Hello All!!

[DiamondCreek]

Hello all! I'm new to Tegus, but not reptiles in general. I got my first Tegu, a Colombian B&W over the weekend. I look forward to interacting with, and learning from all the more experienced people here. The site came highly recommended.

 

[Moondust]

Hello!^^ Welcome to tegutalk! When I joined back in october (this is a new account) everyone was extremely helpful and nice! Cute pic, good luck with your new tegu ^^.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Welcome to the site,.. thanks for coming and congratulations on the new cutie . I hope it doesn't give you too much of a hard time.

To answer your question from the other site,.. everyone's different and prefers different methods but I feed mine in his enclosure for now. I use Coco fiber because its one less reason for a possible impaction,.. especially at his size. As he gets use to being handled and older I'll fed him outside of it.

Depending on your Colombians temperament you could do it either way. It doesn't take much for them to spaz which could be more of a set back than other tegus.

 

[DiamondCreek]

When you say "spaz", is this the "180 degree spin" I hear others talk about? Will a Tegu tail-whip like an Iguana or a Uromastyx? How bad is a bite from an adult Colombian B&W? I know they are smaller than the Argentine variety, so I'm assuming the bite is proportionally less dangerous.

I've gotten some good advice elsewhere about hook training tegus in much the same way you do large constrictors to signal that handling, not feeding is about to happen. I have a Boa in the 8ft range and a Burmese Python that is over 9 feet now, so I do have experience with larger animals that have mood swings and the "food crazies".

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

When people say spaz it usually means to flip out,.. where they're running all over the place and into things trying to get away from you. When you're holding them they constantly try to roll, tail whip, wiggle, bite or what ever to get you to put them down.

It's pretty much what you don't want to happen but still happens on occasion especially with younger tegus. Yes they do tail whip and I've never been bitten by any adult tegu (fingers crossed) to know what that would be like Colombian or not. Hopefully by that time you have worked with them long enough to have that trust between you and know what things may or may not cause them to bite.

The body language and signals are always there,.. you just have to learn what they are. Tegus are pretty smart,.. I don't see a need for hook training. As long as you don't hand feed them in the beginning while they are young, they learn pretty quickly that your hands are not food.

 

[DiamondCreek]

Yeah, I know what "to spaz out means". "Spaz" usually denotes the outburst is also sudden and perhaps unexpected. I've heard some folks talk about an otherwise docile tegu that does a "180" and becomes aggressive or fearful/aggressive. I kinda figured in might be the same thing.

The hook is also important in not spooking an animal that may be sleeping or otherwise not paying attention. I realize Tegus have eyelids, unlike snakes, so at least you can see if their eyes are open or not. The hook also allows a "mood test" from a safe distance.

 

[Strange_Evil]

Hey,nice Colombian. Welcome to the forum.

 

[james.w]

Nice to see you join the site. Lots of good information here.