Blue tegu

Blue tegu
An immature blue tegu resting
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Family:	Teiidae
Genus:	Salvator
Species:	Salvator spp.
Binomial name
Salvator spp. Linnaeus, 1758

The blue tegu is one of the smaller tegus, growing to about 1 meter in length. It is known for its light blue coloration, which is most intense in the adult males.

Even immature animals can be easily distinguished from other mostly black and white tegu species by the "singe mark" on their nose. They are among the more suitable tegus for pets, and can be easily tamed but in the wild will either try to run away or react aggressively if provoked. There is much controversy about the correct scientific classification of this animal. Large-scale taxon sampling of the teiids has not led to any strong resolutions based on morphological and genetic data;^[1] the majority of data about the blue tegu comes from hobbyists. Some believe it is a mutation of the Argentine black and white tegu, while others, including the original importer,^[2] believe it is sufficiently different to have its own classification. The first blue tegu to be exported from South America was in a wholesale shipment of tegus from Colombia,^[3] and it has been propagated in captivity since 1998.^[4]

Captive husbandry

To accommodate their size, a lone adult should be housed in nothing smaller than a 6'x3'x2' size cage, with the largest floor size possible. For a pair, 6'x4' floor space may be sufficient with time spent outside their enclosure but bigger is always better. About a foot of mulch should be used to allow for burrowing and to help keep humidity up. A good UVA and UVB bulb really helps with the raising of these animals. Some people have done it without a light but it's one of those things where its better to have one and not need it than to need one and be without it. Along with UV a blue tegu also needs the basic heating of ambient overall temperature of 85 (F) and with a basking temp being around 43C (110F). For healthy shedding a humidity of 60-80% is preferred.

Like most lizards, fresh water should be provided daily. Like other tegus you should make sure your tegu has enough water to soak in if they wish. Some tegus are also known to enjoy swimming and since they grow to about 1 meter long or more, a medium to large kitty litter box can be used as an appropriate sized water dish.

Like other tegus, they are terrestrial and need a deep substrate to dig in. Care should be taken to avoid substrates that could entangle or otherwise damage their claws.

Diet

Tegus in the genus Salvator are omnivorous as adults but primarily carnivorous as juveniles. As adults, they have blunted teeth and exaggerated lateral pterygoidal muscles which allow them to be generalist feeders. In captivity, they have been observed eating various feeder insects like mealworms, superworms, earthworms, silkworms, crickets and roaches, as well as vertebrate prey like mice, rats, fish, turkey (offered in a ground form), rabbit, quail, and chicks. Crustaceans such as crayfish are also readily consumed. Like all lizards, blue tegus need a properly balanced diet; incomplete prey items such as insects or ground meat require dusting with a mineral/multi-vitamin supplement. Vitamin deficiencies can lead to trouble shedding skin, lethargy and weight loss; a calcium deficiency can lead to metabolic bone disease, which can be fatal.^[5]

Morphology

Blue tegus are similar in size and body structure to The coloring of a blue tegu can range from a simple black and white animal to albino to a powder blue to even "platinum" which is basically a high white morph of the species. The blue coloration is typically most vivid on mature males and doesn't tend to appear until the animal reaches sexual maturity around the age of 18 months or 2 feet or more in size. Just like the Argentine black and white tegu, the blue tegu has a very quick growth rate, almost reaching 75% of its full length in a year. Their adult length can vary from 2.5 feet in females to sometimes even longer than 4 feet in adult males. Unlike other lizards these are very heavily built animals ranging from 7 to 12 pounds or more when fully grown. Size is relative to genetics as well as husbandry and diet.

Hibernation

Like other tegus, the blue tegu may or may not enter a state of hibernation for 5–7 months out of the year depending on the surrounding environment. More likely in this species, in warmer climates when kept in captivity they will enter a brumation state where they will "slow down" and not fully hibernate.

Sex

As with other large lizards, the tegu's sex cannot be determined without probing (only to be attempted by a professional) until adulthood, in the tegu 25-28 inches. In females there are clitoral bumps on the V area at the base of the tail and for males a bump at the base of the tale in the center underside. Adult males also have substantially developed jowls, a result of hypertrophic lateral pterygoideus muscles.^[6] Females' jawlines are more streamlined.

Breeding

Blue tegus, like other tegus, may breed up to twice a year. They only lay between 18 and 25 eggs in a 'clutch', sometimes more dependent upon animal size and husbandry as well as individual health of the gravid female.

References