# Tegu Bites



## dragonmetalhead (Jul 26, 2011)

So my boss was watching TV with her husband the other day and they stumbled on the special about invasives in Florida that talks about how vicious tegus are. I've never seen it. She got a riled up about it and is now afraid some kid is going to get hurt. I have assured her that tegus are not as aggressive as monitors and Kodo has yet to display a single aggressive trait (he hasn't even hissed at me or tailwhipped me). What kind of damage is an adult tegu capable of inflicting on a human? Can they really sever fingers and break bones? Please be honest with me. Like I said earlier, Kodo is a little sweetheart and I have no intention whatsoever of turning him mean or allowing him to bite anyone. I just want to know what to expect in a worst-case scenario (may it never come).


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## Max713 (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, a fully grown Tegu has the ability to remove fingers, and break bones. 
No matter how tame, always treat your Tegu with respect!

I saw the same episode you are talking about... pissed me off as well, actually, I also posted a thread about it. You just have to learn to brush off what TV shows often say, as they are rarely right. 
For the most part, captive breed tegus turn out to be some of the tamest, most affectionate large lizard there is. But there is always that chance that they will never become tame.


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## lilgonz (Jul 26, 2011)

I agree with Max, a fully grown tegu does have the capability of doing some real damage, severed fingers or broken ones at least, but you must remember even in captivity they are still wild animals. You must always treat them with that respect, and learn their body language, they will almost always show some warning signs before getting aggressive.


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## Kebechet (Jul 26, 2011)

A tegu is no worse than a small dog. Yes it has the capacity to bite off a finger or two, and scratch you up. Wild animals will attack if cornered, regardless of whether they have fur or scales. If an animal is afraid it will defend itself, but the chances of wild tegu being outwardly aggressive unless you try to go after it, are slim. If you live in a place that can sustain a wild tegu population, invasive or not, you have other things to worry about, like water moccasins, adders, coral snakes, Iggys, and gators. If your kid corners a wild animal in the yard and gets bit, you obviously weren't doing your job as a parent to watch them. That's pretty much my thought on it.


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## Dirtydmc (Jul 26, 2011)

Actually, bobby was telling me about that show. Those tegus got cornered and were afraid. Even wild tegus would rather run than attack. He got all sorts of hot when I brought that show up. Cant say I blame him. a tegu will only bite you as a last resort.


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jul 26, 2011)

_Yes they can do damage,.. even babies can break the skin and seeing blood is enough for some people to freak out. Which is why I never tell people my pets don't bite. I say they have a brain and a mouth of their own with very sharp teeth,.. so they can bite. Depending on the pet at that time, then they haven't or not lately,.. which I also tell them. 

If they have then the next question is usually why and or what happened. If it were me,.. I would be more upset if you told me your pet doesn't bite then it does. As opposed to a warning a head of time,.. even though it has never happened just a heads up that it can._


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## Rhetoric (Jul 26, 2011)

They can absolutely bite off a finger as an adult. It's not very likely if cared for properly. The tegus on swamp wars are wild, most of them have never been around people. Most of them are probably pretty hungry. As dirty said, they were cornered. I've seen other episodes with tegus and most of them retreat and try to hide. When they're chased and cornered they seem to flip out. LOL I'm waiting for my landlord to mention the show, hes got a little kid that loves AP.


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## Kebechet (Jul 26, 2011)

rhetoricx said:


> LOL I'm waiting for my landlord to mention the show, hes got a little kid that loves AP.



If they ask, and your tegu is calm enough you should do a demonstration like I do with Link. I pick him up and kiss him on his big scaly lips (and sometimes get frenched by him without intending to) XD and then I ask them "If I thought there was even the slightest chance of biting, do you think I would have done that?"  It chills out people pretty quick when it comes to worrying about aggression.


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## Rhetoric (Jul 26, 2011)

Oh yeah, they've seen my tegus when they were out and about. His kid loves them haha. I'm just not sure if the landlord has seen pictures of a tegu bite or anything like that. He did some research on his own so he knows the basics and he seems alright.


