having some trouble getting out of the house

[floomazoom]

so i have an arg B&W tegu about 3 feet long (i got him off of a friend who could no longer house an animal that large

when i first got him he was all hissy and uncomfortable and wasnt too great at being handled, after letting him sleep in some old shirts id wear for the day, he no longer hisses, i can pick him up for short periods of time i.e. to transfer him to his feeding container and to randomly get some one on one holding time throughout the day (usually still within his enclosure incase he wants to be free)

its when i take him OUTSIDE, that he goes ballistic! if he's in his feeding container or even if i carry him outside... something about being out there he does NOT like, he'll open his mouth, hiss, thrash, and generally try to bite me as well as move the fastest away from me that i've ever seen (hes usually quite sluggish until hes hungry)

any suggestions? oh i've tried a few times the "taming the beast" technique btw

after this weekend it should be easier for me to do that more frequently as his new 6x2x3 enclosure will be complete (the front door acts as a ramp when open, right onto my living room floor where i'll just let him come out whenver he wants if im just watching tv or on the couch)


any help is greatly appreciated!

thanks in advance!

 

[DaveDragon]

He's experiencing information overload with all of the sights and sounds! He's scared!!!! Put a leash on him and take him out for a few minutes at a time. He'll get used to it eventually.

Our adult Tegu's are fine with the outdoors. Our 3 foot male Cuban Rock Iguana goes ballistic just like your Tegu. Gaping, thrashing, running!!! We took him outside for the second time today and he got out of my wife's arms before she could clip the leash on him and he bolted across the street and into the wheel well of a car. It took a few minutes to get him out. He then spent another half an hour outside (with the leash!), either on the ground or me holding him, sometimes gaping and trying to get away, but a thousand times better than the first time we took him out.

 

[floomazoom]

if he's all pissy and trying to bite and mouth open, should i continue to hold him? or should i let him down and let him do what he wants? or continue to hold him

like if i hold him, is he going to just open his mouth and present himself as a show of looking bigger, or would he possibly actually bite me?

he's bitten me before already, so i know what its like, im just not in the mood to feel it again

 

[DaveDragon]

It all depends on his level of trust of you. If he trusts you, holding him might make him feel more secure. If he doesn't trust you, you could be on the receiving end of a bite. You need to be able to hold him loosely so he doesn't feel trapped. If you have to hold him tight because he's flailing, don't forget to loosen up gradually as he calms down. Just be ready in case you feel him suddenly tense up before he freaks out again.

If you put a leash on him before taking him out you have the option of putting him down and talking to him until he's calmed enough to pick up.

 

[laurarfl]

In my experience, if he's displaying like that outdoors, he will bite.

Curious, but why are you taking him outdoors? I'm just thinking along the lines that if he's new to your house, he may just be stressed in general.

Like Dave said, being outside is very overwhelming. Indoors, the room is small and there is a 8-12 ft ceiling. Outside the natural lighting is bright and different, the ceiling just got taller, and the room is a lot bigger. Now add sounds, birds, etc. Just a bit of sensory overload.

I have a screened porch that my tegus go out in just about every day. From there I can take them in the yard to get used to being outside. But if something startles them, man can they take off! I have a ferret leash and harness that fits our big tegus. If they run and hit the end of that leash, though, they're likely to roll and get that same fight or flight reaction.


Dave, I bet you were about to pee your pants when that Cuban ran off! My green ig gets weird outside. He loves to bask, but the cage opens from the top and I have to catch him to get him back inside. He hates that!

 

[DaveDragon]

Dave, I bet you were about to pee your pants when that Cuban ran off! My green ig gets weird outside. He loves to bask, but the cage opens from the top and I have to catch him to get him back inside. He hates that!

I was upset when he ran under the car and looked like he ran up into the engine compartment (he could have run into the woods!!!) but we go got him out of the wheel well fairly quickly. I'm hoping my holding him afterward made him a little more secure, assuming he trusts me.

Hope fully he'll get used to going outside and mot get so stressed. I guess we're spoiled with our adult Tegus that we can plop in the yard and they don't run.

 

[floomazoom]

In my experience, if he's displaying like that outdoors, he will bite.

Curious, but why are you taking him outdoors? I'm just thinking along the lines that if he's new to your house, he may just be stressed in general.

Like Dave said, being outside is very overwhelming. Indoors, the room is small and there is a 8-12 ft ceiling. Outside the natural lighting is bright and different, the ceiling just got taller, and the room is a lot bigger. Now add sounds, birds, etc. Just a bit of sensory overload.

I have a screened porch that my tegus go out in just about every day. From there I can take them in the yard to get used to being outside. But if something startles them, man can they take off! I have a ferret leash and harness that fits our big tegus. If they run and hit the end of that leash, though, they're likely to roll and get that same fight or flight reaction.


Dave, I bet you were about to pee your pants when that Cuban ran off! My green ig gets weird outside. He loves to bask, but the cage opens from the top and I have to catch him to get him back inside. He hates that!

im trying to take him outside so he can enjoy the outdoors a little more, i didnt realise it may be as complicated as it appears to be, for instance if i am outside cleaning out the cricket tank, or changing out one of the other animals' tanks or substrate or just outside chilling with my big guy, it'd be nice to just chill outside him

ive had him since march 15th btw

 

[DaveDragon]

im trying to take him outside so he can enjoy the outdoors a little more, i didnt realise it may be as complicated as it appears to be, for instance if i am outside cleaning out the cricket tank, or changing out one of the other animals' tanks or substrate or just outside chilling with my big guy, it'd be nice to just chill outside him

He'll probably come around eventually, it'll just take time. Once he figures out he's not in danger he'll calm down and chill.

We got most of our Tegu's as adults (between 3 & 7 years old). I was amazed when we took them outside for the first time (with harnesses on) and they didn't freak out, they either slowly walked around or chilled in the sun. Maybe it's more of an age thing vs. conditioning?

 

[lizardboy101]

When I first started taking my big guy out(he's not that big...only about 28" two yearl old extreme...the guy that had him before me didn't take care of him too well) he would gape whenever I came near him, picking him back up and getting him inside was always a chore, but with some work he's totally fine, in fact something scared him today and he took off running(he's not all that fast...as I said when I got him his back legs didnt work at all, theyr a lot better now but still not what they should be) he kept trying to find a hole in the fence and wouldnt settle down till I kneeled down next to him and started petting him. He climbed in my lap and calmed down almost immeditely

Alex