Need Help with Taming my Baby Tegu (Super Aggressive)

[Rex Taylor]

Ok, so my Tegu is still a baby, which i feel does factor into this, but I need help with taming. He is incredibly aggressive toward me when i even get near him. Even if my hand is in the cage, but not near him, he gets defensive, and at some points he has attacked my hands before, even at one point going out of his way to jump at my hand when I was simply putting water into his dish, which was on the other side of the cage. IDK if the aggression is coming from something i am doing wrong or what, but I need advise to calm him down and allow me to be able to handle and tame him. Any and all advise is appreciated.
IDK if it helps anything but when he gets defensive he breaths really hard and moves his tail like hes getting ready to whip it around. He also has bitten me about four times now...hes i believe about a month and a half old if that also helps anything.
EDIT: So, when I am near the cage at all, he begins to attack the glass to try to bite me...He is in my room at all times with me, so he sees me often. Whenever I interact with him, the first thing he does is jump up to bite my hand, then walks off. If i try to touch him he either tailwhips me, runs, or bites. I really need help getting this figured out, whether he's just a mean one, or if I'm doing something wrong here.

 

[Rex Taylor]

Also one thing I forgot is that i do have a video i made of him that does show the aggression i have been dealing with whenever im near him, if that helps ill put it up here to show a bit more clarification of the behavior

 

[Walter1]

Also one thing I forgot is that i do have a video i made of him that does show the aggression i have been dealing with whenever im near him, if that helps ill put it up here to show a bit more clarification of the behavior

Pleas do. Also a photo if you can. Wondering if it is a Colombian Tegu, T. teguixin.

 

[Rex Taylor]

Pleas do. Also a photo if you can. Wondering if it is a Colombian Tegu, T. teguixin.

Ok so here are the pictures I have of him (one of these is the most recent, the other two were from a few weeks ago, so the size will be different.)

 

[Walter1]

Hopefully, others will chime in on species. This looks like a very well-fed and healthy Colombian Tegu. Sometimes they are called Colombian Black and White Tegu or Colombian Golden Tegu. disreputable dealers will call them Black and White Tegus to charge a high price to unsuspecting buyers thinking that it is an Argentine Black and White Tegu (Tupinambis merianae). Still, Tupinambis teguixin. That your tegu hasn't been quick to tame down could be explained by this.

 

[Rex Taylor]

Hopefully, others will chime in on species. This looks like a very well-fed and healthy Colombian Tegu. Sometimes they are called Colombian Black and White Tegu or Colombian Golden Tegu. disreputable dealers will call them Black and White Tegus to charge a high price to unsuspecting buyers thinking that it is an Argentine Black and White Tegu (Tupinambis merianae). Still, Tupinambis teguixin. That your tegu hasn't been quick to tame down could be explained by this.

so, whats the best way to tame himand get tht agression out

 

[Walter1]

so, whats the best way to tame himand get tht agression out

That, I do not know.

 

[Rex Taylor]

That, I do not know.

I think judging by your knowledge, you have tegus of your own, what did u do to tame them?

 

[Mombo]

I think taming for an argentine and Colombian are different. From what I've read though it's all about just getting in there and handling it for short periods at a time and then slowly getting longer.

Someone mentioned wearing a cheap shirt for a while and then putting it in the enclosure with it so it gets used to you smell I think. Who knows if that's actually a proven strategy.

I just got an argentine baby from tegusonly which is wild caught and he seems super chill already. So the Colombians might just be more difficult to start with.

I'm sure with patience he is going to turn into a big ol sweetheart haha.

 

[Rex Taylor]

I think taming for an argentine and Colombian are different. From what I've read though it's all about just getting in there and handling it for short periods at a time and then slowly getting longer.

Someone mentioned wearing a cheap shirt for a while and then putting it in the enclosure with it so it gets used to you smell I think. Who knows if that's actually a proven strategy.

I just got an argentine baby from tegusonly which is wild caught and he seems super chill already. So the Colombians might just be more difficult to start with.

I'm sure with patience he is going to turn into a big ol sweetheart haha.

I really hope so

 

[Walter1]

Good advice from Mombo. Difficulty is that Colombian Tegus, for many people, are very difficult to tame down. Argentines generally start off tame, or need a few weeks to figure it all out.

CTs generally start off HIGHLY defensive and not so many people can tame them. Keep them as displays.

A few members of this forum, names I forget right off, keep them and are successful and happy with them.

 

[Rex Taylor]

Good advice from Mombo. Difficulty is that Colombian Tegus, for many people, are very difficult to tame down. Argentines generally start off tame, or need a few weeks to figure it all out.

CTs generally start off HIGHLY defensive and not so many people can tame them. Keep them as displays.

A few members of this forum, names I forget right off, keep them and are successful and happy with them.

So i guess my next question is, do you think i can tame him, or no.

 

[Walter1]

So i guess my next question is, do you think i can tame him, or no.

I feel like a let down here. I don't know. Maybe 90% just don't know the trick, or maybe some majority of them don't tame. I don't know.

Regardless, odds, for what they're worth, are against you.

 

[Rex Taylor]

I feel like a let down here. I don't know. Maybe 90% just don't know the trick, or maybe some majority of them don't tame. I don't know.

Regardless, odds, for what they're worth, are against you.

I have to try at least, ill post if anything notable changes in his behavior

 

[Mombo]

Good luck! I didn't know they could be that difficult. I hope you make some progress with it in the future. The good thing is that atleast you got it extremely young. Maybe that will give you a better chance.

 

[Walter1]

Good luck! I didn't know they could be that difficult. I hope you make some progress with it in the future. The good thing is that atleast you got it extremely young. Maybe that will give you a better chance.

Yes.

 

[Rex Taylor]

Most my experience is in snakes but the dirty shirt in the hide is usually helpful because they associate your smell with safety. I do it with most of my new animals unless they are extremely tame already. That should calm it down enough to let you reach in but you'll still have to build more trust for handling. Try taking her in the bath or secure room it could be territorial or cage agression

Will a sock work? The cave he is in i dont think has enough room for a shirt

 

[Rex Taylor]

It should just not too dirty haha

Lol, ok, i put one in there. Hopefully this works. Hes still a bit mad at me for yesterday, I had to clean his cage and soak him in the bath (he got pretty dirty recently). So it was a bit harder to get the sock into his den.

 

[cab5392]

I would need a close up picture of his nose to be sure, but I do believe he is an argentine tegu. He could just be a bit sassy and should tame down if handled properly/regularly.

http://tegusfromaroundtheworld.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/2/6/19266971/3811116_orig.jpg

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/compare_arg.jpg

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/compare_col.jpg

 

[Rex Taylor]

I would need a close up picture of his nose to be sure, but I do believe he is an argentine tegu. He could just be a bit sassy and should tame down if handled properly/regularly.

http://tegusfromaroundtheworld.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/2/6/19266971/3811116_orig.jpg

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/compare_arg.jpg

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/compare_col.jpg

ill try to get a picture of his face and post it