# My tegu has never threatened to bite, so ...



## Rebecca Stout (Nov 5, 2014)

I'm really wondering, do I have a total sweetheart or is this very common? She has never gone through any type of phase growing up, nor gotten cage territorial (heck I feed her in her cage). Shes been spooked to where I had to restrain her, etc, and shes never even opened her mouth. Interestingly, I got her as a yearling and I can tell she was never handled or in a home before. Yet shes so sweet. The odd thing is, she hides a lot and likes to be held very, very snug. She wont just sit or come up to me much. I have to go get her most of the time. She hates being picked up, but once in my lap, if I hold her firm, she settles. She LOVES petting. She will stay around me, or cuddled with me for as long as I pet her. If I stop she leaves. Lol.

I really wish she would just walk around the house. But she wont. She finds a crack and there she will stay. She wont sit with me in the open. Only cuddled up. She wont let me pick her up without thrashing. Yet .... massage her, pet her, etc, she will stay with me forever. 

Anyway, she's never bitten despite the fact she is not as "tame" as other tegus. So, my question (for the future whenever I get another one), how common is this? Hugely and almost all the time? Just most of the time? Most of the time but they go through phases or have quirks?


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## Skeep (Nov 5, 2014)

I'm having this problem with me picking her up now. Even if I just lift her from below and don't hold her she will thrash until she figures out she can jump away on her own. I haven't gotten her to me to try cuddling her next to me, but she has settled down to the point where she is ok with me petting her. Maybe I should try forcing her next to my lap so she feels more comfortable since that seems to be working for you.

She also has a new attitude about exploring, similar to yours. She used to run onto my hand and let me lift her out so she could go explore, but now she's not that interested. This morning I lifted her out of her cage and she jumped back inside. I think she maybe got scared too many times so I'm trying to think of things she might like outside her cage. I debated feeding her outside to see if she'll get more comfortable then but not sure how well that will work. I suspect she's going through a phase.

Unlike yours, mine has bitten twice on purpose. Once when she was very scared and I held my hand near her, eventually she bit it. When I pick her up and she thrashes she does hold her mouth open but won't bite.

So my gu sounds a lot like yours but also different, and I have the same questions you do!


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## Rebecca Stout (Nov 5, 2014)

It sounds exactly like mine with the picking up issue, down to the letter. it took a while, but what we discovered is, once we have her in our lap and settled, if we cover her with a tiny blanket and put on some pressure around her, if you will, she gets content. Its weird. Its like she loves the snug pressure. Just like when she squeezes in a crack or hidey place. Then what I do is kind of let her use me as a hide? I kinda bend over her, cuddle her, swaddle her etc. I don't have to have a blankee anymore, I've just gotten comfortable with covering her with my arms and/or body so shes fine. Now, she has sat in the open on my son. But never on me, she just keeps forcing herself away from me when I stop petting (or cuddling). Maybe, you could bend over yours on the floor. Like when she comes up to you while you are sitting on the floor, kind of bend over her so you are a hide. And pet her a whole lot. I noticed too that if its morning and shes all heated up and has energy, forget holding her succesfully. Later in the day or when she hasnt basked works way way better. I dont wear long sleeve unless its loose enough she can tunnel through the arms. She loves feeling my skin all against her rather than cloth (even when I use a blanket, I have my arms or stomack bare).


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## Rebecca Stout (Nov 5, 2014)

Mine tries to turn around to go back inside when I get her out of her cage now as well. Whats wierder is when I go to put her back, she fights me just as much about being put back in. ::rolling my eyes::


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## Skeep (Nov 5, 2014)

That's a good idea with waiting for her calmer periods. Unfortunately that is almost never, at least when I'm not home, or she hides. Maybe first thing in the morning before she has basked much, but then she is usually looking for food already. We will see.

I have the same issue with her fighting me whenever holding. Mostly I've been just lifting her inside of her cage but she still fights then. If I only lift her a little she seems ok, she just doesn't quite trust that I won't grab her. Maybe that's part of the problem though, since I'm reaching into her cage she's not next to my body or anything and maybe feels more exposed. If I do manage to get a towel over her (which she also fights at first) then she does calm down but I don't think I'd call her happy


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## Rebecca Stout (Nov 5, 2014)

Well good luck to both of us right? I hope others chime in. This isn't exactly what I was expecting at all. And I'm a little disappointed as its been like 8 months since I got her and have had so little improvement with handling. At the same time ... I didnt expect her to be so sweet and tolerant. 

I'm wondering if the following are typical or not.
Wiggly, not wanting to sit with you, let alone be held on your shoulder. 
Not very exploratory unless its in things or inside cracks etc. She doesn't just wander about like I hoped. She hides all the time.
Never going through puberty or through cage territoriality.
Never ever biting no matter what.
Adoring being petted and massaged for as long as possible


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## N8bub (Nov 6, 2014)

1. Yep he's wiggly, but seems to slow after being out for a while. Does like to crawl from shoulder to head and perch for a bit but then he's off scootin. 
2.boo boo likes to roam although if he finds something to crawl under or into it's on.
3. He's only 4 mos old so don't think he's going thru puberty but size wise he falls into the"yearling"category. Right at 29 in so I believe he maybe hitting the change? That being said he's a sweetie and not cage aggressive but I also wait til he scratches the door and lets me know he wants out. 
4. Yes he's bitten me but it was when he was a hatchling and they were curiosity nips. Doesn't do it now
5. Likes being petted and scratched but ain't gonna sit there for long so your up on me there!
Hope that helps give a little insight, I suspect they're all a little different with there own quirks.


