Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Tegu is now about 20" and is getting to be well socialized, lets me pick him up, goes potty on his paper, etc...

The only problem is HE WON'T STOP FREEKING BITING ME!!! Everyday he either nips or latches on and draws blood because he thinks that I am food. Here is a background on our habits so please let me know if you have any suggestions...

I have begun feeding him out of his cage (as was suggested on this forum). Everyday I put a tray in front of his door and he steps onto it, I place him on the ground, and then I just let him play while I prepare his food. I don't physically scoop him out of his cage becuase he is so CRAZY when he is hungry that he bites anything that resembles food. He even caught his tail moving out of the corner of his eye and bit that the other day. While I'm preparing his food he is usually good and just does his own thing, snooping and whatnot. Today, however, he snipered from ther side of the room and bit my toes about 3 times.

For feeding I put his food on the ground and he finds it and eats until he is full. Then I try to interact with him as he is pacified after eating. Some days he sits very well on a heating pad in my lap and lets me play with him. After about a half an hour he starts flicking his tongue again (wanting second helpings) and from then on I have to watch my hands because he will just keep biting me! I have tried washing my hands and even coating them in hand lotion, but he still bites right through. I have tried tapping him on the snout or spraying in the face with water to get him to stop, but nothing helps.

I am so jealous of you owners that have said your tegu has never bitten you! Why can't this be my tegu? Does anyone have any suggestions? I am hoping not to have to deal with a 4' tegu that bites on a daily basis. I know this is part of the risk one takes with a big lizard, but arrrrrggggghhh! Any suggestions?
JonV

when my argentine b w was about that size she was so hungry ALL THE TIME that she would bite and stalk my hands. I only handled her after she was stuffed, and it seemed to work. Once she was finished that enormous growth spurt they do when they are young, she stopped going after my hands. I think with her, it was purely that she was sooo hungry. Try feeding him more.

At what point do they stop their growth spurt? I try feeding him a lot, but it's sort of weird because he'll act like he's full, and then 10 minutes later be sniffing for food again even though he won't take any more of what I offer him.
JonV

I had a slightly similar "problem" with my blue tegu Trinity for about the first month that I had her. I would take her out of her cage and she would bite me at least once a day. Part of it I think was just her being afraid of new surroundings and me being so much larger than her. Of course when a nine inch baby bites you, it really isn't that big of a deal. She just sort of grew out of it. Now she doesn't do it at all and hasn't even tried in several months.

One thing that you could try is to make sure that food is available for your tegu before it even wakes up. That way when it's up and about and feeling famished, the foods right there and there's no reason for it to make the connection between your hands and something edible.

I definitely woulnd't try the coating your hands with lotion thing. Obviously you already know that's not much of a deterent. I think it actually might be a stimulant. They have an excellent sense of smell/taste. Whenever I have lotion on my hands (even the unscented stuff), both of my tegus become a LOT more interested in my hands. I can't even let Trinity (blue tegu) flick my face after I've put moisturizer on because she will actually start "digging" at my face as though she's getting ready to find something yummy.

Lindsay

In reading the forums others have put vinegar or worn gloves... i guess when they bite they get a bad taste in its mouth and maybe it will stop your tegu from biting through learning because in my year long experience of having this animal they are very curious but I have yet to potty train or even been able to calm him down.. it takes time from what ive read.. good luck

Yes, I did the vinegar glove thing about a month ago, and I agree with everything else about the HUGE growth spurt. My tegu was bite crazy (for food reasons) - he is an angel now. I've only had him 2 months, and he went from jumpy-eat-everything to calm and trusting in 2 months. I first tried the gloves with vinegar cause I really didn't want to endure a tegu bite. That along with feeding as much as he would eat (lots of food) and him just "growing out of it" I think all worked together. Patience is the most important thing. You should make sure he doesn't associate your hand with food, so try and maybe hang around him a while before you feed. If handling is a problem still, use the gloves and start handling him more. I think the vinegar and gloves was his first "ok, maybe this is not food" realization, and from there it only took a couple of weeks. I haven't ever tapped him on the snout or anything, but I'm not saying it's wrong to do that, just maybe not necessary. I'm amazed at the progress and still can't believe it's the same lizard. Good luck!

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-reptilian9

I despise the smell of vinegar as much as my tegu I imagine. Did you get some cloth gloves and just coat them with vinegar, or are you saying you put the vinegar on your hands? Your tegu looks really cool, how long is he in that pic?
JonV

Yes, I actually drenched the gloves in vinegar because he would still bite the gloves even with vinegar on them. It took a few days for him to quit biting the gloves (He used to try to eat the gloves if I would take them off and set the gloves by him). Then I would start trying to handle him more with the gloves, and then started trying with my hands (at first with some vinegar on them, but it didn't take long before I could hold him with my bare hands). I'm not sure, but he's proabably between 25" and 26" in that pic (2 weeks ago). Yeah, he's beautiful, thanks JonV!

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-reptilian9

I have begun putting some food in Blue's cage at night so it's their when he wakes up, I'll let you know how that goes. He was much more manageable this morning, not flying all over his cage bithing everything because he was starving. Maybe it will work.

I tried to find some really medicinal smelling lotion, and that seems to deter him a little bit. It smells like alcohol, and it deters him from biting about half the time. As soon as it dries, however, he's right back at er.

JonV

Although I've never had a biting problem with my 2 tegu's, I did have one with my savannah monitor when I first got him at 18". I bought some bitter apple spray (the stuff you use to train puppies/dogs not to bite) and sprayed some on a thick leather glove. And sure enough, when I went to handle the monitor, he bit the glove, held on for a few seconds then let go. I think he only bit one more time after that, and that cured him of going after my fingers. Of course, I still sprayed some on my hands at first when I stopped using the glove, but now Boris is a cuddly little lap lizard

I think I'll try some of that bitter apple spray. Vinegar really dries out my skin, and it smells nasty too. Feeding my tegu right when he wakes up has so far helped him be not so loco over food.
jonV

not the rubbing kind, the drinking kind. I know that snakes hate it.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com