multiple personalities?

[wyattroa]

well like it say.. i think my tegu has multiple personalities. Right when i got her she never really took to me. most of the time when i let her run around in the bathroom with me, she want nothing to do with me. she will eventually come to me to warm up from the cool floor. i can pet her in her cage and pick her up in it without any issues. She just hates to be held at all. Ill let her sit up on my shoulder but once i go to sit on the ground she is gone. In the bathroom she will let me pet her as she walks by and pick her up.. but soon after she is gone again. Today was a day she hated being by me..lol... yesterday she loved me and layed in my arms for a good 50 minutes getting her neck rubbed. She has only once tried to bite me.. but that from the smell of food on my hand...

most of the time when i put my hand in the cage she will wiggle her tail.. i just rest my hand in there and then she calms down and lets me pet her.

Every time i have taken her into my office or let her loose in her room she roams around the entire time.. never comes by me. We can be in the from 1-3 hours. Then when i go to pick her up to bring her back to her cage she always flips out. Not sure why. anyone else having issues? I spend atleast 2 hours with her5-6 days a week.

robert

 

[RehabRalphy]

You have to be very slow with the taming process. I brought home 2 tegus the other day from Bobby. The red is very tame, not timid. The All American is a little bastard though. It takes a lot of time taming tegus.

most of the time when i put my hand in the cage she will wiggle her tail.. i just rest my hand in there and then she calms down and lets me pet her.

The wiggle of the tail represents aggression. It doesnt want you close to the tegu. You do a great job at waiting until the tegu calms down. This method works best!

Heres my game plan:

At the moment, I spend 5 minutes with laying my hand in the cage about 6" from the tegu. Let the tegu sniff you, and walk on if desired. Do not force a pick up. Just do that for 5 minutes, then take your hand out. Come back later in an hour, do it again.

This basically allows the tegu to realize your not a threat. If you go in the cage and force them to be held, it will ruin ALL the trust you gain.

Once the tegu lets you hold it inside the cage, the next step is to bring it outside the cage.

You have to follow these steps in order. You cannot force your tegu out of its cage and expect the tegu to be happy. Ya they'll have different temperaments inside/outside of the cage. I made so much success yesterday with this blue tegu, but ruin it today. I could hold this tegu outside the cage yesterday and it wouldn't struggle. Today is a new day though, he doesn't want to be messed with. I just have to start over until it learns.

What I'm saying isn't suppose to be taken negatively. Its simply my plan on how I tame tegus. Everyone does it a little different, so read all you can about Taming The Beast.

Take care.

 

[wyattroa]

i do take my time with her. she doesn't always wiggle her tail...I think she is just so content with her cage. when i walk into the room with her on my shoulder her eyes go right to her cage.. i drop my hand in the cage and she walks off it slowly.. she never runs into the hide.
robert

 

[Jefroka]

Robert, how big/old is your tegu?


...Jefroka

 

[wyattroa]

Robert, how big/old is your tegu?


...Jefroka

i got her from bobby on the 13th of july. She is right at 21-22 inches.. cant tell wont straighten herself out..lol...i take my time with her.. ..i sit and read next to the cage. rest my hand in there. pet her for a few minutes before picking her up.. she has no issue with me picking her up from inside the cage. She has come along though.. at first she would run like a crazy person. just rests under the light..lol
robert