# Still trying to hold my tegu!



## burke0000 (Jul 24, 2008)

I am still trying to get my baby extreme giant to let me hold him. I try to handle him everyday but he just wont have it. Everyone tells me he will get better as he gets older. So hopefully he will!


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## Mvskokee (Jul 24, 2008)

how long have you had hime. i would leave him alone for awhile to de stress. but take it slow with him. just put you hand in his cage .let him check you out. you will have to gain his trust first. dont just try to man handle him first off


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## AB^ (Jul 25, 2008)

yup, pay attention to the animal, if you see it doesnt like your approach then back off try again later, you need to be as non threatening to it as possible.


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## angelrose (Jul 25, 2008)

personality wise they are all diferent. some just come around later.


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## pinto24 (Jul 25, 2008)

mine was a total freak, then I had a major breakthrough this week. Put your hand/arm in his tank, and leave it in there and watch TV or something. It may take a while, but he will come over to you eventually, and you can take it from there. Bam Bam jumped out of his enclosure and I had to follow him through my room, my bathroom, then into my guest room, then into the closet. But I was able to recover him calmly. I then kept him in his feeding bin with my arm in there for over an hour. Then he started checking me out and sitting in my hand. Since that day it has been nothing but improvements. I threw one of my tee-shirts in his tank to get used to my stench, and he now sleeps in the shirt and lays in the shirt. By now I got to believe he knows Tegu is not on my menu :stthpo




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## pinto24 (Jul 25, 2008)

Oh, and I know hot rocks suck, but it is set on low, around low to mid 90's and he loves it. He chills on it all the time


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## angelrose (Jul 25, 2008)

awesome pics. he's precious. then why are you using a hot rock ?


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## pinto24 (Jul 25, 2008)

angelrose said:


> awesome pics. he's precious. then why are you using a hot rock ?



Thanks. I don't know why. I had already bought it. I tried it when I got him, and he loved right off the bat. I would feel guilty taking it from him. Plus, it helps keeps the ambient temps in the low 80's, as opposed t a heat light, which I tried, and raised the temps to high through out the enclosure. Plus I check the rock constantly with a temp gun to be sure the temps are consistent through out it.


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## angelrose (Jul 25, 2008)

I don't doubt your love for him. so take the hot rock away. he can get burnt. I'm sure you are not there all of the time. what kind of enclosure do you have and the size ?


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## pinto24 (Jul 25, 2008)

he is in a 4x2 vision enclosure. The problem I have with the heat light bulbs is that i makes the rest of the enclosure to warm, right now it is approx. 82 inthere


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## Aranha (Jul 26, 2008)

patience is key! Ive had 2 b&w tegus and it took both of em sometime before they feel safe enough to be held outside the enclousure. I usually just give em like a half grape and let em eat it from my hand but not too often so they dont think they'll get food everytime you stick your hand in. After awhile they all seem to feel comfortable enough to climb abord and voila! You can now hold your tegu .


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## angelrose (Jul 26, 2008)

pinto24 said:


> he is in a 4x2 vision enclosure. The problem I have with the heat light bulbs is that i makes the rest of the enclosure to warm, right now it is approx. 82 inthere



I am really not familiar with vision cages. is that the 4x2x2 ? that is not alot of room to play with. did you try a lower wattage bulb. and what are you using for UVB ?

it should be 90 - 110 basking end and 70 cool end with moist hide.


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## RehabRalphy (Jul 26, 2008)

Question: Are visions a PVC product? If you search through posts you'll find out real fast that PVC cages are not the best thing to use for any lizard that requires high heat. PVC gas emissions are deadly.

As for the heat rock, I wont tell you not to put it in there because that's your choice. If you choose to do so, I highly suggest putting a dimmer on the rock. The heat needs to be controlled.


