New baby tegu

[OpalRaven]

Hi, i have a new baby b&w argentine tegu that is quite skittish. When i go in his tank he skuttles away, puffs up, tail whips, the whole show.... he is terrified of being picked up and terrified of being carried and still nervous once he is out about being handling. Any tips or tricks to help settle this little baby down?

 

[Aidan Morrison]

Hi, I don't have a tegu yet, as I'll be getting mine in July, but babies are usually naturally flighty and scared, because they think everything's trying to eat them lol. They usually calm down after awhile, but I have heard of some tegus going through a "teenager" phase when the get about a foot and a half long; but they should outgrow that aswell. Just spend a lot of time with him and you should be fine. Also If he bites, poops, pees, hisses, or tail whips you DO NOT put him back in his enclosure as he will view this as being rewarded for bad behavior and he will keep doing it. The more you handle him the better he will get.

 

[OpalRaven]

He does not like to be picked up, that scares him alot. But if I have him out and am sitting on the floor he will crawl up me no problem not scared. I havent tried petting him really yet since he seems so offended by my hands. Just let him explore. He is growing soo fast. 3.5 wks ago the vet weighted him at 96 grams. I finally found my scale and weighted him yesterday and he clocked in at 239 grams, more than doubled in less than a month..... is that too fast? What are somethings I can give him or put in his tank for enrichment?

 

[Aidan Morrison]

That is not too fast at all, I've heard of some tegus growing 6 inches or more in one month! I plan to try to grow mine just as fast as that. Tegus can eat 3 or more times a day to try to grow them fast, but you also have to be aware of and watch to make sure that they don't become obese. As far as what you can put in his cage; have you ever heard of the shirt trick? If you haven't I'll explain it here: The shirt trick is when you take one of your old shirts with nothing but YOUR smell on it and you put it in the cage with your tegu. This will help him get use to your smell better, and this will also help if you ever go away on vacation in the future and you can't take him with you for some reason. I say that because tegus tend to get a little depressed when their keeper (who the should and almost always have a strong bond with them) leaves for a good amount of time (like a week or less). Hope this helps.

 

[Dee-Dee Idrais]

Yes, I agree. The shirt-trick worked for me as well.

 

[Walter1]

Yes, I agree. The shirt-trick worked for me as well.

Yes. That little gem works wonders. I guess no wonder for a lizard that lives off its nose.