Tegu vs Dog - Head To Head 

Do you mind if I make Merch design about Theo and Gus Gus? If so, where could I send it to you if I could?

Clint's Reptiles hi I love your videos and you have helped me allot for reptiles

Katie, you could tag us on Instagram :)

Clint's Reptiles I will try! It might take a day or two, but I’ll get it to you!

Im sick with whats likely a common cold and people avoid me like the plauge 😂

So true! I have 3 dogs and spend around $300 in just food each month!

Dogs are only marginally easier than toddlers. Significantly less expensive though.

Cats too. People buy them and expect them to be entirely autonomous beings

So true I have one small dog and she costs a lot

I know like people think that it’s way harder to care for reptiles than dogs but it’s actually super easy like my snake is infinitely cheaper and easier to care for than my dog

conclusion: Tegus are much cheaper, look cooler, can do with much less attention and is much hardier get a Tegu

And babys are kinda ugly and gross

Tegus are better, the obvious conclusion.

New idea: throw a baby shower for your new tegu and tell everyone to bring fresh fruits and reptile supplies

you have a choice: a small cute dinosaur or annoying smaller version of yourself crawling across the room

Dovie Dossett your

Dovie you're goddamn right!

Your*

Oh my goodness that was hilarious!!!

Plus, most neighbours won't even dare to come close to your house if you own a big lizard. I would really like a reptile pet, big or small, but i live with my grandma ( she has memory loss and needs to be watched over) and she hates reptiles so i can't for now uwu. I dedicate instead to research to have one in a future...but it would be great because the uncle i don't like would not dare to come for christmas if i had a tegu for example..specially not with his very bad educated dog who crawls into out white couch with it's dirty paws ( without my uncle or aunt asking for permission), barks a lot and tries to bite if you pass close to it.

Those things are vicious!

21'st Century Digital Boy preach

My leachie is a loud mouth as well 👀

My turtle scrabbling his tank bottom with his feet and constantly thinking my sneakers are a female RES and performing his mating call rattling his claws against the glass tank

Raymond Jacque My blue tongue skink wakes me in the morning with her scratching

This is weird why people are afraid of the wrong animal people may think of dogs elephants and cows to be harmless and cute but in reality they KILL! ELEPHANTS: 100 DOGS: 25.000 COWS: 20 WHILE SCARY ANIMALS ON THE OTHER HAND... SHARKS: 3 people killed TARANTULA: 0 people killed LIZARD: 1 human killed People make me sick gosh btw People killed/murdered/Cannibalized about 150,000,000 people!! 🚶🐘🐕🐄🦈🕷️🦎

At least snakes generally warn you first also death by most snake venoms or strangulation is less painful then being mauled to death

@@jameson1239 maybe. not like wed know

Well to be fair, MOST snakes are much less dangerous than dogs.

Poop نيغا القضيب مضحك funny but when I tell people they always just think I mean like a foot or two so they aren’t that excited till I show them my 7 foot Asian water monitor

@@raymondjacque6594 That's the best part though. Seeing the genuine surprise (or fear) when the see your dinosaur.

Jptheman so tru

Literal dinosaurs

Nah people hate reptiles, especially around my area

I mean they won’t kill you but they will beat your ass

@@cadenhopper3729 me: sit tegu: no YOU sit me: ok.

NutCracker the same can be said for a lot of reptiles, and I guess a lot of pets in general. You don’t own them, they own you

If you breed them or have pairs they can kill you with some effort. There gawls are right under crocodilians

They can’t kill you unless you’re a newborn baby or a 80 year old man holding one under your throat

There you go!

Don't forget they chase lasers too!

Beardies too

@Aaron Espinoza I have 3 cats and have had 5 in my lifetime. Yes, all cats are different to a degree, but there are some consistencies in behavior that are comparable to some species of lizards?

Having 2 cats and a beardie, cats (at least mine) are more affectionate and attention seeking (and more work) than many people realize. One of mine was a bottle baby and is very very demanding, cries when I leave, and is always there to greet me at the door, but he's still a very much a cat. My other kitty is pretty affection too but not as demanding about it. I'm trying to debate which pet is more expensive. Cats typically have higher vet bills but it really depends on the animal. Of my cats was already vaccinated and spayed when I adopted her. The most expensive vet bills are going to be when they are tiny kittens. The bearded dragon enclosure was definitely more than the cats toys and climbing trees, but I bought a custom enclosure which is not something every beardie owner does.

