# understanding tegu body language (wants to be pet or wants to bite)



## jeremy flanagan (Sep 30, 2013)

not sure if he wants to be pet or if he wants to bit my finger


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## jeremy flanagan (Sep 30, 2013)

my first tegu not my my first reptile but my first argentine


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## TheTeguNovice (Nov 14, 2013)

I would say when you put your hand close to him does his breathing deepen?,...if so then he is nervous and he is defensive. In this case he may tail whip or nip to protect himself. Always remember to take it slow, allow your tegu to see your a friend and not a predator.


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## JessiGu (Jan 6, 2014)

TitusdaTegu said:


> I would say when you put your hand close to him does his breathing deepen?,...if so then he is nervous and he is defensive. In this case he may tail whip or nip to protect himself. Always remember to take it slow, allow your tegu to see your a friend and not a predator.


How does body language differ between baby gu's?


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jan 7, 2014)

_It's pretty much the same_.


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## Paleogirl (Jan 29, 2014)

Does he raise himself up on his legs when you go to touch him? If he does that means he's scared and trying to intimidate you. Obviously if he's doing any tail whipping then he doesn't want anything to do with you. If he makes little quiet hisses but doesn't really move that means he is nervous, you could probably pick him up or let him crawl onto you this way but be very slow and careful. Talk to him whenever you're touching him so that he gets used to your voice and associates it with being touched or held. The more he experiences it he more he'll calm down. Also never ever grab a tegu who is in its hide or burrowed because that can absolutely ruin any trust he had. To him you're a predator trying to eat him and his response will almost always be tail whipping, loads of hissing, and even a bite.


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## Allycatalex (Mar 7, 2016)

Paleogirl said:


> Does he raise himself up on his legs when you go to touch him? If he does that means he's scared and trying to intimidate you. Obviously if he's doing any tail whipping then he doesn't want anything to do with you. If he makes little quiet hisses but doesn't really move that means he is nervous, you could probably pick him up or let him crawl onto you this way but be very slow and careful. Talk to him whenever you're touching him so that he gets used to your voice and associates it with being touched or held. The more he experiences it he more he'll calm down. Also never ever grab a tegu who is in its hide or burrowed because that can absolutely ruin any trust he had. To him you're a predator trying to eat him and his response will almost always be tail whipping, loads of hissing, and even a bite.


Okay but say you have a tegu who isnt very active? How are you supposed to take her out to handle her if youre not supposed to take her out of her hide/burrow.


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## Bug (Mar 8, 2016)

Lure her out with a favorite food. That's what I do when Kep is sleepy. Mouse, grapes, or an earthworm on the end of a set of tongs usually does the trick for me.


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## snibborsirk (Mar 8, 2016)

I would not advise using food to lure your tegu out if you are wanting to handle it. Even the calmest of tegus can get overly excited by the prospect of eating - not exactly the best conditions for handling...especially as the tegu grows and can cause serious injury. Maybe once your tegu is fully comfortable with you this tactic can be used but I still would not recommend it. 

Allycatalex - As far as taking an inactive tegu out of its hide/burrow, I would consider a couple of things. If your tegu is young and still a bit shy (and healthy!), I've had good luck with removing them from their hiding spot and handling them if needed - especially letting them hide under your shirt or a blanket on your lap so. Obviously its best to handle them while they are actively out and see you coming, but sometimes with young tegus, especially this time of year, you have to get them out to handle them. I would advise doing so around the tegus typical "bedtime" so it may be a bit calmer and willing to sleep/relax on you. Once you have some trust established with the tegu, I def agree with Paleogirl to not forcefully remove them from their hiding spot or burrow. Sometimes you have to force a little interaction with them at first to get things rolling though.


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