# taming my tegus



## bubbasherps (Jan 2, 2008)

I have 6 tegus . 1 red Tegu -3 Argentine B&W -and 2 - blue/red crosses  I HAVE NOTICED that my female tegus have been very hard to tame. ive tryed every thing under the sun and soon as my one female sees me shes hissing tail whiping she jumps to bite. and shes still a baby  about a foot in lenght. I did try many different tricks and gentle handling and have got bitten so many times and have actually got a infection from her bite...and im thinking a animal grabber is my best bet.  I love all my tegus but not all are the same maybe she does not want to be Tame  and shes not breeding. anyone have any pointers or tricks?

Bubbas Herps
10.20 crested geckos
1.1 vorax geckos
1.2.50 veiled chameleons
1 red Tegu
1.2 argentine B&W Tegus
1.1 red/blue Tegus
1.1 leopard geckos
1 yellow tree monitor


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## DaveDragon (Jan 2, 2008)

They're small, you're big. To them you're going to eat them. Give them time to get accustomed to seeing you (maybe a few months??). Or maybe you just taste good!! :mrgreen: 

See the other Taming thread. Some good stuff in there.


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## KoreanDeathKid (Jan 2, 2008)

my friend's way of taming animals is a little cruel, so i don't suggest that, but if you want to see it, you can look at nat's thread, i don't remember the title of it tho
but where in the world do you get the time to take care of that many animals?


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## bubbasherps (Jan 5, 2008)

*taming*

 handling is gettin a little better im trying bitter apple spray which was sugested by a dog trainer friend and has worked  spraying some on my glove that i now wear she bite once and for the past 2 days she has not bite the glove..a step forward...ive have been biten by alot of herps boids, rattlesnake ,monitors Tegus by far have nasty bite.. even though gettin biten by a 5 foot croc monitor is not pleasant


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## VARNYARD (Jan 5, 2008)

I want to say, if you push her, she will never learn to trust you. Think about the things you are doing with your animal, is it going to build trust?

As for cruel ways to train an animal as KoreanDeathKid speaks of, is this going to build trust? At some point you must use common sense, your friend seems to be trying to force the animal into doing what he wants, it will not work. Tegus are way too strong willed and smart. You will have an animal that will hate you in the end, look for a lot of bites and tail lashings. This is all that will come from cruel ways of training. In the end, you will not trust him, and he will not trust you.


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## bubbasherps (Jan 5, 2008)

*taming*

Most of the time, I sit and talk to my tegus and sometimes petting them. my tegus are in hibernation except 2 tegus i got just a week ago..i give them space if they are in their hide i dont bother with them. i have notice when i have them outside in a large cage they come to me. but now im keeping them inside in smaller cages.. and notice a change in the tegus inside compared to keeping them in larger cages outside. i dont want to lose trust with her. and want her to trust me  I know they are defensive of their nest..she seems defensive of her cage and herself. I still love her all my tegus  I kepted and bred alot of herps moslty lizards and tegus are the best responsive lizards ive kepted.


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## Swtbrat (Jan 5, 2008)

Bubba,I got a Blue&Red cross also and teguboy77 has two unless he sold one which he said he was.
I can't wait till they get bigger. :wink: 

Brat!


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## bubbasherps (Jan 5, 2008)

*blue /red cross*

 blue/red cross are awesome looking tegus the ones i have are tame little cuties  also cant wait they get bigger..


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## bubbasherps (Apr 2, 2008)

*update*

:-D tegus are dog tame now no aggression :-D i did buy one from Bert that was 2 foot that was wild but shes a baby now :-D buy one tegu end up with 20 :lol:


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## VARNYARD (Apr 2, 2008)

*Re: update*



bubbasherps said:


> :-D tegus are dog tame now no aggression :-D i did buy one from Bert that was 2 foot that was wild but shes a baby now :-D buy one tegu end up with 20 :lol:



Well how did you tame them? I know at one point you really had questions if they would get tame.


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## DZLife (Apr 3, 2008)

Yeah...also, that seems like pretty quick for going from being totally scared of human interaction to being dog tame, but hey, if you say so!
I am also curious about your taming methods; care to share?


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## DaveDragon (Apr 3, 2008)

DZLife said:


> Yeah...also, that seems like pretty quick for going from being totally scared of human interaction to being dog tame.


Our 3 year old male Blue was wicked cage aggressive fore the first month and a half and one day he suddenly decided I was OK. Dog tame after that. I even reached blindly under the coach to pull him out about that time. He didn't even flinch.

All of our Tegu's were wicked cage aggressive for a period of time. It's up to them when they think it's safe to trust us.


