VARNYARD HERPS INC.
Tegu Breeder, Breeder of dog tame Argentine tegus!!
Helpful Information Section!!
Care sheet for the Tegu or (Tupinambis). Note some species will differ some on requirements. This care sheet will be for four of the common species available in the pet trade.
Hatchling tegus will all take the same food up until about one year in age. Of these the Tupinambis merianae, Common name (Argentine Black and White), (Giant Tegu) And the Tupinambis rufescens, Common name (Argentine red Tegu), (Red tegu) will change feeding habits. The Blue Tegu is also a form of the Tupinambis merianae, but the Tupinambis teguixin, Common name (Colombian Black and White), or (Gold Tegu) Will stay on a carnivorous diet throughout their life.
Food:
All Tegus are carnivores as hatchlings, which means they only eat meat. I do allow baby tegus to eat as much as they want to, except rodents. I feed them one once or twice a week, and also make sure they are the size that can swallow without too much trouble. Crickets dusted with vitamins dust, Captive raised roaches, Mealworms, Super mealworms, ground turkey dusted with vitamin dust, Pinkie mice and cooked egg (Not raw) scrambled or hard-boiled. The only reptile supplement I have any faith in is Zoo-Med Repti Calcium without D3. Most other products are made from crushed oyster shells, and are not able to be absorbed. Therefore, being a poor product for a good healthy tegu.
As for my adults, I feed them everyday, as in the babies, the get one whole rodent, chick or duckling once or twice a week. However, my tegus do hibernate up to 7 months out of the year. If you have a tegu that does not hibernate, you can cut back on feeding him as much, or as frequent. Judged by the animal keeping good body weight, and a fat round tail base. If he starts to look like he might be loosing body mass, you can always add more to the diet.
Please remember to remove any food that is not eaten right after your tegu has eaten his/her fill. Insects are well known for stressing reptiles. This also will help keep their cage cleaner.
Adult tegus, for the Argentine Black and White and the Argentine red Tegu, the Blue Tegu and as well as the Extreme Giant tegus, they will take ground turkey; cooked egg (Not raw) scrambled or hard-boiled, rodents, fresh fish (Not from a pet shop, due to the chemicals used in these tanks), baby chickens, grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, melons, and just about any other soft fruits. Bananas can be given as well, but not as a staple diet, only in moderation. This is due to the high content of potassium (Known for not binding with calcium). Not more than once every couple of weeks. They also tend to have very high phosphorous levels. Some of my Argentine tegus will not eat fruit. They are just as healthy as any tegus that have fruit in the diet; they also have no shedding problems at all. The more I look into this, the more I see feeding fruit as being a waste of time and money. There are many things out there to feed your tegu that is much better than fruit. The Colombian Black and White, or (Gold Tegu) will take all of the above, except fruit. Also I suggest feeding only killed rodents. Live rodents can bite your animal. Dead do not; it is just not worth the chance. My choice of vitamin dust is Zoo-Med Repti Calcium without D3; it is made with calcium carbonate and not crushed oyster shell.
A side note on feeding: Tegus can get cage aggressive. They can get to where they will associate their keeper with food. There are a couple of ways to keep this from happening. The first is to feed your tegu in a separate cage or area than his home. Have the food there when you put him with it.
Another way, would be to feed him at night or when he is in his hide. Then he will not see you with food. The first suggestion is the best for a few reasons. One you handle him every day, which helps with the taming process. Another reason would be to remove all chances of him ingesting substrate. And last, but not least, the food would be fresher than feeding at night.
In my opinion, feeding fruit for skin problems has no solid ground to back the claims of some keepers. There is nothing in most fruits to promote good sheds but moisture, all though some fruits do contain some vitamins that are good for skin. There are other sources of these vitamins in much higher concentrations, these are found in meats. Feeding fruit seems to be nothing more than a wasted meal, and is not needed to have and keep a healthy tegu. There are other things that do contain the right vitamins, such as beef liver and cod liver oil. These need to be fed in conjunction with each other. Another words feed both of them once a week as a meal.
The way I mix my beef liver into the ground turkey:
I use one part of beef liver to three parts ground turkey, just mince the liver, or you can use a food processor. You can mix it together and then portion pack them into meal size zip-lock bags, freeze them and then thaw them as needed to feed. As in the little stamp zip-locks for hatchlings, up to sandwich bags for adults. You can make up a bunch of them and freeze them. Also this is fed raw, I do not cook anything for tegus but eggs.
