Black & White Tegu Care Guide

Species Info: Argentine Black and white tegus are large lizards native to southern South America, and perhaps unsurprisingly, invasive in Florida. Tegus are extremely inquisitive and active (much of their time in the wild spent digging for eggs to eat), with intelligence on par with monitor lizards and predatory mammals. They have also been found to be able to increase their body temperature during the mating season, making them the first known endothermic or warm blooded lizard (partially still counts).

Level of Care/Handling: Advanced. Tegus need increasingly larger amounts of space as they grow, more than many hopeful keepers can accommodate. They also eat a lot and need plenty of enrichment and time outside of their enclosure. Tegus will usually always rather explore than be handled, but can tame up quite well if worked with consistently. Many tegu keepers report their lizards approaching them solely for scratches. Though it is important to note that should they decide to, tegus have a very powerful bite as large juveniles/adults (especially males).  

Length/Lifespan: Black and white tegus are the largest in their family, with males reaching 4-4.5 ft. in total and females reaching 3.5-4 ft. Mature males are very easily identified by their large jowls, which are packed with muscle and give them their much stronger bite. Immature males can still be identified by noticeable scaly pores on their inner thighs. These lizards can live 15-20 years with good husbandry, sometimes longer. 

Temperature/Lighting/Space Requirements: Tegu enclosures require a basking spot of 100-110 degrees, hot side of 90-95 degrees, and cool side of 75-80 degrees. UV lighting is also necessary for the species. Because they grow rather quickly when young, babies and juveniles should be housed in a 40 gallon enclosure minimum (20-30 for hatchlings). Adults need a minimum enclosure size of 6 ft. by 4 ft., and bigger is always better for intelligent and active animals like tegus. 

Humidity/Water Requirements:  Enclosure humidity should be on the higher end, between 75-90 percent. A large water bowl is recommended to allow your tegu to drink and soak in, and it should be changed frequently. It is also good to bathe your tegu in 80-90 degree water at least once a week (especially if they don’t soak themselves in their water bowl)

Tank Flooring: It is important to give tegus deep substrate to encourage their natural behavior. Babies/small juveniles can make due with 4-6 in. while adults will appreciate a foot or more in at least a portion of their enclosure. This is especially important during the winter months when activity slows, and your tegu spends more time in its self-made burrows. Suitable substrates include cypress mulch, Eco Earth (though this will have to be changed semi-frequently), or a 50/50 mix of sand and topsoil/Eco Earth. Substrate should always be kept moist but not sopping wet, as to not irritate a burrowing tegu’s skin and lungs.

Tank Decoration: Tegus, especially adults, are quite powerful lizards, so decorations need to be sturdy enough to survive their day-to-day activities. The only necessities are a moist hide to allow for proper shedding and the aforementioned water bowl. 

Diet: Babies/juveniles do well on a diet of 70-80% protein and 20-30% fruits and veggies (mostly fruit). Adults need less protein at about 50-60%. Suitable protein includes feeder insects like gut loaded crickets and dubia roaches, snails, silversides (a small fish) whole prey like mice, rats, and quail, and lean ground turkey. They also LOVE eggs, and can be given them either raw or hard boiled. Insects should be dusted with calcium 3 times a week and multivitamins once a week for growing tegus. Most fruits are okay, but avoid citrus and avocado entirely. Tegus don’t generally like leafy greens/veggies, but calcium-rich greens like collard and dandelion are still very good for them.

Feeding Frequency: Babies/juveniles should be fed daily or every other day, about as much as they can eat in 20-30 minutes. Adults can eat about enough to fill a dog bowl for 5-10 minutes once or twice a week. Feeding frequency also changes throughout the year, as tegus tend to heavily sleep for 2-3 months in late fall-winter. During this time, you can actually turn their lights and only need to keep the humidity at suitable levels until they wake up.

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