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## pinto24 (Jul 27, 2008)

Wow, I'm really getting it from all angels here. The heat rock is on a rheostat, so it does not go above 95. I ran it for about 2 weeks before I got him, and tested it constantly, it is accurate every time. As for the enclosure size, I am sure a 4X2X2 is fine for a 8 inch lizard for the time being. I understand he is going to need a bigger enclosure. I will check with the mfg. to see what the enclosure is made of, I do nto believe the enclosure is actually made by Vision. His Temps are in the mid 90's in the hot spot low 80's in the middle of the enclosure and mid 70's in the cool. He has 2 hides. One on the warmer side and one on the cooler side. I am running the Exo-Terra UVB bulb. He seems pretty happy right now, he is eating, starting to become social with me, is active, and is shedding properly. To me that sounds like I may actually be doing something right here.


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## AB^ (Jul 27, 2008)

have you tried using a tight beam bulb? I would try that out if you havent, or even drill some more ventilation holes in the cage, i would do all that over having a hot rock. Tegus and other basking lizards should have a strongly illuminated basking spot versus rocks or heat pads IMO.


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## burke0000 (Jul 28, 2008)

Well anyway Ive been putting my hand in the cage like some of you said to do and so far have not had much success.  Also one of you said to put your hand in the seperate feeding bin but so far I cant even get him in it, Im sure I could but it would be difficult and really freak him out. Any input would be apreciated thanks.


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## Gx3 (Jul 28, 2008)

It can takes months of work to get a new reptile used to being held. You have to just be patient. He should be coming out to bask (assuming he is comfortable in his new home), and I would try and scoop him up while hes basking.


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## pinto24 (Jul 28, 2008)

Gx3 said:


> It can takes months of work to get a new reptile used to being held. You have to just be patient. He should be coming out to bask (assuming he is comfortable in his new home), and I would try and scoop him up while hes basking.



Trust me, that is a lot easier than it sounds.


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## Bubba (Jul 28, 2008)

Wear a shirt and make sure your sweat gets in it. Then place it inside the enclosure for a week, only after that, put your arm inside and wait until your tegu makes skin contact. Now he is ready to be handled.


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## pinto24 (Jul 29, 2008)

The shirt thing totally works. My guy plays in it all the time now.


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## Harveysherps (Jul 29, 2008)

Just keep working with it . It will come around.


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## Harveysherps (Jul 29, 2008)

I use hot rocks myself. I would cover it with cloth to be on the safe side though.Only the dumbest people on the planet have trouble with heat rocks. Pay attention to your Reptiles that have them and everything will be fine. Your doing nothing wrong.


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## pinto24 (Jul 29, 2008)

Harveysherps said:


> I use hot rocks myself. I would cover it with cloth to be on the safe side though.Only the dumbest people on the planet have trouble with heat rocks. Pay attention to your Reptiles that have them and everything will be fine. Your doing nothing wrong.



Thanks, I do appreciate that. It's nice to hear that basically everything I am doing is not wrong.


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## burke0000 (Jul 29, 2008)

Ahhh. This sucks! I know it takes time to get him used to me but its very frustrating when other peoples new tegus are being held right away!!


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## tegulevi (Jul 30, 2008)

theres also the simple fact that not all tegus like to be held. they are still creatures of instinct, they all have their own outlook on things their own likes and dislikes. some of mine will tolerate handling, some of mine will scratch you to death, and one of mine will hang out with you all day. i suggest leaving him alone for a while. just observe him and enjoy him that way. constant handling doesnt make a tegu like you. i rarely handle the male that likes to chill on my arms. but when i do go pick him up he still acts the same. they arent going to forget what handling is, whether it be weekly or monthly.

and watch out for that pvc.


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## Bubba (Jul 30, 2008)

*how to tame a tegu*

Of course the shirt does the trick. Look my videos on youtube and see how my 4 feet tegu went from aggressive to trustful.


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## snakehandler (Jul 31, 2008)

One of my tegus is still agressive. 
But it tend to leave it that way as i am used to handling monitors.


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