Raw beef liver contains:
Vitamin A iu (ug * 5) 35346.000 10020.591 39940.98 706.9%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) mg 0.260 0.07371 0.2938 17.3%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) mg 2.780 0.78813 3.1414 163.5%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) mg 12.780 3.62313 14.4414 63.9%
Vitamin B5 (Pantotheic Acid) mg 7.620 2.16027 8.6106 76.2%
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) mg 0.940 0.26649 1.0622 47%
Vitamin C mg 22.000 6.237 24.86 36.6%
Vitamin E mg 0.670 0.189945 0.7571 4.4%
Water g 68.990 19.558665 77.9587 0
Zinc mg 3.920 1.11132 4.4296 26.1%
The way I mix my cod liver oil into the ground turkey:
I use one tablespoon of cod liver oil to one pound of ground turkey. You can mix it together and then portion pack them into meal size zip-lock bags, freeze them and then thaw them as needed to feed. As in the little stamp zip-locks for hatchlings, up to sandwich bags for adults.
Cod liver oil contains more vitamin A and more vitamin D per unit weight than any other common food. One hundred grams of regular cod liver oil provides 100,000 IU of vitamin A, almost three times more than beef liver, the next richest source; and 10,000 IU vitamin D, almost four times more than lard, the next richest source. Of course, cod liver oil is only consumed used in small amounts, but even a tablespoon (about 15 grams) provides well over the recommended daily allowance for both nutrients in humans. Cod liver oil is a natural source of vitamin D3.
In addition, cod liver oil contains 7 percent each of the elongated omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. EPA is the precursor of important prostaglandin, localized tissue hormones that help the body deal with inflammation; and DHA is extremely important for the development and function of the brain and nervous system. So it's no surprise that in numerous studies cod liver oil has proven to be a powerhouse in fighting disease.
They both must be fed in conjunction with each other, the Cod liver oil is needed to metabolite the vitamin A in the beef liver.
This diet is the best way to promote good sheds in tegus, if you have a tegu with shedding issues, or even impactions, the combination above will be the best solution.
Water:
Tegus require fresh water on a daily basis. It also would be recommended that their water dishes/bowls be big enough to soak in.
Housing:
Hatchlings will do great in a 20 long tank, but they will outgrow these fast. As an adult they require a much larger enclosure. I house mine outside in a 8 ft x 8 ft enclosure. Inside I use a 400 gallon showcase. If building your own cage, remember that these lizards are terrestrial (ground dwelling), So height would not be a necessity. I recommend at least a 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high.
Humidity:
Tegus require high humidity level 60%-70% or more for proper shedding as well as proper health. Misting on a daily basis is required. If you have another way to raise the humidity, that is fine. Remember not to have the substrate tacky as to stick to the feet.
Substrate:
I recommend using cypress mulch, orchid bark, Lizard litter, Repti-bark or eucalyptus mulch. These should not be dusty dry or wet. You can mist them a little to keep the dust down, this will also raise the humidity. Make sure it is not tacky, as to stick to their feet. Also your tegu needs to be fed where he will not ingest these substrates. You do not want him to have a intestinal blockage.
Lighting:
Ultravtegu. It is much better to invest in the proper UV lighting. I recommend using Power-Suns 100 watt or 160 watt, another great bulb is the Repti-Sun 7.5 or 10.0. Both of these types of bulbs can be found anywhere Zoo-Med products are sold.
Hibernation:
Tegus hibernate up to seven months in the wild. They will also do this in captivity if given the chance. However, tegus do not have to hibernate. If they do not hibernate, they may still slow down on feeding during the normal hibernating season.
It has been said that tegus can handle a few days at 35*F, however I do not like to see my temps drop below the lower 50s. Note the Argentine species are the only ones to do this that I know of. The Colombians are not known to hibernate.
I will also say that it is not just about temperatures. Tegus doiolet light with a full-spectrum of light is recommended. Lights that emit UVB is a must for this species of reptile. Ultraviolet lighting is important in the production of vitamin D3, which is necessary for calcium metabolism. There are some people that claim added vitamins of D3 would be a good substitute, however I do not. I do use multi-vitamin dust. But I do not depend on it for a substitute for UV lighting. Too much added D3 in the form of a supplement can be deadly to your not start hibernating because of weather conditions, but it is also based lighting and their internal clock. My tegus start hibernating long before the weather even starts to turn cool. It is still summer weather here in August-September when mine start going underground. In the wild, burrows are usually around two feet deep and up to four feet long. They often times take over other animal’s burrows. Tegus will line these burrows with grasses and leaves. They will also plug the entrance with this as well. It is strongly recommended, by some that Argentine tegus hibernate if they are intended to breed. Bert Langerwerf claims that if these tegus miss hibernation, they will be infertile and unable to produce viable young. Yet others claim they will breed regardless. However I have heard both sides on this and there are other thoughts as well. I cannot say, as I always hibernate mine. There are a lot of people asking for some information on hibernating tegus. So, I will try to cover this entire here. I have found that tegus just about do everything themselves. When the time comes for them to start hibernating they will stop eating. They will go a few weeks before they go into full hibernation. Around two to three weeks of coming out less and basking very little. If kept outside they will refuse to eat at all during this period. They will start spending less and less time above ground. The same thing happens inside as well. Tegus will start refusing food and spend less time out of their hides. When they start this process I stop feeding them all together. This is also the time I start reducing the lighting times. I keep my lights on my tegus for 12 hours a day in spring and summer; the lights are on 12 hours and off 12 hours. When the tegus start to slow down on feeding and start spending more time in their hides. I reduce the lighting to 10 hours a day, I also stop feeding them all together. I do this for about a week to two weeks. Then I start turning them on for 8 hours for a week. At this point most tegus are usually in their hides for the duration of hibernation. I usually leave the lights on for 6 hours after this point for a week or so. If the tegus do not come out at all, then the lights are turned off for the rest of the winter. If you do see your tegu come out in winter, as this does sometimes happen. Then you can turn the lights on, however these periods usually do not last long. Some might come out for an hour or two and then go right back to hibernating. Most often times they will not come out at all. When and if this happens it is fine to turn the lights back on. But turn them off when they return to their hide. Also, do not feed them. They will not require any food if this happens. I do keep fresh water in the enclosures for about the first six weeks. However I have not seen them drink water either during this time.
