Tegu traming/behavior

[cowboys245]

So I've been taming my tegu I just got recently. I was told it had already been tamed however when I'm holding or attempting to hold him he either tries to run and roll or he will sit there and show signs of stress. Because of that I'm starting to tame him as though he has never been tamed before (that's if he ever actually was to begin with). With that being said today was the first day that I just left my hand in the cage and he came up to my hand and investigating. Here's my question. Is there a way to tell if the tegu is just investigating me or if he is doing with an intent to bite? Only reason I ask is because I had moved my hand back after he had been checking me out for a bit and he followed it pretty quickly. After he did that I made my hand into a fist just so he wouldn't bite much he did try (he's only a year or two old). Anyways I was really frightened but just curious. Thanks for any info.

 

[Zack Wilke]

Usually, if a tegu has an intent to bite for defense, he will open his mouth at you as a warning. Not all tegus will do this though..
Taming my B&W, I've found that more times than not, if he follows my hand, its to investigate me. If he follows your hand, he sees it as non-threatening, and is less likely to bite. Sometimes, he may surprise you though, so watch out!
Hope this helps.

 

[Walter1]

Also, a new one, if accusomted to live food and not much handling might make a grab at wiggling fingers but out of hunger not aggression. Starting out with a balled fist is a good move.