey diet (as developed by the San Diego Zoo for monitors), and fruit. Argentine red Tegus require a larger portion of fruit in their diet than other Tegus. Adding fruit to their diet helps prevent shedding problems.
Juveniles and Adults: appropriate sized frozen/thawed mice (offer rodents no larger than Monitor diet, SDZ ground turkey diet, and fruit (mainly for the red Tegus). Red Tegus prefer Kiwi, passion fruit, mango, star fruit, strawberries, grapes, peaches, and plums.
General: juvenile Tegus require large amounts of calcium supplementation to facilitate their very rapid growth rate until adult rodents can be offered.

Temperament:: Domestically bred Tegus are docile and have gentle dispositions, but need to be handled regularly. Juveniles can be very aggressive feeders. Female black and white Tegus can become temporarily aggressive during the spring breeding season. Sex determined by probing or adult size, jowls and color.