Oh, you need to watch our Savannah monitor video then :)

He is being totally impartial...XD

Hopefully this is a good one :)

@@ClintsReptiles Of course.

tegu VS kitteh next?

@@windhelmguard5295 there is not much simmilar things about them, but may be great idea.

@Jason Berryman dont you mean a scaly dog. Tegus act more like dogs then cats. Ive seen a video of them cuddling,playing fetching (not joking),and overall being nice and cute.

He sounds amazing.

😢😭😭😭

If what you want is a dog, get a dog. If what you want is something like a dog in many ways, and different in some really important ways, get a tegu!

on another note, clint you are so handsome

Well thank you ☺️ Even with my crazy hair??

@@ClintsReptiles yes lol

@Aaron Espinoza friendliness, loyalty, companionship... What do people look for in a dog? All those can be found in a Tegu

And some reptile vets won't take big reptiles - one I know of won't take a snake thicker than an arm or longer than a person is tall.

@@stevenf927 What if you're like a 7' tall bodybuilder with 24" arms?

@@residentevil4freek My boa is 7 1/2 feet long.....

@@stevenf927 cool

@@residentevil4freek Or alternatively, what if you have spindly arms and are shorter than a female ball python is long?

Katie, thank you so much for telling me that. The truth is that I probably don't understand. It is only when I hear things like this, and when I get to meet you guys, that it really becomes real. I am so happy that we can bring a little light into your life. That gives me a big reason to keep on going with these videos and our message. Thank you. -Clint

Clint's Reptiles Anytime Clint!

“The Bob Ross of the reptile world” may be the most accurate description of Clint I have ever seen.

Katie Bean I knew he reminded me of someone and couldn’t put my finger on it! It’s Bob Ross! Soon as I read your comment it clicked lol so accurate.

When you said he's like the Bob Ross of the reptile world I was like YES absolutely

Truth! I’m sitting here with my beardie on my chest watching

not true! don’t spread such misinformation. some of them are good girls

In the hands of the right person for the right pet, yes.....

It's just so right for him...

​@@ClintsReptiles It is very fitting, for sure.

I second this! Clint let’s see this cage!

I've been wanting this for so long song

yes! show!

Pretty sure the Tegu would win that one as well 🤣

In a horrific parallel universe, a different version of Clint Laidlaw probably did just that.

@@The-Opium-Den Earth 3 Clint

@@raging_crocodile2081 that's not what it means..... What I think they ment by head to head litteraly was comparing a decapitated dog head and a decapitated tegu head

@@thespookyvaginosisnut5984 that's even worse xD

That was a great choice!

Ackies are just great, I have a 6 month old

@@jpslizards mines only 3 month old now he's around 12 inch growing strong

@@liamking2204 they're really long even though they're young. I want mine to be a year old already. I have a video of mine and next week I'm going to upload an update if you would like to check them out :)

@@GayleenFroese buy a hungry snake and you might get that room freed up a bit quicker

Mine too!

I've been showing off this face all along. Our success has always been a mystery to us...

@@ClintsReptiles people don't come here for your looks. We come here for awesome creatures, information about said creatures, & your personality. I imagine it's much the same situation with why you wife married you. Also you look pretty good. Although you do have a bit of a Stepford vibe with how cheerful you always seem to be, even when describing how horrible it is to die from snake venom.

also when they sleep, they can *sleep*

@Dead Channel davinci resolve is free and has a lot of features that Adobe premiere has. Highly recommend.

