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Posted by John on November 23, 1998 at 18:23:30:
In Reply to: Need information in the Four-toed Tegu (Teius teyou) posted by Renato on November 21, 1998 at 08:18:24:
: I have 2 pairs of the Four-toed tegu, but I don't know nothing about their care. Any information about temperature,humity,cage,food and if is possible, about reproduction will be very apreciated. Tanks
: Ps.: I need some information about the Water Tegus (crocodilurus lacertinus).
Renato and Tim, maybe I can be of some help here. According to a book I bought a couple of years ago, "Amphibians and Reptiles of the Paraguayan Chaco Volume 1", the Four-toed Tegu(Teius teyou) is a sun-loving lizard found throughout the dry, hot Western Chaco region of Paraguay. It's a high-speed sprinter when being pursued and is difficult to catch. There are 2 subspecies, Teius teyou teyou and Teius teyou cyanogaster(the Paraguayan Chaco form). It's habits and diet are much like that of the Racerunners(Whiptails) that occur throughtout North, Central, and South America. Its diet in the wild consists of a wide variety of arthropods, such as grasshoppers, termites, beetles, etc. that it finds in its daily foraging activities. Its breeding season is cyclical and occurs from October to March in the Paraguayan Chaco region. It lays 1 to 8 eggs in a nest buried under rocks or in ant mounds. The book provides no details on length of incubation or temperatures involved. I'm sure they could be incubated the same as for other Whiptails, but to be certain, try to locate someone with experience in this area. This lizard also occurs in Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina. The book also states that this lizard is usually found along the edges of roads and in pastures bordered by woodlands. The book doesn't have info on captive care, but due to Mr. Norman's info it appears as though this lizard can be kept in a dry woodland cage, with soil or cypress mulch, or a mixture of both, as a substrate with a basking area of 95 to 105 degrees F(provide by a light bulb or heat lamp of some sort)at one end of the cage and a cooler area of around 80 to 85 degrees F at the other end of the cage. In captivity I'm sure a diet of crickets, mealworms, and an occasional treat of waxworms would work well. Also be SURE to provide plenty of UV sunlight and some vitamin-mineral supplementation. These lizards retreat to burrows to escape from predators and to sleep, therefore, make the substrate deep enough to allow the lizard this activity. Also provide a few large pieces of bark or other means(plants etc.), for hiding areas. This is very important as these lizards are very nervous and definitely need good hiding retreats to feel secure. This book contains photos of all the herps found in this area, including 2 species of our beloved Tegus, Tupinambis merianae and Tupinambis rufescens, as well as the Green Ameiva(Ameiva ameiva). Incidentally, this book is sometimes offered for sale by the herp book dealers "Bibliomania" and "Zoo Book Sales". They both have sites on the internet. I've never kept a Four-toed Tegu but I sure would like to. They're very rarely available. One other item I almost forgot, the book said they grow to approx. 5in. SVL and 16in. TL. Hope this info was what you were looking for and I wish you the best of luck. Also Renato, be sure to keep us posted here on the forum on your progress with these neat lizards!!!
