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Home » Baby tegu care: Information, Enclosure & Diet Requirements

Baby tegu care: Information, Enclosure & Diet Requirements

Thinking of adopting a baby tegu? These lizards grow rather quickly and dramatically, with an adult male Argentine tegu reaching the size of a small dog (around 5 feet).

In the first two years of their life, however, juvenile tegus are tiny and vulnerable, and they require additional care in order to stay healthy and thrive.

If you have just adopted a tegu hatchling you are going to need to pay special attention to its environmental and dietary needs. 

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Baby Argentine tegu
Juvenile Argentine black and white tegu. Sierra de los Padres, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Photo courtesy of CHUCAO.

While adult tegus are mainly terrestrial, hatchlings and juvenile tegus are arboreal, spending much of their time climbing on trees in order to hide from predators (which include larger tegus!).

Physically, a young tegu does not really look much different from any other lizard, and they lack the typical “fat” jowls that distinguish adults from monitor lizards.

Their coloration is also different, young tegus often appear to be more green or orange compared to adults which may have black and white patterns (salvator merianae), gold and black patterns (tupinambis teguixin), or a “raw meat red” coloration (salvator rufuscens).

Growth Chart

Please note that tegu growth patterns can vary significantly among individuals.

Growth spurts and rates can differ based on various factors such as genetics, diet, environment, and overall health, there is no “ideal” size a tegu should reach at any given age.

The growth chart provided below serves as a general estimate and should not be interpreted as an exact representation of growth progression for all tegus.

Age (Months) Argentine Tegu Size Red Tegu Size Colombian Tegu Size
0 8-10 in / 20-25 cm 8-10 in / 20-25 cm 8-10 in / 20-25 cm
6 18-24 in / 45-60 cm 16-20 in / 40-50 cm 12-16 in / 30-40 cm
12 30-36 in / 75-90 cm 24-30 in / 60-75 cm 18-24 in / 45-60 cm
24 48-60 in / 120-150 cm 36-48 in / 90-120 cm 24-36 in / 60-90 cm
Adult Up to 5 ft / 150 cm (large male adult) Up to 4 ft / 120 cm (large male adult) Up to 3 ft / 90 cm (large male adult)


Because there’s no such a thing as imprinting for lizards, baby tegus won’t initially recognize you as their caretaker.

In order to get them to trust you, you will need to interact with them regurarly and handle them as much as possible so that they stop seeing you as a potential predator.

Many owners leave a used t-shirt in their tegu’s enclosure so that they learn to recognize their smell and associate it to “home”.

Juvenile tegus have a tendency to run from you but you need to be persistent in your handling.

Try to pet and stroke them whenever it’s feeding time so that they are out of their hides, do not pull them out yourself and do not grab them by their tail or they will see you as a threat.

They may tail whip and perhaps even bite but at this young age they are unlikely to do any harm.

When they reach “guberty” (at around 2 years of age) they might get moody and more aggressive than usual, it’s a good idea to put on some thick gloves when you are handling them because their bite may actually do some damage.


Baby tegus do not need as much caging space as adults, but because they grow quickly it may be more cost-efficient to house them directly in the enclosure they will stay in as adults.

The size of the enclosure will depend on species, aim at at least 8x4x4 for Argentine black and white tegus, Chacoan tegus, and Red tegus.

A 6x3x3 enclosure may suffice for Blue tegus and Colombian gold tegus. Keep in mind that these are minimum size recommendations and that males tend to grow larger than females.


Essential 8 Foot PVC & Aluminum Enclosure – 96 L x 48 W x 48 H

Essential 8 Foot PVC & Aluminum Enclosure – 96 L x 48 W x 72 H
Read more: Tegu Enclosures, Size & Requirements

You will need to provide 12 hours of UVB light and adequate heat, with both a basking area and a cool off area, and make sure your tegu cannot accidentally touch the heat lamp as they climb.

Humidity should be relatively high, especially for red tegus which are prone to skin and shedding issues (70-90% humidity is recommended).

Replace their water bowl daily and spray the enclosure with a mist bottle. The substrate you pick should also be deep enough for them to burrow. Cypress mulch, coconut shell, reptisoil are good choices.

Hides are particularly important for baby tegus as they are especially vulnerable to predators in the wild.

