taming curiousity

[kellen.watkins]

So with my 2011 extreme I broke the trust bond with her when she escaped, its impossible to handle her as she darts into her hide if my hand gets near her, my question is sometimes I can open the cage and she will just watch me warily has anybody taken their tegus hide out of the cage before they dart into it to handle them. The taming process is getting a bit frustrating considering in 3 weeks there has been zero progress, I change her water bowl level substrate put my hands in the tank and keep them in there when she doesn't dart as soon as I get close, zoom right into the hide. In 3 weeks I have gotten her outta her hide twice and its only cause she was on a branch and I picked up the branch. And to get her back in its a pain I have to wait til she climbs on something then pick it up. Hearing everyone handling their 2011's is making me jealous and I'm lost lol I'm looking forward to hibernation in the hopes she gets better after a long long nap. Should I just keep on keepin on with what I'm doin and be patient or take some sort of action?
She's in a 4'x2'x18" aquarium basking temp is a lil over 105 cool side hovers around 80 give or take a couple degrees humididty rarely seen below 70 4" of eco earth/moss/cypress bedding. She is pretty close to 20" (I assume that cause almost 2 weeks ago she was 18")

 

[reptastic]

Patience will be your best friend when dealing with a stubborn/scared tegu, when she escaped and you caught her what was your approach? She may see you as a predator now from that experience and has to learn you are a friend not a foe, try using a article of clothing with your scent on it so she can get used to it, it took what seemed like forever for me to get rayne to trust me enough were she didn't dart to her hide as soon as she saw my hand, but constantly messing around in the cage whether she hid or not helped, if she see you leaving once she darts in her hide her mission is complete, the predator will leave when I hide

 

[Dirtydmc]

We Dozer out of his hide everyday for the first two weeks we had him. Now, he doesn't give a Damn. Tank was just wonderful. He was abit skidish and tried to go in his hide. Is block his entrance with my hand before he could get in. Then pick him up like bobby says to on his feeding a new tegu vid.

 

[kellen.watkins]

ok thanks, i do give up when they dart pretty much imma go with not giving them what they want, and @reptastic they approach was ripping a couch apart to get her im well aware i scared her and broke that trust, thanks again all

 

[Matt0925]

If it makes you feel better, my guy is the same way. He doesnt like to get anywhere near my hand. Kinda sucks. I love to watch him in the cage, however he is getting so big at this point that I would love to hold him. I'm trying to be patient as well, but it is tough. I just want to reach in there and have him hop onto my hand like some do.

 

[Dirtydmc]

I never man handled them though. And allways pick them up with a loose grip. Many people here would never ever go into their tegus hides but Noone say anything about block their way back in. Just move slowly and calmly and have patients. Dozer isn't your average columbian. Not a mean bone in him. Yet.

 

[herpgirl2510]

You just don't hear the difficult stories of tegu taming. I have had my extreme for 12 weeks and we are still really working on the taming process. I would say do not remove her hide she is probaly just a bit traumatized from her adventure. I think people may e ale to handle their tegus but a real bond and trust takes time. Plus ven the ones that are handleable could have something happen like what happened when she escaped and would need some time to settle down again. Just keep plugging along doind the same things you always have and things will get better.