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## Rebecca Stout (Nov 7, 2014)

it actually helps a lot. I don't want to mistakenly expect too much out of her down the road, at the same time if they can be even better than this I also need to know that for the future when getting any other tegu's.


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## Skeep (Nov 13, 2014)

I've had some luck with getting her comfortable being picked up lately. I've been regularly lifting her from underneath while inside her cage. Usually she doesn't mind if I just lift her, especially if she's busy eating a treat! I keep my hand flat so she knows I'm not going to grab her, which is the part she really doesn't like. As long as she can get away when she wants she's ok. After that I moved to lifting her while petting or scratching along her back and that went ok too, now. Finally, I started putting a towel firmly on her back with one hand while lifting with the other, and this seems to work well. If I increase the pressure to the point I'm holding her, she thrashes a couple times but settles down almost immediately. Once she settles down I can release the pressure and she stays in my hand (usually!) Maybe this will be helpful.


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## sphenodon (Dec 4, 2014)

Rebecca Stout said:


> I'm really wondering, do I have a total sweetheart or is this very common? She has never gone through any type of phase growing up, nor gotten cage territorial (heck I feed her in her cage). Shes been spooked to where I had to restrain her, etc, and shes never even opened her mouth. Interestingly, I got her as a yearling and I can tell she was never handled or in a home before. Yet shes so sweet. The odd thing is, she hides a lot and likes to be held very, very snug. She wont just sit or come up to me much. I have to go get her most of the time. She hates being picked up, but once in my lap, if I hold her firm, she settles. She LOVES petting. She will stay around me, or cuddled with me for as long as I pet her. If I stop she leaves. Lol.
> 
> I really wish she would just walk around the house. But she wont. She finds a crack and there she will stay. She wont sit with me in the open. Only cuddled up. She wont let me pick her up without thrashing. Yet .... massage her, pet her, etc, she will stay with me forever.
> 
> Anyway, she's never bitten despite the fact she is not as "tame" as other tegus. So, my question (for the future whenever I get another one), how common is this? Hugely and almost all the time? Just most of the time? Most of the time but they go through phases or have quirks?


I don't have any actual experience with tegus, so this is just me talking.

To me, it kind of sounds like she gets very scared. Some animals react to fear by aggressing (biting) and others just freeze. Restraining them really freaks them out too. You say she calms down if you hold her firm on your lap. I wonder if she just gives up and settles in? and if she stays put only if you pet her, is that because she likes it or because she's too scared to make a run for it while your hands are nearby (which to her, will go grabby grabby if she tries to run away, right?). If you stop petting but keep your hand lightly on top of where you're petting, what does she do? I think that would be interesting to test out.

That's not to say your method wouldn't work, I have no idea. I've force handled unsocialized rats and that worked out really well. Not with force and restraining of course-simply letting them walk from hand to hand for 20+ minutes at a time. Totally different animals though. The concept was that they had short term memory and eventually forgets you're someone to be scared of because they're calmly walking on you or being petted lol. Pretty soon, I was their safety net and would run over to me if they encountered someone new. So cute!


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## sphenodon (Dec 4, 2014)

Skeep said:


> I'm having this problem with me picking her up now. Even if I just lift her from below and don't hold her she will thrash until she figures out she can jump away on her own. I haven't gotten her to me to try cuddling her next to me, but she has settled down to the point where she is ok with me petting her. Maybe I should try forcing her next to my lap so she feels more comfortable since that seems to be working for you.
> 
> She also has a new attitude about exploring, similar to yours. She used to run onto my hand and let me lift her out so she could go explore, but now she's not that interested. This morning I lifted her out of her cage and she jumped back inside. I think she maybe got scared too many times so I'm trying to think of things she might like outside her cage. I debated feeding her outside to see if she'll get more comfortable then but not sure how well that will work. I suspect she's going through a phase.
> 
> ...


I feel like reptiles can be so fickle about this stuff lol. You'll think you've made great progress and then the next day, it's like two steps back. My skink has been like that for sure! Of course, he also gets moody if he's preparing for a shed. He'll hide and not eat for literally a few days to a week when he's close to shedding. I used to get so concerned that maybe he was sick or that I wasn't spending enough time taming. Then he sheds and gets back to his schedule of coming out everyday again. Oh, lizards.  I have a blue tongue skink and they're supposed to be naturally tame and friendly. It's taken half a year for him to mostly tolerate me and consider me a source of food, lol. He'll even come to me on his own if he's hungry. Aww!

