Any Ideas?

[corruptphantasm]

ok so ive had Zeus Almost a week and he seems to have warmed up to me when i open the cage and sit there and just like build little mulch towers just to be there and pass time he dosnt mind but when i reach or move anywhere near him he scatters away and hides for 5-10 minutes the only time i ever really have gotten close to him was i sat there for like a long time with my hand stretched out and laid there he came over and basked and even then when i pulled my hand back to get up he ran and hid.

he sees me constantly the cage is in my room

i also am always moving slowly when im in his cage for whatever reason

hes only scared when the cage door is open but when its closed he dosnt mind whatever im doing in my room or when im close to the cage

so what should i try and do to further this progress cause apparently what im doing isnt really working

 

[Piercedcub32]

be careful that you aren't moving too slow, they can feel like you are stalking them, and want to eat them. What I did was lay my hand in front of his face maybe 3 inches or so in front, and slowly moved toward him until he was licking my fingers and didn't run, then I slowly moved my fingers under his chin, and he would walk on to them. It only took maybe 15 minutes the first day, now when I open the cage, and put my hand in he jumps on and scurries up my arm. People here commented on my video saying that it was rare for him to be so tame so soon, but he is. What pairing is Zeus from?

 

[corruptphantasm]

ill have to try it. what do you mean what pairing is he from?

 

[Piercedcub32]

ill have to try it. what do you mean what pairing is he from?

just wondering who are his parents, I'm interested in comparing the personalities of the hatchlings with those of the parents Mines a Snow X Sleet.

 

[lilgonz]

have you tried putting a shirt in the enclosure, so that he gets used to your smell. That seems to work for a lot of people. I also agree moving to slow can make them feel like your stalking them. just be patient. Good luck

 

[corruptphantasm]

i honestly dont know i got him from bobby hill if that helps you out any

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have you tried putting a shirt in the enclosure, so that he gets used to your smell. That seems to work for a lot of people. I also agree moving to slow can make them feel like your stalking them. just be patient. Good luck

there is a shirt in there but he just ignores it i dont think ive even ever seen him near it

 

[Piercedcub32]

here is Godric (aka Cirrus, we are still deciding lol) I just got him 2 weeks ago he is one of Bobby's Extreme Giants.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photocub77/5998785282/

 

[corruptphantasm]

here is Godric (aka Cirrus, we are still deciding lol) I just got him 2 weeks ago he is one of Bobby's Extreme Giants.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photocub77/5998785282/

i Wish Zeus would do that hes soo cool and i wana get some pics/a video of him before his colors go black and white lol

 

[herpgirl2510]

Piercedcub that is really awesome you got a mellow guy.

 

[Toby_H]

Handling a new Tegu is a delicate balance between not moving so fast you startle him and not moving so slow you spook him...

"The shirt trick" is very commonly used but is often used 'improperly'. The point is to ensure the shirt smells like you. So wear a shirt all day then at the end of the day put it in the enclsoure. But after a day or so, it no longer smells like you and just smells like the enclosure. So you have to replace the shirt often/daily.

When my Tegu first arrived I "worked" in his enclosure many times a day. Whether it needed it or not, I leveled mulch, changed water, etc, etc. Any excuse to have my hands in the enclosure. When doing so I ignored the Tegu. I moved at a mellow yet natural pace. If he ran from me I ignored him. when he hid from me I ignored him. Eventually when he came over to check me out, I ignored him.

I would often just let my hands sit int he enclosure after "working". After a while he did come check out my resting hands. I didn't pet him when he came over, I just let him check me out. within a couple weeks of this he began checking me out while I was working.

By this point I began interacting such as "working" near where he is sitting. Even nudging him out of my way to level mulch.

The whole point of this is to convince a tiny animal that your giant self doesn't mean him harm. He is wired to see everything bigger than him as a threat, because in the wild it is.