More Info
Taming the beast!!
A lot of people will be buying a new tegu this season. I want to give some tips on getting them tame. Let me first say, Put yourself in your tegu's position. He is small, you are very big. Big things eat small things. So in his mind he is thinking you are wanting to eat him.To start with, you must build trust with your lizard. Here’s some helpful hints: first off the most important thing that people do wrong, is disturbing them when they are in their hide, never do this, this is their place of safety, that is one sure way to lose trust with your tegu. Next never (man handle) them, they seem to respond better if you are gentle. It is not going to happen over night. And just try to stay calm around him. If he thinks you are going to hurt him he will go into the fight or flight responce. So just take your time, and he will realize you are not a threat and calm down. Keep this in the back of your mind. In the wild these little guys are prey, so when you handle him, remember this. He will come to know you as a friend and not a foe. If you are gentle and slow when handling them, they will feel more comfortable, and respond better when they are handled.
Think of them as your puppy, when you pick him up, do not grab him behind the neck or around the belly, just reach under him. Hold him with a lite grip.
Tegus are the same as a puppy, they don't like to be grabbed either.
Instead reach under them with a loose hand and be gentle. Also when handling them. Let them move through your loose hands, just keep putting one hand in front of the other until he calms down and stops moving. Just remember, the more you grab them and try to restrict them, the longer it will take for him to trust you and become tame. The more interaction you have with him, the better. Just try to handle him with a very slow hand, in a calm manner.
Another point that I want to make, is tegus can become very food aggressive. They can and will associate you with food. They will bite the hand that feeds them, this is not done in a aggressive manner. My advice to this is never feed them in their cage. Never let them see you feed them. The best way to cure this problem, is to not feed them in their cage. Put the food in a separate cage, then take the tegu from his cage to the food. This helps in many ways. You are putting him with the food, not bringing the food to him. This keeps the food aggression to a minimun. Also by doing this, you are handling him twice a day, once to take him to the food, and another when you return him to his cage. It also helps to keep from getting impactions. If you keep him on substraight, and remove him to feed him, then you could feed him on newspaper. Then there would never be a chance for him to ingest the substraights. I hope these tips help. If you need more advice on this, feel free to ask. 
Good luck with your new pet!
Breeding Tegus
Argentine tegus breed soon after they come out from hibernation. About three weeks to a month after they emerge from hibernation. The males begin to actively pursue the females. Copulation takes place for one to two weeks. The female will start to build a nest seven to ten days after this takes place. I have found that fine hay and leaves work great for nesting. Females will build a nest that is about three feet in diameter and two to three feet high. They like to build these nests under things. I use a piece of plywood leaned against the side of the enclosure. All other tegus must be removed when the female starts building the nest. Females become very aggressive at this time. They will attack anything that they perceives as a threat to their nest and eggs. They will also get aggressive with their keepers. Argentine tegus and the Blues are the only lizards in the world known to build a nest. The female builds a two part nest chamber. The bottom chamber is for the eggs, the top is a guarding chamber. Females tend to hold this aggression well after the eggs and nest are removed. I would not suggest putting her with any other tegus until time for hibernation begins again. They have been known to attack and kill other tegus. In my studies, they keep this guarding mode regardless of where they are. I have tried to put them in a separate enclosure for up to a month after laying. When I add another tegu they attack it on sight. They are best kept alone during this period.
Bert Langerwerf has seen these same actions with his animals. He too has stated it is better to house them separate until time for hibernation to begin. Argentine Black and White tegus begin breeding here in Florida around mid March until mid April. He claims the ratio of more males than females insure a fertile clutch. If one male is used with one female the clutch tends to have a 50% fertility rate. It is best to have two males to one female, or three males to two females, or seven males to five females, this will greatly increase the fertility in the eggs. Males are very impressive animals, the look like they would be very aggressive towards each other.
