Q: Tegu defensiveness/aggression + taming?

[Lizardon]

Hey everyone, just wanted to explain my situation and ask for opinions on what to do.

So I just got a red tegu(1 year old male) on this past wednesday. He has been in a brumating state- in which he still eats from time to time, but he's mostly sleepy.

I checked with people, he seems to be healthy.

I was worried about him not eating so I made the mistake of giving him small live mice. He went absolutely crazy about them, and when he sees the tongs he sometimes lunges? Surprised the crap out of me.

I am in the process of planning for his forever enclosure.... However the questioned just came to my head... "How am I supposed to move this big lizard if he doesn't even like to be touched?"

He's done that weird attack position that cats do... Hunching back, no hissing yet. I notice his tongue gets more active during certain moods, especially if he's feeling defensive....

I understand this is normal, for now... but I am worried about taming him.

I am afraid of getting bit. I am on blood thinners so I have to avoid gashes.... Not sure how bad a tegu bite is... but yeah. I always carry first aid kit for myself around me- and this was something I understood the risks of. But I want to now move forward and such.

What are some methods for taming him? Any youtube videos recommended? Stuff in great in depth would be nice, especially with a step by step thing.

I touched his tail, like pet it and he flinches. His tail was apparently nipped at when he was a baby so not sure if that's part of why he is defensive. But I want to make a friendship with him.

Also his name is Chucky.




P.s. is there any way to get him enticed to dead prey? I threw in a live dubia roach in there before and that's how I figured out how obsessive he is with live prey. I just wanted to get a meal into him

P.s..s he does not like leafy greens or veggies or fruits. Only meat.

 

[Lizardon]

Enjoy the gif I attached.

 

[Tiigu]

I never feed live prey. Tegu are opportunistic feeders. In the wild, they aren’t above eating old roadkill, so the “trick” to getting them to eat is to make them realize it is food. Another issue could be that he’s sleepy. He doesn’t know how long he plans to sleep, so a full belly could be toxic.

As for bites… they can be bad as teen lizards and adults. I’ve been bitten by small monitors up to savannah monitor size and those are pretty gnarly “get checked out by a doc and antibiotics” bites. Tegu have stronger jaws with crushing molar-like teeth… be very careful. My tegu hasn’t but me since hatchling days but her claws have cut me good a few times as she’s squirmed to climb upon my shoulder. They are very powerful reptiles and when interacting with them you should maintain a constant mental image of them being wild animals, not a domesticated purse dog.

 

[Lizardon]

I never feed live prey. Tegu are opportunistic feeders. In the wild, they aren’t above eating old roadkill, so the “trick” to getting them to eat is to make them realize it is food. Another issue could be that he’s sleepy. He doesn’t know how long he plans to sleep, so a full belly could be toxic.

As for bites… they can be bad as teen lizards and adults. I’ve been bitten by small monitors up to savannah monitor size and those are pretty gnarly “get checked out by a doc and antibiotics” bites. Tegu have stronger jaws with crushing molar-like teeth… be very careful. My tegu hasn’t but me since hatchling days but her claws have cut me good a few times as she’s squirmed to climb upon my shoulder. They are very powerful reptiles and when interacting with them you should maintain a constant mental image of them being wild animals, not a domesticated purse dog.

Is there a proper way to handle to avoid bites?

 

[Tiigu]

Is there a proper way to handle to avoid bites?

Thick leather gloves can help, but there really isn’t a 100%. effective way other than not owning pets. Even the sweetest cocker spaniel can easily nip off a finger.

 

[Lizardon]

Thick leather gloves can help, but there really isn’t a 100%. effective way other than not owning pets. Even the sweetest cocker spaniel can easily nip off a finger.

I see, i meant more like ways to reduce

 

[Tiigu]

I see, i meant more like ways to reduce

Socialize the lizard like crazy. Don’t be a threat to it, and don’t be a pushover either. If it sees you as a care taker and a positive experience, it’ll be less inclined to bite. Tegus don’t like to bite as a first response anyway. They much prefer to bruise you with a tail clubbing or run away. They are VERY fast. Bites happen when body language is ignored and they feel cornered.

socializing and creating daily routines are the best way to reduce anxiety bites.

