Tegu Affection?

[Aardbark]

Ive had Godzilla for about 4 months now. She is a great lizard, and growing fast. She tolerates me picking her up, but she really doesnt like being touched by me. Espesualy being pet, it makes her nervous.

I was just wonering when I could expect her to start showing some affection. Is it because she is still young, or am I doing something wrong with her. I have ocasionaly scared her while she was in her hide, while I was cleaning her cage with her inside, or changeing her water. I handle her every day. In fact she spends more time on my bed then in her cage. I let her sleep there with me. She will go up againt my leg or something, but I think thats for warmth. Im gentle and try to make sure she is happy. But she has never shown any intrest in me, just tolarance. If I place her on my lap or something, she will always crawl away. Its only when she has something covering her, like a blanket or a pillow that she stays still. I have also let her free roam my liveing room, to let her explore.


When did your tegus generaly start showing affection? And what did you do to get it?

 

[slideaboot]

I've found that the best way to establish tegu trust is to allow them to come to you. It takes A LOT longer than simply going in and grabbing them, but the reward is A LOT bigger. Let your tegu come to you...he'll soon CRAVE your attention if you do. When you simply grab him, he has ZERO say in the matter and is only in your presence because you're bigger than him and he has little choice. Give him choice, and you'll wind up with an amazing relationship.

 

[Aardbark]

I try not to just grab her. I scoop her up from underneath and support her legs. She doesnt run from me, so I dont think she thinks of me as a preditor. Its hard to let her come to me however, espesualy recently. She doesnt like her cage. (Im in the process of getting a much bigger one) But for right now, she jumps and tries to get out of her cage, when I put her in there. So I have to scoop her out.

 

[Strange_Evil]

I rarley ever handle my tegu, but i do spend plenty of time with him. I would lead him out the cage and on to my hand with food offered from tongs, first few temps this really didn't work he'd just jump grab the food and move back. After much effort it paid off, he will now crawl onto my hand and let me pull him it. From there we go to the bathroom where i'd let him just roam around and i'd read or get on my lap top, he often just climbs on me and on my head or on my lap top.

Its best to let your tegu make the moves and you follow. Be patience, work around the cage and let her make the first move towards you. It will take time, but like said it pays off.

 

[Piercedcub32]

I never pick my tegu up from the enclosure, I lay my hand down and if he climbs up my arm he wants to come out, if he doesn't I try later or the next day. My guy has been amazing from day one though, so I think I had it pretty easy. Our daily routine is I let him on my arm, I mist his cage, he goes to the feeding bin, then we go to the computer desk which is about 5 feet long with drawers and shelves, he has free roam of it, has his favorite spot etc. Everytime he passes from one side to the other he always stops by and gets on the keyboard and lays on my hand for a minute. When he is done, he climbs up my arm and sleeps on my shoulder. The place I have my problem, is getting him back in the enclosure! He hates going back in, but settles down soon after. I would say just don't ever force anything. never grasp too hard. From the first day i got mine, I started rubbing his cheek with my finger. Now it puts him to sleep, that and massaging the back of his neck.

 

[j.sawyer48]

ever sense I got my lil red gu he's been very tame but getting him out the enclosure was a pain for awhile until he just started to climb onto my hand I'd just leave my hand in there and he would slowly walk up check me out then move on for a bit then come bak and sit in my hand now he just climbs up and I take him out I usually take him on my bed and he sleeps on my chest for hrs while I pet him and if he wants to free roam I just put him down and lett him do his thing but sense he is still small gatta keep an eye on em but that's how I got my lil gu tame

 

[kellen.watkins]

I've been going thru the same motions putting my hand in the tank till they get curiuos then take them out and let them roam sometimes its a pain to get them back in, I enjoy just having them out of the tank though curious lil buggers lol

 

[Aardbark]

I do like to let her wander around my liveing room. There she has a lot of space to explore. The only bad part about that, is she likes going under the coffee table. Its hard to get her out of there. I worry about her getting to cold, because she doesnt come out.

I have tried the hand in the cage thing, but she ignores me. I have left it in there for hours, untill I cant feel my hand anymore due to my circulation being cut off. Its not exactly easy to just let my hand rest in there. Though, she has used my arm to crawl out of her feeding bin before.

I do wonder what she thinks of me. As I said, she does tolerate me. I can pick her up just fine, she doesnt struggle at all. When I place her down on my lap, she just looks at me for a moment, and then crawls away. If I put a blanket over her though, she will stay put and just get comfy and go to sleep. So maybe its just that she likes being coverd or burried? Maybe I need to build some kind of ramp, from her cage to the floor, so she can have the freedom to come and go as she pleases. Is that a good idea?

Its also kinda funny, she does recognize me by sight. I can tell because whenever she sees my roomate, she has that same caucious alert fear when she first saw me. Now she looks at me with a kind of, "Meh, its that guy again" attitude.

Im probably worried over nothing and just need to be more patient. She is my first reptile, so Im just not used to how they act, and I dont know the signals to look for.

 

[j.sawyer48]

it does take time and the bigger they get the tamer as long as you interact with her which you are doing and that's great I'm sure she will come around it took me like 3 months for tegu trust and now he's chillen like a villen

 

[Aardbark]

Ive had her for 4 months now, but still no affection. She is very tolarant however.

 

[kellen.watkins]

My extreme is like your red she's tolerant, my hybrid is a skittish dartsy spaz though lol he looks at me like feed me and leave me alone lol I've only had him for 2 months though and my extreme for 3 months

 

[Aardbark]

I guess maybe its just her prefrance. She just deosnt like to be pet or to sit in laps yet. I laugh because as I write this, she is sleeping on my foot. Under the covers of course.

 

[ztachick127]

i am having the same exact problem, my red i have had for about 5 months and he doesnt mind me picking him up but he tends to kinda like being pet or he puffs up at me but has never tried to bite me or anything, so i just keep petting him. He has never came to me which idk what i should do to have him try to come to me. whole training this is new to me. right now i usually put a shirt down next to me for him to climb in while i watch tv or something.

 

[Aardbark]

I dont know if it will help, but I let mine crawl into my pillowcase, and then I pick up the pillow and set it on my lap. She is then on my lap with the pillow on top of her. That way she is coverd, which she likes, and she stays toasty warm.

 

[Sirhc401]

I just made great progress with Odin today actually. He is about 4 months and now he is always out and about. He actually tolerated and seemed to enjoy me petting his head today and he climbed up on my arm to go get food, but jeez he wants my full arm and I have to clip his nails before I become shreded. He is okay with being on my arm but not my hand, he wants complete support if every part of his body, which can be a pain...... Here is what I want to know!!!! What do yOu guys all mean by Freeroam? You let your baby tegu walk around at will? I can't ever do that with mine. He needs a leash, cause when he starts to go hide where we can't get him we have to stop him and if we get close he starts moving faster.

 

[slideaboot]

You guys need to be careful using food to lure your tegus...it's a potentially dangerous practice that could eventually backfire. You, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, want your tegu to associate you with food. Your cute little tegu will be capable of WRECKING SHOP on you in a matter of months--be careful.

 

[Sirhc401]

I agree with that one. You should always bring your tegu to the food not bring the food to your tegu, you don't want him to know your hand as a sign of food. :/