# Tong Feeding



## Murkve (Jul 16, 2012)

Hey everyone!

After getting my new baby Tegu - Sigourney - from Laura, I've been working to build her trust as a hatchling. While I will definitely do as Varnyard suggests with the "ignore" technique, I want to wait until she's a bit bigger. For now I've been gently talking to her, and letting her get use to my hands in the enclosure.

As something I picked up from Monitor Keepers, I've also been tong feeding her for every meal the last 4 days. Things seem to be going well, she'll willingly come by to investigate my hands (without food), and as of today I can lead her out of her hide and anywhere in the enclosure with tongs and food.

I'm wondering how many of you have used tongs as a taming method, and did it work well for you?


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## james.w (Jul 16, 2012)

I have used it for monitors and I recommend it for all lizards.


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## HeatherN (Jul 16, 2012)

tongs are the only way i can get my hatchling to eat at the moment lol


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## laurarfl (Jul 16, 2012)

Tongs are great. I use them with my big tegus, too.


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## chelvis (Jul 16, 2012)

Big fan of tong feeding. I click the tongs together or against the side of the cage to let them know its feeding time. Sometimes I am lazy and use a bowl though


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## IWANTATEGU (Jul 16, 2012)

chelvis said:


> Big fan of tong feeding. I click the tongs together or against the side of the cage to let them know its feeding time. Sometimes I am lazy and use a bowl though



Question if you use tongs and train them like that does that make it ok to feed them in their enclosure


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## james.w (Jul 16, 2012)

It is always ok to feed in the enclosure.


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## SnakeCharmr728 (Jul 17, 2012)

I have always used tongs, my big guy is so gentle I very well could use my hands but I rather not have an uh ohs... Rex has never been very good at eating off of a plate or from a bowl, he misses and bites the bowl instead, and then spills his food everywhere... or he'll go to grab the food item, miss it, not know that he doesnt have and then try to swallow nothing. lol So tongs are how we do every meal...


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## laurarfl (Jul 17, 2012)

The biggest issue I have found with feeding in the enclosure is feeding response. It makes them awfully enthusiastic to see you at the door!!!


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## bmx3000max (Jul 17, 2012)

so if I use feeding tongss than I can feel him inside the enclosure but if I don't use feeding tongs then i have to feed him outside enclosure if I'm right?


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## james.w (Jul 17, 2012)

laurarfl said:


> The biggest issue I have found with feeding in the enclosure is feeding response. It makes them awfully enthusiastic to see you at the door!!!



I'be only experienced this with a Savannah monitor. 



bmx3000max said:


> so if I use feeding tongss than I can feel him inside the enclosure but if I don't use feeding tongs then i have to feed him outside enclosure if I'm right?



You can feed in the enclosure either way.


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## bmx3000max (Jul 17, 2012)

james.w said:


> laurarfl said:
> 
> 
> > The biggest issue I have found with feeding in the enclosure is feeding response. It makes them awfully enthusiastic to see you at the door!!!
> ...



they dont get to food aggresive? i heard thats one of thier biggest problems


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## james.w (Jul 17, 2012)

As long as you interact with them at times other than feeding, you shouldn't have that problem. If you only open the enclosure to feed they will associate the door opening with food. Some will be food aggressive no matter what you do.


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## bmx3000max (Jul 17, 2012)

wow thanks...ima try that today to see if i can lead him out of his encloser to give hima a bath


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## bmx3000max (Jul 17, 2012)

tried it and he wouldnt come out his encloser a little werry to use the tongs


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## HeatherN (Jul 17, 2012)

tricks getting him to smell the meat


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## Murkve (Jul 17, 2012)

I've noticed mine will only really go anywhere when he's hungry. The rest of the time the food needs to come to him.

Some need to get used to the tongs as well. They are a strange, foreign object - after all.


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## larissalurid (Aug 31, 2012)

I recommend to anyone with the problem I've been having (my hatchling doesn't want to be handled and im not going to grab him out to try to get him in a feeding bin, that seems like id just scare him and lose trust) where I need to feed in the cage to use tongs as stated or break the food up into bite sized pieces on a plate so that none gets dragged off and has substrate ingested with it. Also I make sure my tegu is hiding before I put his food in or if he is out I mist over him a little so he closes his eyes and i quickly slip his plate of food in while his eyes are closed (as well as putting a shirt or something over my hand and arm so that he doesnt associate me with food at all) The first few days i had him where i just put it in for him to see, about 2 or 3 days in he bolted and went to basically attack the plate of food so I realized that it was best to do it so he doesnt associate me or the door opening with food. 