 

[Lizardon]

Socialize the lizard like crazy. Don’t be a threat to it, and don’t be a pushover either. If it sees you as a care taker and a positive experience, it’ll be less inclined to bite. Tegus don’t like to bite as a first response anyway. They much prefer to bruise you with a tail clubbing or run away. They are VERY fast. Bites happen when body language is ignored and they feel cornered.

socializing and creating daily routines are the best way to reduce anxiety bites.

how do you socialize it? ike any video recommendations?

 

[Tiigu]

how do you socialize it? ike any video recommendations?

Best thing I did was get a comfortable chair, sit in it for a while, read a book, and let the tegu approach and smell me. She gets used to it, realizes you aren’t dangerous. Just work with it daily, for as long as you can. Return the tegu to the enclosure immediately if it gets spooked or shows signs of aggression once out of the enclosure. They have their “enough is enough” limits and you’ll learn those over time. I am strongly against hand feedings. Good way to get bit.
If you have a room that is safe for exploring, let the tegu roam the room and crawl over you, that can also help strengthen a bond. Do that only after the lizard isn’t flighty or aggressive about being picked up, otherwise the lizard could heat itself trying to squeeze under furniture or into a door.

 

[Lizardon]

Best thing I did was get a comfortable chair, sit in it for a while, read a book, and let the tegu approach and smell me. She gets used to it, realizes you aren’t dangerous. Just work with it daily, for as long as you can. Return the tegu to the enclosure immediately if it gets spooked or shows signs of aggression once out of the enclosure. They have their “enough is enough” limits and you’ll learn those over time. I am strongly against hand feedings. Good way to get bit.
If you have a room that is safe for exploring, let the tegu roam the room and crawl over you, that can also help strengthen a bond. Do that only after the lizard isn’t flighty or aggressive about being picked up, otherwise the lizard could heat itself trying to squeeze under furniture or into a door.

Yeah he does not want to be picked up at all. lol. That's why I was trying to figure things out.The enclosure is across my bed. He can see me well.

 

[Acre]

I have a beautiful male about 5 months old who never wanted much to do with me. I put him in his forever cage - 8 x 3 - and now that he has more space he's convinced he NEVER needs to interact with me and is more aggressive than ever. However, when I go to take him out for some natural sun he kind of knows I'll win the battle eventually. Lots of hissing and back arching, lots of tail lashing, lots of lunges but no actual biting or if anything a quick bite and release which doesn't draw blood. Oh well, he's' gorgeous. When he gets big enough to free roam maybe this will improve. I also have a spaz of a female who's constantly exploring. She'll jump up on my arm just out of sheer curiousity. I can't even put her feeding bowl down without her getting in the way. It's not so much the food that excites her; it's just the novelty of something entering her enclosure. Her coloration is muted. So I have one handsome Tegu that just wants to be a Tegu and one "people lizard." Suits me OK.

 

[Lizardon]

I have a beautiful male about 5 months old who never wanted much to do with me. I put him in his forever cage - 8 x 3 - and now that he has more space he's convinced he NEVER needs to interact with me and is more aggressive than ever. However, when I go to take him out for some natural sun he kind of knows I'll win the battle eventually. Lots of hissing and back arching, lots of tail lashing, lots of lunges but no actual biting or if anything a quick bite and release which doesn't draw blood. Oh well, he's' gorgeous. When he gets big enough to free roam maybe this will improve. I also have a spaz of a female who's constantly exploring. She'll jump up on my arm just out of sheer curiousity. I can't even put her feeding bowl down without her getting in the way. It's not so much the food that excites her; it's just the novelty of something entering her enclosure. Her coloration is muted. So I have one handsome Tegu that just wants to be a Tegu and one "people lizard." Suits me OK.

ah thats dope. sadly i cant have more tegus

 

[Lizardon]

So update. I was spraying water with a pressure sprayer in the enclosure, and as it got near him- he arched his back, curled his tail, turned his head to me and hissed ... he walked away right after. But usually he likes to be sprayed.

 

[Tiigu]

Teenagers… they grow up so quickly….

