is it normal to for a tegu to get agresive......

tegu_girl0

...after eating a hopper? im hoping hes not geting mean on me cus i would hate to have to get rid of him! what hapend was i went to pick him up and he jumped at my finger and im woried is it cus he sees my hand when feeding time comes? today my dad piced up the hopper and stuck it buy him and i told him not 2 but ERG he drives me up a wall sometimes. he dont think gonzo will bite me but i dont want him to bite me so im geting pupits that looks like a lizard so i can drop the hopper in wold that work?
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0.2.0 German Shepherds *Khoda* & *Keara*
0.0.1 Ball python *Akua*
0.0.1 normal corn *seismo*
0.0.1 snow corn *sleet*

Rick · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 9:55 pm Post subject:

If the tegu sees your hand and fingers while being fed it is smart enough to associate the two. As stated in one of my last posts my tegu, Tux, will attack the yellow tongs I feed him with if he sees them. I have noticed also recently that if Tux sees a yellow marker he will attack it as if it was a pinky. A quick test showed me that if I spill out all of my sons markets Tux will run over and attack the yellow one. I think it looks close enough to the tongs and he is smart enough to associate even the color.

Also keep in mind that directly after being fed the tegu is still in feeding mode if it has a decent feeding response. I'd handle the tegu only before feeding and not after.

Rick
theTegu.com

tegu_girl0 · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 10:02 pm Post subject:

ok thx i just explained to my dad what u said and he said ok

it was 2 days ago i last fed him and today B4 feeding he tride 2 atack me agen but tomarow im going to take him down if u know what i mean

P.S. were do you get tongs? like u were talking bout i think im going to need 1 LOL
_________________
0.2.0 German Shepherds *Khoda* & *Keara*
0.0.1 Ball python *Akua*
0.0.1 normal corn *seismo*
0.0.1 snow corn *sleet*

Rick · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 10:28 pm Post subject:

Almost any shop that sells snakes and lizards should have tongs. To see what I am talking about click HERE.

Avoid metal and make sure they are dull. If they are plastic or wood and are sharp just file them so they are rounded.

Rick

Johelian · Retired Mod Joined: Nov 22, 2004 Posts: 848

This is why I would never recommend hand-feeding a tegu or monitor; the feeding response in these animals is tremendous, and even relatively tame animals lose all inhibition when they think there is food to be had.

This is the reason that my tegu (now just over 3') only ever gets food in his bowl; the second he sees the bowl being put down he will rush it and attack it, whether there is anything in it or not. All the rest of the time he is docile enough; you just want to be ultra careful when putting the bowl in the cage

Before he had the bowl I used to feed him using short tweezers, and he began to rush my hands, so I figured that wasnt a good sign...

Remember, its never a reflection on how "tame" your animal is - its just a natural response that (in my estimation) all large lizards like these have; after all, in the wild they never know when food will be available and so they instinctively rush to eat anything in case its days before another meal. Im pretty impressed by my guys attitude these days, but I still have to exercise great caution when I put his dish in.

Rick · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:03 am Post subject:

Well put. I agree completely.

Rick

John · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:14 am Post subject: I've even...

changed over my feeding methods. I no longer hand feed the tegus. Both like eatting out of the bowl so I'll continue to use it.
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John Light
http://www.jlexotics.com/

Rick · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:11 am Post subject:

They make a device for reaching up overhead and pulling down a can or such in a cupboard or pantry. Being 6'3" I have never needed one, but I think one of these devices would be a great idea for someone bowl feeding.

Though bowl feeding is indeed the best method of feeding a tegu you wish to keep tame, you should either remove the tegu from the enclosure and place the bowl in and then replace the tegu or if you wanted to spend a few bucks you could get a device like the one mentioned above so you can place the bowl into the enclosure without any association of hands/fingers at all.

I have also experienced that a tegu with a low feeding response will get a higher response when feed live/moving food. Thus it would have to also indicate that feeding frozen/thawed would also help in lowering the response a bit.

Rick
theTegu.com

Rick · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 11:14 am Post subject:

I found a link for anyone interested, Click Here.

Rick
theTegu.com

tegu_girl0 · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 1:46 pm Post subject:

thx i saw sumtin like that at lowes gonzo is calmind down and my dad said he might buy me 1

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0.2.0 German Shepherds *Khoda* & *Keara*
0.0.1 Ball python *Akua*
0.0.1 normal corn *seismo*
0.0.1 snow corn *sleet*

Rick · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 6:13 pm Post subject:

As posted a cheaper method would just be to take your tegu out and hold him, play with him, etc and before you return him to his enclosure just have someone put his filled food bowl in his enclosure. He will then not associate you with his food at all.

Rick

tegu_girl0 · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 7:33 pm Post subject:

ok well i picked gozoid up with gloves

(im a caushis) and hes kinda not feling good cus hes sheding like i said but im going to feed him friday for my birthday party and im going to ware the gloves and use tongs to put the F/T mouse hopper in his food dish so he will think its the gloves that r feeding him.
_________________
0.2.0 German Shepherds *Khoda* & *Keara*
0.0.1 Ball python *Akua*
0.0.1 normal corn *seismo*
0.0.1 snow corn *sleet*