# Body language



## Andrewpo (Jun 18, 2020)

Hey everyone first time tegu owner lover her already she was wc about three weeks ago now. I am being consistent with interacting with her i know she is scared most of the time but i can tell she is slowly coming around. Had one question was just petting her back and she stood up and arched her back and grunted or snorted a few times wondering if anyones had experience with there tegus doing that idk if she liked it or was trying to be defensive ive heard her hiss it wasn't that


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## rantology (Jun 18, 2020)

yep. Standard defensive behavior. They will poof themselves up and try to angle you to their side so they can tail whip you. Or sometimes they "buck" if you try to touch them. My 7month does what I like to call the "huff and puff dance" where he does all of that while audibly breathe-hissing when he is really in a mood... big tough guy you know...  Don't let it deter you, that just means they aren't quite there socially... they also tend to be worse when inside their enclosures, like they feel the need/ confidence to defend their home turf. Once you get them out they are generally a lot less aggressive.... good tip for doing that: sloooowly try to slide your hand flat underneath them and then start to gently lift. Keep all digits closed so they dont have an easy target to try to bite. It gets easier over time, be patient and keep working with her every day, even small things like setting your hand close by and just sitting there help a lot. Try putting one of your worn shirts in her hide to associate your scent with safety/familiarity.


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## Walter1 (Jun 18, 2020)

That's OK. Tell her, "OK", and do something else. Be deliberate and calm. Respectful but YOU are boss.They're a dog.


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## Andrewpo (Jun 18, 2020)

Yeah i need to take her out its only been the first week and she freaks every time i pick her up when i get her really calm i can get my hand under her and pick her up for maybe 30 seconds and she literally dose a death roll and everything to get away from me so i figuered i just be real calm and just hang out in her cage with her she seems to be coming around she licks me for scent havent really tryed to see if she going to bite lol but thanks for the feed back figuered something was off like she was trying to be tough with me,i said well i guess im aggravating you someone needs a nap!


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## Andrewpo (Jun 18, 2020)

*
She been laying there since seems to watch everything im doing*


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## Debita (Jun 24, 2020)

My male (W/C) is 3 now, and he used to bump my hand off every time I touched him. Well...almost every time. He'd rise up and puff. So I'd leave him alone...until many months passed. I decided one day that I'd had enough. I started tapping him back telling him to stop it. He looked at me like....WHAT are you doing? I knew by that time that it was just a habit and it was time for me to assert my opinion on the subject. He doesn't do it anymore. 

Yours is so young and new, that he's still prob in the defensive, scared, and unsure of everything stage, so I would not be tapping yet!  Just wanted you to know it's very normal and I'm fairly sure it won't last. Walter1 is right - it's a dog, and when it's old enough, you def will want to be in charge.


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## Dylan koch (Jun 25, 2020)

What I find helps them get used to being held is always take out to fed even if you put in a big plastic tote, it will help them get used to you and bding held even very short distances. I have 4 tegus. 1 pure blue female 100% get albino,1 blue ice 100% het male, 1 pure red male , 1 pure red high white fem. They all love outside time except high white female. Shes and angel inside but outside turns to a whipping, lunging psychopath. The moment back in reptile room angel.. loves being pet again. I'm confused by her and take her out often enough. But other ones get daily yard time. Every tegu is different


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## Dylan koch (Jun 25, 2020)

My blues were instantly chill and handlable and sweet my reds not so much.


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## Andrewpo (Jun 28, 2020)

Yeah my black and white shes a little crazy slowly getting her use to me alot of times i cant just let her run around she still trying to get use to me she vary scared and trys to be defensive she will let me pick her up for about 30 seconds before shes a raging whipping huffing rolling psycho path no matter wherebi try to hold her at. She was wc a month ago so still have some work to do she seems to be getting use to being here but still very weary of everything has her moments i cant even hold her but dosent try to bite just huffs up and runs around


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