Colombian rescue tegu

[Carlyle]

I picked up a rescue tegu from repticon in early August. From the get go I could tell she was a bit cautious but I felt a connection so I decided to get her from the seller. I can tell whoever owned her before the seller didn't take good care of her from some signs on her body but so far she has been eating, sleeping, and adjusting well and seems pretty healthy. She's slowly growing used to me and I let her roam freely around my apartment when she is awake and I'm at home, but I'm curious a time frame I would be looking at for her to trust me and let me handle her freely without freaking out. Any pointers?

 

[Walter1]

Several Colombian keepers here that know their dispositions well.

Regardless of tegu, I advise not free-roaming until it is settled into its enclosure and not frightened of you. Talk to it when you're around and place a used, sweated-in t-shirt in its hide. Keep rputine of activity. Tegus are creatures of habit.

 

[Carlyle]

Several Colombian keepers here that know their dispositions well.

Regardless of tegu, I advise not free-roaming until it is settled into its enclosure and not frightened of you. Talk to it when you're around and place a used, sweated-in t-shirt in its hide. Keep rputine of activity. Tegus are creatures of habit.

I have actually been doing all of these things, including watching her daily and taking note of her sleep/wake hours. She doesn't skitter away most of the time when I'm nearby and she has actually almost climbed into my bed with me once or twice, first time she did this was the other day

 

[AlphaAlpha]

I picked up a rescue tegu from repticon in early August. From the get go I could tell she was a bit cautious but I felt a connection so I decided to get her from the seller. I can tell whoever owned her before the seller didn't take good care of her from some signs on her body but so far she has been eating, sleeping, and adjusting well and seems pretty healthy. She's slowly growing used to me and I let her roam freely around my apartment when she is awake and I'm at home, but I'm curious a time frame I would be looking at for her to trust me and let me handle her freely without freaking out. Any pointers?

sounds like you're doing really well, keep it up......I have a colombian at around the 18 month mark and for the first pick up of each day even though he trusts me is still a bit freaky.... personally I think this is more down to instinct and is a reflex response....

how big is your Gu??

Becareful free roaming If still small as they are awsome at hide and seek. They will find the most obscure and tinniest of hideouts....haha.... If you feel the need to bond and free roam do it in a specific room, hall ways and bathrooms usually work best as they have minimal furniture (comes from someone who's had to cut 2 sofas open as I thought Alpha was stuck) .

 

[Carlyle]

sounds like you're doing really well, keep it up......I have a colombian at around the 18 month mark and for the first pick up of each day even though he trusts me is still a bit freaky.... personally I think this is more down to instinct and is a reflex response....

how big is your Gu??

Becareful free roaming If still small as they are awsome at hide and seek. They will find the most obscure and tinniest of hideouts....haha.... If you feel the need to bond and free roam do it in a specific room, hall ways and bathrooms usually work best as they have minimal furniture (comes from someone who's had to cut 2 sofas open as I thought Alpha was stuck) .

I'm pretty sure she's full grown, she is about 3-3.5 feet long by guesstimation so the likelihood of her getting stuck somewhere is pretty unlikely. I live in a studio apartment so when she is roaming around I can see her or find her easily at pretty much all times. She is much more trusting of me than when I first took her home so I'm certainly making progress. Lots of tasty food like fish and steak, hard-boiled eggs.

 

[AlphaAlpha]

Oh thats good, yes Alpha now roams my full Apartment every couple of days for a couple of hour....and sounds about the same size ish, are you sure she is a she (colombians have mini jowls compare to the Argentines)???

 

[Carlyle]

Not real sure how to sex them but I was told by the seller she's a girl tegu

 

[Teguixin.22]

I wouldn't allow them to free roam until they get big. When mine was a wee one, she ran out of my room and between my dishwasher and cabinets. They like to squeeze into the smallest spaces when they can.