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## DZLife (Apr 3, 2008)

Oh, maybe that explains how one day, (2 days ago), Mike's female B&W argy decided that she hates people. Up until that day, she had been one of the most docile tegus I have ever encountered. She was out sunning, and all of a sudden she bolted, found a way out of the yard that I didn't realize existed, and went and got stuck in my neighbors fence. I got her out, she was fine, didn't have any aggression. She came back and sunned...even crawled up onto my shoulder, and then I put her away. I took her out the next day, and I blocked off that exit to my yard. She sunned for about an hour, then I had to leave, so I went over to pick her up. She lunged at my hand, missed, and went behind a bush. I tried for about an hour to get her out.....I really didn't want to freak her out, but what was I supposed to do...leave her outside? In the process, she got my hand several times....gave me some nice lil gashes. I didn't have any gloves. After about a half hour of trying to coax her out, I let her be for another hour or so. Mike, her owner, came over, and she did the same to him. Finally, we got her back into her enclosure.
It bums me out that that happened, as now, she is extremely mistrusting of humans. We can't even get near her. 

The male sat on my shoulder throughout the whole charade.


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## DaveDragon (Apr 3, 2008)

WOW!! An amazing loss of trust! Ours went the other way. I hope that never happens to us. I guess it doesn't take much, they are smart.


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## DZLife (Apr 3, 2008)

The strange this is, one minute she was sitting there being the sweety that she always has been, and the next minute she was acting like a cornered feral cat


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## angelrose (Apr 3, 2008)

.... cornered feral cat :lol5 , that's ironic


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## DZLife (Apr 3, 2008)

How so?


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## angelrose (Apr 3, 2008)

just the two extremes you used struck me as being funny. I like the irony :lol:


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## DZLife (Apr 3, 2008)

Oh 
Yeah, I like similes and metaphors.
I also treasure randomness. Keeps things interesting.


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## angelrose (Apr 3, 2008)

no harm  yes, I noticed I think it's funny in a very good way and interesting as well.


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## bubbasherps (Apr 3, 2008)

*angel rose*

:-D your the best :-D angel rose :-D


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## angelrose (Apr 3, 2008)

shucks Jeff, as you know flattery will get you everywhere.


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## shiftylarry (Apr 3, 2008)

Most of the tegus/monitors I've seen that are tamed through negative tactics are more exhausted then tame. As Bobby said, they're super smart animals. If you mess with them in a way they don't like, they'll remember it for a long long time. Even more interesting, they can associate specific people to negative situation in the past. So, they may like your wife or girl friend for example, but hate you. This of course is my dilemma, since I occasionally have to move my monitor to transport him. 

I know tegus are not monitors, but they're darn smart compared to other lizards.


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## bubbasherps (Apr 3, 2008)

*taming*

:-D Angel rose you make me  smile.. I have worked with many herps Gators , poisonous, and big monitors .. but the tegus are the best to work with :-D My biggest thing was my trust with them :-D My bitter apple trick worked and some tricks i learned over the years :-D using my snake hook to let them know that i was handling them and not feeding was a big one :-D I worked with a 7 foot croc monitor that was a handful got him tame by pettin him on the back first with a snake hook than with my hand after some time started picking him up :-D this one method i used :-D every day :-D


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## shiftylarry (Apr 3, 2008)

LOL!!! It's not wise to use the word tame about an animal that can reach ten feet. Not to mention that people have been hospitalized and near death from slashed tendons and arteries. You should be EXTREMELY CAREFUL!!!!! Croc monitors are just about the most dangerous animal you can own. Unlike other large monitors like black throats, who have crushing jaws, these guys have slicing jaws. And believe me, those teeth would cut through some thick welding gloves like a knife through butter. Go to the Proexotics.com website to find out just how cute a salvadorii bite is. It is the people who get too comfortable that become the victims of accidents. Even a "tame" croc monitor (and I hate using that word), could accidentally bite you out of confusion. 

Aww look...he's as tame as a baby kitten:














Furthermore, daily handling is really stressful for these monitors. They are all wild caught, and it takes them a long time to establish themselves in captivity. In the long run, you're just shortening their lives with a daily handling routine. I'm not saying they wont eat, sleep, bask etc. for you. Rather, this will effect them in the long term, and their lives will be dramatically reduced. If you want a monitor that you can handle, get an ackie. If you want a display animal and you have experience with large monitors already, get a croc. But these are not for someone who wants a "pet". They really should be limited to private collections of experienced keepers and it's a shame that their prices have dropped. It only opens the gateway to more disasters like the pictures I showed you.

-Chris


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## bubbasherps (Apr 3, 2008)

*monitor*

:-D the pics are nasty  but I seen what he can do  I really dont handle him daily overstated :-D Wouldnt call him dog tame They are wild animals :-D I handle him like i do Gators with respect and caution :-D didnt say i trust him use a animal grabber too. like i said 7 foot WC  The only handling is moving to clean his cage  true not to be messed with :-D thank you


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## shiftylarry (Apr 3, 2008)

I know, I saw those pics a while ago and they scared me straight. Just be careful my friend. Remember that the gloves you use to hold him are for the claws, and the claws alone. If he bites you, you are going to the hospital. There's no question.