I disagree. I think cats need attention. They may need attention on their terms sometimes depending on the personality of the cat, but they still need attention. You can’t not acknowledge your cat for an entire week and expect it not to care or say it’s not neglect. They will crave attention and interaction. If you’re not giving it they become mentally unhealthy just like dogs. I’ve rescued many cats from situations where they were completely ignored socially by their owners to know that they suffer from depression and behavioral problems as much as dogs. You can leave your tegu in his enclosure for a week and ignore it and it’s not going to care as long as it’s watered and fed. Simply being independent doesn’t mean an animal isn’t capable of bonding to their owner or demanding social routine and affection. I’ve owned some cats that are extremely needy and clingy and can’t go a day without some form of affection or acknowledgment. I’ve never owned a cat who doesn’t act like they’ve been abandoned for years and greet me like they never thought they’d see me again when I come back from a weekend vacation

I would say cats and tegus only differ from dogs in their energy levels and how they might express themselves. Dogs need A structured routine when it comes to exercise. They need to be taken out and walked or given a large backyard and played with. Cats can create their own routine of exercise as long as they are provided with plenty of toys and opportunities to climb and scratch. Tegus, being reptiles, get their exercise from the environment and provide them with in their enclosure. They have a slow metabolism and don’t need to expend a lot of energy. Also tegus won’t express themselves and their needs extrovertedly. This is how their most similar to cats. Cats won’t usually bark or whine when they’re in need or upset. They also won’t choose their social position in their household based on your ability to be a pack leader like dogs do. We take this as being Independent but it’s not. They simply aren’t pack animals. They don’t need to fit into a structured social hierarchy to be healthy. Neither do tegus. In these ways, yes cats and tegus are slightly more similar. But They are even more similar to dogs in other ways that trump these. Like the fact that a bite from either can take you to the hospital and if they get loose they can easily both be considered a public danger to humans. A bite from your cat probably wouldn’t make local news

MintChocolate I have heard that dogs will literally die if not given enough attention. Cats on the other hand can definitely benefit from attention but don’t technically NEED it.

Yep lolol

I totally agree with you. If someone's gonna keep a big dog in a small apt then they need to exercise them regularly, even with that it's still not fair to the dog. I'm so sick of people and their massive obsession with dogs. I mean, I love calm, well behaved small to medium sized dogs, but large breeds really frighten me, they're dangerous and should only be kept by people who know how to handle them properly.

honestly, i had dogs both in parent's house and in my apartment and the one that lives with me has definitely more daily exercise than the one in house that only really slept by the door or barked at stuff behind the gate. the one i have now is also better socialised, because on our daily walks he gets to meet a great variety of other dogs and people, he isn't scared of unusual noises and vehicles, he is used to riding a bus and a car and is overall more curious and active than the other dog ever was. the thing is, many dog owners with gardens, my parents included, think that as long as the dog has some space to move around, it is going to use it. that idea is wrong. what a dog needs is a work to do. "having a yard" is not work. the dog isn't going to do anything there on its own. the best it could do is chew on random plants and dig holes because there's literally nothing else to occupy it. no. the dog needs a job. it can be playing fetch, it can be herding, it can be hunting, it can be following the owner on long walks into unknown parts of the town. on these walks they get to interact with many things they wouldn't usually get in contact with, such as smells, noises, plants etc that aren't present where they live. as a result, dogs develop better stress response and social skills, among other things. they are also generally better trained as it is much more critical to have a trained dog in an apartment than on a fenced property. personally, i don't know of a single dog owner living in house with a garden who takes their pet on a daily walk. majority of dogs in the village i am from have never properly met another dog and the moment one walks by, the whole street starts barking agresively. i don't know like you, but i think that that is a sign of a bored dog trying to do anything at all to kill the boredom and that anything more often than not turns to be an agresive behavior owners happily ignore because "it's just a dog and dogs bark all the time". no, they don't. i have a spitz, generally known as a barky dog. he barks like once a day when he hears somebody knocking on my door because he has been trained not to. he spends about 2-3 hours a day actively running around chasing other dogs on our play dates in the dog park and his first reaction to new people and dogs alike is to bring them a stick or a toy to play with. to this day he didn't destroy a single item that wasn't his toy given to him with the purpose of eventually be shred to pieces because that's what toys are for. all this means one thing. the yard isn't necessary for dog's happiness. what is necessary is a responsible owner understanding needs of their dog as a breed as well as an individual.

Depends on the dog. Sighthounds do well inside and those with short coat should not be kept outside during cold days. Greyhounds do great in apartments because they're lazy as hell. This is a fact and people underestimate how different breeds are among each other. Also I am pretty sure a tegu can break your bones, while a chihuahua or pomeranian bite is pathetic as a comparison. Once again, you cannot compare dogs with other animals. Only dog breeds.

