Tegu taming process

[TheWonderer]

Hi everyone,

My tegu is nearing 32" and he's eating well plus he's active. I am now trying to tame him a bit since hibernation meant he was hiding and I didn't want to disturb him too much (I did once a month to check on him). In the past, if I was even remotely close to him, he would run in the opposite direction. I recently tried to pet him while he was out and he sat there. However, he shook his tail and turned his head at my hand but didn't seem to actively try to bite. In attempt to treat him with kindness, I touched his back gently but he arched and after a while huffed at me. He point his head again at me which led me to believe it was time to stop. I tried to hold there for a moment so I could see if he would snap. He didn't and I feel that he probably won't since he had every opportunity to do so... It's a step up from only getting him out when he is hiding.

Also, the temperature is better with 95-105 on one side and 85 on the other. I mention it because I know temperature imbalance can make them a bit uncomfortable so hard to tame. I also placed my worn shirt in his enclosure so he can get a feel for my scent (I wore it that day). I think this helped... I found him laying on it.

Good:
-He's not snapping or attacking
-Let's me pet him
-Closes his eyes in what seems enjoyment
-Tail wags only if he is basking
-Sits still for a moment

Bad:
-He stops whenever he sees me -- scared
-Definitely doesn't enjoy my touch (he's allows it)
-Sessions last for no longer than a minute or two


Questions:
What else can I do going forward?

If he ever bites, will this continue and what should I do?

Turn his head towards my hand as he moves away, is this aggressive? He is wagging his tail a bit but stops

How often can I work with him?

Is the shirt scent an ok idea or is it invasion of safe space? I put it near his basking spot.

Should I give him a bath and let him come to me?

 

[TheWonderer]

Anyone willing to give me some pointers?

 

[TheWonderer]

If this is in the wrong area (it is I think), would an admin move it over for me?

 

[Walter1]

Hi everyone,

My tegu is nearing 32" and he's eating well plus he's active. I am now trying to tame him a bit since hibernation meant he was hiding and I didn't want to disturb him too much (I did once a month to check on him). In the past, if I was even remotely close to him, he would run in the opposite direction. I recently tried to pet him while he was out and he sat there. However, he shook his tail and turned his head at my hand but didn't seem to actively try to bite. In attempt to treat him with kindness, I touched his back gently but he arched and after a while huffed at me. He point his head again at me which led me to believe it was time to stop. I tried to hold there for a moment so I could see if he would snap. He didn't and I feel that he probably won't since he had every opportunity to do so... It's a step up from only getting him out when he is hiding.

Also, the temperature is better with 95-105 on one side and 85 on the other. I mention it because I know temperature imbalance can make them a bit uncomfortable so hard to tame. I also placed my worn shirt in his enclosure so he can get a feel for my scent (I wore it that day). I think this helped... I found him laying on it.

Good:
-He's not snapping or attacking
-Let's me pet him
-Closes his eyes in what seems enjoyment
-Tail wags only if he is basking
-Sits still for a moment

Bad:
-He stops whenever he sees me -- scared
-Definitely doesn't enjoy my touch (he's allows it)
-Sessions last for no longer than a minute or two


Questions:
What else can I do going forward?

If he ever bites, will this continue and what should I do?

Turn his head towards my hand as he moves away, is this aggressive? He is wagging his tail a bit but stops

How often can I work with him?

Is the shirt scent an ok idea or is it invasion of safe space? I put it near his basking spot.



He needs more familiarity with you. They are moody and sometimes really do need to be left alone. Even the very tame ones get figdgity once they warm up a lot.

Keep a squirt bottle with water nearby. He bites, yell "NO!!!" and squirt him in the face with the water.

Don't always touch him when you are working in his enclosure. Pet him especially around the head, neck, and shoulders. Don't ever pick him up with a grab from above. Always underneath from the sides. Pick him up, put him down.

A scented/worn shirt is excellent for familiarizing him with you.

Aggressive is arching the back with or without hissing.

Don't be afraid of him. they may be affectionate or aloof or sometimes both, but either way they trend toward gentle and you must be assertive.







Should I give him a bath and let him come to me?

 

[TheWonderer]

Thank you. It seems that he is gentle by nature if maybe a little scared. I'm grateful he's eating well now and growing.

Are you kidding on the spray bottle? I feel like he won't understand!

I'll do the shirt trick more often. At least he's not attacking my shirt.

 

[Walter1]

Thank you. It seems that he is gentle by nature if maybe a little scared. I'm grateful he's eating well now and growing.

Are you kidding on the spray bottle? I feel like he won't understand!

I'll do the shirt trick more often. At least he's not attacking my shirt.

You're welcome. No sudden movements. He needs to get used to you. A daily presence. Part of his daily routine. Leave the shirt in for days, then replace with another. Do this for a few weeks.

Not kidding about the spray bottle.

 

[TheWonderer]

As we speak, he's on me. He did his arched back thing and I just slid my hand under him and picked him up. He climbed on my head first thing and started to lick my hair. I know he's supposed to come down but he won't let go of me and all he wants to do is mess with my hair which currently looks terrible but he's so happy I will let him do his thing.

 

[Walter1]

As we speak, he's on me. He did his arched back thing and I just slid my hand under him and picked him up. He climbed on my head first thing and started to lick my hair. I know he's supposed to come down but he won't let go of me and all he wants to do is mess with my hair which currently looks terrible but he's so happy I will let him do his thing.

Nice going.

 

[beantickler]

Now that he somewhat trusts you the bonding can begin. Try to accomplish this on a daily basis and he will love you in no time...

 

[TheWonderer]

Update:

He and I are certainly bonding. He's becoming quite better about just sitting around with me. We played in the bath tube a bit where he licked my feet most of the time. He is getting a little overzealous with his time on my shoulder and almost fell twice. He has a nasty habit of wanting to spend time on my head. He's a terrestrial animal but he apparently wants to be arboreal. I let him sniff my hair and make a mess up there (no pooping though!). Yesterday, he refused to go back in his enclosure after an hour of play time. He's definitely getting better. I'm trying to work on nap time but he always licks my feet. He's about 28" now so when he gets a bit bigger and more comfortable I'll let him roam around.

 

[dpjm]

For animal training we mostly use operant conditioning, which uses reinforcing or punishing stimuli to increase or decrease behavior. Good behavior can be immediately followed by a stimulus that the animal likes (called a positive reinforcer), which increases that behavior. Bad behavior can be immediately followed by a stimulus that the animal doesn't like (called a positive punisher), which decreases that behavior. In this case "positive" refers to the addition of a stimulus. Instead of presenting stimuli, the trainer can remove a stimulus. Removing a stimulus that increases behavior is called negative reinforcement and removing a stimulus that decreases behavior is called a negative punishment. "Negative" refers to the removal of a stimulus.

This is the basis of animal training, at least for behavior modification (developing new behaviors is a bit more work). Positive reinforcement/punishment (presenting stimuli) is the more commonly used form.

If used properly, the spray bottle of water is a good stimulus for positive punishment. It is good because you can administer it quickly and it is immediately unpleasant, but doesn't cause any harm or long-term stress.