# how do you tame a red tegu



## monstruo-the-tegu (May 14, 2012)

i have had my red tegu for about 2 weeks now, she has started eating basking and digging. For some reason when i pick her up she tail whips, bites, etc. I have tried putting a old shirt in her cage and handfeeding but nothing seems to work. My question is how do i tame her to where i can actually handle her without getting bit or tail whipped?


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## Dana C (May 14, 2012)

How old is she?


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## got10 (May 14, 2012)

Same as you would any other Gu . Maybe s/he thinks you are going to eat it. How do you approch the cage or the animal in general?Are you rough or do you let your hand just slink over towards it?


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## m3s4 (May 14, 2012)

There's quite a few variables you have to be concerned with when your tegu is leery of being handled and wants to gape, bite or whip. 

Most of it boils down to how you approach handling him - and how he was handled in the past. You mentioned he's missing some toes in another post right? Sounds like he's suffered poor husbandry and possibly poor treatment before and so now, he might associate people with that - among other things. 

You have a juvenile and just because of that there is going to be a learning curve that you have to be very attentive about. 

If it were me, I'd be as gentle as possible when reaching in to get him. Try and pet him on the head before grabbing him and always talk to him (association and voice recognition) and let him lick you - always let him lick you - ALWAYS. It's your tegus number 1 way of tasting you and its' most trusted sense. I always let my tegus lick me before I pick them up - even as tame as they are. It's part of the bonding process many people over-look. 

Another good taming trick is to pet him when you have him in a tub of warm water. When they're in warm water, they become extremely relaxed - it's why they're so easy to potty train in the tub - it's a natural response for most lizards to relax in water. Use this to your advantage.

Also, you have to grab tegus a certain way when you're trying to pick them up. A lot of people make this part of it awkward because they don't know how to do it, which in turn makes your tegu even less likely to want to be held. 

Really, it all boils down to common-sense. Every tegu is similar in many ways, yet different enough where YOU as the OWNER have to recognize these differences and adjust how YOU interact with them accordingly. Ie; if you get bit when you do something to your tegu, it was the wrong way to do or it shouldn't have been done at all. If you don't get bit or whipped, you're on the right track. 

They can't talk so they communicate through body language. An attentive owner reads the body language of his animals and knows the do's and don'ts. Sometimes you just have to learn from mistakes - it's life. 

Try different approaches with your baby Red and report back with your success story...Read his behaviors, apply common-sense and take a gentle approach and you'll do just fine.


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## laurarfl (May 14, 2012)

The tame way as a B/w tegu....hahahahaha. OK, sorry, couldn't resist trying a little humor.


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## monstruo-the-tegu (May 14, 2012)

Dana C said:


> How old is she?


she looks like 6 months old


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## Dana C (May 14, 2012)

There is a section on taming. There are quite a few threads and many of them contain great tips and methods employed in the taming process. 
I talked a lot to Eva early on while my hand was in her cage. She got used to my smell and began to see me as not a threat. The voice part is important as it lets her know that it is you from a distance and that you are going to be in her space. When I touched her, I approached her head from the side, not from above. I wanted her to see me coming and let her decide if she would allow being touched that day. 
Some days she was approachable and some not. I did pick her up to make sure she got a good supervised soak. After the soak, I let her roam the bathroom, eat and generally ignored her otherwise. She eventually would come over to check me out and stick her nose in my pant leg. I knew that she knew at that point the leg was mine. In early winter, while she was still awake, she would cool down quickly on the floor and finally figured out that I was the warm spot. One day as I sat on the floor, I felt a nose in the hand behind my back. I felt her relax and lay her weight on my hand and I knew we had turned a corner.
I, as Bobby Hill advocates, ignored her until she decided I was ok. After that we had our ups and downs. I learned that early in her shed she could get a little pissy about things. Now, I am her security blanket and she runs to me if I leave the bathroom for a while.

Give it time. Don't be in a hurry as creating a bond can take months. It will be worth the wait.


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## laurarfl (May 15, 2012)

I also find a routine to be helpful so the tegu knows what to expect in the beginning...same time of day...same place...maybe a treat for positive association.


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## Dana C (May 15, 2012)

I know that Eva doesn't like it when someone, (me) changes things. Yesterday, I put her food in a blue bowl, new to her. She snubbed her foodl but for a couple of nibbles. I scooped the meat back onto a salad plate that she usually eats from and she scarfed it down. She is used to her patterns and routine. It if is broken, like me leaving the bathroom, she cocks her head and gives me a, "what do you think you are doing" look before I close the door. If I am gone a few minutes, she rushes to greet me like a child who lost sight of it's dad in a mall play area.


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## DoctorPepper4 (Aug 1, 2012)

OKAY please help me i bought my red tegu from a pet store in cutlerige florida and i had s/he for six months we i got him he had many missing toes and a bad shed really bad i soaked him in warm water with baby oil and three days later she came out now s/he is 2 feet long and still cant touch it hold it even stare at him cause s/he will take off...i do how ever let him free rome s/he enclosure is 6x3x3 sub-straight is a layer of retibark on the bottom coco husk over the reptibark and the spagnus moss on top he has a hide and the humidity in the tank and in the hide is 82 and basking spot is 110 if i reach in their slowly he wont run but as soon as i touch s/he will huff and puff and take off that if s/he doesn't wanna bite me first i don't let him see me when i put its food inside lights are always off when i turn the lights on i open his cage door and it bask first then eats and then comes out poops and walks around the first floor of the house even when its out and it see me it hits fight/flight mode......PLEASE HELP ME I REALLY LOVE THIS THING PLEASE HELP ME....OOH and another thing s/he wont eat blk/brwn rats only white why....:huh:


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