Tegu Intelligence or Instinct? You Decide.

[carcharios]

I forgot to post this the other day. Two weeks ago I purchased four mice for my adult tegus. Kimo got to them first. He methodically killed all four mice - one bite to each one was all it took. After killing them all, he again methodically consumed each one.

Now I've had lots of other reptiles in the past - from leopard geckos to chameleons, to plated lizards to skinks to iguanas to to day geckos to savannah monitors to nile monitors and so and so on, and I've NEVER witnessed this before. Usually my other lizards and snakes will focus on one food item, kill it, and then eat it at the expense of the other food items getting away. Obviously, by killing each one and then going back for them, Kimo maximized his available food.

So here is the question, is this an example of higher intelligence or is this instinct? Has anyone else witnessed this behavior? It goes directly against the "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" theory that most reptiles seem to unconsciously subscribe to.

 

[Pikey]

I'd say a bit of both. he know if they are dead they are not going any where, & it's instinct to eat what and as much as you can cuz he know he may not have this opportunity for days.

My big guy jonesy will alwas go for the white (or mostly white ones) 1st and he will pile them up near the corner of the pen. and when there is no more to get or he thinks he has enough he'll go to the corner & just sit there and eat.

 

[carcharios]

Pikey, I don't know about your experience with other reptiles, but I've never witnessed this before with my other pets.

 

[Pikey]

i've never seen half of what tegus do in any other reptile

 

[DMBizeau]

Tegus in the wild like to raid animal and bird burrows, it is instinctive to kill as many as they can before they get away. There are some snakes that have similiar tactics. So that particular instance is more of an instinctual habit. However, Tegus are very intelligent reptiles, one of the smartest I have ever kept.

 

[preston897]

there are very few reptiles that do this. i have not seen my tegu do it. they only other reptile i know of that does somthing like this is a burrowing python. when they raid burrows they will use part of their body to coil up one prey item and as they feel others trying to escape they will use the rest of their body to push those up against a wall to kill them. they have been known to kill 3 or 4 things at the same time before eating. i think this all is part instict part intelligence. like somone said before they know if it is dead it cant get away.

 

[slideaboot]

I've seen kingsnakes constrict and kill two mice WHILE eating another mouse. They're super smart snakes...