# How tame is your new Varnyard tegu???



## jmiles50 (Jul 21, 2009)

I'm just noticing how tame Drex is. He always wants out, and whenever I put my hand in the cage he just crawls right up. I'm just really impressed so far. Anyone else have stories :?:


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## AWD247 (Jul 21, 2009)

Thats Awesome, more luck to you in the future with him.
Any video footage by the way??


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## Jefroka (Jul 21, 2009)

Beauregard, crawls out from his hide in the morning within minutes of me turning on his basking light. After a little basking, he is ready to do our routine which is, I remove the screen top and he jumps right up on my arm and crawls to my shoulder. I then bring him over to his feeding enclosure. After he wolfs down some chow, I pick him up and I put him on the bed, where he roams around a bit and also plays hide and seek, lol.

He is now over 16" long. When I got him three weeks ago he was approximately 10-11", my best guess. Amazing how fast he is growing. So for so good as for his disposition.

He just may be the coolest pet I've ever had.


...Jefroka


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## koikaren (Jul 21, 2009)

I would have to agree...I just got Eragon today and he was perfect...he didnt mind being picked up to be feed and I got to pet him for 25min and he fell asleep...It was GREAT! .......Thanks so much Bobby!


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## VenomVipe (Jul 22, 2009)

Last night After putting Angus in a pillow case and then letting hime get to the bottom, I sat on the couch and put a heavier type blanket over him so he felt secure. He and I watched tv for hours. His favorite show was The Office. That pillow case I had washed but i stuck it inside my shirt to get just enough of my scent on it. Now he doesnt scurry like a roach every time I enter the room. He actually is now climbing his highest point in his enclosure just to get to me. He was a challenge just get out of the cage and he was good after thirty seconds but now he WANTS to be handled( or he just wants food)


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## simon021 (Jul 22, 2009)

I just pulled my new hatchling out of the shipping box. He had shredded the pillow case! But when I went to pull him out, he was totally docile. He didnt mind being picked up at all. He's been checking out his enclosure for 10 minutes or so now, and just now went down into the cave. He's in the middle of shed right now as well. Hopefully he'll be interested in some turky and liver at lunch time, or maybe a pinky. It's amazing how much bigger he is just being a week older than the last one I had. They grow pretty fast!


I'll be sure to start a thread and take some pictures for you guys.


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## wyattroa (Jul 22, 2009)

man..not mine.. i sit by the cage..i tried the two shirt deal.. i tried the sit in the tub.. and this little girl wants to get away from me..never wants to be picked up, even to come out to eat.. i got a shirt in the tank...when i walk in the room sometimes she will stay basking other times she wont... but if i go to try and pick her up most of the time she will go nutz  
robert


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## koikaren (Jul 22, 2009)

wyattroa said:


> man..not mine.. i sit by the cage..i tried the two shirt deal.. i tried the sit in the tub.. and this little girl wants to get away from me..never wants to be picked up, even to come out to eat.. i got a shirt in the tank...when i walk in the room sometimes she will stay basking other times she wont... but if i go to try and pick her up most of the time she will go nutz
> robert




I am sorry to hear that! Maybe its something you are doing, a scent you wear, you attitude when you approach her, etc? Talk to Bobby he is excellent with advise.....Hope things get better for you soon..


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## jmiles50 (Jul 22, 2009)

Wyattroa just keep doing what you're doing! Take your time and it'll happen. Asami took some time to tame, she was a bit of a grump!!!


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## Quijibo (Jul 29, 2009)

Mine's like a little puppy. I was feeding him some crickets and when he couldn't find any, I'd pick him up and move him to a place where more of them were. He didn't even blink. Just kept right on eating. So far, he hasn't even darted once. I've seen some pretty docile juvies and young adults, but I've never seen one this young (5 weeks) so relaxed. My wife, who's not much of a reptile lover (she has never even touched one of our snakes) has already picked him up and held him. She got a little nervous when he crawled up her arm, but he stopped at her elbow, laid down and stretched out his legs. I told her that he liked her warmth. I caught her smiling a little...
Thanks, Bobby. My family loves their new addition.