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## new2tegus (Jul 26, 2011)

Basically just here to agree with what everyone said.
1.) They were wild tegus.
2.)They were cornered and technically attacked first.
3.)They were kept in a catch cage and had no other way out.
4.)They are still wild.

The trainer for bart the bear asked the question of which bear would kill you first a wild or tame. The answer was tame but that's due to complacency.


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## Joshjack90 (Jul 26, 2011)

i was holding my tegu when that show came on. It bothered me how bad of a rep it gave tegu's, and this is the reason they are feared of. Its like any wild animal, they are more aggressive than a captive bred/raised animal. Yes tegus have potential to inflict damage to a human, but if you treat them with respect they wont. They can be as tame and docile as your houshold cat or dag and make amazing pets!


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## Neeko (Jul 26, 2011)

I tell people anything with a mouth can vote, baby children bite... As for the show... Didn't see it but something tragic, sad etc sell more then of Tegus puppy dog tame love people and eat turkey which is cost effective. 

Vote =. Bite


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## james.w (Jul 26, 2011)

Technically they weren't wild. At some point they were more than likely pets considering tegus aren't native to Florida


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## Rhetoric (Jul 26, 2011)

One of the tegus was really young, like guru sized lol. its possible they've mated out in the wild. The temps seem to be spot on.


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## dragonmetalhead (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you guys. I told my boss that any wild any animal being manhandled is gonna freak out and a captive tegu used to being handled wouldn't react that way. When the guests ask if the animals bite, I tell them any animal with movable jaws can hypothetically bite you. It's not a matter of if the animal can bite, but a matter of will the animal bite. Kodo gets handled all the time and I treat him with all the love I would give a child, so hopefully he won't ever feel the need to bite anyone. In 20 years of owning reptiles, I've only been bitten a couple of times and those were feeding responses.


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## reptastic (Jul 26, 2011)

I agree with the posts there's a big difference between a captive tegu and a wild tegu, I had adult tegus and seeing them crush rat skulls was enough to let me know I didn't want to get bit, I have been bitten by smaller tegus though just a small cut and a lil blood no biggie but it does hurt especially the ones that won't let go


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## Max713 (Jul 26, 2011)

Just for fun, here's a wild Gu that got tired of being messed with:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pq4RyBqUxY

This one is terrible I know, seems to be a pet Tegu  Possibly a wild one in florida..
But it's still funny how hard this guy goes after the dog!
*To clarify, I think this is terrible, but I see humor in it*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lqxqVb7b8Q


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## james.w (Jul 26, 2011)

rhetoricx said:


> One of the tegus was really young, like guru sized lol. its possible they've mated out in the wild. The temps seem to be spot on.



This is true, I guess there is a possibility they have had no human contact.


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## new2tegus (Jul 26, 2011)

They said that they have a small breeding population down there, that's the only reason I said that . I hate that show about them, only because wild or not, any animal would react similarly being cornered, caged and then manhandled.


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## dragonmetalhead (Jul 26, 2011)

Max713 said:


> Just for fun, here's a wild Gu that got tired of being messed with:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pq4RyBqUxY
> 
> This one is terrible I know, seems to be a pet Tegu  Possibly a wild one in florida..
> ...



The first video was funny; that guy squealed like a stuck pig when that lizard rushed him. I've seen the second video before and I gotta say that it one badass tegu taking on that dog.


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## Piercedcub32 (Jul 26, 2011)

I heard that there was a breeding population in S. Dade County. I hate the show swamp-wars which is where those videos came from I'm pretty sure. The only way they referred to the gus are "Dangerous Tegus" I'm sorry but if a dog was trying to eat me, or I was being attacked by some rednecks, I would be fighting back too! The poor things are scared and on a defensive attack! One of the people in the show even said, they just sun themselves on their lawn.. Its not the tegus' fault that they are in Fl, its the irresponsible pet owners fault for letting them go in the wild!


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## new2tegus (Jul 26, 2011)

All I can think of is editing that video, and putting banjo music in there and subtitles. "Paddle faster I hear banjos!" Those rednecks were on the show twice. They are really good at identifying tegus, the second time it was an alligator lol.


