beginner tegu question ?

[rxryp]

Hey! I just got a wild-caught tegu (no more than 2 months old) from Rodney Irwin. I took steps and specifically requested a young tegu for the express purpose of making the process of taming a little easier, but now I'm worried - she apparently isn't drinking, isn't eating the food I leave her, isn't leaving the hide, isn't... doing much of anything. I've adjusted her basking temps to be a little warmer than 95 degrees, and ambient is 80. Humidity is around 75%. Is it possible that she's still hibernating, even in March? Or is she just stressed from the move? (It's only been a few days since I recieved her in the mail.) If that's true, how long should I leave her be before getting concerned? (I've also seen that some people leave their light-emitting lamps off for hibernating tegus. Would that help?)

I hope this isn't an overly trodden question here on this website, but I've poured myself into research and gotten pretty mixed results; what is the best outcome for a wild-caught tegu? (Will Porkchop ever learn to feel safe around me, at the very least?) Can they, and should they, be tamed as a captive tegu would? Or do they require more intense approaches, or different strategies altogether? Or have I boxed myself into having a pet that will never tame down?

Basically, I know not every tegu is a lap puppy straight out of the box (or at all, sometimes), but I'd love to know if my goal should be just bare minimum "make this tegu tolerate cagekeeping without stressing out", or if I should even get my hopes up for a chill tegu. I'll love, appreciate, and keep Porkchop even if she ends up being display-only, but boy, I'd love a tegu that I could give pats and treats to.

I guess the one good thing is so far, Porkchop hasn't gone for a nip or bite - only stands straight up and huffs when I reach in and change her water. I'm not sure if that means I have an easier road ahead of me or if she just hasn't gotten brave enough to bite at my hands! Haha.

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

When I first got Oreo back in October she was a bit freaked out for the first few days, wasn't eating, hiding, running from me, ect. She was a lot younger than yours is though, only a month at the oldest. It didnt take too long for her to get used to me though, maybe a week or two for her to fully calm down and start eating a lot.
Right after maybe a month or two of having her she began going into hibernation, she still is in it for the most part. What I find odd is that unless its 60+ outside she wont come out, meanwhile the indoor temps of the room is 75 constant, day and night for the most part. And her temps range from 75-130 depending on where she is in her setup.

I'd say its probably relocation stress since you haven't had her too long.
I'm sure with time Porkchop will calm down.

This worked for me, may want to try it out. When I held Oreo for the first time she was pretty freaked out and kept trying to get away from me so i just let her run in my hands until she calmed down and saw that I wasn't too much of a threat.
She still tries to get away from me when I pick her up even though she knows that Im of no threat to her, but this is because she hates being restrained from moving around. Most of the time if I just let her sit on my hand she'll just gladly stay there.

You may eventually get nipped, either by defense or a little bit of taste testing. When Oreo was younger she actually taste tested my hand to see if it was edible, she let go pretty fast though once she realized it was way too big to even think about eating. Ever since then she's never bit me again.

You may want to try hornworms or dubia roaches, thats what Oreo likes the most and what got her eating after a bit. Its also the only insects she even likes and will eat without hesitation. Anything else, crickets, mealworms, superworms, BSFL, etc she'll almost completely ignore.

 

[Walter1]

I'm not surprised. Tegus stress from change. That and many are still in brumation.You're conscientious, but don't overthink it. Provide the ambient daylength, a cool hide with a worn shirt of yours in it, and a suitable basking site. As he spends more time out and eats or by the end of the month, resume warmer temps, etc. This is a new place, and next year will be much more predictable for overwintering cues. As for disposition, I've yet to meet one or hear of obe that doesn't tame quickly. Affection, however, varies.

 

[onnie0047]

I have 2 from Rodney myself. My youngest one I got in October. Oscar was maybe 2 months old. I ask Rodney for the youngest he had for the same reason u stated.As the rest has stated just give time. Oscar had calmed down by day 29 just sat there for me to pick him up when I opened his enclosure. 5 months later he has his moments for sure. But is calm and quite tamed down. I for one can verify they dispise change. I just separated two and put them into separate enclosures. For a week I had two very angry and upset Tegus! They are back together in the same cage now and have calmed back down

 

[dpjm]

Your tegu is going to be super stressed right now from the shipping and the move into a new environment. You should basically leave it alone except for necessary maintenance in the enclosure. Don't expect it to have a good appetite right now. Stress = no appetite. Go slow, give it time. It should tame down in time but right now is the time to let it get accustomed to its new home by itself.

 

[AlphaAlpha]

Take your time and be very very patient .... Although tegu's are incredibly intelligent and do tame down in thier own way to be cuddly dinosaurs, I have personally found out that its a slow and long road to building that trust and takes longer than it would with other animals.....