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Description
Tupinambis teguixin are medium-sized teiid lizards that come from northeast and eastern South America, predominantly in the humid rainforests of the Amazon river basin. They are also known as gold tegus, common tegus, and Colombian tegus.
While they are considered not as tractable as their larger, southern cousins the Argentine black and white tegu and the red tegu, they can be worked with with enough patience, and many advanced keepers find them a worthwhile challenge to socialize. Golden tegus are quick to pounce on small, moving objects and are known for sometimes confusing fingers for potential snacks. New imports or nervous specimens will occasionally bite, scratch, and lash out with their tail, like a giant bullwhip.
They are primarily carnivorous omnivores, preferring both vertebrate and invertebrate prey, with the odd fruit thrown in.
Golden tegus emerge from burrows and warm themselves each morning before prowling their environment for food. A cage 4 feet long and 2 feet wide should create a suitable home. Decorate it with large rocks and logs that are too heavy for these active tegus to rearrange as they explore them for hidden prey items. A shelter of stone or wood should be added as a nighttime retreat.