Tegu is very skittish only when held. (and any sudden movements he does causes me to flinch)

[drennonsm]

hey all. During the Reptile expo in San Diego last Saturday i bought a really awesome tegu. Hes very calm, inquisitive and always up to mischief. I don't know his age but he looks like he's about to reach two feet in length. He has never tried to bite me. Mostly lashing and huffing and puffing. The issue I have is when he does sudden movements when i accidentally nudge him or attempt to pick him up from his tank to get him into a separate feeding spot, I flinch (i know hes not trying to hurt me, i just have a strong flinch reflex). I know he's still trying to adapt to me and the environment but its not really good for the both of us to flinch from each other. My friend (who owns a Savannah monitor) suggested just trying to lift him up but 1) his cage is pretty high above hardwood flooring 2) i really don't want him to be too stressed out that its harmful to him. If anybody has any suggestions i would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Caimanlizard_keeper]

I just got a two foot long yearling caiman lizard and I had the exact same problem. He was really shy if I even got close to him or his cage, and even though he hasn't tried to bite, he tail whips and hisses like there's no tomorrow! Have you tried just making a fist and leaving your hand in his cage for 20 minutes at a time? I've had a lot of progress that way, and (assuming that tegus tame down similarly to caiman lizards) they stop hissing and whipping after a few minutes, so you won't have to worry about flinching in front of your animal. Once they are comfortable with your hand being in your cage, try petting them. I'm currently working on feeding mango (my lizard) from tongs, but he can only reach if he stands up on my hands, so he understands that I am there to help him, not "eat him." The most important thing is patience. It takes a lot of trust building sessions spread throughout weeks and maybe even months before the lizard will trust you enough so that you can take him out of his enclosure. Be patient with them and it will pay off. I personally don't agree with handling a feisty lizard until they calm down, at least not when it comes to the truly intelligent species like monitors and tegus; they tend to remember the unpleasantness of being taken out against their will and then restrained over long periods of time. It is much safer just to let them adjust to you at their own rate, and when they're ready, they will allow you to approach them. Always remember, your greatest tool is food. Once they understand that only YOU have it, they're your new best friend!
Hope that helps

 

[drennonsm]

well he seems to be used to hands cause he has no problems walking on my hands if they are stationary. i tried another trick i saw a tegu owner did on youtube by picking him up with substrate under him. he seemed perfectly alright with that. then i just handwalked him in his tank for approx. 10 minutes with no hissing or tail lashing. just a little heavy breathing. he even allowed me to stroke his back a bit but i stopped when i noticed him glancing at me and his breathing increased a bit. will keep trying daily for only a few minutes depending on his mood.

 

[Caimanlizard_keeper]

It sounds like you've got a solid plan; you might also try moving his basking light over your arm or hand so that he sits on you to bask, or even over your lap if you can get him out of his cage. While he's sitting, read him a story so that he can get used to your voice and then once he's comfortable with sitting on you for basking, see how long he'll let you pet him before he gets too stressed out. If he doesn't squirm or hiss, give him a treat. Just repeat the process, but in different areas of the house so that he gets used to being moved around. This way, he should associate getting picked up with pleasant basking, and after a week you should see a difference in temperament.

 

[Artemisace]

I just got my baby black and white and she's only a couple weeks old and is flighty and afraid when she's in her cage, but once she's out she calms down pretty quick. I have a nile monitor that I've had for quite some time at this point, he's a bit territorial in his cage and will his and sometimes whip his tail at me, but when he's out of the cage he's a different animal. It's taken months to get him to this point and the hissing and tail whipping is becoming less frequent now. Just give them time and they all come around, like caimanlizard said they're smart and they learn, once they learn you are there to take them out to go do things they like to do they calm down very quickly. I take my nile out at least once a week to soak in the bath tub, he really seems to like it and it gives us a chance to bond where he swims around ("swims" the water is shallow enough that he's able to walk in it) and I'll hold my hand in the tub and he climbs up my arm to get out go back in.