when you let your herps roam rooms do you...

[Rhetoric]

Do anything special? like cover outlets or anything like that to help make it more safe?
We're all moved in and my beardie, hedgehog and my savy are in a spare room. I let my hedgehog roam the floor a bit last night and it went pretty well. Since the floors are hardwood, I got some disinfectant and wiped the area where it was crawling around.
I've never let a lizard run around the floor much, usually they just run around on my bed or in the bath tub. Do I need to be worried about anything? I don't plan on leaving them unsupervised, other than cleaning up accidents and a quick wipe down after they're done is there anything else I should or shouldn't do?
I feel sort of lame asking but like everyone else, I love my critters and I don't want to cause any harm!:blush:

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Tegu proof,.. cover and or block of anything and every where you don't want it to go. Check around floor cabinets in the bathroom and the kitchen. There are usually corners and sections (if not the whole area) left open from construction. There's no telling where those areas might lead to.

The same goes for around appliances,.. stove, washer, dryer, refrigerator or what ever.

 

[Rhetoric]

Ok gotcha. They would only be in a spare room, only thing in there is the tanks and a closet. Will definitely cover up any wires and stuff.

I've checked corners and stuff already. I know at our old place there was a little open hole in the bathroom that the beardie almost went through when he was younger :s

 

[Toby_H]

Good advice Bubblz...

When they are smaller/younger many more precautions need to be made. Mostly because a smaller animal can fit into a smaller hole. But also, as they get bigger they loose the inner need to hide and protect themselves.

You will be surprised at the random things your Tegu will decide he either really really likes (eats) or dislikes (bites). My tegu will try to eat ANYTHING that has spent any time submerged in a fish tank (nets, PVC fittings, rocks, etc, etc). He mounts my boots as if he is humping it, yet ignores my shoes.

At this point, I have the living area in my home Tegu friendly. Once he poops for the day I let him freely roam the house (bedroom doors closed). I have learned it's useless to try to "teach" him not to do anything. His persistence is unnerving. So if there is something I don't want him 'playing' with I just move it onto a tamble he cannot climb onto.

But at this point, after he has pooped for the day (VERY important detail), I just let him wonder arodnu and do what he wants.

 

[Rhetoric]

Yes pooping is a big one, the first time I ever let my beardie out he pooped right on my blanket
I'm anxious to see what things the big lizards like and don't like. My tegu loves blankets and gloves, we'll see what else will be added to the list. My monitor hasn't really been around too many people items yet...

Am I right in cleaning the floor after they've been on it or should I skip it? I don't plan on putting anyone on the floor right after its been cleaned, it would be a while so the chemicals wouldn't irritate them.

 

[Toby_H]

Am I right in cleaning the floor after they've been on it or should I skip it? I don't plan on putting anyone on the floor right after its been cleaned, it would be a while so the chemicals wouldn't irritate them.

Yes, I don't think anyone can be too clean...

Most cleansers evaporate very quickly and do not leave any harmful residue behind. Although it would make sense to me for you to invest in some "organic pet friendly" cleaners to use on the floor in your animal room.

That being said... I surely do not wash the carpets every day after my Tegu wonders the house. I do vacuum several times a week both to keep things off the floor he might eat as well as to pic up any little pieces of mulsh or shed he leaves behind.

As long as we don't let the Tegu 'empty him/herself' somewhere it's not wanted, they are relatively clean animals. More so than a dog that sheds and slobbers all over the place...

 

[thomasjg23]

Do NOT underestimate the crevices that these guys can fit into.

 

[laurarfl]

Amen!!! When I leave mine unsupervised, they tend to disappear on me. And by unsupervised I mean there are three people in the house, but someone got distracted for a bit. I wouldn't leave a young one alone without a constant eye because they search for places to hide. I wouldn't leave an adult long, but that's just me. We're pretty tegu proof, but they are so sneaky!

I don't cover outlets, but I pick up anything shiny or small enough to be eaten. I have a pile of blankets in the corner of my LR and that is a popular spot to dig and sleep. They like to go under the sofa, behind the TV, under the bookcase, under the table, through the pet door...you name it. I bathe mine first so that they are clean and do their business beforehand.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Definitely take them somewhere to relieve themselves before letting them free roam. In the winter and when it was just too cold to go directly outside mine went to the tub. Even though I had tile floors down stairs where they were kept,.. its just easier clean up. In the summer,.. straight outside and he couldn't come in until he did his business. Which he picked up on pretty quickly .

From then on as long as I didn't have anywhere to go,.. he had the run of the place with the dogs for the rest of the day.

 

[Draco D Tegu]

Bold....I don't think I would trust any of my reptiles to run with the dogs.

My male oldest Male BC would try to herd it.
My Youngest male BC would try to eat it.
My female BC would try to hump it.
And my cocker would just shake and shiver in a corner somewhere.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

It's not for any and every dog but my crew are fine with it. With Dino the only one I had to worry about was Panini (Papillon)when she came over,... more so her safety then his. But she learned and figured it out

 

[laurarfl]

I have a Aussie and he knows leave it. We have a new, rescue Pomchi that is not trained and a pain in the butt. I would be afraid the tegus would try to eat him. My cat watches from a distance. I wouldn't leave any of them alone together.

 

[frost]

haha kinda funny to see a large number of people over worried about reptile germs. you are safe for the most part when handling a reptile,the only kind im cautious of are those that live in water.much higher chance of desease.but then again i had a friend that had a turtle that she kissed every day and never got sick. not saying not to clean after handling but u dont have to go ocd on cleaning.=] o and i dont mean to offend anyone with this...just rambling.=]

 

[jumper123]

i try very hard to block off everything. but Gates get moved/climbed over. Boxes become toys, the couch now has a hole somewhere because i found one climbing inside the arm of it. I have a bookcase full of blurays which is now a junglegym every single disc is thrown out of its shelf (apparently they dont like the order). its an exciting/busy life being a tegu. gotta watch them.

 

[Rhetoric]

haha kinda funny to see a large number of people over worried about reptile germs. you are safe for the most part when handling a reptile,the only kind im cautious of are those that live in water.much higher chance of desease.but then again i had a friend that had a turtle that she kissed every day and never got sick. not saying not to clean after handling but u dont have to go ocd on cleaning.=] o and i dont mean to offend anyone with this...just rambling.=]

i meant more so the other pets wouldn't pick anything up from each other lol



not sure i could trust my dogs with anything small, they know drop it and respond really well to commands, it would just take a split second for one to grab something and give it a death shake

the hole in the couch is funny, my tegu found a hole in a blanket and now it runs around in the hole every chance it gets

 

[txrepgirl]

I would be careful with extension cords. Since they are warm Tegus like to lay down on it and even sometimes poop on it, too. I haven't seen any of our other Tegus do this ( we have five now but had six ). She ate the rubber cap of the metal spring from the door stopper behind the door and got impacted. If your Tegu is a baby one you might want to put something by the door so he/she can't crawl underneath and get out. It's amazing where they can fit through lol. Don't worry. Ask all you want. No question is a stupid question. It's better you ask then not to ask .

 

[herpgirl2510]

Tonka my B&W loves to go in my dogs kennel there are a bunch of fleece blankets in there. I caught him tsking s nsp with my chihuhus. He gets very huffy when you try to take him out.

---

taking a nap

 

[frost]

hmm i hope my tegu doesent get the urge to find our fleece stuff.most of it is for our sugar gliders.al though seeing my tegu eat my fiances sugar gliders would give me endless hours of enjoyment i want to prevent that.

 

[Rhetoric]

my tegus always go for the dog beds or my bed. guru climbs onto the bed every chance he gets