New tegu parents, some important questions

[LizzyB123]

So we're new tegu parents, she is a black & white Argentine and so far she is very friendly and calm. I know eye closing can show signs of different things. She usually closes her eyes when we pet her. I don't know if she is actually content or if we may be stressing her out and moving too fast and overwhelming her. She doesn't really do anything like move her tail or arch her back or anything that would make me think she would be agitated, but sometimes when we first approach her in her enclosure she can be huffy and puffy sometimes until we get her in or laps or on the couch then she stops. She also hasn't really gone to the bathroom since she's been here. We've had her for 4 days now. She had a random spurt one time but it wasn't really much of anything that came out Should we be concerned? If so what can we do or give her anything to help aid digestion? She did get a little snappy today which didn't seem like her. Well I couldn't tell if she wanted to actually bite me or if she was just excited to see me but usually when we see her before letting her come out of the enclosure or before petting her we put our hand out for her to see and smell hoping it gives her some type of reassurance cause she still don't really know us and we want to try to make her as comfortable as possible. But when I came home from work and did it with her she ran at my hand with her mouth open. And then again 2 times after that when I reached back in to pet her

 

[isislima2]

Sometimes they burry their poop in the substrate but if she didn’t poop for 4 days I think it’s concerning. She can be impacted and that’s not good. Lots of water and humidity in the air might help. Add something to her diet that will help with the process like grapes, for example. Giving a warm bath can help as well.
As far as the agressivo reaction there are two things that comes to mind:
1 - they can get very territorial with their enclosure sometimes. Make sure they understand that the enclosure is not exclusive to her. I think throwing things with your smell in there really helps. Stick your hand in there mess with the substrate or sometimes just rest it in there is it’s safe.
2 - if you’re introducing food when you open the cage they might react to your hand thinking it’s food. Target train her, so she’ll stop associating your hand with food.

 

[LizzyB123]

Thank you @isislima2 for the feedback. How do I know if she is burrying it though? Would it be the small clumps of dirt that or would it still look like her feces? And she actually ended up going to the bathroom the night after I had posted the question but her stools were hard. She's not very fond of water I've tried having her sit for a soak to see if it helps but she doesn't go in the tub.

 

[Russ]

I PICK MY BLUE TEGU UP ( LEO ) AND PUT HIM IN THE TUB I HAVE HIM STAY IN THERE 15 TO 20 MIN.THEN I TAKE HIM OUT AND LET HIM WALK AROUND THE BATHROOM FOR A LITTLE BIT

 

[isislima2]

Thank you @isislima2 for the feedback. How do I know if she is burrying it though? Would it be the small clumps of dirt that or would it still look like her feces? And she actually ended up going to the bathroom the night after I had posted the question but her stools were hard. She's not very fond of water I've tried having her sit for a soak to see if it helps but she doesn't go in the tub.

Yeah, maybe add more green leaves and fruits on her diets Grapes are great to loosen the stool.
Baths helps a lot, I’d try that too. Maybe she will eventually get used to it.
Constipation can be dangerous for them so it’s good that you noticed. Hopefully she will get better soon.

 

[Russ]

my tegu is not real fond of fruits & vegetables so i try and hide them in the ground up turkey meat i feed him

 

[Stellalife1]

So we're new tegu parents, she is a black & white Argentine and so far she is very friendly and calm. I know eye closing can show signs of different things. She usually closes her eyes when we pet her. I don't know if she is actually content or if we may be stressing her out and moving too fast and overwhelming her. She doesn't really do anything like move her tail or arch her back or anything that would make me think she would be agitated, but sometimes when we first approach her in her enclosure she can be huffy and puffy sometimes until we get her in or laps or on the couch then she stops. She also hasn't really gone to the bathroom since she's been here. We've had her for 4 days now. She had a random spurt one time but it wasn't really much of anything that came out Should we be concerned? If so what can we do or give her anything to help aid digestion? She did get a little snappy today which didn't seem like her. Well I couldn't tell if she wanted to actually bite me or if she was just excited to see me but usually when we see her before letting her come out of the enclosure or before petting her we put our hand out for her to see and smell hoping it gives her some type of reassurance cause she still don't really know us and we want to try to make her as comfortable as possible. But when I came home from work and did it with her she ran at my hand with her mouth open. And then again 2 times after that when I reached back in to pet her

A young tegu should be fed daily. When I feed my tegu, I always tap on the food dish before I open her enclosure & keep tapping while the enclosure is open & say "Ruby! Wanna eat?! She has gotten used to this ritual. No tapping...no food! Also always wash your hands before opening her enclosure every time. She is either hungry or getting territorial. Put an old well worn t-shirt that you have worn for a few days into her hide!! She will get to know your scent & just go into her enclosure on a daily to move things around. You can give her a good soak in the bathtub with your hand down in the water for her to stand on or to try to climb up. Don't let her climb up! Let her soak for a bout 20 minutes while you are talking to her, this is also a good bonding experience. You are much better off taking the bites when she is young rather than when she is big enough to cause real damage. By leaving her be when she charges you, she is learning that you will leave her alone if she charges you! They are VERY smart & catch on very quickly! I hope this helps you.