Won't eat out of the cage

[mikecrowder23]

Ting Ting will not eat outside of his enclosure i tried this for 4 days straight and he just wouldn't eat. what i have been doing is getting him out and putting the food in his tank and after the hour or so that i'm handling him and walking around with him. Then when i put him back he is apt to eat. He hasn't tried to bite me since the second day that i had him. He is still skittish when i try to get him out but once out he's alot better. Still not perfect but better. I think it just takes time. Opinions on this if it's ok or should i let him go without eating until he finally gives up and eats out of the cage?

 

[wyattroa]

i had the same problem with my little girl..i guess my girl just go hungry enough to eat in the bin and then figured it out.. that every morning is feeding time with the bin..she used to just go and sit in the corner and not move..now she goes right for the food... i talked to bobby about the same thing.. he said if you are that concerned about it then you can feed in the cage.. just dont let him see you putting food in there..the thing is though.. if he gets used to feeding in the cage it might take even longer to try and convert him over to the feeding bin.. thats what i was afraid of.
robert

 

[Jefroka]

Correct me if I'm misunderstanding you, but my take is, you take Ting Ting out of his home, handle him for a while, then feed him?

If so, this is what I suggest. Remove him from his house right after he has had a chance to bask/warm up, take him out and put him immediately into the feeding enclosure, food already present.

If this is what you have been doing, my hunch is that your tegu is losing its appetite because its body temperature has dropped to the point where it has lost interest to feed.


After it has fed, you can handle it, then put him back to bask/digest.

A little while later you can handle him some more if you like.



...Jefroka

 

[Anthony]

i think tegus only want to eat when they want to eat.... offer her food in the feeding bin 3 times a day.... when i put my tegu in the feeding bin she doesnt like it she actually tries to escape a lot of times and thats the only time she will crawl up my hand cause she knows its a way out... however she will eat in the bin when shes hungry... just keep trying and bobby told me to leave her some crickets in her enclosure in the mean time.. i dnt know if u tried this buy when shes out in her enclosure just lay next to it and do whatever eat , tallk on phone , read , etc... so your tegu gets used to u being around ... i did this the first few days and after the first week she lets me pick her up whenever and never really runs anymore i think she finnally remembered me... good luck