# What to do if tegu bites u



## BlakeYerian111 (Oct 9, 2021)

Hey my adult tegu niped me it barely broke skin but it bled I cleaned the blood and waited for it to stop bleeding and put hydrogen peroxide on it and I was scared of should I go to the hospital for infection or and I probably good


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## Josh (Oct 11, 2021)

You're probably good but maybe you can give us an update. @BlakeYerian111


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## Debita (Oct 13, 2021)

I had a bite from my adult male - it was horrific, and I believe it penetrated to the top knuckle bone of my thumb. Several punctures on the palm side.... I never went to the hosp - but it does swell up. If I didn't see the swelling go down, or if infection started to appear, I would have gone. A little blood, and small break of the skin just isn't a worry to me....clean it up, and keep going! JMO


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## Josh (Oct 13, 2021)

Glad you were ok debita. That sounds intense!


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## Debita (Oct 13, 2021)

Thanks Josh - I just have to say...it wasn't his fault. He wasn't being aggressive. He was trying to grab the mouse in my hand that i had dangled many times before, but this time he waaay over shot the mark! So - the mouse was in his mouth, and he wasn't going to let go of that, or anything attached to it! Meanwhile - after a bit of gasping and possibly a swear word, I pried his jaw open with my left hand. To this day, I wonder if he kind of let me, because I think he knew something was off. Lol It hurt a ton, swelled up to twice it's size, but I just cleaned with hydrogen peroxide and put triple antibiotic on it.....many times.


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## Sharkbait (Oct 14, 2021)

BlakeYerian111 said:


> Hey my adult tegu niped me it barely broke skin but it bled I cleaned the blood and waited for it to stop bleeding and put hydrogen peroxide on it and I was scared of should I go to the hospital for infection or and I probably good


Cleaning the bite area with betadine very well then rinsing is a good idea and watch for swelling. Swelling with redness needs professional medical evaluation. 
ER tech here. 
I own 14 tegus with different personalities. I highly recommend feeding outside the cage so they don't get aggressive when you open the door. They learn to come out to where you put the food. 
I do have 3 very wild crazy tegus who will never be trusted to run free in my garage. These were purchased as adult wild caught adults from a trapper in Florida by a young man who watched a video by this trapper that made wild caught tegus look easy to tame.
I've had tegus since I was 14. Now an old man. I Always bought babies and played with them around the clock and learned not to feed in their cage. Most of my tegus are surrenders to a local reptile shop that gives them to me.


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## Debita (Oct 14, 2021)

OK - thanks for the info. My male that accidentally bit me is a wild caught from Florida (Rodney Irwin) and I've had 2 of them. Great animals - the younger the better though. I got my male at the beginning of his guberty, and the female much younger. She was a cake-walk compared to him. I would recommend Rodney's animals all day. He is doing a great job down there.


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## BlakeYerian111 (Oct 22, 2021)

Josh said:


> You're probably good but maybe you can give us an update. @BlakeYerian111


Ya I'm good it hurt for like 3 days after


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## rats (Nov 4, 2021)

Sharkbait said:


> Cleaning the bite area with betadine very well then rinsing is a good idea and watch for swelling. Swelling with redness needs professional medical evaluation.
> ER tech here.
> I own 14 tegus with different personalities. I highly recommend feeding outside the cage so they don't get aggressive when you open the door. They learn to come out to where you put the food.
> I do have 3 very wild crazy tegus who will never be trusted to run free in my garage. These were purchased as adult wild caught adults from a trapper in Florida by a young man who watched a video by this trapper that made wild caught tegus look easy to tame.
> I've had tegus since I was 14. Now an old man. I Always bought babies and played with them around the clock and learned not to feed in their cage. Most of my tegus are surrenders to a local reptile shop that gives them to me.


I agree with the recommendation to clean with Betadine. If you don’t have that on hand, rinse it or let it bleed a little to wash out germs, then use sterile gauze to stop the bleeding with pressure, apply Polysporin or Neosporin (antibiotic gel) and put a bandage (“Band-Aid” type) on. This is standard procedure for any injury your pet may give you. If it should turn red and swell up, have a doctor look at it, as it may be infected.


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## CorduroyEW (Dec 9, 2021)

I wash bites with soap and water then call it a day. I have never had an infection or complications. 

If the bite isn't bad enough to need stitches and there are no broken bones then you don't have much to worry about.


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