Taming Issues/Help

[zgoldsmith]

Hey guys, as you may (or may not) know, I have a baby tegu. :drool Problem is, I cannot even get him out of his cage. He wriggles, squirms, bites, and whips to no end and I am unable to hold him. He just came out of hibernation not that long ago ( 2 - 3 days). I don't know what to do with him. I tried doing what Bobby suggested in his posts/videos but that doesn't work on my little guy. Any tips/tricks/help will gladly be appreciated!

Thanks!,
ZG :jes

 

[mr.tegu]

what kind of tegu is it? arg or columbian?

 

[crimsonrazac]

Be patient, don't try to pick it up yet. Just hang out around the tank where it can see you for a while. Let it see when you are changing the water bowl/cleaning the tank without picking it up. when it knows your not a theat couriosity should take over. Its pretty easy from there.

 

[Red Earth Exotics]

That's one thing I have been curious about for when I get mine. If it doesn't want picked up and throws a fit, what do I do about feeding in a seperate tub? Should I pick him up anyway or give in to him and feed him in his own house?

 

[omgtaylorg]

Try opening his cage and resting your hands on top of it for 10-15 min before reaching into the cage at all, and when you do, dont pick him up...just pet him. Rinse and repeat daily until he is aware that you are in no way a threat, make no sudden movements, when he squirms and moves quickly try not to jump and pull your hand away real fast, just be calm. When it seems to calm down a bit after petting you can gently put your hand under it, never grab...doing these things daily for a while will help the tegu learn you are not a threat, so dont start out trying to pick it up right away, its still young and you need its trust.

 

[RehabRalphy]

I like omgtaylorg's plan.

I might add, dont use aquariums for tegus. Going in from the top = threat from above. I would highly suggest using a cage that has side opening doors where your hand can be level with the tegu. Reduce that aggression.

 

[zgoldsmith]

It's an Argentine. Even when I try to watch it, it freaks out (puffs up, etc.).

Thanks you guys!! :cheers

 

[omgtaylorg]

Well think of it from his perspective, your 1000x his size, big things eat small things, simple as that. Thats why moving slow and giving it a ton of gentle attention allows it to understand that you arent threatening it, just observing, comforting, and taking care of it. Once you can get to the point where its a bit calm just hold it inside the cage for a while, get it used to being held, then you can work its way out and let it walk around in a safe place, etc...its all about rinse and repeat and in the end you WILL have a tame tegu, Argentines are ridiculously smart and they will learn very quick given the chance. Good luck keep us updated.

 

[i0r]

All about patience! Don't touch him nor even get too close to him. If he hiss or puffs then you're too close. But yea, put your hand in the tank and sit where he can see you for at least 1 hour every day. Just chill there beside him reading a newspaper or listen to music(that will ease your anxiety). Then once you see him getting curious about you and coming towards you......that's when you can start to pet him and short after that, handle him.

I spent a month taming a wild caught 2 year old B&W......never touched it....only sat there until suddenly one day she came over to sniff me. She have trusted me ever since.
So just be patient and give him some space and time to evaluate you.

Good luck!

 

[jmiles50]

I'll tell ya, when I got Asami she was VERY flighty. Not bitey, but flighty and honestly all I did was spend as much time around her and her enclosure. It did take about a week or so. Oh yeah, put a nice sweaty stinky undershirt or something in her cage for her to get used to your scent. I did it from the advise of txrepgrl on the other site, and it really seemed to work! Another bit of advise I got from her was to tuck two shirts into your pants, and put her in between them while your doing your thing around the house. Just don't forget about her in there I found by dooing this it helps them get used to your scent, voice, and moving around the house with you. Obviously, this step comes after she's given you enough trust to pick her up Goooood luck :!:

 

[rmzsuzuki89]

With not actually handling for a couple days, how do you go about getting it into the feeding bin?

 

[Adam87]

another tip is if u can actually get her out put her in the tub and when she tries to get out put ur hand under her and lift her out a few inches and put her down so she knows ur hand is a safe and trust worthy place to be i've been doing that with my iguana and its really starting to work i learned it from jeff the lizard freak on youtube but of coruse he was showing how to tame Savannahs but try everything some reptiles are different then others