Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have tried to hold my Tegu for the past 2 days, and when I do, he poops all over the place. I support both his feet well. I have read that it is not good to just reach in and grab them, so I usually have to sit next to his tank for about 30 minutes before he gets used to me so I can just pick him up. Is the poop just a defense mechanism, or am I doing something wrong?

its something tegus do when they are afraid. they do it hoping that you will let go. be sure not to put him up when he does that. they are smart and when they poop and if you put him back in his cage, he will learn that if he poops he gets what he wants. they do grow out of it.

I have also read in a previous thread that you should let them sit on your shoulder if they are too big for your arm. I just got my Red and he is 1 year old about 30". He does not fit on my arm, but I do not have that special "trust" with him to allow him to sit on my shoulder. Are there any other ways to hold him to try and "tame" him down?

go in a room where he can walk around and do what he wants and not hurt himself. sit in there with him. do this for about 30mins- 1hr a day. he will get used to being out and you being there. thats how i do it with my monitors. works very well for me.

Pooping is just a reaction, but I think its just because their young and can't control it very well.

As far a holding a larger Tegu without having it on your shoulder, if you've ever held a yearling Alligator, what you can do is hold your lower arm out and support them under their belly down do the base of their tail, since Tegus are mostly tail, the size of your Tegu shouldn't be much bigger than the size of the Alligator I'm referring to. With time you could get the trust to let your Tegu sit on your shoulder (Mine goes up there because its his safe spot).

Yeah like you said that's what I usually do. I put one hand under his front shoulders/neck/front legs then put another hand under his back legs/tail. When I go to open the door I rest him on my forearm like you said so I can reach for the knob with my other hand. I have a hard time imagining him getting up on our shoulder. If he tries to climb at all when we're holding him its bad news, the claws really dig into skin under his weight. If he put one claw behind our neck and tried to pull him self up... OUCH! How big is your tegu, how much does he weight? Here's a pic of how we hold him with one hand/arm.

Actually it's close to the same position but you can see where the other hand goes, under his back legs kinda.