I breed tegus in pairs only, but I have found that males get along quite well, even during the peak of the breeding season. It is strongly recommended that Argentine tegus hibernate if the are intended to breed. Bert Langerwerf claims that if these tegus miss a hibernation, they will be infertile and unable to produce viable young. I would tend to agree with this theory. If a baby tegu misses the first year of hibernation, they can reach three feet in one year. If the baby hibernates he will be the same size at the time he hibernated. Babies that hibernate will reach about half as much or less in size as those that do not hibernate. In my opinion a baby that does not hibernate would have stretched reproductive organs, thus not being able to reproduce. Females that reach two years old start producing follicles in their system before hibernation begins for their third season. These follicles are carried in her system into hibernation. When she emerges, the male copulates and fertilizes the follicles, she shells the follicles and lays her clutch and then starts to grow follicles in her body for the following year. If a female misses a hibernation or this cycle, it is believed by some that she will absorb these follicles. It is a big question if she will ever reproduce again. My breeders have never missed a hibernation period, so I cannot say that they would, or would not produce again. Bert claims that they are useless for breeding if they miss one of these cycles of hibernation. Colombian tegus are not bred in the United States to any great extent that I know of. They are often times imported. They also do not require hibernation. I would tend to believe they would be more like the Ameivas and whiptails then the Argentine Reds, Argentine Black and Whites, or the Blue tegus. Gestation and removing the eggs.
The female will lay her eggs within days after completion of the nest. This period is about three to seven days after the nest is made. The female has been seen drinking vast quantities of water in dry conditions. It is believed that the female regurgitates water on the nest when it becomes to dry. Nests have been found to be more moist than the surrounding soil. Females can have between ten and seventy three eggs in one clutch. Bert Langerwerf recorded a single female lay seventy three eggs. The average clutch is around thirty eggs.
The female will be seen as quite thin after laying her clutch. At this time the eggs will need to be removed for incubation. Be sure not to rotate the eggs when removing them from the nest. It is also best to have the incubator already set up and the temperature and the humidity right. It is best to set up the incubator when you notice the female building the nest.
Incubation and hatching
When setting up the incubator, it is best to use a mixture of one part of perlite to one part vermiculite.
This is what I have found to work the best. I use three parts of this mixture to one part water. Note, if this mixture becomes too wet, mold will start to attach to the eggs. This is not good for tegu eggs. I have found that the eggs do much better if they are a little dry, then too moist. Tegu eggs are not like most reptile eggs. They do not get softer the longer they incubate. The eggs get larger and firmer the farther they incubate. This mold can cause a breach in the eggs. Tegu eggs have pressure inside them. Most reptiles produce firm eggs when they are laid, tegu eggs are dented and soft. They start becoming firm within a few days of incubation. Most reptiles eggs become dented when they get close to pipping. When tegus pip, fluid squirts up to twelve inches from the egg. I have not seen this in other reptiles.
The temperatures for incubation are best between 86° F to 90° F. I have heard of cooler temperatures as well as warmer, but this has worked best for me. The incubation period, I have found to be between 58 and 60 days. This time can run a few days longer or shorter. It is also not good to pip tegu eggs. These eggs will hatch if a healthy baby is inside. Tegu babies will not stay in the egg like most reptiles, they will bust out as soon as they pip.
I have heard of incubation times of 40 days to 120 days, but this is the time I have recorded with four different clutches. It would also depend on the temperature, a hotter temperature would tend to cause them to hatch faster, but the babies would be less healthy. Also at a cooler temperature the eggs would hatch slower. However I think 120 days is way off on time. I read this in a book, but I found this information hard to believe.
Babies need to be removed as soon as they hatch. They need to be offered some food as soon as they hatch. Hatchlings will sometimes start to feed within hours of hatching. Others will feed the following day. I offer medium crickets to fresh hatchlings, they seem to take these best. You will also need to have two different tanks set up for the hatchlings, some hatchlings might be smaller and less active. These will need to be removed and put into seperate enclosure then the larger more active babies. I use a 20 gallon long tank for hatchlings. This is a great starter tank. I put a heat lamp with a 65 watt bulb at one end. I also use a UVB, UVA strip light on top. This way the hatchlings can get warm or cool off as needed. A shallow water dish, and newspaper for the sub straight. The baby hatchlings will keep their bellies cleaner on this. This way no infections will start while the bellies seal. Remember Argentine tegus can take cooler tempretures than most other lizards. The basking side of the enclosure needs to be between 95*F and 110*F. They also need a cool side to the enclosure as well, this needs to be no warmer than the lower 80s*F.
