Leash Advice

[dragonmetalhead]

This may sound silly, but does anyone have any advice on leash training tegus? Mine has already figured out how to get out of both a nylon iguana leash and a T-Rex lizard harness, although he has a much easier time with the former. I work as the animal curator of a children's museum and my ultimate goal is to be able to take the lizard out for walks to interact with the guests. He is two small to walk on the floor amongst so many people, but he is very sweet and seems to enjoy being handled. The kids love him. Every time I take him out, I put on his harness; this is both with the hopes he will get used to it and so that he can't get away from me. Is this the right way to do it? Thanks for your help.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Continue what you're doing,.. it pretty much takes time for them to get use to it. I have yet to find a harness that will actually stay on mine if they don't want it to. The shape of their body makes it difficult since their neck is either the same size as their chest or bigger. So all they have to do is slide on the ground, tuck their legs against their body and or get it hooked on something then they can wiggle out of it.

But some people have had luck with ferret harnesses,.. that are the same as some dog harnesses just smaller. If a ferret can't get out of it then,.. it should definitely work for a tegu.

 

[Toby_H]

I have the cutest hot pink dog harness that I sometimes put on my Tegu. He HATED at first, but has grown accustomed to it to an extent...

As your Tegu grows and fills out, it will likely be much easier to find a harness that will stay on. Also as your Tegu grows he will be much safer wondering on the ground amongst a group. There is something about a 10+ lb lizard that commands the attention of a room.

For me the hardest part was getting him to surrender control to the leash. That day has still not come for me. No matter what I do with the leash my Tegu resists it. Though I have learned that when I want him to go right, I can pull left, and he turns right to resist the leash.

But all in all, for me the leash was only to make the shop owners feel a bit more comfortable until they learned just how docile my Tegu is. Now that they know us, I don't use it at all. I'm also perfectly comfortable taking my Tegu to parks and letting him free roam outdoors without any leash. It took a good bit of work to get to this point and I'm sure that my Tegu living outside half of the year has a huge influence on how well he does outdoors.

 

[Kebechet]

When I first started leash training Link, I had the same problem. I looked around for someone who makes custom dog harnesses, and found this seller- http://www.cozypetz.com/

I was able to get them to make a custom harness for me, with the understanding that it was for a lizard. I just had to give her the dimensions. The vest/harnesses she makes have very strong velcro straps, so you can adjust for tightness around the neck and the belly. Link hit a huge growth spurt soon after I got one, so it only lasted a few months, but her prices for a custom harness are extremely affordable, and she had one made for me within 24 hours of requesting it, so I can't recommend her enough.

Depending on the size of your lizard, you might also be able to get a small puppy harness. I've got Link wearing one of those now when we go on walks. One thing I've discovered is that they are much more comfortable to walk along next to a wall. I think it makes them feel secure, and less exposed. Whenever I take Link for a walk in town, he's always walking with one side a few inches from the side of a building, and is pretty keen to amble along for a bit and take frequent breaks to rest and bask in the sun. We've walked over a mile together like this on a good sunny day.

If you figure out what makes your tegu feel comfortable and safe while on leash, just work with that, and then work with correcting for avoidance of things like interesting holes in the wall, and doorways once you've established the basics

 

[jerobi2k]

I only keep my gU on a leash when we are outside and I want him to be able to walk around freely, I use it as more of a tool incase he gets to far ahead of my I have something to grab a hold of. when hes with me for the day, shopping, work, going to friends or family he normaly isnt on his leash but I always keep it around just incase.

 

[james.w]

I just started working with mine on a leash. I use a ferret harness from petsmart and he hasn't gotten out if it yet.