i dont know what to do

teguman1 · Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:37 am Post subject: i dont know what to do

so they say u should hold your tegu fo a hour evry day but thet also say never diserb them when they r sleeping so i only see him every other day one a day to feed him so when i do see him i hold him and feed him but hes not out every day so what should i do make it 2 hours evey other day or what?????????
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one arg b&w tegu oreo
4 dogs ruby, jake, and of corse my rolie
3 rabbits
7 chickens
2 ducks
and 4 breeder rats

worldeater · Respected Member Joined: Mar 06, 2008 Posts: 590

i scratch my girls head when i see her, maybe carry her to her tank sometimes, or lay her on my stomach for some heat, but honestly 90% of our interaction occurs on weekends. when she torments me while i'm trying to sleep in.

i'd say handling is a little less important than breaching their trust in any way.
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1.1.0 Arg B/W Tegu Joker n Groxy
1.0.0 Australian Water Dragon "Spyro"
1.0.0 Red Eared Slider "Turdy"
0.1.0 White Dwarf Hamster "MiMi"
1.1.0 Black&Albino Kingsnakes "Pearl & Hannibal"

greentriple · Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:42 am Post subject:

Ah, the never ending delimah of the tegu. These are great lizards, however, what I failed to understand at first is that 80% of their time is spend burrowed. So, as you ask how are we to interact with them for an hour if they're underground when we get home and before we leave for work in the morning? I DON'T KNOW! This is my neverending frustration as well. Add to this that my tegu lives outside and the problem becomes even more complex.

I satisfy myself with weekend play.

I take him out Friday afternoons and until Sunday he lives in the house. And by in the house I mean he roams free, which in reality means he's sleeping under the couch or in the closet - not much change from when he's in his enclusure. The difference is that in the house I can lift the couch or open the closet and get to him without much production. Also, he's a bit cooler so slightly less active. We take him on walks with us, to the park, to the beach, basically everywhere we go. So I satisfy my tegu needs with a massive weekend injection and then it's a week of staring into his enclosure hoping he'll pop out for a little hello.
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1.0.0 B&W
0.0.1 CA Horned Lizard
0.0.1 Savannah Monitors
2.0.0 Cats
0.1.0 Wife
1.0.0 Child

october · Honored Member Joined: Aug 04, 2008 Posts: 224

I don't think we have to be that literal about the hour a day, everyday. If they are out only sporadically, this would mean that it would be feeding time, everytime they are out. Since they should be fed in a seperate container, you get the benefit of some bonding and handling time everytime they eat.

You can take them out and handle them for maybe 10-15 minutes or more, then put them in the feeding bucket, then take them out and handle them some more, then back in the cage. If you want even more handling. After you put them back in the tank after they have eaten, you can pic them back up immediately, then put them right back. All these things will get them used to being handled.

Also, don't be surprised if after a couple of months, your tegu starts to come to you like a trained dog. Mine, usually, begs to be picked up.

Rob

laurarfl · Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:05 pm Post subject:

Mine doesn't quite get the hour a day treatment. Yesterday, my daughter played with the yearlings for probably an hour. Today, they may only get 10 min, including feeding time. Before my big girl started sleeping, she only came out for about 30 min-an hour twice a week. The other times were 10 min bursts for feeding.

I guess I'm lucky though, I'm a stay-at-home mom and we homeschool. The girls and I can play with the animals whenever we want. I think consistent handling is more important than time spent. The yearling female I've had since a hatchling will beg to come out, as will the Colombian we've had for 2 yrs, since she was very young.
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Laura R (FL)
0.1.0 Colombian Tegu
0.2.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
1.0.0 Red Tegu
1.0.0 Green Amevia (yet another teiid)
8 other lizards
1 little gator
13 snakes
4 frogs
some bugs
and a partridge in a pear tree

Wolf-hound · Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject:

With my guys outside, and now that they trust me, I've had them a long while.
I do actually break that age old rule against bothering them when they are burrowed. I poke at them under the mulch and they climb out and come to get cuddles and scritches. They don't seem to mind at all.
HOWEVER.....
The black and white I have is not friendly, and I try not to ever bother her when SHE is burrowed. I think the breach of trust is important when they do not trust you, and maybe you get away with a lot more once they figure out that you are a friend.
Usually I tap the dish repeatedly and call them, and that brings them up out of the mulch. I also sometimes place food and then call them, so that I don't have the food in hand, and they don't associate with opening the cage with a food item being inserted.
You sometimes have to juggle the hard and fast rules, to suit your personal tegu. It's what the TEGU wants, and will tolerate. Some tegus won't tolerate that whole hour of handling, while others get used to being fussed over quickly, and want out more.
Following the rules to begin with is a good idea, and don't sweat trying to get that full hour in every single day if your tegu wants to burrow more than it wants to be fussed over. When it gets used to the idea that handling is pleasant, you will probably see more of it coming out when it knows you're there.
Good luck!
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Raw Bear with Salt tastes like Oysters.

txrepgirl · Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:52 pm Post subject:

Wolf-hound is right.Since I have been working allot lately I haven't been holding the Tegus as much.As long as you handle your Tegus for a while when he does come out he will be fine.

teguman1 · Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:37 am Post subject:

ok so i only handle him when he is out because he dosnt like to be disterbed thanks a lot
_________________
one arg b&w tegu oreo
4 dogs ruby, jake, and of corse my rolie
3 rabbits
7 chickens
2 ducks
and 4 breeder rats

greentriple · Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject:

While I like others here give my tegu much more credit in the brains department than he has, and he has more than most lizards, he's not a dog or even a cat and I understand and accept this. He tolerates my touching, most of the time, and if he cools down enough while out even seems to "enjoy" me holding him as he absorbs heat from me. I harness him and take him out, I let him roam around the house and I try and interact whenever ever possible to keep the level of acceptance as high as possible.
_________________
1.0.0 B&W
0.0.1 CA Horned Lizard
0.0.1 Savannah Monitors
2.0.0 Cats
0.1.0 Wife
1.0.0 Child

videodogg44 · Member Joined: Jul 17, 2005 Posts: 52

It was so easy for me. I made my bedroom tegu proof and set up a basking light near her cage. I would leave the cage door open all day so she could come and go as she pleased. But she was always under that light and she quickly become accustomed to having us around her. I would just lay next to her and pretend i was a tegu and bask in the light with her. Gently petting her and letting her put her chin on my hand and then picking her up and placing her on my lap. It did not take long at all to get her to become very handleable and social. She now has the run of the entire apartment and hangs out with me daily for hours.