# Anyone Ever take their tegu anywhere?



## corruptphantasm (May 30, 2012)

As the title says has anyone ever takin their tegu anywhere I'm going for a couple days to my cabin thats 2 hours away and i cant find anyone to watch my gu so i was thinking of taking him with me. 
So if you've takin your tegu anywhere howed you do it? and where did you go?


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## naturboy87 (May 30, 2012)

haha hear we go camping , fishing , shoping , bank , pet shops , cataleana , big bear , san deago, Beach, parks , just about eny wher u can take a dog iv taken one of my gus with me ...


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## HeatherN (May 30, 2012)

i was actually thinking of taking my tegu up to a cabin on a lake with me for a week, i don't trust anyone down here to look after him for me! i have the same question as phantasm, how did it work out? what kind of places have you taken them? any signs of stress or unhappiness? thanks!


and id be taking mine up to near big bear, nature.


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## naturboy87 (May 30, 2012)

haha cool ill be on the lake friday with Blue man fishen it up lol #1 alwase on the leash at ALL times .. #2 he wont eat much but insted drink lots of h2o ... #3 i just let mine sleep with me so i know their worm enuf all night and safe ... stress not realy they just seem to go to sleep it off if their not happy with wats gong on around them at the time ... but the best part is the bond between the two of you will get even stronger now that u do fun exiting things together ... Spoiled Tegus lol


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## m3s4 (May 30, 2012)

I take mine all over - same as stated above - anywhere you take other pets you can take your 'gu. If you take him, try and get us some shots of the action!

Many people don't want to take their tegus places, which imo is sad. It kind of defeats the purpose of having a companion if they aren't actually doing things with you. And I don't consider any of this "doing things" with you:

a) sitting in an enclosure (pet prison)
b) sitting in a tub to soak or eat then going back into pet prison
c) sleeping

As for specifics, I've taken mine to the annual Hot-Rod show we have here the last 3 years in a row. People know my tegus more then they know me . Every year people expect to see a tegu or two with me - and most are eager to pet them and take a peek. 

I have a dog-stroller (surely people have see these?) that's large enough for 2 small tegus or 1 large. Designed for small dogs, you'd be amazed at how well this works to take tegus with you anywhere you go. Might as well be a baby stroller.


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## naturboy87 (May 30, 2012)

[attachment=4397] 
just anuther day at work lol spoiled roten ...


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## m3s4 (May 30, 2012)

naturboy87 said:


> just anuther day at work lol spoiled roten ...



Awesome! Your tegu looks great. What a rough life haha...Mine know it all too well. 

Here's the pet stroller I use when I take mine with me for extended periods:






You know it's bad when people know you BECAUSE of your tegu(s) - happens all the time.


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## naturboy87 (May 30, 2012)

m3s4 said:


> naturboy87 said:
> 
> 
> > just anuther day at work lol spoiled roten ...
> ...



haha thats to funny ya but i never take moor then one with me its plenty enuf to handle haveing one wen i take 2 they just beet me up lol


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## ilovelizards (May 30, 2012)

I take mine& sometimes other reptiles everywere a I go that pets are allowed,(cross country road trips,camping,fishing,festables,state parts,local springs and lakes Once to the ocean,beach,party,on the boat,rv,golfcart,car,bycical,motorcycle,stores,even to school when allowed ect)On long trips I always bring fimilar stuff and most of my reptiles(except for one hellen of a bearded dragon) are exstreamly well socalized and once a harness fits on them(and there not exstreamly tiny) and they have been hand tamed by me and unstartled by visitors I take them out wherever i go always on a leash
&well fed.


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## HeatherN (May 30, 2012)

I've taken both of my bearded dragons with me places, and they were very well behaved. i just wanted to be sure about the tegu. you guys all sound like awesome owners! if i were a tegu, id pray to get bought by you.


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## ilovelizards (May 30, 2012)

HeatherN said:


> I've taken both of my bearded dragons with me places, and they were very well behaved. i just wanted to be sure about the tegu. you guys all sound like awesome owners! if i were a tegu, id pray to get bought by you.



Ive had three past dragons were all sweet hearts and I own 2 right now one is sweet but is a black soil dragon mix so is small and kind weirdly shaped and the other is weird I held him alot when he was little and have tryed to keep holding him but he is just a pig like hellen of a dragon.Ive never owned one with such a temper..


