The great escape

[Quartzyellowjacket]

So after I feed Baragon his meal I left for about an hour then came back to handle him. everything was normal, I was holding him and petting him. When suddenly he bolts up my arm and climbs onto my back, from there he jumped onto a mini fridge and climbed to the ground. I was worried, but I found him and he climbed back onto my hand as if saying "I want to go home now" so after that everything was normal. fast forward 3 hours I go and handle him again, but this time he's coughing. He coughs about four times then stops, should I be worried about this? He isn't coughing anymore, I guess i'll have to see.

 

[Dana C]

Gordo is like that. If I leave him in the bathroom alone, when I walk back in he acts like a kid who lost sight of his dad in the play area at a mall. He rushes to me.
The good and bad of it is that I take him out so he can get some exercise but he makes a couple of exploration rounds and returns to me and climbs into my lap. I feel honored that a large lizard would rather be with me than on his own but it really isn't doing any good for his exercise level.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

What do you mean by coughing? Are you talking about the huffing noise tegus make?

 

[tommyboy]

What do you mean by coughing? Are you talking about the huffing noise tegus make?

I was thinking the same thing. Can't say I've ever heard of a tegu coughing.

 

[laurarfl]

Especially if it is a teguixin, they have a tendency to "huff" more than the Argentines.

 

[m3s4]

Especially if it is a teguixin, they have a tendency to "huff" more than the Argentines.

Yes they do.

Sounds like he was a little grumpy with you or the situation that happened when he became spooked.

If his mouth is closed when he's making noises, that's a huff. They forcefully exhale through the snout and it makes a little huff.

It's very distinguishable and actually quite comical when you realize just how often they do it and actually why they do it.

It's one of my favorite things about colombians.

 

[laurarfl]

Mine, too. My female makes a little dance while she huffs, too.

 

[m3s4]

Mine, too. My female makes a little dance while she huffs, too.

Haha, you should try and get a video of that - would love to see it.

I usually get the "tall standing" accompanied by the huffing from my smaller "gold" Colombian in the morning when I get them both up for basking.

Tai hasn't huffed at all yet.

It's funny, the gold didn't do it for the first three weeks I had him and then poof, one day he realized he could do it, and now he does it quite often. Especially when he's in his hide, almost like he's trying to tell me it's his, he doesn't want my hand in there and to chill out haha.

Colombians, gotta love that attitude.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Mine, too. My female makes a little dance while she huffs, too.

I usually get the "tall standing" accompanied by the huffing from my smaller "gold" Colombian in the morning when I get them both up for basking.

What is "tall standing?" Is that some sort of posturing things? Sorry if the question is dumb, but Kodo is so easy-going he doesn't posture at all and never has, and now I think of it he doesn't huff too much either. I haven't seen any of the aggressive/angry body language tegus do. No back-arching, no gaping, no hissing, no tail-whipping, no snake-tail, no head-lowering to take aim for a charge, no nothing.

 

[m3s4]

"Tall-standing" is just something I call it when it's more then arching the back.

They stand as high as they can AND arch the back. It's funny, it really is.

Oh and take note on the huffing - they don't just do it to us. They also do it to each other. Sam would huff at Tanzi our MBD rescued Colombian. He didn't do it at first, but around 3 months into it, I don't know if Sam reached puberty or Tanzi did, but on occasion, he would do really quick huffs at her...Sometimes for minutes on end. We have a video, I just need to dig it up and post it. It's hilarious...Rapid huffs but nothing else. No tail biting, no aggression. I don't know why he did it.