“Zebra! Zebra!” the 26-year-old marketing executive called out, and the living-room sofa moved suddenly. “Zebra?” he asked tentatively, as the piece of furniture moved further.
There she was! Aqlif scurried over and pulled the beautiful Argentine black-and-white tegu out from under the sofa set.
Tegus are large lizards known for their intelligence and docility. Zebra, a magnificent specimen with dots and stripes, is nearly 1.5m long and weighs over 6kg!
A self-professed enthusiast of reptiles and creepy-crawlies, Aqlif acquired her three years ago through a stroke of luck – by winning her in a lucky draw organised by a local exotic pet shop.
“Truth be told, I wasn’t entirely prepared for her,” he confided in FMT Lifestyle. “Ideally, owning exotic pets involves having a proper enclosure and accessories ready beforehand, along with thorough research.”
Nevertheless, he took on the challenge and dove back into the realm of exotic-pet knowledge, having previously kept leopard geckos, ball pythons, and corn snakes. Still, Zebra marked a significant leap in Aqlif’s pet journey.
As he had already dreamt of keeping a larger lizard – the Asian water monitor lizard, known to be rather wild, had oft been on his mind – a tegu seemed a decent substitute.
“I’m very lucky to have Zebra because tegus have a mind of their own,” Aqlif said. “They’re generally calm but can sometimes get snappy. Zebra doesn’t flail around as much as other tegus but, of course, she has her limits, too.”
Indeed, she didn’t always have a calm temperament: when he first brought her home, Aqlif suffered a few bites, especially during feeding time. But this gradually stopped when Zebra began recognising him as her provider.
So much so, he added, that she carefully and intentionally avoids chewing on his fingers now when he feeds her. “She can tell the difference between my fingers and the food. I believe this is quite unique for a tegu,” he said proudly.
So, what’s on the menu for a ravenous reptile? Aqlif feeds Zebra raw chicken gizzards, vegetables, and supplement powders – as well as the occasional live rat.
“But she is a picky eater. If you give her just vegetables, she won’t touch it. Which is why I need to mix the vegetables together with the raw chicken.”
Zebra’s favourite sleeping spot is under the table or in dark, hidden corners of Aqlif’s home in Subang Jaya, Selangor. He had tried keeping her in an enclosure but, owing to her sheer strength and talent as an escape artist, Zebra always found a way to break free.
Aqlif isn’t terribly surprised. “Tegus are extremely strong animals. They may not look it, but once they demonstrate their strength, you’ll be impressed.”
After discovering a hole punched through her cage, he decided it would be better if Zebra just roamed free around the house. This, of course, was a factor Aqliq had to emphatically highlight while looking for housemates.
“I assured them that she is generally a quiet animal and won’t bother anyone unless provoked. They wouldn’t even know she was there,” Aqlif said. One trusts he speaks the truth!
His parents, on the other hand, “despise the fact that I have all these different reptiles, especially this big lizard”. Thankfully for Aqlif, they don’t live with him.
Having kept a tegu for the past three years, Aqlif said he is astounded by the level of smarts Zebra has demonstrated. “The fact that she can dodge my fingers when I hand-feed her is already a sign. You just keep getting surprised by how these sorts of animals are able to manifest their intelligence.”
Aqlif hopes to educate people about pet ownership, especially exotic animals, as he believes there’s a general fear and misconception towards such creatures stemming from a lack of understanding.
“I would like to be the person people turn to when they need some explanation,” he concluded.
This article was written by Dinesh Kumar Maganathan @ FMT Lifestyle. Read more pet stories here.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.