Biting

[shed_your_fears]

I recently purchased a 2 year old female Argentine...

2 days ago, she decided to grab ahold of my thumb...she then bit me again the next day...

both days, i was sitting in my room (on the floor) while she roamed the room for a bit...

She came up to me, flicked her tongue a few times & bit me...

The bites weren't awful, just a bit painful...

I'm not sure why she did it...my hands didn't smell like food...

I feed her in a seperate bin, not in her enclosure...

She is a bit shy, but not aggressive really...she doesnt hiss or tail whip...and these have been the first bites since i got her early this month....

any ideas of what I may be doing wrong, or a way to fix the problem?

 

[Charmander]

The only time I have been bit by my tegu was because she was hungry

maybe try feeding her all she will eat before handling her and letting her roam

 

[isdrake]

For how long have you had her? I would be careful about letting her roam free if you just recently got her. I think it's better for her to be alone in her enclosure at the beginning so she can adjust to her new home.

 

[txrepgirl]

I was going to say the same thing as Charmander did. I had my Tegus for a long time now ( some for 1 year and some for over two years ) and that's the only time they bit me ( when they were hungry ) . I think it's a good thing that you let her be around you a lot. Could you please post some pictures of her ? that would be great. Thank you.

 

[shed_your_fears]

thanks for the responses! i wasn't entirely sure if tegus had a feeding response like snakes do...

you can't handle snakes after you feed them, but from now on i will feed her before letting her roam!

i have had her for about a month now...

i will post pics asap...my digital camera died recently

 

[shed_your_fears]

Here she is! She's about 2 years old...




(hopefully the pic worked!)

 

[txrepgirl]

Your welcome. WOW she is perfect. I'm looking for a light colored female like that for our Leonidas . Your lucky that you found a perfect girl like that . Hope to see some more pictures off her. Good luck with her and please keep us posted. Thank you.

 

[Kingwolf26]

How big is she? She looks about the same size as my Salene, which is still just under 3 feet

 

[shed_your_fears]

Yes, she is very light colored

Believe it or not, I only paid $100 for her at the Hamburg Expo!

She is probably just under 3ft as well...I haven't physically measured her though...

I will probably do so sometime today

I made some really excellent progress with her last night! I had her out roaming around while i was sitting on the floor using my laptop.

She came right over to me several times & crawled onto my lap, I'd pet her for a minute or so...and she would then continue investigating (She is VERY inquisitive...always tipping over things (boots, books, etc) and trying to climb and dig)

At one point she sat on my lap for about 5 minutes totally relaxed just letting me pet her!

This is the first time she has come to me several times in a short period of time all on her own
:app