handling baby tegu question

[JTV]

Hello all,

I brought home a baby Columbian Tegu a month ago, and had few questions. He does not like to be picked up so I do it as little as possible. Instead i spend a lot of time around him trying to get him used to me. This week he has started huffing when I come near him so I have not been touching him at all. My question is, should I be making the attempt to pick him up or leave him alone until he comes to me? I am afraid that picking him up to give him a bath or feed him may be making things worse. His attitude towards me has only improved slightly over the last month, so I don't want to start making things worse.

 

[m3s4]

You're doing all the right things with your Colombian so far.

If you aren't aware of their huffing already, it's a normal behavior for most of them.

You definitely want to pick him up regularly and pet him as much as possible - even if he huffs...because without close, human interaction - he won't likely ever come to you let alone even think about it.

Early on small Colombians are really flighty and especially don't like being held. However, with more and more conditioning by holding yours and talking to him - he'll start to "get it". Colombians, I've learned through the 4 I've had, seem to be more "shy" then anything else. Even their aggressiveness seems to stem from a lack of confidence and just being unsure of things early on.

Once they grow, become more aware of their surroundings and age a little - and they're confident with life in general.

If his attitude has only slightly gotten better over the last month, consider that good progress because with Colombians, slow progress is to be expected. With them, you just have to have patience and always re-assure him when reaching for him and/or holding him.

Be aware of his body language, be patient, constantly re-assure him and add more interaction to the mix and you'll notice his trust increase almost daily.

Good luck!

 

[JTV]

Thank you so much for the advice. I ignored the huffing and just went for it and picked him up.... pretty calm and relaxed. Gave him a long bath and he went back into his enclosure without any problems. Still huffs a lot though.

I have to say thank you to all the members who post to peoples questions on this site... most of my questions have been answered by searching the forums. It is really great to have so many people share their expirience and knowledge with others. It has made my life so much easier. Thanks again.

 

[m3s4]

Thank you so much for the advice. I ignored the huffing and just went for it and picked him up.... pretty calm and relaxed. Gave him a long bath and he went back into his enclosure without any problems. Still huffs a lot though.

I have to say thank you to all the members who post to peoples questions on this site... most of my questions have been answered by searching the forums. It is really great to have so many people share their expirience and knowledge with others. It has made my life so much easier. Thanks again.

Glad to hear your colombian huffs as much as he does. I have an 8 month old juvenile that has never huffed, and I've had some that will huff at the mere sight of you.

It's pretty comical when they do it, and it's part of what makes Colombians so cool, imo.

You might find this an informative thread, if you haven't already:

Colombian tegus: a comprehensive guide

 

[Tegu Boss]

When you first get a hatchling tegu how should you handle handing him (that was supposed to be a joke, but i laughed at myself, not it.) Should you let him get used to you alot before handleing them i mean how often can you handle them without stressing them out?