Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I got my outdoor cage all set up for Digit and yesterday
he got to go out for the first time. He just turned 4 so I
thought he would be easier to handle and more calm.

Well, he went out, sat in the cage for about 10 minutes and
went completely crazy trying to get out. My the time I could
get my hands on him and stop him he was bleeding from his
mouth and nose and panting heavily. I wrapped him in a towel
and rushed him back up to his enclosure. It took me about
10 minutes to calm him down. I felt terrible!

My question is how could I go about getting him use to being
out there without risking injury? At this point even though
I know how important natural sun is I will not put him at risk
again. Luckily his injuries were surface only. It could have
been much worse if I had not been watching him.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Linda

Linda,
Well, it depends. Is Digit used to being outside without the cage? There is a lot of extra stimuli to contend with when being outside and it will take a while for him to get used to it. I know Dexter has always hated cages with bars and will not tolerate them. I had an outdoor cage for him when he was younger and couldn't hurt himself flinging himself about. When he got bigger, he didn't stay in the cage, he sat on it. If he was put inside, he would want out within 10 minutes...

You might want to acclimate Digit to the cage indoors if possible and spend some time with him outside without the cage (or on it). So that you can let him get used to one new thing at a time.