# Tegu Bites--How bad are they?



## slideaboot (Jun 29, 2010)

I was SUPER fortunate when I had Boosh (RIP)--he never once showed any aggression, nor did he ever bite me. But, I saw a post in Bobby's hatching schedule update that inquired about the severity of a tegu's bite.

So...how bad (or awesome, haha--kidding) are they? I'm guessing that younger tegu bites aren't really too bad, maybe a bit of blood. But what about an adult? What kinda damage are we talking about here? 

Also, I know this sounds kinda morbid, but if you have any pictures, please do include them.


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## Pikey (Jun 29, 2010)

i got bit on the fingers by my big male (my fault) not that bad like 3 little 1/16-1/8" long slices didnt hurt to bad but did bleed

but i was also bit by my 10month old female latched onto my wrist and tried to roll. That was 4 or 5 slices and one really good chunk of skin. sorry never got pics but all in all i've had worse from cats


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## DMBizeau (Jun 29, 2010)

Bobby has a thread where one of his adult females suprised him when he was checking for eggs and got him on the thumb. I will see if I can find it.


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## DMBizeau (Jun 29, 2010)

Here it is.

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## tora (Jun 29, 2010)

*cringe* looks like a dog bite I got at work once..


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## chelvis (Jun 29, 2010)

Not my tegu but one at a reptile store i was checking on got my hand really good. They said it hadn't been eatting, which ment they where giving it veggies and fruits and nothing more (not a good store). I had made one very stupid mistake, i had taken my chinchilla out to clean its cage before going to the store to look at this lizard and once that poor hungery tegu smelt what could be a meal it latched on and for a long time wouldn't let go. About 5 mins later and a few dish rags ruined we got the lizard back in its cage and eating somthing more appoperate. took 6 stiches to close it up well. Personally i don't like stiching a bite wound but it was a nice cut.


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## carcharios (Jun 29, 2010)

Six stitches? How big was the tegu?


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## slideaboot (Jun 29, 2010)

Good lord! That's a BITE Bobby got. 

On the plus side, everything was still attached--that's good to know.


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## chelvis (Jun 30, 2010)

A full grow male red, he was pretty good size. I'm sure it wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't think my hand was food.


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## preston897 (Jun 30, 2010)

my girlfriend got bit by my small tegu a few weeks ago. he is about 4 months old. she said it sort of tickled. didnt hurt but it did make a small mark.


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## lazyjr52 (Jun 30, 2010)

Here is a couple of pics when I got bit by Ryu. He is an 08' extreme. Earlier this summer I think he went through what other people refer to as terrible twos. It wasn't as bad bad as it looks. I really didn't feel a thing until I poured peroxide on it lol.


This is his teeth marks from his top jaw...

[attachment=0]

And his bottom jaw...

[attachment=1]


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## carcharios (Jun 30, 2010)

The bottom jaw looks like it did the most damage. That one cut in the second pic looks like it required a few stitches.


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## lazyjr52 (Jun 30, 2010)

carcharios said:


> The bottom jaw looks like it did the most damage. That one cut in the second pic looks like it required a few stitches.



Yeah I think one of his teeth just ripped my skin when he pulled back. It actullay healed up in about week and half by itself and a ton of neosporne.


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## slideaboot (Jun 30, 2010)

Wow...that looks pretty gnarly. Duly noted.


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## reptastic (Jun 30, 2010)

i got bit by my 2' red and he did enough damage for me to be weary of what my larger tegus could do!


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## laurarfl (Jul 1, 2010)

Reptile bites usually aren't stitched because of the risk of infection, but of course that doesn't include those massive gashes and face wounds with the potential for scarring.

I got bit by my adult red male during feeding last week. He grabbed my fingers and then chewed. I didn't have the cuts, just a few puncture holes. Since he got my knuckles and gnawed a few times, I did have some swelling and bruising. I popped him on the nose and he let go.

Another time I got grabbed by my territorial female. She grabbed the fleshy part of my hand, held it for a sec, and then let go.

It depends on what you do and what the lizard does once it has you. :shock: The worse lizard bite I had was from a 2yo male ig during breeding season. He grabbed my finger and shook it and sliced it right open with those little serrated teeth. That's when I found out about not stitching reptile bites.


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## ReptileGuy (Mar 14, 2012)

I was bitten by a cage aggressive 3' Argentine B&W tegu. His jaw pressure was so powerful his teeth felt like blunt objects being forced into my skin.....Every time I tried to move he bit down hard...and harder....and harder....when he finally let go I couldn't move my fingers without pain for about 2 weeks. The thing that surprised me was that I bled about 2 drops of blood..HMMM


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## Maro1 (Mar 14, 2012)

Wow. That's a lot of bites in this thread. I have never been bitten fortunately. I treat all my animals like loaded guns 

Maro1


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## m3s4 (Mar 14, 2012)

Sounds like some bites from b&w's and reds...Any bites from Golds? 

I was bitten twice by my gold when I foolishly went to grab him while he was under our bed and (he) couldn't see because it was not only dark in the room but also under the bed. 

Superficial flesh wounds that really stung the pride more then the area of the bite. 

Had a few little teeth marks around my thumb. Happened super quick - and he let go quickly as well - no death rolls, no hanging out with my thumb in his mouth, no trying to pull me under the bed with him etc.


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## dragonmetalhead (Mar 14, 2012)

The only lizard I have ever personally owned that has ever bitten me is my uromastyx, Spike. I have a scar on my knuckle from where the little bugger took a piece off.


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## frost (Mar 14, 2012)

i dont think iv really been bit my any of my lizards.Baldor bit me once but as soon as he did he let go and i didnt really feel anything. i got bit by my green tree a lot and the cage was always speckled with blood. cleaning that cage was hard with him tagging me every other second,.=/


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## Lynda (Mar 14, 2012)

DMBizeau said:


> Bobby has a thread where one of his adult females suprised him when he was checking for eggs and got him on the thumb. I will see if I can find it.



Dave, Got a picture of your '09AA? I have a '10AA and love to see others a bit older that mine. So far, just one small nip when she was about 4 mos. Bled a bit, so I don't want to find out what she can do when she's big! ...it was my fault, she was very hungry!


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## reptastic (Mar 14, 2012)

I almost got tagged by storm a few times whew with the size of his head and the way he can crack a chicken back I'm so glad he missed lol


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## Lynda (Mar 15, 2012)

reptastic said:


> I almost got tagged by storm a few times whew with the size of his head and the way he can crack a chicken back I'm so glad he missed lol



Love the new portraits...they are so handsome!


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