Add sterilized logs and rocks to the enclosure so they can feel safer and reduce anxiety. Juvenile tegus are known for spending much of the day hiding.


All baby and juvenile tegus, regardless of species, should be fed a diet high in protein in order to promote growth for the first two years or so.

This can be achieved by initially feeding mostly insects such as cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, earthworms, mealworms, silkworms and snails.

As their mouths grow larger, you may be able to start feeding them pinkies and reptilinks. The Tegu Hatchling Bundle is a great option tailored specifically for juvenile tegus. (see: Best Reptilinks for Tegus)

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Eventually, you can feed them raw chicken and turkey, raw or boiled eggs (with the shell), fish and shrimp; as well as vegetables and fruits such as carrots, bell peppers, squash, pumpkins, dandelions, strawberries, blueberries, apples, grapes, cherries, cactus pads and fruits. 

Dietary requirements
Juvenile tegus (0-2 years)90% protein10% fruits and vegetables
Argentine tegu (>2 years)60% protein30% vegetables, 10% fruits
Colombian tegu (>2 years)90% protein10% fruits and vegetables

Feeding schedule

How often you need to feed your tegu depends largely on its age. Baby tegus should be fed daily and they will grow at a fast rate for the first couple of months.

They can be fed 4-5 times a week when they are around 1 year old, and less sporadically once they reach sexual maturity (around 2 years).

Feeding schedule
Hatchlings (0-6 months)Feed every day
Juveniles (7-12 months)Feed almost every day
Subadults (1-3 years)Feed every other day
Adults (>3 years)Feed twice a week
How often to feed your tegu, by age

Best foods for juvenile tegus

Farm bred insects:

  • Crickets
  • Grasshoppers
  • Dubia roaches
  • Discoid roaches
  • Cockroaches
  • Mealworms
  • Superworms
  • Hornworms
  • Earthworms
  • Snails (including shell)

Other whole prey:

  • Pinkies
  • Chicks
  • Quail
  • Reptilink

Fish and seafood:

  • Shrimp
  • Prawn
  • All sorts of raw fish, cut in pieces

Eggs and poultry:

  • Whole quail eggs (raw or soft boiled, with shell)
  • Scrambled chicken egg served with shell pieces
  • Ground chicken or turkey, dusted with calcium powder
  • Chicken gizzards, heart and liver

Vegetables:

  • Greens (e.g. carrot, chicory, collard, dandelion, mustard greens)
  • Squash (e.g. acorn, butternut, kabocha, spaghetti, yellow squash) 
  • Green Beans 
  • Green Peas
  • Snap Peas 
  • Zucchini
  • Sweet peppers

Fruits:

  • Berries (e.g. blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
  • Melons (e.g. casaba, cantaloupe, watermelon) 
  • Kiwi 
  • Mango 
  • Papaya
  • Banana 
  • Seedless grapes and dates

Foods to avoid

  • Wild caught insects
  • Processed meats
  • Canned food that is high in sodium or sugar
  • Avocados
  • Azalea flowers
  • Azalea leaves
  • Broccoli
  • Buttercup flowers
  • Eggplant
  • Hemp
  • Lettuce
  • Marijuana leaves or flowers
  • Onion
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Spinach
Zilla Omnivore Mix
Zilla Omnivore Mix – Insects, Fruits and Veggies + Calcium

Zilla Vegetable and Fruits Mix

Zilla Vegetable Mix + Calcium

Supplements

Calcium supplements are especially recommended for all tegu lizards regardless of age and species.

Choose a calcium supplement that is free of phosphorus and vitamin D3 and dust your baby tegus’s food with it once to twice per week.

Occasionally feeding whole prey smaller than your tegu’s mouth (e.g. insects, pinkies and shrimp or prawn) can also help provide calcium as opposed to ground meats.

Finally, you may also gut load live insect prey with calcium and then feed them to your lizard.

Once a week, it is recommended to sprinkle or mix a multivitamin with your tegu’s food as well in addition to calcium, especially if your tegu does not get enough veggies and fruit in its diet.

Repticalcium Calcium Supplement
Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3
Reptile-friendly Calcium SupplementRepcal Calcium without D3
Reptile Multivitamin Supplement
Fluker’s Repta Vitamin Reptile Supplement
Read more: Best Supplements for Tegus

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