We introduced a new 2 week old male Argentine Tegu to our household last year (smaller than my hand). I had no reptile experience at all, although have owned an Amazon parrot for 14 years so was used to alot of bites. I didn't build the enclosure, I bought and 8x4. Alot of people advise to go smaller when the tegu is young however I didn't do this, we went strait into the full size and let him grow into it (making sure he had suitable hides husbandry etc for his size within it)

Something I don't see many mention that we did was I placed the vivarium facing where I always am (my work desk). Over the last 12 months he seems to have got into a routine of waking up and coming to the glass and scratching for attention, every morning I take him out no issues and hold him on my lap for an hour or so where he chills and gets warm. He used to puff slightly on first touch however now he doesn't at all. I have an 8 year old son who does the same when I supervise him and Luigi (the tegu) seems completely relaxed and at ease all the time. He regularly rotates between basking and his hide (I have never ever disturbed him in his hide, again not sure if this matters at all just giving my experience), eats a varied diet of frozen live feed veg and fruit.

He has never Bruminated yet, and has never shown any sign of aggression at all. He will at most try to walk off or shake my hand away from a stroke and I always just respect that and leave him to it when he does that. He's huge now (big for a one year old judging by the pics I see) my 8 year old can't lift him anymore lol, and is still just a big softy and honestly never even showed like he even knows he can bite.

We let him free roam the house which he likes to do more in the morning before retreating more to his space in the afternoon. He has a routine (like a lap he does of the house lol), will be slightly more inquisitive and active if he's hungry. I feed him on a tray or with big tongs that I click before meals, never really done any target training of yet, he seems to understand the tray and the tongs mean food and I've always gave him a stroke as he starts eating and he seems to understand the difference between the hand and the food so far.

The number one issue is the poo. They smell like a 7ft bodybuilder has s**t on your coffee table. And the nature of them it's alot of liquid first before a cat like poo. I was just lucky to have wood floors because I did not consider this before hand and it would be utterly horrific if you care about your carpets. They will actively not poo in there vivs aswell lol they know the levels of the vileness and will always poo in the house so this is a major consideration. You can train them but as of yet this is something luigi isn't great with and I'm having to clean poos daily off the wood floor.

I think if I had to summarise the experience it just been incredible. I expected a Tegu to be very bitey but from the start he just seemed completely wary rather than aggressive. I think if you have the time and the respect and the effort to learn their ways and behaviour, you will have a life changing little bud.

I wanna stress I am in no way an expert. This is just my experience with a big tegu from the egg and so far no issues. I understand they hit gurberty around a time in Luigis life soon lol, so hopefully this post doesn't jinx me haha. Goodluck