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## monstruo-the-tegu (May 30, 2012)

ive taken monstruo to parks pet stores home depot and my other house


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## Darwin the Tegu (May 30, 2012)

I don't have a tegu yet, but i have a uromastyx and I take him everywhere with me and almost every person that owns a tegu, takes it with them. You almost have to think of them as your baby, they have socialization needs just like a child and un like a child they are easier to take with you. So go ahead and take him with you, you can get him harness (if he is a good boy and sit him on the seat next to you) maybe a dog stroller, a dog crate to put him in if you can't take him with you to a certain place and since he wont have an actual cage, take a heating pad for him to lay on to keep warm. Hope this was helpful


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## HeatherN (May 30, 2012)

thank you so much everyone, this is a load off my mind for sure. and sorry phantasm, didn't mean to thread-jack! >.<


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## corruptphantasm (Jun 1, 2012)

HeatherN said:


> thank you so much everyone, this is a load off my mind for sure. and sorry phantasm, didn't mean to thread-jack! >.<



It's cool i didn't even know anyone replied i never got my usual emails or anything for some reason. Thanks for all the great info everyone. and what should i do i have to leave early and he sleeps till like 3 so how should i go about taking him? should i put him in a smaller tank or something the night before? he's a little over a year old hes in a 8x4x3 cage so you get what my situation is?


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## Dana C (Jun 1, 2012)

"I don't have a tegu yet, but i have a uromastyx and I take him everywhere with me and almost every person that owns a tegu, takes it with them"

That really isn't true. Most people don't take their tegus with them everywhere. Between stress, fear and hostile people for some tegus, trips to the park, Petsmart or where ever doesn't work. For others it is fine but there are risks involved that need to acknowledged including the tegu biting someone or someones pet. I have a Tegu for example that loves me, loves to be held, petted, scratched, you name it. Outside, he freaks. As a stranger, you would lose a finger if you got to close.


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## Dom3rd (Jun 5, 2012)

I have had similar happenings with my female B&W Tegu. She freaks out when she is not in the house she even got aggressive at me with was weird as heck. Now my male on the other had i have taken him to the pet store with me before but as he go bigger a little harder to handle but he is still manageable. Is there any way to lessen the stress for them or help get them over it or is it just a roll of the dice whether they will like it or not?


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## Johnnydr (Jun 5, 2012)

I like to bring my GU out to petco, outdoor lunch, or a romp in the grass a couple times a week to soak up some natural rays. I do a lot of educational shows and stuff, so I like all my herps to be acclimated to handling and travel. When he is out and about I always bring blankets, so if he is feeling a bit stressed, he has the option to "burrow" and then I know he's had enough.

It all depends on the tegu!


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## m3s4 (Jun 6, 2012)

Johnnydr said:


> I like to bring my GU out to petco, outdoor lunch, or a romp in the grass a couple times a week to soak up some natural rays. I do a lot of educational shows and stuff, so I like all my herps to be acclimated to handling and travel. When he is out and about I always bring blankets, so if he is feeling a bit stressed, he has the option to "burrow" and then I know he's had enough.
> 
> It all depends on the tegu!



"I like all my tegus to be acclimated to handling and travel"

"When he is out and about I always bring blankets, so if he is feeling a bit stressed, he has the option to "burrow" and then I know he's had enough."

In my humble opinion, this is a brilliant way to handle some crucial parts of socialization.


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## tresh (Jun 6, 2012)

I've learned to do that with my Ammy...I always carry a large towel and a cloth bag with me, so when she gets stressed, I can put her in her nice safe bag and let her calm down. She definitely lets me know when she's had enough and needs a safety-zone. 

I'm loving the idea of using a dog stroller to take her places with me though...I think she'd enjoy that, and she certainly loves people. Just not a lot of people at a time yet.


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## m3s4 (Jun 6, 2012)

tresh said:


> I've learned to do that with my Ammy...I always carry a large towel and a cloth bag with me, so when she gets stressed, I can put her in her nice safe bag and let her calm down. She definitely lets me know when she's had enough and needs a safety-zone.
> 
> I'm loving the idea of using a dog stroller to take her places with me though...I think she'd enjoy that, and she certainly loves people. Just not a lot of people at a time yet.



I think you'll really like a dog stroller...Anyone who wants their tegu(s) to go places with them would for that matter. 

It's a very good way for them to get socialized to all the sights and sounds that would usually fling them into sensory over-load when they feel they are threatened. 

The stroller allows them to feel protected because it's like a hide on wheels - in it they feel safe, they can view their surroundings from a safe vantage point and they can retire into a blankets when they've had enough. 

It also allows other people to be able to check them out and interact with them at a tegu-safe distance - effectively socializing them with strangers who might normally make a tegu panic.


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## HeatherN (Jun 6, 2012)

sounds like a common thing when taking lizards places then. i always brought my dragons in their "special towels" that smell like their cage, to give them a familiar, soft thing to burrow in. they didn't utilize it often, but its a nice thing to have when things get a bit hectic for them.


