outside aggresstion

Midori · Member Joined: Jan 24, 2008 Posts: 16

well i have had Link for about a week now. he seems to love it here and well the bathroom for whatever reason. he always wants in the tub. silly guy. anyways he's very calm and loving inside but...as soon as you bring him outside he is a whole new tegu. he wants down INSTANTLY then he will try to run away( on his hind legs!) if he can't ( usually on a harness and leash) he whips around and lashes at me and tries to bite me! he will roll and lash and whip very feral.

i find it kind of strange cause the guy who had him before told me he kept him outside during the summer and inside during the winter. so i had the hunch he would love it outside and want to be outside.

i would love to bring him outside during the summer time so he can get good UV rays, cause i go to park alot with my beardies. but i don't want him always trying to whip and lash at me.

any advice?

Rick · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:14 pm Post subject:

There is a lot of stress associated with going outside. Some tegus get scared because of the 'wide open', remember.. many reptiles feel secure in an enclosed area. I don't call it "aggression", since the tegu even in a feral state will run if it has the choice.. It's actually a "fight or flight response". I have tegus that are housed outside during the summer and inside for the winter. I also take turns bring them to a local park. If you look at my tegu attention video, you will see that the tegus are in an outside enclosure during a Maine summer, yet they are social and do not have the fight or flight response that some do.

I realize you may have already completed some of the following steps, but I will post them all out for anyone else interested...

My suggestion is to make sure your tegu is 100% tame and trustworthy inside. If they tegu does not fully trust you inside it will be hard to get that trust outside too. Get the tegu used to a harness inside. Once it is tame and trustworthy inside and used to a harness, you can start taming it outside.

Make sure the tegu is always under your control, this is often easier if you start this before they are too large, but you can do the same for an adult.

Buy a dark dufflebag (I like the large ones with netting on the sides for visibility and ventilation and with a stiff board on the bottom to keep it from collapsing when in use.) you can use this as a "hide" for your tegu should it become stressed while outside. Start by taking your tegu for 'rides'. Let the tegu, which is still wearing the harness, up on your dash. This will get him used to the 'wide open' while still being safely contained. (tip: always soak your tegu in a few inches of warm water before going for rides, as a few minutes of soaking in warm water will induce your tegu to 'poo' if it needs too.. It's better in a plastic bin of water than on your dash!) Your tegu may pace the dash and possibly rub on the windshield to get out. If the tegu seems overly stress, take it down and put it into it's hide/dufflebag. After pacing a bit it will settle and relax. The tegu will get used to and enjoy the rides.

Once the tegu is not stressed during rides you can start bringing the tegu, wearing it's harness, into your yard inside the dufflebag. Sit on the ground with the tegu in the dufflebag. Holding the harness, you can open the dufflebag while it's on your lap. Just sit there and pet/rub the tegu that is inside the duffle/hide. Do this several times until the tegu is curious enough to come out a bit. Don't let the tegu come completely out of the hide yet, you want it to realize that this is the safety spot so if at some point in the future it is stressed, it will look for the duffle/hide.

Once you feel the tegu is comfortable with it's rides and with the hide, you can take your tegu into the yard, with it's harness on, and just walk around. Do not let the tegu down. Just expose it to the outside for a few minutes each day and either put it back in it's duffle/hide or take it back inside. After several times of doing this you will find the tegu is no longer trying to "escape" your grasp, thought it may try to get down to explore.

Repeated and short exposure to the outside is the key. Your tegu will learn it is safe outside and does not need to revert to the fight or flight defense that a wild tegu must have in order to live in the wild.
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Ben3233 · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:26 pm Post subject:

wow that's awsome.

I try yesterday to let my Blue tongue skink free roaming in my house. He was so nervous, he was trying to run away from me. Generally I put him into a T-shirt so he can feel safe. I pet him when I'm watching T.V and he is very calm during my petting session.

I guess that I have to try this kind of trick in my own house, I hope it will work.

Thanks Rick!
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Ben3233
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Uresaii)

txrepgirl · Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject:

Wow,thanks Rick.That is a nother great info I can put in my folder for the future members

.I usually put him in my hoody when I go to the reptile or other pet stores.How warm should it be outside for me to take him out side.I don't want him to get to cold.

Midori · Member Joined: Jan 24, 2008 Posts: 16

wow! thank you rick. all the info you have given me is very helpful.

i have had Link for only a week so he hasn't trusted me completely yet probably explains why he lashed the way he did. i'll wait a few weeks before i try putting him in the car. i give my bearded dragons rides all the time so i know the horrors of poo on your dash lol

what kind of harness should i use? i currently have a small dog harness but i am not sure if it's confortable for him or not. i can make my own but i wasn't sure what, where to put straps etc.

thanks for all the great info

txrepgirl · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:02 pm Post subject:

This is the harness I use for Leonidas.It works great.You can get that one at any pet store.

http://www.petguys.com/-643854800100.html

They have bigger ones,too,if you need a bigger one.Hope that helps.

meanah · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:27 pm Post subject:

that just happened to me.. it is quite nice outside. and so i thought id bring gavin out on the leash.. bad idea. got him no the leash brought him out.. put him down and the started running around with his mouth wide open tring to bite me.. that lil brat... so i had to cover him with my shirt and bring him inside. hes now calming down but damn..
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greentriple · Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

So here's an additional issue. Have any of you found that your tegu starts becoming more skiddish or aggressive around 8 mo or so? Sancho has been less eager to be held, moving away from me as I approach his cage and trying to dart away when put down. This just started this week, I sense a general change, but I can't put a specific finger on it. No bitting or whipping though. I also noticed that his femoral glands (not sure if I got the right name - the bumps along his back legs from center out) seem to be pushing out tiny little spikes. Any idea what's going on?