getting them out of the hide.

[Guest]

ok so around 4 or so everyday i take my colmbians out of their cage to eat.problem is a lot of the time i have to lift up there hides and persuade them to get up.usually they huff at me only a few times have they tryed to bite me.and when they actually did it didnt hurt at all.anyone have any ideas to get them to come out without me having to get them?they are pretty calm after i get them out and dont show any aggression its just before....>.>

 

[Guest]

Its not really recommended to disturb them when they're in their hides. I'm feeding mine is his tank, which is also not advised but for me its working better atm, usually as soon as it smells the food it comes running over to eat.
Some tegus are aggressive or protective of their burrow/hide, some over the entire enclosure and others aren't at all. It really depends on the tegu. There are a few people on here who have said their tegu is somewhat "aggressive" in the enclosure but fine outside of it.
I just think of it as "its their space", I don't like people going through my stuff or being in my space, I wouldn't blame my tegu for acting/"feeling" the same lol.

 

[Guest]

haha yeah i figured that was the case.another wierd thing is that the bigger one(bahamut)doesnt come out as often as the smaller one.i could try to feed them in the cage i just prefere not to.the last time i did that it was with a savana monitor and it died =/.but my parents also kept on turning off his lights.(when i used to live with them.

 

[Guest]

One could be starting to hibernate. I'm pretty new with tegus, I don't know much about the hibernation thing, mines still acting normal.
Hopefully someone more experienced can help you further!

 

[Guest]

The Colombians don`t hibernate ... I do know that it is not advised to take them out of their [safe space ] but some times you gotta do what you gotta do. Try to make up for it in some other way ..

 

[Guest]

whoops i fail

 

[Guest]

My columbian never uses his hide, but I always have to dig around in the mulch until he starts huffing and puffing a little, in order to find him for feeding time. I always feed him in a seperate tub and have the food waiting for him in the tub. He will usually huff and puff a few times until I get him out from under the mulch and then I pet him a few times before I pick him up to put him in the other tub. He always calms down after petting him for a while and he realizes it is just me and not something that is going to hurt him. Mine is a little territorial when you first put your hand in the cage and then he calms down right away, and mine has never bitten me or even acted like he was going to bite. Another thing I do is each time I spend time with Marley, I try to hold him in a different room of the house that way he gets use to seeing the whole house and IMO is less likely to be startled when he sees a new room. Overall I guess I am just lucky to have an all around good natured columbian tegu.

 

[Guest]

mine are pretty much the same way, they only bit me like twice and iv had them for a few weeks to a month so i guess thats for for being a short amount of time.

 

[Guest]

My columbian never uses his hide, but I always have to dig around in the mulch until he starts huffing and puffing a little, in order to find him for feeding time. I always feed him in a seperate tub and have the food waiting for him in the tub. He will usually huff and puff a few times until I get him out from under the mulch and then I pet him a few times before I pick him up to put him in the other tub. He always calms down after petting him for a while and he realizes it is just me and not something that is going to hurt him. Mine is a little territorial when you first put your hand in the cage and then he calms down right away, and mine has never bitten me or even acted like he was going to bite.

Mine is the exact same way as yours! Except he is not territorial in his cage, he just runs away and hides.

 

[Guest]

Yeah that how my teg is when you try to remove her from her hide she puffs and puffs but never has tried to bit me ever but she is no exception she does have an attitue sometimes..