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## M4A2E4 (Jul 27, 2011)

My Tegu has calmed down a lot since his puberty stage, I think. I really haven't given him the chance to prove himself, but he certainly doesn't throw a fuss when I touch or pick him up.
..actually in that regard he's actually a lot like his pre-puberty self.
He did bite me a few months ago though, so now I wear shoes and gloves whenever I handle him, or he's free roaming around my room. I especially get anxious when he starts smelling my toes....

That aside, I feel more comfortable with him that pretty much any other animal I've had. I used to have a juvenile blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) who was an absolute MONSTER. I had a red eye crocodile skink who just never got used to anyone and was always stressed out/paranoid/flighty on the very few times I ever got to see him (nocturnal animals are boring). 

The only exception is my rubber boa. That is the most adorable, inoffensive, yet pitiful and defenseless animal I've ever laid eyes on. Well, that and maybe a dwarf puffer.


...got off topic there. When Taco gets big enough to crush a rat's skull I may find myself needlessly wary of him. I have (or think I have) learned his body language well enough to avoid an incident. It's not his defensive postures that worry me; he rarely tail-wags and when he does, I simply take 1-2 steps back and he stops. Its when he starts sniffing me or something I'm wearing intently. Three times he's bitten me following an intense investigation of... something. Once because my hands smelled like pizza (my fault), once because there was apparently something on the back of my neck, and once because I apparently spilled something on my shirt. I guess that last one wasn't technically a bite on me.
Of course, when he's that size, I'd still place 10x the amount of trust in him as I would an equivalent sized cat/dog, and 100x the amount of trust as something like an argus monitor/ferret.


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## dragonmetalhead (Jul 27, 2011)

new2tegus said:


> All I can think of is editing that video, and putting banjo music in there and subtitles. "Paddle faster I hear banjos!" Those rednecks were on the show twice. They are really good at identifying tegus, the second time it was an alligator lol.



How to you confuse a tegu with an alligator? The only thing I would confuse with a tegu would be a monitor.


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## Toby_H (Jul 27, 2011)

You said your boss' wife is afraid it will hurt one of the kids...

Do you work with/for a group/company that introduces your reptiles to children? If so isn't the purpose of such functions to display that the common misconceptions of reptiles often are not true? If so, then your boss' wife needs to pay more attention to her husbands companies teachings.........


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## dragonmetalhead (Jul 27, 2011)

Toby_H said:


> You said your boss' wife is afraid it will hurt one of the kids...
> 
> Do you work with/for a group/company that introduces your reptiles to children? If so isn't the purpose of such functions to display that the common misconceptions of reptiles often are not true? If so, then your boss' wife needs to pay more attention to her husbands companies teachings.........



It's my boss's husband who's worried. He's a musician and doesn't know much about animals; he'd never heard of a tegu until we got one and his wife told him. I am the animal curator of a children's museum. Of our nine animals (not including our fish and touch tank invertebrates), the only one who would guaranteed bite someone is Bernie the box turtle. He is insanely aggressive and I risk a bite every time I feed him. That's why he doesn't come out and play. Our red-eared sliders are also a tad on the bitey side and Spike the Sudan plated lizard is too old, fragile, and unsocialized to be taken out. They don't pay me enough to take out the tarantula, lol. In addition to the tegu, we have a bearded dragon, a water dragon, and a rosy boa who are all friendly and come out regularly.


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## herpgirl2510 (Jul 28, 2011)

A few weeks ago Tonkawas so excited when I was putting his bowl down he harged forward and bit quite hard. The damage was very minimal there were some serated cuts but they barely bled it was sore that all. He is 40" and 9 pounds maybe more. He immediately backed away it was an accident. If you were to be attaked by a wild one I am sure it could be bad like being attacked by one of my mini daschunds but certainly not were I would be missing fingers.


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## laurarfl (Jul 30, 2011)

I've only been bit by an adult twice. One was the same scenario as herpgirl...he kinda chewed on my hand until I gently bopped him on the nose and he was like, "uh...sorry." There other was from my overly territorial monster that charged my hand in her cage. Both times I kept my hand still and they let go.


