# Tegu unnaturally aggressive?



## TeguTeep (Jul 10, 2019)

hey y’all, we have a ten month old female Argentine B/W Tegu who we’ve had for 3 months. Ever since we got her she’s been super aggressive towards us. Not even defensive, but going out of her way to get us to go away. If we put our hand up to the glass she launches herself at the glass and will and has launched herself into our hands if we put them in her enclosure. She eats great and seems well, but will not calm down. We believe she may be wild caught from the Everglades (scars on face and orange/yellow belly). We feed her two rats every other day and a handful of blueberries. I hear all the time to socialize them in the bathtub, but we can’t even get her in the bathtub. We have standard issue C-wire gloves so we aren’t afraid of grabbing her, but as soon as her lids open she bolts. We can’t even wrangle her into the bathroom without her death rolling out of our hands and trying to either kill us or run away. We’ve tried constantly trying to have our hands in her enclosure and sit by it/talk to her and also weeks of just no contact with her and trying to let her settle down. Nothing seems to work. Any help is appreciated! Thanks


----------



## Skullson (Jul 10, 2019)

How are you feeding her the rats?


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 11, 2019)

Skullson said:


> How are you feeding her the rats?


They’re frozen/thawed and tong fed. She has a killer food response and knows when she’s getting fed because as soon as she sees the hot water cup with the tongs in it she gets super excited


----------



## Skullson (Jul 11, 2019)

Definitely stick with tong feeding and try to be more eye to eye when doing so, so you are not hovering over like a predator. (not saying you are, just a suggestion) 
Also, how big is the enclosure? I would throw a couple old sweaty t shirts or clothing items in her hides or basking area so she gets use to your scent. You don't want them to only associate you with food. Is she a rescue? 

Hope this helps, I am sure she will come around eventually!


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 11, 2019)

Skullson said:


> Definitely stick with tong feeding and try to be more eye to eye when doing so, so you are not hovering over like a predator. (not saying you are, just a suggestion)
> Also, how big is the enclosure? I would throw a couple old sweaty t shirts or clothing items in her hides or basking area so she gets use to your scent. You don't want them to only associate you with food. Is she a rescue?
> 
> Hope this helps, I am sure she will come around eventually!


We have an old T-shirt in there for her that I’ve worn and she seems to like it. We don’t have a hide in their currently because she loves to burrow under her substrate. She’s 30 inches long and she’s in a 55 gallon (yes, too small for her, but trying to find a reasonably priced large tank). And no she isn’t a rescue, we bought her at a reptile show (first show I ever went to) with my girlfriend. She’s the one that got me into them and she was already looking for a Tegu. We were so excited that we completely forgot to ask if she was wild caught.


----------



## Zyn (Jul 11, 2019)

This sounds like food aggression and her pretty much identifying you as it’s “good time”. Once she’s out is she fine? Is she a Florida wild caught from rodeny?

Is she to hot with her size 55 gallon won’t have a proper heat gradient if she can’t cooldown she will be aggressive like all hot and stressed out reptiles. How would you act if you were forced to live in a humid hellscape lol

You say she was bought at a show but this doesn’t mean she wasn’t wild caught. a lot of breeders just resell wild caughts or imports at shows. But you know this >< if not from a reputable breeder she’s more than likely an import and who knows, how she lived before you got her.

55 is way to small as you know, but at 10 months she’s to big for any “tank” and needs her adult enclosure.

But if this is food aggression and being in such a small enclosure there isn’t much you can do till you’ve upgraded. She pretty much sees a giant hand drop in food. So every time she sees you she thinks it’s food time. Or she sees you as a preditor and goes into fight for life mode because it’s
So small she’s already backed into a corner and all she can do is fight.

With a larger enclosure she’ll feel safer, less stressed, and you can train her to only expect food on one side of the enclosure.

My Sevs going on 3 and he’s super food aggressive when he sees his frozen rat meal he’ll leap at the side he eats on. But the side his hides on and he never eats on. I can open the cage and he’ll walk straight out to me or I can go in after him. It’ll take time, and always be prepared that she may just never be that tame.

Watch some of Kevin McCurlys monitor taming videos on NERDs YouTube channel

This works for me try it and let me know.

So take a towel and lay it over her face, covering her eyes and then pick her up with the towel around her head and see how she’s reacts outside the enclosure.


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 11, 2019)

Zyn said:


> This sounds like food aggression and her pretty much identifying you as it’s “good time”. Once she’s out is she fine? Is she a Florida wild caught from rodeny?
> 
> Is she to hot with her size 55 gallon won’t have a proper heat gradient if she can’t cooldown she will be aggressive like all hot and stressed out reptiles. How would you act if you were forced to live in a humid hellscape lol
> 
> ...