But, since I'm having a lot of fun creeping everyone out, I'll post a few more to scare off newbies!
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=264816">http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/sho ... p?p=264816</a><!-- m -->













Hooray for bad ideas!





-Chris


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## VARNYARD (Apr 4, 2008)

Yes, that is some bad bites from monitors, I am glad tegus are not monitors. 

Tegus IMO are much smarter than monitors, and they get much tamer. I kept monitors for years and never seen one that gets as tame as a tegu. My tegus free roam in my yard, they also come to me, I would not try that with any of the monitors.

Chris, try this with a monitor: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfSvW5kjghQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfSvW5kjghQ</a><!-- m -->


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## angelrose (Apr 4, 2008)

OMG :!: OUCH :!: now that's must hurt.

but I think they are beautiful and should be respected for what they are.

I would love to have one for it's beauty but taming would not be on my list of things to do.


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## DZLife (Apr 4, 2008)

Hey, even though tegus are MUCH more sociable, they can still inflict some nice damage if they want to....I've felt what they can do...not fun.
Oh, and just to make things clear...I am NOT discouraging any inquiring or present tegu owners..I LOVE the tegus.


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## DaveDragon (Apr 4, 2008)

The worst I've gotten was when our female Blue mistaked my ear for food. She was sniffing back and forth between my two ears and decided she liked this one. That was after cleaning it once.





Our big Red could do far more damage. He was wicked cage aggressive when we got him. He was living in a dog crate when we rescued him. He lunged at my foot numerous times one day as I walked by. Wicked angry. He'd calm down once we got him out (but getting him out was fun!!) and permanently calmed once I built a full size enclosure for him. He's dog tame now.


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## DZLife (Apr 4, 2008)

Ouch. Maybe I should post pics of my hand...I got whacked a few days ago.


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## jose2187 (Apr 4, 2008)

*my method of building trust with the tegu*

i have some issues with the trust theory, well the hide i mean. people say not to take tegus out of the hide but, i have some issues with that, I don't need to take my tegu out of the hide he is very active. he does free roam alot, and he loves to crawl into the cushion on our chair he will sleep in it for hours he always goes to the same two hidding spots in the house , why? he feels safe so you have to disturb him to put him back in his cage. so it's betraying his trust everytime you take him out of any hidding spot and if you let your tegu free roam enough he will find spots he likes. my tegu spends about 3 hours out a day and he never fears me or gets a temper even while shedding , he is very consistant and thats because by now he knows i mean him no harm. I have a handling method i call it "the what goes up must come down method".
first if your tegu bites get a glove wear it inside out for a few days just to get your sent on the outside,next go in very slow no sudden movements and pick him up, he can't hurt you through the glove so be firm and pick him up, but don't man handle him.
hold him for just a few minutes then put him back in the enclosure, wait 10 to 15 minutes then repeat on and off for about 2 hours.
If you like to watch t.v take him out during comercials then put him back when the show comes on. 
tegu's are smart and they learn by routines, thats why people don't feed them in the cage cuz they learn that, hey hand comes in food comes out. so in a few days of doing this , when you go to put the tegu back don't just put him in his cage ,open your hand and give him the choice to jump off or get down. you will notice he will not mind sitting in your hand. Then you can start taking him out longer and then you will realize that he doesn't mind coming out of the enclosure as much. It is becuase he realizes when you take him out he is always going back to the enclosure at the end.
so basically what gets picked up comes down in the enclosure at the end.


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## bubbasherps (Apr 4, 2008)

*Daily routine*

:-D I have a daily routine with my tegus :-D first take all them out place them in feeder bins already have food in there :-D they eat take them out let them free roam :-D they have real good time too :-D I do this every day but dont always give them alot of foods sometime snacks grapes etc. tegus like routine more than any other herp mine will come out every morning except during hibernation  i never disturb them well they are in their shelter hide learned my leason from doing that had to work months building trust back with my tegu maya :-D but making your own routine with your tegus is great idea :-D 
jeff


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## bubbasherps (Apr 4, 2008)

*bite*

:shock: tegu likes nibbling your ear :-D man your lucky :-D just kidding hope your ok


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## VARNYARD (Apr 4, 2008)

I have never had to use gloves with any of the tegus I have raised, I let my tegus come to me, I do not push them into contact.


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## shiftylarry (Apr 4, 2008)

A long time ago, I tried to use gloves to hold my monitors, and quickly realized that the monitor related the gloves to being bothered. All I had to do to scare the monitor into his hide was pull out the gloves. I'm with bobby. Tegus are definitely smart enough to know the difference between gloves and a hand, just as they recognize that tongs or hemostats can mean food.


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