Just became a Tegu dad

i0r · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:31 pm Post subject: Just became a Tegu dad

Hey all!
Just wanted to introduce myself now that i'm responsible for a lovely little creature who had a pretty rough life until now.

It's a native wild Argentinian Tegu(lagarto overo) aprox 1 - 2 years old that a friend of mine found wandering about his house a bit messed up. He had his mouth and right side bitten by a dog. So for the moment i'm kinda nursing him.

This is my first tegu....and though i have a long experience with reptiles any suggestion is welcome.

At the moment he's in shock...very hostile and not active at all. I've cut some branches with leafs so he can hide as best as he want, fresh water and some veggies in case he feels to eat.....not likely though considering his condition.

My general idea is to try and domesticate him....is it possible with wild tegus?? If not i'm just gonna nurse him until he's up and running and let him go.

But for the moment....i consider myself being a Tegu owner.....and hope to continue in that way.

So hello everyone! I'm Chris

Tegster · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:43 pm Post subject:

Welcome Chris,

Sounds like you have quite a journey ahead of you. Hopefully folks around here can help you along. I'm a newbie (Oct '07) with a captive born. I won't be much help.

Please keep us posted on your patient's progress.

Renee
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Renee

Ben3233 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:54 pm Post subject:

First of all Welcome to the forum!!!

Of course he can be domesticated, but it will takes a lot of time and patience because you have some good point and some bad point to tame him.

The bad point are

1-He is old
2-He is wildcaught

The good point are

1-He is injure and will (maybe) understand that you are nursing him
2-He is an Argentine Tegu not a Colombian

As I said, Wildcaught are a bit harder to tame than captive bred, because they might be had a bad experience with humans or etc. He is also old which is better to tame a baby than an adult one.

The good things are that you do not have a Colombian (some are very agressive as compared of Argentinian) and finally you will nurse him and he will(maybe) understand that you are here to help him not to hurt him.

But don't worry, take your time to introduce yourself with him, spend time with him (free roaming, petting etc). If you are patient, He will probably become a wonderful pet.

Good luck!!!
_________________
Ben
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Uresaii)

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mistery, but today is a gift...that is why we call it the present". -Tortoise Oogway

txrepgirl · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject:

congrats about being a dad and welcome to the Tegu forum ( family ).I'm with Ben3233.He has a lot of good points.I hope you don't have any dogs so they will not stress him out.I would say get a lot of mulch so he can dig in there and hide but since he in injured I don't know if that would be a good idea I wouldn't get the open wound dirty and than get infected.Just make sure that he stays warm and gets his UVB lighting.If you can try to go to a pet or reptile store where you live and get some small frozen rats ( for the beginning ).Put the frozen Rat in a bag and put it in warm or hot water.Make sure it is all the way defrosted.You can check that by squeezing the Rat and see if the body still feels cold or frozen.If it is soft than take it out of the bag and put if for a few seconds under hot water.That will bring out the smell of the Rat.Also make sure there is always fresh water for him to drink.Good luck with him/her.Do you have a name yet for him/her ? God bless.It is very nice of you to take care of him/her.

Samantha

i0r · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject:

Thank you all for your warm welcome.

Been 6 hrs now since he got here.....and just now he started to move around and check where the heck he's at. He's really really scared and shows his lovely sharp teeth and raises himself up as soon as i get close....so today there won't be no petting

I havent been able to check the sex yet....since he's/she's very stressed i prefer not mess around with it just yet. But for now i concider it as a HIM and named him "Juancho". Which is what they call "Wallygator" here in Argentina.

What i'd like to know is more or less his exact age.....so here's a pic, and if anyone knows don't hesitate to post

Cheers

txrepgirl · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:32 pm Post subject:

I don't know.It is hard to tell how old he is from the pic.Could you maybe put a big pile of dirt in the corner so he can dig in there for him to hide better? that will make him feel more save.But keep a eye on him to make sure he doesn't get any infections on his open wounds.Thanks for the picture.Good luck with him.Watch your fingers

.

i0r · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:07 pm Post subject:

Excluding it's tale he measures 1ft more or less....so i reckon he's more than 1 year old.

I already gave him a pile of dirt....it's in the other side of his house, under the branches....though it's not enough for him to dig a burrow. But i reckon it's as you say....better so he dont get any infection.

His body functions are working ok. Though he haven't touch the food.

Maybe take the food away for a day or 2 and then offer him a lovely frozen rat as you adviced me about earlier......maybe that will get him to start eat

Ben3233 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject:

Wow he looks awesome!!

Put a bit of dirt so he can dig

Also, you should put this tire away so it won't fall on him

Good luck!!!
_________________
Ben
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Uresaii)

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mistery, but today is a gift...that is why we call it the present". -Tortoise Oogway

ALPHA · Member Joined: Nov 28, 2007 Posts: 73 Location: CT

WOW looks like a ready made enclosure for him. Good size...like everyone said just cozy it up a bit and your all set (mulch, maybe a flat dark rock to bask on). Wish I had that space to work with! Good luck, hes a good lookin boy. Welcome to the forums

txrepgirl · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

Just wanted to check back with you to see how your Tegu is doing.Hope all is well.Did he eat yet ? Take care.