Her Temp gradient is good because it’s a very long tank, but yeah for the most part we’ve seen a good portion of that info! And there lies my problem. She can’t be taken out of her enclosure. As soon as the lid opens, she’s bolting at the top and at our hands. Even with towels, gloves, etc. she fights like a giant fish and flops around super hard till she’s free, then immediately sprints somewhere. The first few days we had her she was great actually. She’d sit on the couch with us laying on a heat pad meant for people, loved to lay with us and crawl on us. The. Like day 3 in her enclosure it was immediate aggression. I can tell she doesn’t associate us necessarily with food, because she does kind of what your Tegu does when she sees the thawing rats in the water cup with the tongs. She goes nuts. Also yeah we have zero info on if she’s CB or WC, but assuming from her scars and yellowy orange belly, we think she’s WC from the Everglades.


----------



## Zyn (Jul 11, 2019)

I’d double check the temps ambient that is. She was calm before because she was cooled down. Make sure one side is in the 70s. It might seem long but the heat drop off in glass wouldn’t be that huge from
One side to the other. With her size she may not be even able to get her entire body on the cool side.

Might sound cruel but it won’t be. Turn her heat off for an hour if shes not basking. Let the temp settle into the 70s throughout and see how she’s acting. If she’s calmish then you have your answer


----------



## AlphaAlpha (Jul 12, 2019)

def sounds like enclosure problems to me ..... I think along the same lines as Zyn..... 

is there any way of adding extra ventilation at the cool side to allow heat escape?

Before you wish to interact turn off heat and allow to drop and then try once cool and calm or try first thing on a morning before fully heated.

make a room/hallway tegu proof with not much in so she has to explore and interact with you.


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 12, 2019)

Zyn said:


> I’d double check the temps ambient that is. She was calm before because she was cooled down. Make sure one side is in the 70s. It might seem long but the heat drop off in glass wouldn’t be that huge from
> One side to the other. With her size she may not be even able to get her entire body on the cool side.
> 
> Might sound cruel but it won’t be. Turn her heat off for an hour if shes not basking. Let the temp settle into the 70s throughout and see how she’s acting. If she’s calmish then you have your answer


We turn her heat off whenever she isn’t basking, but it’s only a 150W bulb on the far end. I wish I could post a picture


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 12, 2019)

AlphaAlpha said:


> def sounds like enclosure problems to me ..... I think along the same lines as Zyn.....
> 
> is there any way of adding extra ventilation at the cool side to allow heat escape?
> 
> ...


It’s a 55 gallon long, and it’s a 150W at the end pointed straight down. The cool side is pretty cool (70’s). Also even with her cool and in the morning she’s still extremely feisty. If we get her out it is ridiculously hard to get back in. She escaped once (before we put weights on the lid) and was out for a full night. Once we found her she was still very skittish but once we got her in our lap she calmed down enough to let us pet her belly (wouldn’t allow her back being touched). We left her in the bed with us and she laid under the covers for a while. However when it came time to get her back into her enclosure, it was a pretty difficult time!


----------



## AlphaAlpha (Jul 12, 2019)

def sounds like enclosure issues try just switching to a 100 what bulb is my suggestion and crack on making her forever home.


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 12, 2019)

AlphaAlpha said:


> def sounds like enclosure issues try just switching to a 100 what bulb is my suggestion and crack on making her forever home.


I hope it is. Also the 150W barely warms air next to the ground, she has a log that she regularly hops up and suns herself on. I see her sunning a lot and not just chilling in the cool end so I don’t think it’s heat. The bulb is almost 20” away from the ground. But yeah currently looking for two large enclosures to keep the Tegu in (hopefully a permanent one) and our 7 foot carpet python needs an upgrade now too.


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 12, 2019)

AlphaAlpha said:


> def sounds like enclosure issues try just switching to a 100 what bulb is my suggestion and crack on making her forever home.


