# tegu house breaking?



## Guest (Jul 21, 2010)

Has any of you heard of anyone house breaking their tegu? I know they are very smart, I figure there has got to be a way to teach them. Mine is about a year I guess(he's about 22 inches does that sound right?) and he seems to have taken a likeing to crapping on my bed. Hope someone has some ideas


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## Pikey (Jul 21, 2010)

mine when they are inside they would eat in their tote then poop, but thats the closest i've gotten to potty training.


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## reptastic (Jul 21, 2010)

i havnt actually "trained" my tegus but i did noticed that after taking the larger ones outside on a daily basis they started to prefer to go only outside. nero had goten to the point were she would hold it in, even after a bath and as soon as she saw the grass she wanted down and would poop once she got in the grass, and i only had one incident were she went inside the house. but she learned this all on her own, it shocked me actually. eventually gozar learned this technique from her and it made life so much easier.


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## lilgonz (Jul 22, 2010)

I'm not sure I would consider this trained, but I have noticed that if I always take mine out and let them soak the will go while soaking, then I let them free roam, and I have not had any accidents in the house in a long time.


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## eddyjack (Jul 22, 2010)

I've had the same experience as lilgonze, I take my little one out everyday for tubby time, eating and poopy time then we let her roam. We have had no accidents and she seems excited to see us everday and associate with us.


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## Toby_H (Jul 22, 2010)

As this thread is suggesting... I do not believe for one second that we can "train" or "teach" our Tegus when or where to 'go to the bathroom'.

Tegus are very smart animals, but pooping where you want them to is not a goal of theirs. Dogs are pack animals and have an instinctual drive to please their master or pack leader. So when you reward them for pooping in the right place they will learn to do this. Tegus are solitary animals and couldn't care less if you are happy or not.

That being said, it is possible for us to learn when and where our Tegus prefer to relieve themselves. Then we can conduct things in a way that allows them to go in a mutually acceptable place.


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## reptastic (Jul 22, 2010)

^^^ true its not something you can actually teach them, in my experience my larger tegus just preffered to go outside rather than insiDe which went over very well with me.


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## tora (Jul 22, 2010)

Yeah, my little guy has only gone in the bathtub (where I feed him) from what I've seen. You're best bet to get them to go where you want is to have a set feeding/bathing routine at the same time every day.


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## eddyjack (Jul 23, 2010)

Well well then, we can certainly have a difference of opinion. I'm just saying (and I am certainly no expert in reptiles) however, experience is that mine will hold even til late in the day for me to take her to the tub. I have had no accidents.
Just offering some contrast to the thread, that's all. 

Sorry Toby, didn't mean to mislead anyone.

e.j.


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## Toby_H (Jul 23, 2010)

No offense meant and none taken...

I think there is a tactical difference in perspective between "training" them to do what we want and "reading" them so we learn to work with what they are going to do. 

In the end the result can be the same but the methods we take to get there can be quite different.


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## eddyjack (Jul 24, 2010)

Here here, well stated Toby! Thank you to all.


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