Pet for my 12 yr. old son

My son wants a pet lizard. He really wants an Argentine Black/White Tegu because he has read of their tendency to be intelligent, "affectionate", and interactive with their owners. Don't get me wrong I love reptiles ( I raise Ball Pythons) and I find the tegus fascinating and I'm sure that they make great pets for people, but I tend to look at the fact that they can be aggressive and are pretty big. We do not have a lot of experience with lizards (Bearded Dragons and Leopard Geckos) so I think one would be above our experience level. So now he is looking at Blue Tongue Skinks and seems to be pretty interested in them. I have read that they are a good starter lizard that are intelligent and curious, but I was wondering if they interact with their owners since that is his main pull towards the tegus. And if so how closely do they compare to tegus in areas of intelligence an being interactive. I know that these are reptiles and not cats and dogs and their levels of "affection" are not in the same catagory, but we are not a "fluffy" animal household, we prefer scales and feathers here . I thought that someone with more experience could give me a little insight on the matter. Thanks.

If I had to recommend a
'starter' lizard it would be a bearded dragon. But as in any pet, you should supervise care as well as do the research for husbandry requirements. The requirements for bearded dragons are not difficult or exotic, you just need to give them what they need and they make wonderful pets. and of course you have all of us to help if you have questions.

Tegus and BT skinks have very laid back personalities, but take up a huge amount of space. Even these gentle giants can have off days. Is your son going to be comfortable with a 4 foot lizard after it bites him? Maybe so; my kids have been bitten by all kinds of creatures, and never seem deterred. Also, in all likelihood, your son will lose interest in daily upkeep as he enters his teenage years. Unlike beardies, if a lizard the size of a small child poops, you'll be wanting to clean that up immediately. If you want a tegu, and have the room, I'd say go for it. But that's a huge commitment for 12 year old.

Noelle

From the way it sounds you have had beardies and leos and they are not of particular interest to your son. If that is the case I would not try to steer him in that direction as long as there is another suitable option he is interested in. A blue tongue skink is an excellent option IMO. I think they are far more inquisitive and interactive than a bearded dragon and they are almost as easy to maintain. I've kept them but its been a while so I won't go through all their needs but there are excellent resources out there and that includes the people on this site. If it comes down to a choice between a Tegu and a BTS I'd probably recommend the skink 99 times out of 100. Of course I prefer BTSs to pretty much any lizard so my opinion is perhaps a bit biased but when they are so perfect what is not to love.

Good Luck

I also vote for the Blue Tail Skink. I've seen some Tegus that require a bit of work and age before they display the positive qualities you mentioned. BTS require less maintenance than Beardeds IMO but can go into a brumation period and won't be much of a "pet" lizard during that time as a bearded would be.

Originally Posted by Lucille

But as in any pet, you should supervise care as well as do the research for husbandry requirements.

and of course you have all of us to help if you have questions.

I will surely do the research. He and I have been reading everything that we can find on tegus for the past week. He just started thinking about a BT yesterday, so haven't researched them to much yet.
Good people offering help to fellow herpers is why I love this site.

Originally Posted by rcarichter

Tegus and BT skinks have very laid back personalities, but take up a huge amount of space. Even these gentle giants can have off days. Is your son going to be comfortable with a 4 foot lizard after it bites him? Maybe so; my kids have been bitten by all kinds of creatures, and never seem deterred. Also, in all likelihood, your son will lose interest in daily upkeep as he enters his teenage years. Unlike beardies, if a lizard the size of a small child poops, you'll be wanting to clean that up immediately. If you want a tegu, and have the room, I'd say go for it. But that's a huge commitment for 12 year old.

Noelle

All of those are my main concerns even the pooping part

Originally Posted by sschind

From the way it sounds you have had beardies and leos and they are not of particular interest to your son.

I think they are far more inquisitive and interactive than a bearded dragon

Good Luck

He never cared much for the bearderd dragon, he didn't like her "spikey" skin. He liked the leos and did well with them but wants something larger.
Inquisitive and interactive is what he is looking for so they sound good.

Originally Posted by Focal

I've seen some Tegus that require a bit of work and age before they display the positive qualities you mentioned.

That is what I have been trying to tell him. That not all tegus are tame straight from the breeder and that not all will become tame and "affectionate". They are all individuals and not all the same.

Thanks for the replies and help everyone. Ya'll have been very helpful. I think after I research BT's some more that will probably be the route we go for now and if he does well with it maybe in a year or 2 we'll see about a tegu.

Thanks,
Jason

Hey Jason!

I have an Adult male Tegu (see My Tegu Enclosure(s) link in this folder). He is amazing and I wouldn't trade him for the world...

My first concern would be... I was a 12 year old that loved reptiles that grew into an adult that loved reptiles. Though through my teenage years, my reptiles became neglected. Fortunately I had a great father who accepted the tasks of caring for them while I endured teenagedom... So, like Noelle asked, do you want a Tegu (or whatever "he" gets)?

Having raised one myself, known a couple other local/real life friends that have raised them, and having been active on a couple Tegu forms... It is my opinion that the #1 factor in having a 'tame' Tegu is have a HUGE enclosure. If their cage is too small, they are constantly stressed. A stressed lizard is an aggressive lizard... and a stressed Tegu is an angry 15 lb muscle with nasty claws and razor sharp teeth...

If those warnings haven't turned you off... Then Oh My GOD get a Arg B&W Tegu!!! Mine is the coolest thing in the world. I take him outside to play in the grass, we go to the pet stores, he's comfortable around crowds, gets along with dogs (not afraid of ANYTHING)... Since his cage is big enough, I can go weeks without taking him out and he is fine with that, though even after times of such 'neglect' I can drag him out and carry him to the pet store and he's happy to go on the adventure.

Tegu's are great pets I had one for years and she was my favorite lizard I've owned to date. The only thing is your son's age. he may grow tired of the care the lizard will require... the cleaning takes time if your doing a "real" clean not just spot. By real clean I mean replace all the mulch out and adding new. And handling at the younger ages take "time" they are not a lizard you want to through in a cage and just let live. If you want a tegu I then it may be a better Idea for it to be a joint project LOL with you taking up the 85% of the work and with him looking cool to all his friends having a cool parent and cool lizard thats huge..

I say stay small with a Gargoyle Gecko. Less care requirements than previously listed. You won't need a 10' long enclosure or a 4'. They do well in a 24" H x 18" D x 18" L Exo Terra, bigger is always better. They are 7-9" in length as adults. These Geckos have HUGE personalities and are absolute sweethearts. I have never met an aggressive one or one that did not like a person. The thing with Gargoyles is they can never be housed with another at any time.

I have a trans het hypo silkback.looks like she's got flames on her she's so bright