Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My little guy is finally starting to come out for a while every day, and today he ate 3 pretty big pinkys, looked like he wanted more, but I gotta save a few for tomorrow, awsome, I'm so psyched. So far I've only seen him eat a few king worms and maybe a dozen crickets. He still wants nothing to do with me. If I try to pick him up he freeks, should I give him a little time to fully wake befor I start handelling him a lot? He been sleeping since I got em. Thanks.

dont feed the pinkies, they are very high in fat. Only feed crickets and ocasionally mealies or supers.
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

"There are six genes which determine the amount of melanism present in a person's skink"-meretseger

Hi,

As far as the handling, assuming this is a young Tegu? I left my little guy alone until he was use to seeing me around for couple of months and then started daily regular handling. They seem to tame down almost naturally as they grow and age. Patience is the key! As far as feeding pinkys just make sure you suppliment them well with calcium and once every other week with vitamins. Since pinkys are not fully developed they do not have the calcium necessary to sustain the growth of a Tegu. As soon as your Tegu is big enough, switch to hoppers they WILL offer everything your little one needs. It is really fun to watch them chase crickets at that age too! They get their sites on one and won't let up till they catch that ONE cricket! Best of luck, glad to hear your little one is emerging finally!
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Peace!
KofSeattle
Reptile-Like
Here lizard lizard.........

Congrats on your little one's wake up. I went nuts waiting for my two to awaken. Mine are little, but were handled by the breeder every day before the hibernated. One was completely tame from the start. Not afraid of me at all. The other one still runs when I go to pick him up, but once he's in my hands, he's fine. Remember, to a baby, you're a giant preditor. Just let him walk from hand to hand when he is nervous, and he'll calm down. One thing I discovered to be helpful is to pick him up first thing in the morning when he's just gotten up, before he basks or gets pumped up into hunting mode. He's a litle slower and calmer, and is more ready to just hang out and realize you're not going to hurt (or eat!) him. By the time your hand warms him, he'll have decided you're not a threat.

Leslie