Valid. It is also worth noting breeds of dogs. A chihuahua could cause a few unpleasant scratches and bites; but large breeds can, and unfortunately do, cause massive trauma and death when they attack. These are rare cases and outliers to owning a dog but it is a real possibility and a reality to acknowledge. A tegu could cause serious damage, but is unlikely to kill anyone in a conflict.

and the fact that people take on WAY MORE than they can handle with dogs and certain breeds. PLEASE, a German Shepherd IS NOT A PURSE DOG! The amount of people that buy high-drive dogs thinking they can be couch potatoes is too damn high!

@@spanishmountains4588 Honestly just from my own experience you'd be amazed how many small dogs are actually prone to snapping at people and being aggressive in large part because they don't get nearly as much training as they should just because they're small. Like Montana said your Chihuahua likely not sending someone to the hospital (Unless they get really lucky and hit an Artery or something) so there's likely way more bites than the actual collected data indicates just because they aren't reported or result in hospital visits.

Come on it's a reptile channel let him be biased. He does seem to love both.

Conversely, I suspect more dogs than tegus have saved people. We had a newly adopted 3 year old rott/dobe cross save my young son from a wasp attack. He took over 20 stings in his mouth and on his face defending my boy until I could run over and pull him away from the nest. Love and miss that dog forever. Came to our home after living in a garage for 3 years. He was with us, living as a family member for 11 years. Dogs are more like humans. You really have to depend on time and observation before you can tell if it's a goodie or a baddie. I find dogs are more honest than humans regarding communication. A lot of humans are far too misleading for me. Too much guesswork is tiresome, at best. Dogs DO take a lot of time regarding proper training so they understand what is expected of them. It is time spent. Therefore being home and available is a must. I have tether trained many breeds of various ages (per the Monks of New Skete). It is not difficult but definitely time consuming and inconvenient, especially at the beginning. Love *all* your stuff Clint!

A Tegu Person

How old is Pubba?

@@jupitertheargentinetegu he is about a year old now! Not yet full grown, but definitely getting there. He is one big boy, and he didn't fully brumate this winter, so he grew ALOT.

Lol that's freakin cool

@Nugget G 🥰

@Nugget G that is so cool! I wanted a chicken when I was a kid, but my dad wouldn't let me get one because he didn't "want it pooping all over the house" 🙄 Pubba would only try to eat a baby chicken, but never a full grown specimen.

Yup!

Love the name so much!!!!

I still wouldn't get one in a no-pets apartment, because often times the landlord doesn't care what it is and will still tell you to get rid of it. I've heard of landlords complaining about 5 gallon Betta aquariums.

@@VestedUTuber it’s unfortunate that even cat and dog friendly places often don’t allow reptiles like snakes.

@@Purplesquigglystripe It's all about appearances to them, sadly. A lot of cat and dog friendly places aren't entirely friendly to every breed. The apartment I'm in bans Pitbulls, Dobermans, Rottweilers and Akitas (both the Akita Inu AND the American Akita) regardless of behavior or individual temperament, yet completely tolerates completely out-of-control designer dogs.

Flip side of the coin: while a large dedicated enclosure is necessary for a large lizard, that's really all the space you need most of the time - you're still only really talking about a terrarium around 6-8 feet long, 3-4 feet deep and maybe 2 feet tall at most - you can fit that on a sheet of plywood. Whereas while a dog requires minimal to no _dedicated_ space, you need a lot of general space for them. I honestly feel sorry for dogs kept in apartments. And there's still the attention requirements to consider - sure, you can train a dog to just sit there while you're out or doing something else, but the dog's still going to be stressed out about it. And they're still going to let you know. Meanwhile, while a large lizard appreciates that kind of attention, they don't need or demand it.

