# Mixing other pets with tegus



## Bwindi (Jun 29, 2011)

I am getting my first black and white this summer from bobby hill. I used to have a couple of rats and was thinking of maybe getting a few again but I wasn't sure how good of an idea that would be with a large reptile in the house. Does anyone have any experience mixing tegus with rodents? I'm debating whether the tegu would attack me if I smelled like rats


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## reptastic (Jun 29, 2011)

I tried to breed mice once and one of my tegus escaped found the cage smashed into it and ate all the mice, i used a rodent bin with a screen top...she never tried to bite me although i rarely handled the mice..i would be more worried about the rats reactions, if they sense a predator they may become fearful and react, if you do keep rats try to keep them on different levels of the house


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## james.w (Jun 29, 2011)

If you smell like rats/mice you may get bit.


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## turtlepunk (Jun 29, 2011)

Yeah my sister Has been freaking out about this. We share an apartment together and she has 4 pet rats in a huge cage in her room. as long as her room door is closed while the tegu is out im sure the rats will be fine. as far as scent goes... Well.... its easy to wash your hands but if the rats have been climbing on you, their scent will be all over your clothes. as james mentioned, there is a possibility of getting bit.


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## montana (Jun 29, 2011)

I wouldn`t worry about it till it becomes a problem ..


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## Maro1 (Jun 29, 2011)

I always wash my hands before handling anything that can bite. Just don't use that fruity scented soap around vegetarian animals


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## wallace&amp;mick (Jun 30, 2011)

personally i had a bad expiernce through my own stupidity from moving a guniea pig and had it againt my chest washed my hands with surgical soap but never took the jumper off like i intended took one of my boscs out and have a fight for about haf an hour trying to get th little S bag off my nipple i look back and laugh but at the time when you have a 27inch monitor trying to rip your nipple off isn't too funny but now because of aot of training threw hanling and feeding dead rodents the boscs are alot calmer and i could possibly hold a rat in one hand while holding the bosc in the other would never try it just in case i was born with 10 fingers wanna keep it that way the way i managed to train 4 boscs who live together in a 12x12x6'6ft enclouser with the size and the fact theres more than 1 was i started with hatchlings in a 6x2x2 and twice a day took each one out and walked about with them in my hands and sat and stroked each for 10-15 mintes all in al i spent 5 hours a day with them hndling cleans and making sure everything was in order worth every secon though


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## jumper123 (Jun 30, 2011)

I would say no to rodents but my adult tegu sleeps with my cats most of the time


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## james.w (Jun 30, 2011)

My tegu bit my cats paw the other day, it was my fault though. I was feeding my tegu some rats and had his door cracked. As I was looking down in the bag to get another rat, I heard a loud scream, my cat stuck his paw into the enclosure and my tegu grabbed him (thinking it was a rat I assume). Luckily he only has a few scratches on his paw.


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## turtlepunk (Jul 1, 2011)

aww!! poor kitty!


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## Orion (Jul 1, 2011)

My 3 Tegus eat the rats that my snakes decide that they dont want. The youngest of the 3 was eating them at 9 months old, she is very food agressive. Even though she never eats in the cage she has always kept this aggression. I would cation you that things can get out of control very quickly when even the best Tegu smells food.


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## Bwindi (Jul 1, 2011)

Awesome thanks guys! lots of good advice in here haha and super quick response, tegu talk is where its at


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## Big Dave (Jul 1, 2011)

I guess you have to know your animal. My Malamute wanted to kill my Red Tegu the first time he saw it. I mean he went insane, a year later the Tegu walks up to him and he doesn't evev bother getting up. They sniff each other then go on their seperate ways. My Tegu also likes to try and sleep with my cats just like Jumper123's. The cats (Maine Coons) wont let her but she still trys to get in for a cuddle. As far as rodents I don't have any experience. I think that is just too far of a stretch if you know what I mean.


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