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## laurarfl (Jun 7, 2012)

I think it depends on the lizard. I have a girl that I can take anywhere. But she has spent most of her life as an educational animal and frequently goes to the library for children's programs, schools, BDay parties, etc. She also went to the Science Center's Pet Fair day and won 2nd place in the costume contest, lol! I have another big girl that I have taken to Petco. My red doesn't go anywhere because he's too skittish.

As for your travel situation, you can put him in a tank the night before. You can dig him up in the morning, but he probably won't appreciate that too much.  If it is just for travel, you can also use a rubbermaid or dog carrier. Mine like to burrow under towels, too.


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## m3s4 (Jun 7, 2012)

laurarfl said:


> I think it depends on the lizard. I have a girl that I can take anywhere. But she has spent most of her life as an educational animal and frequently goes to the library for children's programs, schools, BDay parties, etc. She also went to the Science Center's Pet Fair day and won 2nd place in the costume contest, lol! I have another big girl that I have taken to Petco. My red doesn't go anywhere because he's too skittish.
> 
> As for your travel situation, you can put him in a tank the night before. You can dig him up in the morning, but he probably won't appreciate that too much.  If it is just for travel, you can also use a rubbermaid or dog carrier. Mine like to burrow under towels, too.



That's awesome. I can only imagine what your educational animal dreams about at night lol...probably wondering if she'll ever get to play dress-up again!


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## laurarfl (Jun 7, 2012)

Judging by the way she acts, she only dreams about food!  Oh, and maybe getting off the porch to bask in the sun.


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## naturboy87 (Jun 8, 2012)

killer killer stories every one keep it up !!!


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## m3s4 (Jun 8, 2012)

I took Ally to my friends on Memorial Day...She was quite interested in all the birds and squirrels that call that neck of the woods home...No leash, no harness...she was content to just lounge in the grass until she had her fill - then she retired into her dog carrier under her blankets until it was time to take her to the pet-store...

Once there, she was like a little kid in a candy store...her tongue was going a like crazy, she made friends with the resident tortoise and interestingly enough, her best buddy ended up being a 20lb. Black Throat monitor! He was perfectly fine sharing his basking spot with her and I think she was impressed at the monitors size - since she's nearly 10lbs. herself, I'm sure seeing something twice her size was humbling in her own lizard way hahaha.

Good times.


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## DaLoaner (Jun 8, 2012)

I'd love to take my gu out everywhere but I dont. like the park would cool. I've taken him too the vet,pet store and my job once on my day off. also backyard pretty often.

I think it also depend on the lizard. My gu has never bitten me,tried to bite me, or tail whip...but i know that if there is a group of people around us, and people trying to touch him, he tends to get squirmish and a little fiesty. then those nails hurt. I take him in my backyard as often as i can,now that its warm out and he's fine, just lays around,digs a little and what not. 


oh and i hate when people say, "hey is that an iguana?" no its a tegu.."no its an iguana i saw one on tv" oh yea ur right it is an iguana, man i was wrong this whole time and i was on the wrong board/forum, thanks stranger...lol


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## HeatherN (Jun 8, 2012)

Nother member suggested asking them what color an iguana us? Green. What color is this? Black! It's different! ( well assume they only know green iguanas) lol


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## Diablo (Jun 19, 2012)

If you take your tegu somewhere for a couple of days is it ok for them to be away from their enclosure/lighting for that long as long as they are getting sun? Or should you setup a temporary enclosure where you are going for them? I read all the stories and wasn't really sure what some of you did for long stays such as 3-6 days away from home


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## laurarfl (Jun 20, 2012)

A couple of days would be OK. If you think about it, there are cloudy/cool days where they live, too. I just wouldn't feed right before I left so they are sitting in a cool place with a full belly. I usually take two week-long vacations each year. I get a pet sitter to come in and feed.


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## HeatherN (Jun 20, 2012)

whenever i have taken other lizards with me, i had a large plastic bins with their blankets and lamps with them, i left them to bask in a quiet room that was already pretty warm. then id take them out to the beach and they'd dig in the sand or fall asleep in the sun. that was about a week on vacation with six hour drives asleep on my lap. they were relieved to be back hope i think, but they calmed down a lot after the trip, became more tolerant of people and less nervous in general. but idk how it goes with tegus, and all lizards are individuals. i just hope my tegu will be as good on trips!


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## Theroseofwar (Jan 7, 2022)

This is all awesome insight. My Tegu is only about 5 months currently and has been burrowing and sleeping for a couple days at a time.. very little food, mostly just sleep. I am in Oregon and most of the fellow Tegus in my town all seem to sense the Winter season. He has begun harness training and doesn't seem to mind it at all.. I am hoping he will be awake more as soon as possible so I can start truly taking him out and about! (Once it warms back up) Before it got very cold, he enjoyed car rides and I am already missing it so much!


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