I haven't used tongs though, I only have a short yellow pair and im not sure if he would come close or not (or if they are even long enough to be safe, i dont want him seeing my hand so close to food X_X )


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## HeatherN (Aug 31, 2012)

if it eases your mind, Tarot has no issues distinguishing tongs from hands, even when the tongs are not holding food and my hands are. he will chase the tongs even when hes just eaten the food out of them, and he doesnt take food out of my hands unless theyre snails lol. ive always fed him with tongs. so much that he really does not like to eat off a plate unless he thinks hes starving. i do bring the food to him, but he doesnt get excited unless he heres the tongs clicking or sees the tongs.


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## larissalurid (Aug 31, 2012)

HeatherN said:


> if it eases your mind, Tarot has no issues distinguishing tongs from hands, even when the tongs are not holding food and my hands are. he will chase the tongs even when hes just eaten the food out of them, and he doesnt take food out of my hands unless theyre snails lol. ive always fed him with tongs. so much that he really does not like to eat off a plate unless he thinks hes starving. i do bring the food to him, but he doesnt get excited unless he heres the tongs clicking or sees the tongs.



Yea I know that other reptiles I have know tongs mean food. Perhaps I'll try that today, I just wasn't sure if he'd see my hand next to the tiny tongs and start thinking my hand also means food. lol I know that the day after I had that thing happen where i brought the plate of food in and he charged at it, he did that to my hand with no plate in it the next day


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## Murkve (Aug 31, 2012)

HeatherN said:


> if it eases your mind, Tarot has no issues distinguishing tongs from hands, even when the tongs are not holding food and my hands are. he will chase the tongs even when hes just eaten the food out of them, and he doesnt take food out of my hands unless theyre snails lol. ive always fed him with tongs. so much that he really does not like to eat off a plate unless he thinks hes starving. i do bring the food to him, but he doesnt get excited unless he heres the tongs clicking or sees the tongs.



My Tegu is the same way - Tongs mean food. Even if my hands smell like food, she knows they are NOT food. I have only been "tasted" (read: Chomped down upon) if my hands smell like food, and she is _really_ hungry.

I don't believe that your Tegu associating you with food is a bad thing, in all cases though. Surely, if the only times you handle your Tegu are to feed it, then that could be bad. However, these Lizards are intelligent. Not only can they differentiate between a pinky finger that smells like pinkies, and an actual baby mouse, but I believe that the Tegu seeing you as "The Provider" is a good thing. It may help to further cement, and build good relationships.


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## larissalurid (Aug 31, 2012)

Murkve said:


> HeatherN said:
> 
> 
> > if it eases your mind, Tarot has no issues distinguishing tongs from hands, even when the tongs are not holding food and my hands are. he will chase the tongs even when hes just eaten the food out of them, and he doesnt take food out of my hands unless theyre snails lol. ive always fed him with tongs. so much that he really does not like to eat off a plate unless he thinks hes starving. i do bring the food to him, but he doesnt get excited unless he heres the tongs clicking or sees the tongs.
> ...



Hmmmm so do you think I should let him see me putting his plate of food in the cage as well? It seemed to be making him aggressive, but who knows I'm willing to try out different things if they've worked with others.


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## HeatherN (Aug 31, 2012)

when my tegu saw his first pinky, he wouldnt eat it since it looked like a finger and it was moving lol


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## Murkve (Aug 31, 2012)

I think you should tong feed him exclusively. Like I said, they're very intelligent. If you tong feed him, he knows you are a nice person with hands that sometimes give him food, but only if the tongs are there.


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## larissalurid (Aug 31, 2012)

Murkve said:


> I think you should tong feed him exclusively. Like I said, they're very intelligent. If you tong feed him, he knows you are a nice person with hands that sometimes give him food, but only if the tongs are there.



I shall try this! Thanks 

I know that hand feeding does bond, I just wasn't sure how he'd react to this for some reason


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## Odonata (Aug 31, 2012)

I am mostly only tong feeding now. Originally I was putting food in a separate enclosure, but it would take a while for my tegu to settle down and eat, and I didn't really have that much time in the morning. Through tong feeding I have an opportunity to interact with him each morning in what I suspect is a positive way. 

I have tried putting my hand in first thing in the morning when he comes out of his burrow and is on the prowl for food. He definitely gives my hand the once over, flicking his tongue, but then ignores it and waits on the tongs which he follows with a beady eye! I can reach in between mouthfuls and stroke him or clear away a food remnant without even getting a response now. Seems to work well for me.


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## larissalurid (Aug 31, 2012)

Yea I definitely think this will help with taming. I tried when I fed him tonight, went well! I'm definitely doing this from now on.

Here's a video I took 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNYBDd-W3s


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## Tegu Boss (Sep 1, 2012)

Bmx3000max: in that picture, there are two tegus. Are they housed together, are they both female, and how big are they comPared to each other and how big is the enclosure. Ecause I want to house two tegus together. Thanks.


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