We used to have a 250W bulb angled toward the back of her cage that she absolutely loved to bask in. However those bulbs kept burning out


----------



## AlphaAlpha (Jul 12, 2019)

IDK then


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 12, 2019)

AlphaAlpha said:


> IDK then


I agree though that it may be her enclosure because it is much to small for her which is why we’re actively looking for a big one now that is in our price range . It just sucks because she’s so angry right now we can’t ever do anything with her. After we feed her (two small rats every other day) she calms way down for a while because she’s so fat and happy, but still puffs up and whips around every time we try to touch her. Although she allows our hands in her enclosure at this time lol


----------



## Kristi Sanford (Jul 17, 2019)

I had the same problem and someone suggested to me to not feed in the enclosure and within a week mine was fine when i went into the enclosure n etc. If he is flighty use your gloves and a pillow case to transport as per saftey of you and the animal that way you can get him to the tub safely to soak


----------



## Saiph the Nercomancer (Jul 17, 2019)

Maybe try building a custom enclosure. In the long run it would be less expensive. My roomie and I are going to be building a queen sized bed enclosure. Its going to cost 500. We're going to save 200 a month for it, starting after September. Hopefully with a larger space she'll calm down, and you can work on hand taming her.


----------



## Kristi Sanford (Jul 17, 2019)

Definitely agree with building your own enclosure it cost way less then having one made or buying from the store( which they dont sell big enough for a adult tegu ) we build all our own enclosures for our reptiles. You can get great ideas on youtube and Pinterest if your new to building an enclosure from scratch


----------



## Merlot (Jul 17, 2019)

When you feed your Gu do you know if your feeding enough? Sounds like my newest tegu’s size and when he doesn’t eat enough I notice he’s much more active and crazy trying to run around scavenging for food. When he’s full he’s not trying to escape the cage relentlessly, running around lifting things up and etc... if you are feeding two small fuzzies at that size I’d wager it’s not enough food. Try one single medium fuzzy mouse to feed on. If you do give em the two small fuzzies still, I’d offer some filler food like some small fruits and veggies to physically make em feel full. If he still goes after food after eating the two small fuzzies then she is hungry. When she is not interested in the food really anymore then she is full


----------



## Mamasaurus (Jul 17, 2019)

The orange belly is a firebelly and sounds like one rescued from Florida. The colony there has that trait. That's where I got my boy. A couple suggestions for you that may help until you get his forever home. Decrease the bulb wattage, get a hide (it just isn't an option) mine still burrows with it, make sure your substrate is good and wet at all times also, get a temp gun to get more accurate temp ranges because heat stress makes them cranky and the hide offers added temp decrease and safety. They need a place to hide not just burrow to feel safe especially in an all glass tank. They are prey animals. They are nebby as heck but all that "openness" could put them on high alert. If you keep the temps good, humidity up, add a hide, and if it continues maybe even feed elsewhere like a big rubbermaid tote or the tub it could help with the food aggression. My guy is not cuddly but he isn't aggressive either. He has been before after moving him around but he was scared and I can't blame him or yours for that. It takes patience and some trial and error. The peeps here are great! Good luck!!!


----------



## bocacash (Jul 21, 2019)

You have some immediate, larger problems to solve (enclosure size, feeding routine, gaining back trust, etc.) and have received some good advice here. Once you've got her back to reasonable, I have a suggestion that has always worked for me...with lizards, dogs, cats, horses, etc...when you go to feed her make a sound every time ! I use a tongue clicking sound and I use it every time...gu's are very intelligent and observant (mouse in the cup) and she will quickly associate that sound with you...it calms my Jezebel down. I am now working on a different sound...saying her name repeatedly...for when I just want to interact with her, no food. She is catching on ! Good luck and keep this in mind for later on !


----------



## TeguTeep (Jul 24, 2019)

Merlot said:


> When you feed your Gu do you know if your feeding enough? Sounds like my newest tegu’s size and when he doesn’t eat enough I notice he’s much more active and crazy trying to run around scavenging for food. When he’s full he’s not trying to escape the cage relentlessly, running around lifting things up and etc... if you are feeding two small fuzzies at that size I’d wager it’s not enough food. Try one single medium fuzzy mouse to feed on. If you do give em the two small fuzzies still, I’d offer some filler food like some small fruits and veggies to physically make em feel full. If he still goes after food after eating the two small fuzzies then she is hungry. When she is not interested in the food really anymore then she is full


We feed her two small rats every other day with a handful of blueberries in between. She can barely scarf them down so I know she’s eating plenty. Right after she eats, she’ll sit and bask and will let us put our hand in her enclosure and even let us touch her for a second before she starts jumping again, but overall acts super full afterwards!


----------



## Merlot (Jul 24, 2019)

Try to rotate the diet up a little or add to it. Try to give your Gu a plate of food that had to be “eaten piece by piece” to gauge how much your Gu can eat. I was noticing that even with mice and my gu, when I thought he was full because the delicious mice, he did in fact have plenty more room in the belly to eat and when I figured it all out the aggression really stopped. And make sure that you have a good cool and hot side differentiated. If they can’t cool off they’ll forever stay hyper


----------