Rick · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject:

It is my belief that any argentine black and white tegu can be tamed down with the correct amount of effort. It is much easier if you start with tame stock, but with effort you should be able to tame it. The first step is earning the tegu's trust. Just sit in that "area" with the tegu each day for an hour or so. Read a book, listen to some MP3s. After a while, the tegu will become interested in you. That's the first step.

I would mention that you should remove that tire. The tegu could leap up to crawl up it and the tire could tumble down and cause injuries.

Congrats, by the way, and welcome to The Tegu Community!

Rick
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Sisco Reptiles - Proud Breeder of the Tamest & Most Social Tegus. See www.SiscoReptiles.com

i0r · Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:49 am Post subject:

Thanks guys for your concern.

Well Juancho is still a bit chocked and scared. He didn't eat anything yet. Nor is he that active that he explores his enclosure or dig a proper burrow. He basks though. His wounds are healing well....almost too well. The worst thing is that yesterday when manipulating him softly, i saw that his largest finger/claw on his left back leg is just dangeling there, kept on by a string of skin...so once i have his trust and can manipulate him i will call for my vet to come and help removing it.

I've offered him veggies, fruits, quail eggs and raw meat. Unfortunately though Samantha i couldn't get a hold of frozen mice......not easy to find here since reptiles are VERY unusual as pets. Although i could get a hold of some live baby hamsters....would he like that? maybe freeze them myself?? or how??

3rd day today and if he dont eat anything i'm gonna start to worry bad.

Yesterday was training day all day. I've been reading articles here on how to tame a tegu and i think it will work just fine. I sat with him inside his cage for a long while(with me gloves on) waiting for him to loosen up a little(though he NEVER moves in my presence). I then gently placed my well protected hand below his chest and picked him up in a gentle way. He really didnt mind it at first...though after a few seconds he started to show his teeth and puff up, so i let him down. I then kept putting my hand close to him, getting him to know that it's not dangerous....and then he bit.....two times

. Though he bit after a somewhat long time of what for him must have been kind of an harassment, so i completely understand. But i'll keep trying to tame him...or get him to develop a "Stockholm syndrome" until he loves me

Yes Rick omg! The tire was only a temp thing for like 10 min until i could get a big rock to support the wooden boards blocking the exit....so it's all safe for him now.

Here's a photo of his remodelled home....also, i'll be uploading pics on him on regular basis so you all can tag along on this journey of mine to see how it develops...so check his(my) photo album here on the site.

And please!! Any advice or suggestion is welcome

txrepgirl · Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject:

WOW you are doing a great job.The food you give him sounds great.Since he might be still in shock wait a little longer with the hamster.It is normal even for the Tegus that we get from Breeders that when the Tegu is in a new place they will not eat for days or even weeks.So don't worry.But make sure he has always fresh water.Raw Chicken brest ( room temperature ) will work,too.It is great news that you even get to come close to him.What you can try is sit down next to him and after you pick him up put him on your lap and cover his head with a pillow case or put him in there all the way.That way he can't see you and will not be scared of you because you are so much bigger than he is ( I saw that a lot on animal planet on tv ).Just leave him on your lap like this with out touching him.After a few times doing this try to put your hand on his back and pet him just a few times than stop,pet him stop..... until he gets the hang of this.Ones you see that he has gotten used to this you can leave the pillow case of.Or you can sit in front of him but with the back tores him ( hold a hand mirror so you can see if he is moving closer to you to smell you ).If you don't look at him he thinks you are not interested in him and he wants to check you out.Just keep trying different things until you find some thing that will work for you.Thanks for keeping us posted and for the pictures.

Ben3233 · Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:15 pm Post subject:

I agree with Rick, you have the perfect place to tame him. It's big so you can be able to sit there and read,listen music or play gameboy waiting for him coming at you!!!

good luck!!!
_________________
Ben
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Uresaii)

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mistery, but today is a gift...that is why we call it the present". -Tortoise Oogway

i0r · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:20 am Post subject:

Hehehe Samantha....guess i read your post a bit too late. By thinking rationally yesterday i came to the conclusion that of course he wont eat what i feed him....this is a predator and will for the time being act only on his instincts....so i got him a living tiny furry hamster and put it in his enclosure.....it didn't take more than 20 seconds and he had eaten it all. Now that i know the last him he ate i reckon i can let him starve for a week or so, and then introduce him veggies, eggs, chicken and such. Which he may only wanna eat if he's really hungry.

Though what concerns me the most is his inactivity.....he seems to be completely catatonic. He didn't move almost an inch all yesterday and today. He doesnt dig nor bask on his rocks. Now when i get close to him he doesnt even puff up.....he just lies there like...."is it worth living", like in a deep depression.
What light setup can you recommend me?? Maybe that's whats wrong??

Thank you all for being here helping me out....it's not an easy job, taming a wild one