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Barrie is a 3 ft. Columbian Tegu Lizard that someone brought in to the reptile centre. He is over twelve years old and has some health issues.  He needs regular "lizard spa" treatments. I have looked after him at the reptile centre, but he would do better at home with more TLC and more soaking. His sheds are not going well and his eyes get messed up and won't open.  He might be older than we think and just needs a quieter life.
His people were not willing to help him.
So I brought him home to get him in better shape.


This is Barrie



I think he has a pretty face



He was really tired after the excitement of coming home with me.



Yes he is as big as he looks



He had a good dinner and now he has gone back to sleep.



Tomorrow I will give him a good soak and see to his needs.

I really like Barrie and I think I can look after him well. If it works out then he can stay with me. If he is too much for me to handle then he would need a different forever home. He is a strong lizard, but I think he is getting old. I have a bigger tank I can set up when he looks a little better. I would like to keep him and I think he likes me.

3 feet (nearly one metre)? Gosh, that is big - bigger than he seems to be in the photos.

I hope that it works out for you and Barrie, but you are so experienced with reptiles that I'm sure that you will know if he "fits" with you or not.

He is quite a big lizard, isn't he? That's wonderful that you know how to care for him. I hope his soaking goes well. Do you soak him in water?

Quote:3 feet (nearly one metre)? Gosh, that is big - bigger than he seems to be in the photos.

The tank he is in is pretty big and remember a lot of the length is in his tail which is out of sight. 

I know I can help him right now. I soak him in warm water and then help him to get rid of shed skin. His eyes keep gumming up and I can clean them and medicate them. He was worse when he first was brought in, but should do better with home care/fostering rather than in the bigger setting of the reptile centre. We do rescues, but we are also a store and it does have to function as a store if we are going to pay the rent.

If he is too strong for me then I won't be able to keep him, but he has been okay so far. He is big enough that I could put a harness on him and walk him. He really is an impressive lizard. Sally, the Argentinian Tegu back at the centre is way bigger. When she is balancing on my shoulder her tail comes down to my knees. I have trouble lifting her, but she is sweet. Barrie isn't that heavy. His body is slender. Of course I plan to fatten him up and make him look robust again.


This is a care sheet, but you can see better what Barrie is like. I think they are a beautiful lizard.
http://www.florafauna.com/caresheet-cate...ciety.html

At past twelve Barrie is already as big as he is going to get and he has lived more than half his life.  Think of him as retiring with me. I get his golden years.

Good job Catherine. He is lucky to have you.

I think I am lucky to have him. Someone had him all those years and socialized him. Now he is a sweet older gentleman and I get those beautiful last years of his life.  He could live 5-8 years more. I sure hope so.

The only reason why I took so long to decide to bring him home was the fact that I thought he would grow bigger. Once I realized he was older and full grown I seriously started thinking about rehoming him.
I made a point of working with him and getting to know him first.  I can't believe he is here. He is so amazing.

What a fine looking Lizard Barrie is.
He sounds HUGE compared to the little things I've seen!

Mind you, we did see a 5 foot iguana once when we were on holiday in the Caribbean, a long time ago. It was wild on a small island that we visited. We were warned not to feed it as it would pester the visitors!!

Barrie will now get all the good care he needs with you, I'm sure.

Barrie really does need to be in a home with someone who can care for him.  It is not a lot of time each day, but I have noticed that his eyes need daily cleaning. I have cleaned them each day and cleaned around is mouth. He had some infection when he was first surrendered. I don't think his eyes are infected now, they just need ongoing care until things return to normal. If they don't then I will need to clean his eyes daily. It is not hard to do.

He does have a spot on his back leg that is a bit swollen and I think there is some infection. I am keeping it clean and putting antibiotic ointment on it. It will clear up as well. I am going to keep him on a regular feeding schedule of one mouse every three days. That should put some weight on him. I want to see him look robust and healthy by summer time so I can take him for walks.  Maybe he would wear a harness. How cool would that be!

I am establishing our relationship right now. A lot of time he is quiet when I get him out. If he struggles and gets restless I do not put him back. I hold him until he settles down. Then when he is quiet I put him back. He is an intelligent lizard and he is a good size. It is a bit like training a dog. Barrie would never listen to commands like a dog, but I do need to have him accept me as being in charge. Otherwise, I won't be able to handle him. He has obviously been handled and is very tame. I can't believe anyone would give him up like that. 


He is really amazing and I love him.



The reptile centre has a pet, free roaming, 5 ft. iguana. Iris is beautiful. She spends most of her time on top of the cages, near the ceiling enjoying the heat from the light fixtures.  When she wants to eat she comes down and we feed her. Sometimes she just wants to walk around the place.  She is a remarkable lizard.




This is Iris at the birthday party we held for the guy who runs the centre.  She is siting in the dogs bed and she is not actually drinking she is just checking things out.  She is a pretty girl.

That's amazing all that you do for the reptiles. Yes, it would be very cool to walk Barrie down the street. I bet a lot of people would stop and talk to you.

I have been trying Barrie out with my old lizard harness. It fits and he doesn't mind it. I have been walking him around inside. I think we will be able to take walks outside when it warms up. He is so interesting when he walks. I would have to try and film him. He has a very distinctive gait.

I measured him and he is 37 in long.

I have to clean his eyes daily, but that is easy to do. They might eventually clear up if I keep cleaning them.
He might even put some weight on if I keep feeding him so much.

He had a good soak tonight and he feels really good. I notice he opens his eyes when I lean over the tank and talk to him. I wonder if he can learn his name?