Tegu trying to bite me now

[Catnlion]

Why feed live when F/T is so easy to get? It seem like you are putting your pet at risk of being bites from the prey animal.

 

[Walter1]

Why not frozen/thaweds?

 

[AlphaAlpha]

I was planning on feeding my tegu live rodents what would I do if she keeps lunging at em then?

How do you mean?
If you're feeding live, your tegu will need to lunge / hunt unless you plan on holding the live rodent which puts your tegu (which would already be in danger feeding live) and yourself in danger of being bitten.

 

[Leezard]

For potty training we use two methods, one of letting him out on hard wood floors and rewarding him with food after he's pooped or peed on the hard wood floor OR we rely on the bathtub of water we keep in his cage that gets warm and encourages him to poop there. Major downside of the in cage bathtub is that he will drink the poop/pee water instead of his fresh cold water and it's disgusting and likely not good for him so you have to be adamant about cleaning it out every time he goes. Our buddy is over 2 years old and 2 inches below 4 ft long

 

[Debita]

For me, their obvious love of thawed dead mice is a gigantic benefit for us as owners. Why mess with that? We're all domesticating them by keeping them, and that particular tool (feeding F/T rodents) is something that contributes to that effort. It's not like we're castrating them.......but to omit the raw wild need to lunge, jump and devour quickly has been proven by most owners to be beneficial. Mostly, it keeps the owners safer. Less accidents with baaaaaad bites. No brainer for me.

 

[Ackermans Exotics]

I would recommend frozen/thawed food for captive reptiles because this would avoid potential serious problems as live prey such as rodents are quite willing to defend themselves against predators. Defensive wounds to captive animals inflicted by intended live prey are often require expensive and prolonged care.

 

[Walter1]

Mice comprise the bulk of my tegus' diet. Although essentially full grown, they eat medium-sized mice for two reasons. First, big/old female mice can be low in calcium. Two, many small meals easier to digest than fewer large meals. Only frozen/thawed.

Same goes with my ratsnakes except that they're often tong-fed so I can simulate a struggle. It provides some enrichment for these constrictors.

 

[Keiko_Blue]

My tegu has gotten very bitey these past two weeks. I’m going to try the feeding tactic y’all suggested, but he now charges and bites my feet whenever he is free roaming in my room. It really sucks because I feel helpless.. I’m not sure how to go about this.

 

[Walter1]

He's associating you with food.Tell him NO, and don't feed him until he moves away.

 

[Debita]

Walter1 taught me to yell no! at my male Tegu 2 years ago. I was less than hopeful because I thought - well, it's a lizard - but it worked. Last week, my Skully tried the death roll on me while I was holding him (he's shedding, and he'd had enough of me). I yelled no! at him and he remembers the command and my body language. I hung on to him until he calmed (few seconds)...then put him down after he gave up trying to get his way.

Not easy, but the yell clearly means something to him, and he KNOWS the energy he's spending is going nowhere.
There's a reason Walter1 is a moderator.

 

[Keiko_Blue]

Okay I’ll definitely try saying NO! He has tried to bite me even when not feeding, just him basking in my room and he lunges and bites me when I pass by. I put him in his enclosure once he does this, but I don’t want him to associate the enclosure with negativity. Is there any other tips on how to show him discipline other than vocalizing it?

 

[Lochlan]

How big is he?

 

[Mich lady]

I was planning on feeding my tegu live rodents what would I do if she keeps lunging at em then?

Dont feed live. Mouse or rat can injure your tegu. Frozen thawed is the way to go imo

 

[Debita]

I think you're doing it... the next thing after the loud command is to not reward.

I've experienced the biting and lunging your talking about. It happened when I put my male into a different environment that he liked. I thought he'd enjoy a day out and he loved it. Then he decided that he didn't want it taken away. He acted like an alligator being filmed on National Geographic.

So - he liked it so much, he didn't want it taken away. I think your guy thinks he owns that corner of the room and doesn't want you to come and try to claim his space. If it were me, I'd let him cool way down (turn off basking lamp) and only feed him thawed mice, etc (Mich lady is right) in his enclosure. That way he won't associate the enclosure with anything negative.

My female - who never gets aggressive - also displayed this same behavior when I took her out one day and she loved being on a shelf under some of my plants. Every time I walked by she hissed and raised her back. Then she got cold and relented. Hope it helps!

 

[Keiko_Blue]

Thank you Debita! I’ll definitely try the cooling down method. Lately I’ve been putting him on a routine and so far he hasn’t shown his aggression in a few days. I’m hopeful!! Thank you everyone for the help!!

 

[Debita]

Yep - he'll prob adapt if you do nothing! lol