I think having only positive experiences with your hand would be really helpful. So, if she's totally freaked out and your hand is in view (or the cause) that's a negative experience. I'd back it up to where she's comfortable (no more hissing, huffing, striking) and hold your hand there. A little heavy breathing is probably ok. When she's visibly freaked out, she is over threshold and not learning very much (in terms of not being scared of you). She wanted distance, so her method was to bite (definitely over threshold). Another negative experience. Then we get into another tangent where if you pull away, she's reinforced for biting, so you just have to keep it there. But really, your hand shouldn't have been there in the first place.

For those that don't bite, it's probably easier to handle them in general, but it makes me think that they simply tolerate you and learn to hold still so nothing worse happens. But then they rarely ever come over to you on their own... I think eventually they come around but I wonder if the process is faster by keeping the negative experiences low and letting them come to you first. I was definitely indecisive and blundering around with taming my skink. I'd go from hands off and feeling good about it, to worrying that I wasn't working with him enough (so I'd pull him out even if he was hiding and feed him outside).

Now I'm doing as much research as possible on reptile behavior. If I get a tegu, I don't want to feel indecisive about my taming approach, since it will get big and nasty if I don't do it properly lol. I'm definitely feeling like taking things slow is likely to be a good approach. I dunno, maybe I should test it out and get a Tokay first, ha!


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 5, 2014)

Thanks for the things ive never considered!


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 5, 2014)

Here shw is on one of hse good days!! My leg is haddly touching her after the video really gets going


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 5, 2014)

More typical. When shes nice and hot and its early in the day this iz what she is mostly like. Unless i bend over her and snuggle and pet her. Or unless she settles down long enough on ms that she can enjoy her pets. Other than getfing her pets she is gone and all she wants to do is bury in cracks. I just wouldve thought that would imlrkve since april. I mean holy cow.


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## sphenodon (Dec 5, 2014)

Did you have a blog?? I feel like I've seen your second video before. She looks very cute and healthy.  I've seen one video of someone's Columbian where it actually leaned into the owner's hand while being petted. Then he walked off when he was tired of it. It really did look like he liked it. Adorable!

My impression though, is that tegus are usually pretty active unless they're obese and just don't move around much. That's why I'm interested in them because I'd like to do some training work. People usually recommend bearded dragons as lap lizards but mine rarely sits still unless she's cold or sleepy. Of course, she's still young too. I really liked that she was active and had such a voracious appetite. When she was only a couple months old, after working with her for a month or two, I was able to get her to spin in a circle by following my finger (held high above, she knows it's not food and doesn't try to eat it) and also look up at my face when I flicked my finger up. Pretty darn cute but I haven't worked with her much in awhile and I think she's forgotten everything.  well, she's also not very hungry in general right now so probably not motivated either.

I'm probably the only weirdo that would cut up a mouse or rat and throw it to a tegu as training rewards. Heh, no, that's gross, I'd probably just roll up little meatballs. personally, I would probably try to hand feed all the meals. You don't have to hold it up to his mouth, simply throw it on the floor for your tegu. You + food has always been a great combination when I'm training animals. Most people probably don't spend the same amount of time that I do working with my pets though.


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## Skeep (Dec 5, 2014)

sphenodon said:


> I feel like reptiles can be so fickle about this stuff lol. You'll think you've made great progress and then the next day, it's like two steps back. My skink has been like that for sure! Of course, he also gets moody if he's preparing for a shed. He'll hide and not eat for literally a few days to a week when he's close to shedding. I used to get so concerned that maybe he was sick or that I wasn't spending enough time taming. Then he sheds and gets back to his schedule of coming out everyday again. Oh, lizards.  I have a blue tongue skink and they're supposed to be naturally tame and friendly. It's taken half a year for him to mostly tolerate me and consider me a source of food, lol. He'll even come to me on his own if he's hungry. Aww!
> 
> I think having only positive experiences with your hand would be really helpful. So, if she's totally freaked out and your hand is in view (or the cause) that's a negative experience. I'd back it up to where she's comfortable (no more hissing, huffing, striking) and hold your hand there. A little heavy breathing is probably ok. When she's visibly freaked out, she is over threshold and not learning very much (in terms of not being scared of you). She wanted distance, so her method was to bite (definitely over threshold). Another negative experience. Then we get into another tangent where if you pull away, she's reinforced for biting, so you just have to keep it there. But really, your hand shouldn't have been there in the first place.
> 
> ...




Shortly after I had made this post my girl suddenly had a huge change and became much more sociable! She now usually will let me scoop her up and be happy to just sit in my hand while I take her out. A towel still helps but she doesn't complain anymore (most of the time). Once next to me she likes to run to my shoulder and hang out there while I walk around. If I sit down somewhere then she wants to go exploring, but if I move around she is happy to sit on my shoulder tongueflicking. Now that she's easier to handle I take her out every morning and try to get her some free roam time in the living room as well. Her 10 minutes of exploring before getting scared and hiding has gone up to doing several laps of the living room before she finally goes and sits still underneath something or hides in the couch


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 7, 2014)

YESSSSSSSSSS! Omg that is awesome. Please keep updating okay?


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## Rebecca Stout (Dec 7, 2014)

Yes I have a blog. So yes, you've must have seen the second video as it is on there. Wow, thank you so much for looking at it.


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