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## reptastic (Jul 30, 2011)

laurarfl said:


> I've only been bit by an adult twice. One was the same scenario as herpgirl...he kinda chewed on my hand until I gently bopped him on the nose and he was like, "uh...sorry." There other was from my overly territorial monster that charged my hand in her cage. Both times I kept my hand still and they let go.



I wish I had that luck lol, my red was the same as the second tegu you described, he got me twice, but he wouldn't let go, luckily he was only 2' and only could do minimum damage but it hurt like hell, I had to pry his mouth open the first time but the second time it was a bite and run, I had to be on my p's and q's when handling him


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## herpgirl2510 (Jul 30, 2011)

When I screamed because I was very startled he released poor thing thought he was getting a mouse . I did have alot of bruising and the toe wassore for like 5 days ut It was not like a bloody massacre.


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## hoosier (Jul 30, 2011)

i got tagged on the thumb when taking mine outside a few years ago. i had just ate and didnt was my hands well so when he smelled it on my thumb he took a taste but let go very quickly. punctured the nail though. goes to show they have a powerful bite. never been bitten before or after that


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## got10 (Jul 30, 2011)

Kebechet said:


> A tegu is no worse than a small dog. Yes it has the capacity to bite off a finger or two, and scratch you up. Wild animals will attack if cornered, regardless of whether they have fur or scales. If an animal is afraid it will defend itself, but the chances of wild tegu being outwardly aggressive unless you try to go after it, are slim. If you live in a place that can sustain a wild tegu population, invasive or not, you have other things to worry about, like water moccasins, adders, coral snakes, Iggys, and gators. If your kid corners a wild animal in the yard and gets bit, you obviously weren't doing your job as a parent to watch them. That's pretty much my thought on it.



you got that right

propaganda !! All propaganda . Yes the lizard can sever a finger or two. But then again so can humans . Don't beieve the hype they are trying to drive down our throats .Create a unreasonable paranoia to scare people from thinking about real issues .Like why Washington cant get crap together so the country can keep running. 
Thanks for letting me vent . And by the way remember everyone in DC the wont pass these bills and kick all the bums out


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## Pyr0kinesis (Jul 30, 2011)

My tegu has bitten me less than my dog lol.

Though she did bite a few times when she was younger, and almost bit me about a month back when I made the mistake of trying to pick her food up lol.


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## RudyRacer (Aug 28, 2011)

sometimes some shows go overboard ... take it like pittbull's i mean they have a bad rep and there are proven cases out there that pitts have killed it all depends on how well u take care of the animal and raise it i know of people that own pittbulls and they are like labby's


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Aug 28, 2011)

_Don't get it twisted,.. there's more to a pit bull than how you raise it. On a another note I wish I would let a dog get away with biting me or anyone else,.. no matter what size it is,.. it's unacceptable. Unless it's protecting me and or a part of it's job to do so.

As for tegus,.. there are corrections for when they bite as well. Stand your ground,.. and tap them on the nose if it really comes down to it._


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## herpgirl2510 (Aug 29, 2011)

Last week my extreme bit my son and my husband on the toe probably thought they were mice. However if it was my dog totally different strory I would never own a dog that sites. Chevy bit because he is in a totally diifferent world he saw moving toes and must have been hungry. It was not an intentional act of aggression obviously if it were a regular thing I could not keep him. Here's a pic of my husband's toe.









So it looks painful but not emergency room worthy. He is about 36" but does not weigh more than 6-8 pounds(guess)


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## got10 (Aug 29, 2011)

No matter what t he damage an adult tegu when threatened , can do . The irresponsible producers of that television show did a whole lot more . Shame on them


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## herpgirl2510 (Aug 30, 2011)

It is too bad i was telling some people aout my reptiles as soon as I mentioned tegus they brought up the show.


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## dragonmetalhead (Aug 30, 2011)

A lot of our guests have seen that show as well and ask me about how vicious tegus are. I take out Kodo, show them his cute little face, and once they see how sweet he is I ask them "Does this seem like a lizard that will eat your kids?" They are always stunned by how calm and friendly Kodo is. That show is giving tegus such a bad rep and it pisses me off.


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