My Tegu wiggling out of control, trying to pick

[PuffsMom1709]

Hey guys!

So once a day, my Tegu does a vitamin soak in the sink. It’s routine for me to go in his tank and grab him from underneath his belly…cupping support. He normally is fine and allows me to pick him up and go to the bathroom. Today he was wiggling out of control from my hand I had to attempt 4 times to transfer him to the sink. Is it one of those things like “don’t bother me today”? Or did I pick him up wrong? I noticed if I carried him with a washcloth underneath..open hands… he calmed down. He’s a sweet tegu, not aggressive but today just didn’t want to be picked up? Anyone have an insight on this? My tegu will be 1yr in August.

 

[Retnoo]

Hard to tell. Perhaps he just had an ache or pain, or was in a bad mood. Can you elaborate on what your vitamin soak entails?

 

[PuffsMom1709]

Calcium liquid supplement and electrolyte powder I put in a small bath water….he sits in it for 20min. He’s on a vitamin and worm diet schedule since gaining a lot of weight a month a ago. He’s active and moving around just fine since placing it on this regime.

 

[Roadkill]

Sorry to say, you're basically throwing away good supplements. Tegus have a very thick integument, the outer layer of which is heavily keratinized with a fair bit of lipid. Meaning: that's a pretty impermeable barrier. Better to put those supplements in the drinking water (yes, the tegu is still likely to bathe in that, slop crap into it, etc. - but if you are literally having a bath just to soak for these supplements...the drinking water is more effective)

 

[Sean32817]

I have come to find that of all of the reptiles I've owned that tegu are the ones most capable of saying "no" to being picked up when they aren't in the mood.

Rex is about 50/50 as to whether or not he'll tolerate being picked up, although he'll usually say no when he's being bad and knows he's going to get returned to his home.

I don't know if you're a fan of Clint's Reptiles on YouTube but even his boy Gus was resisting being held and picked up during his videos, acting up to the point that you could turn "deathroll" into a drinking game.

 

[ColdBlooded1]

I noticed with my baby/juvenille when he is wiggly he has to poop.

 

[PuffsMom1709]

Sorry to say, you're basically throwing away good supplements. Tegus have a very thick integument, the outer layer of which is heavily keratinized with a fair bit of lipid. Meaning: that's a pretty impermeable barrier. Better to put those supplements in the drinking water (yes, the tegu is still likely to bathe in that, slop crap into it, etc. - but if you are literally having a bath just to soak for these supplements...the drinking water is more effective)

Thanks for this feedback! I actually started doing this and I agree makes more sense.

 

[PuffsMom1709]

I noticed with my baby/juvenille when he is wiggly he has to poop.

That may be true because mines pee’d on me as I was attempting to pick him up while wiggling.

 

[ColdBlooded1]

yes i think it is considerate of them not to want to pee and poo on us!