 

[Lizardon]

Teenagers… they grow up so quickly….

Do you think it'll pass? lol. I put my fist near him yesterday- in the enclosure and he came by, flicked his tongue a lot but did not bite.

 

[Tiigu]

Do you think it'll pass? lol. I put my fist near him yesterday- in the enclosure and he came by, flicked his tongue a lot but did not bite.

If you continue to be a benefit to him, yeah, he’ll calm down eventually. 90% of the adult tegus I’ve ever seen are laid back and lazy. The 10% that weren’t were wild caught as teens or adults and brought to captivity, or were poorly raised and correlated humans interaction only with food or were abused.

I’m sure there is a small % that are just “bad boy” biker tegu, but it’s probably statistically negligible.

a “cheat” of sorts for calming a tegu down is to lower the temp of the enclosure slightly. I used to do that with a very aggressive monitor I had. For their speed bursts, they need the higher warmth to power the muscles. I would drop the temp down to 83-85, and the monitor was too busy trying to get his batteries topped off to worry about striking at me. Even if he lunged, he could only do a half hearted charge. I’d cool him off for enclosure cleanings, vet visits, and any mandatory interaction. He was an adult savannah with no positive human interactions before I got him for rehab. After a year, he learned I wasn’t death incarnate and was tolerant of me invading his territory, but he was never tamed.

 

[Lizardon]

If you continue to be a benefit to him, yeah, he’ll calm down eventually. 90% of the adult tegus I’ve ever seen are laid back and lazy. The 10% that weren’t were wild caught as teens or adults and brought to captivity, or were poorly raised and correlated humans interaction only with food or were abused.

I’m sure there is a small % that are just “bad boy” biker tegu, but it’s probably statistically negligible.

ohh nice

 

[Lizardon]

If you continue to be a benefit to him, yeah, he’ll calm down eventually. 90% of the adult tegus I’ve ever seen are laid back and lazy. The 10% that weren’t were wild caught as teens or adults and brought to captivity, or were poorly raised and correlated humans interaction only with food or were abused.

I’m sure there is a small % that are just “bad boy” biker tegu, but it’s probably statistically negligible.

a “cheat” of sorts for calming a tegu down is to lower the temp of the enclosure slightly. I used to do that with a very aggressive monitor I had. For their speed bursts, they need the higher warmth to power the muscles. I would drop the temp down to 83-85, and the monitor was too busy trying to get his batteries topped off to worry about striking at me. Even if he lunged, he could only do a half hearted charge. I’d cool him off for enclosure cleanings, vet visits, and any mandatory interaction. He was an adult savannah with no positive human interactions before I got him for rehab. After a year, he learned I wasn’t death incarnate and was tolerant of me invading his territory, but he was never tamed.

any tips?

 

[Lizardon]

P.s. he doesn't seem to like repashy calcium plus lol

 

[AtlasInSd]

Some things to consider. The first being around 1-year-old, sometimes a little sooner, sometimes a little later, tagus go into buberty. This can last 6 months to a year where they're just real jerks. You're going to need to spend far more effort and far more care in interacting with them during this time as they tend to be a bit more illogical. Second is you want to disassociate your self and especially your hands from feeding. Tegus make associations pretty fast so you want to find something to make that association with, pretty much target training your Tegu. You don't want the tegu to associate you with the feeding, you want your tegu to associate something else and you with the feeding. Use a box, a colorful plate, or disassociate yourself entirely and get the food in there when the tegu can't see you. This will help a lot with the forward aggression. Finally try and get yourself a lot of small wins and make sure they are all positive. When you see the Tegu first wake up and move to the basking spot, take an opportunity to come in and talk to the take you and get it to see your presence in a non-threatening manner and walk away. Do that frequently, if you can try and get a quick pet in, just a couple strokes and walk away. What you want to establish is that nothing bad happens when you're around, and the interactions are somewhat normal. This is not going to be easy trying to start this during buberty but if you are consistent about these interactions you will have a high likelihood of success. Be careful with creating any negative interactions, one negative interaction can set you back three positive interactions. They are very intelligent animals and have a very good memory.