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## Richard21 (Jul 29, 2009)

My little Giant, Neo is doing MUCH better since I first got him out the box. He lets my handle him no running or anything. He is sleeping right now. He is the coolest.


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## TEGU_JAKE (Jul 29, 2009)

mine is a little wild right now but its only been 2 days but he did let me hold him for a while with out running away lol 

when i walk by his cage he stay basking but when i go in to pick him up he freaks out and whips me lol but tomorrow will be better i hope lol


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## Richard21 (Jul 30, 2009)

TeguJake I caught mine sleeping under his substrate and he was very sluggish no energy so it was perfect to hold him. Try to get him sleeping.


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## Quijibo (Jul 30, 2009)

Oh, I forgot to add something. About an hour after I got him, I put him in the bathtub with about 1" of luke-warm water. I put my hands in the water and at first he would avoid them. After a few minutes, he would climb on and sit for a moment or two then go back to the water to nose around. After about 10 minutes, he started climbing up my arms, when he got too high, I would gently lift him off and put him back in the water. He would turn right around and climb back on my hand, up my arm. We did this for about 10 min or so, and I kept the water warm. The water wasn't so deep he had to swim, and I wasn't chasing him. I just let him nose around and enjoy the water. 
I used to do this about twice a week with my Columbian Tegu when she was little and she turned out very sweet. I did it because I liked watching her swim but, maybe without knowing it, she was building her trust in me.
I think it helps to have the room very quiet also.

Maybe some candles too.... :-D

Dang, I forgot something else. For little ones, I always tape sheets of paper to the outside of the aquarium so they can't see through the glass. The glass really stresses out the little ones. The big ones don't care much for it either.


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## simon021 (Jul 30, 2009)

Heres a video of my hatchling just after he ate a huge helping of beef liver. He loves the liver!

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er6meLdy6Xc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er6meLdy6Xc</a><!-- m -->


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## wyattroa (Jul 30, 2009)

give a little update on fluffy.. 

She was a pain in the ars when i first got her.. would not let me hold her if i entered the room she would take off into her hide, wouldnt eat in the feeding bin, and if my hand tried to enter the tank she would flip out.

Now to today..

She is getting better. She only eats in her feeding bin now. When i walk in the room in the morning she still takes off into her hide..she then comes out within a minute.. im able to put my hand in the tank right next to her and she doesnt move. Then i can pet her, sometimes she stays and gets pet.. other times she moves away or walks into her hide just to come right back out and lay next to my hand... and we start the process all over again.. im able to pick her up then. we will spend time in the bathroom and she will walk all over me and rest on my arm or my head... i can hold her and pet her...

its taking time but we are getting there.
robert

ps. she also went through her whole second shed already..


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## TEGU_JAKE (Jul 30, 2009)

Richard21 said:


> TeguJake I caught mine sleeping under his substrate and he was very sluggish no energy so it was perfect to hold him. Try to get him sleeping.


will do 
ill try that right now thanks


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## TEGU_JAKE (Jul 30, 2009)

TEGU_JAKE said:


> Richard21 said:
> 
> 
> > TeguJake I caught mine sleeping under his substrate and he was very sluggish no energy so it was perfect to hold him. Try to get him sleeping.
> ...


i did what you said Richard21 it worked perfect
so now im gonna go to petsmart and get a new bulb to warm her up so she will eat today :fc


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## wyattroa (Jul 30, 2009)

> Richard21 said:
> 
> 
> > TeguJake I caught mine sleeping under his substrate and he was very sluggish no energy so it was perfect to hold him. Try to get him sleeping.



i thought it was a bad thing taking them out of the substrate, isnt that taking them out of the burrow and hide.. kinda the same thing?
robert


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## simon021 (Jul 30, 2009)

Here is my latest video from my hatchling. You tell me how tame he is. He gets better every day. Kinda jumpy at first but once I get him out of the tank he's all peachy.

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## tracyanderson777 (Aug 2, 2009)

Sluggo, my new guy iss.....

skiddish he has a huge cage for his size and runs around constantly hes fine with being held and dissapears a lot. he has about 5 inches of orchid bark and in seconds hes gone and i wont see him for hours. lol. 

but he is a great looking tegu and im proud to have him.


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