Tegu first time hissing

[MasterFirbolg]

Hello I am new! I have had my 2 1/2 yr old tegu since February after he was surrendered to the pet store I work at. He's been perfect in terms of temperament and handling but recently he's been sleeping a lot more than usual. He's only been out for maybe 1-3 hours every now and the. But he hasn't come out of hiding almost all week so today I woke him up and fed him, he was acting fine till I had walked away for a few minutes and came back he raised his back a bit and hissed when I reached down to pat him. He has hasn't done much more than that aside from acting a little defensive when I get close, but I'd like some input on what could be going on and if there's any thing I could do or should stop doing.

 

[jrdr374]

He might be starting to brumate. I've owned my girl for as long as you've owned yours, so I haven't had any experience with this yet, and mine is showing no signs of slowing down. Hopefully someone with more experience can provide some insight.

 

[OutdoorsChick]

Hi, your baby is starting the process of Brumation it sounds like, start cutting back little by little on foods, I mean let him eat what he can, but you don't want him going down on a full tummy. The behavior is absolutely normal also, you might want to try some loving "force cuddles," because you don't want to encourage the bad behavior, but you also need to respect his space. I have one of the sweetest babes and I still get hissed at. They can just be cranky a holes lol

 

[rebel00soul]

Hi there! I’ve only had my 9mo boy Salamence for 2mo now, but from what I’ve looked into I believe mine and yours are starting the brumating process. I agree with the other comment about “forced cuddle” time as a means to not encourage bad behavior, because sometimes they’re acting like a child and throwing a tantrum, but also learning to respect their space. I was advised about placing something with my scent inside the enclosure. So I cut up a used shirt and placed it throughout his enclosure including his hides. At first when I brought him home he’d run into his hide when I’d walk into my room, but now if he’s basking he’ll open his eyes with a look like “oh it’s you” and closes them again. If his head is hanging out of his hide he’ll let me rub his head now until he’s had enough and then bounces my hand away. Another thing I learned from reading another thread here from someone else’s experience was that sudden/rapid movement while approaching them can spook them and make them get defensive. Someone also pointed out that in the wild they are predators as well as prey so they aren’t exactly found of being picked up from above. So I usually move in slow and talk to him and will either scoop him up from underneath or keep my hand palm down and hover over him slowly while talking and rub his head and jowls until he starts closing his eyes and then pick him up gently. That made me think well I’d panicked too if a giant hand just opened the top of my home and started grabbing for me lol. They’re awesome guys and gals and honestly even if you just try for 15mins a day to have a positive interaction with him it’ll go a long way and he’ll start trusting you note little by little. Hope this helps, and there are others threads too you can check out from others posted here! I found it helpful to read through them and the comments to get an idea of other’s experiences.

 

[Sean32817]

Rex actually "burps" at me when he's agitated - hissing is his happy sound.