@realstory 78 I didnt say dogs are easy. I said they are more convenient than large reptiles for most people due to how mainstream they are in our society. I'm not making things up. I used to work at a pet store that sold reptiles alongside dog supplies, and I have a degree in zoology with experience caring for many exotic species. Read my comment and be respectful, or dont reply please

@realstory 78 key words: "for me" As I said, I'm talking about the population in general, so my statements apply to the majority of people. I think it's great that you're in a position where keeping a large lizard is feasible! Not everyone is in that position, either for space reasons or financial reasons. (Or even legal ones. Large reptiles are not legal to own in every state. My state recently passed legislation banning the private ownership of several reptile species, including tegus) Also, German Shepherds can be high maintenance dogs due to their high drive and athleticism, but those requirements can change a lot with different breeds, so that's another factor that affects this conversation. I agree with nearly everything that Clint says in this vid, I just think he forgot to take certain things into account

Honestly not even a cultural thing but as species in genral that is how much dogs are entwined with humans.

Wayyyyy too mainstream. When our kids were babies and we were looking for housing everywhere had dog parks but no kid parks 😢

It is really fun to watch. Two good boys 😊

We still need to find out :)

@@ClintsReptiles that would be lovely.

Yes, they poop breakfast!

Yeah, I'm waiting for that one! Also would love more mammals to get a better sense of how difficult and/or expensive the reptiles are

It seemed like a good one :)

Not to mention the bill doesn’t do anything to address the invasive populations and banning these animals could potentially lead to more irresponsible releases of them to avoid “breaking the law.”

@@entitysexotics3884 it would also effectively put out of business the few people who are currently working to trap and relocate many of the animals.

Jimmy Yurko yep. And when I’ve heard the state’s plans for capture it allocates like $1000 per animal. That’s going to cost the taxpayers an insane amount of money to do what private businesses are already doing. 🤦‍♀️

@@entitysexotics3884 if they gave the $1000 to the trappers who are out doing this right now (trapping Tegus and Iguanas) the state's budget would run out quickly. $1000 per animal is an insane budget. Invest that into liscencing, training (trappers/breeders and sales)and education (public)and the problem would solve itself.

I feel that I have to call out your last point, as quite a few cities *do* have restrictions and outright bans on owning certain breeds of dogs.

He did pretty well on that table. He was so excited about everything going on. The world is just so exciting!!!

Well, duh reptiles are cold-blooded anywhere northern is a huge no-no.

That actually sounds like a lovely way to spend some time. I'd love to see your drawings if you put them on Instagram!

@@ClintsReptiles sure! I'll tag you in one of my next posts!

That is a fun idea!

I love parrots so much

I'd say compare parrots to monitors. The large ones (i.e. Savannah monitors, Macaw,) are inappropriate pets for most people due to their difficult care requirements. The smaller ones (i.e. Ackie monitor, cockatiel) are more reasonable. Even small parrots are a lot of work and will be demanding of your time. I had a cockatiel that passed away a few years ago (I got him as an adult rescue and had him for 9 years, so he was a minimum of 10 and probably closer to 15) , I loved him, but he was not the easiest pet and it will probably be a while until I feel comfortable getting another parrot.

Fun idea but I think we know our feathered friends would lose in almost every category. They're so much work 😭

@@LGrian Eh, a parrot will most likely win the awesomeness category simply because of how much they bring to the table - especially the larger, more intelligent ones (African Grays would curbstomp anything else in this category). But then lose both the Expensiveness and Difficulty categories by a wide margin.

I think he probably was talking about pit bulls but I like to think he means chihuahuas

I've met sweet pitbulls and a gremlin of a chihuahua But I can still see what he means if he was referring to the pittie But godamn Chihuahuas. I love dogs, but they're angry little goblins. Weird, squashed faced, tiny, shivering, yapping little rat dogs. The chihuahua that I do know likes me, but only because I knew her as a puppy and she still needs like 20 minutes of growling and yapping every time I visit before she remembers who I am again

Great point!

I have both. They are both pretty major commitments.

@@ClintsReptiles I know, but they are worth it! I currently have three rabbits and they are also very time consuming and a large commitment, but I love it. The reason why we don't have a dog at the moment is because we don't have the time to go on walks regularly (we both work full time). So I guess the tegu would be more reasonable right now than the dog :)

Thank you so much!

They're not considered the golden standard because of their cost or required effort level. They're considered the golden standard because they are so affectionate and essentially are very good friends and a part of the family. Unfortunately, many people definitely underestimate the downsides though.