Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First, thanks to those that gave me on advice earlier about a post I had on getting a 4 foot tegu. (Which turned out to be more like 3.25 feet when I measured him.)

Today I finally got him. He's staying in a new reptile tank I got (half wooden, half glass) that's about 6 feet long and 2 feet wide (and 2 feet in height). Could be a little bigger so I'll be looking around as well, but for the most part he'll be able to roam my BOQ room on his own. (Got a cat box as well with an opening.)

Some advice I could use help on is, the store owner also told me, that after handling him for about 10 minutes he wants to get put down or something about him realizing he's not on the ground. I noticed this pretty well when he started jumping around trying to get down, so put him back in the cage.
Afterwards I got a warm bath ready and he fell asleep soaking in it for about 15 minutes (was petting him all the while) back in the cage again now and he's already eaten once (I've had him for about 2 hours now) - some grilled plain chicken.

Is there a good place to pet/scratch a tegu where they like it where they won't want to get put down? Some way to get him so I can hold him for longer periods of time without him freaking out?

I'm in fort lauderdale now and will be headed back home (about an hour drive) on sunday. From there it'll be his permanent home so no more traveling or stress. Plus he'll roam my room whenver I'm there, and when I'm not, will stay in the cage.

The other question I had is what would be a good substrate for the cat litter box? I read it would be a good place for them to nest in, one source said hay was a good idea, while another website said hay can get bacteria easily after you mist it down?

Those are really the only 2 questions right now, on handling him so he doesn't get scared after a couple of minutes, and what to put in the cat box?

Thanks.

By the way I also have the UVA/UVB lights. (4 total, 2 of them are in use now - the long UVB one, and the smaller UVA.)

Hey congrats on the new tegu. As for if there is a spot they enjoy being scratched/petted at I have not found it. Each one of mine has thier own little spot. My red male likes his jowels rubbed, female blue its under her chin, female black and white really does not have one. What you could try doing is sit down and place him on your lap. That way he has the feelining of not being pinned and you get to hold him. Depending on how much he was handled before this could take a little while.
For the substrate I would not suggest straw or hay it starts to break down when misted and developes molds rathre fast. Also it contains alot of dust. I would use cypress mulch or some other type of wood mulch make it deep in there and your tegu will dig his way in. Good luck.
Hey just one question are you military? Just wondering because of the BOQ comment. Good luck again with your tegu. You will need to post pics as soon as you can.

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Beau W.

"There are no athiests in foxholes. It is not an argument against athiesm but rather one against foxholes." James Morrow

Welcome to the wonderful world of tegus. I agree about not using hay or straw. I also keep horses, and believe me, hay molds easily.

As to favorite spots to rub, both of mine like under the chin, just like a cat. Loiosh also loves me to rub the scales on his head between his eyes. He'll close his eyes and sigh with what seems to me to be contentment. He also likes his sides and back rubbed. But don't expect them to stay quiet for long. the lure of exploring is great in tegus!

Leslie

Thanks, never thought of holding him on my lap, good idea. Any other ideas on substrate? Would paper towels work?
I'll probably end up buying a bag of mulch (just saw some today) but I was hoping for something a little more easy to clean.

By the way I'm paramilitary (state government)so we get our own BOQ rooms for a somewhat expensive rent.. $10 a month. (Sarcasm! We do pay $10 a month in rent though for our own private rooms.)

I would not suggest paper towels either as the chance for them to get shredded and they will and then eaten causing impaction is very good. One thing you could do is get a little indoor outdoor carpet or astroturf and lay that inside a portion of the cage. Tegus however love to dig and hide so you will still want to put some mulch in there with him.
I know what you mean about inflated rent for a BOQ room. I have been sent TDY multiple times and had to stay in those rooms. Yours must be a little larger than the ones I stayed in if you have room for the large tank.
Good luck to you though on this guy you will love Tegus they are addictive. I started with one now have 4 I would put all my kids into one room so that I could get more but the kids are fighting me on it. So far they are winning.(LOL) Take it easy and good luck. Oh if you do put some astro turf in do not glue it down that way when it is soiled you can lift it out and rinse it off them put it back. Enjoy your new one.
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Beau W.

"There are no athiests in foxholes. It is not an argument against athiesm but rather one against foxholes." James Morrow

Thanks again for the tips, I went ahead and picked up some mulch today and will use it tommorow when I get back to my BOQ room.

I've read mixed sources on handling lizards - one of them said that whenever they start squirming (while holding) you should put them back in the cage to let them know you trust them.
While a couple others said you should never put a monitor (and I'm assuming a teguh isn't much different in terms of taming) back in his cage when he acts up because it's showing him that all he has to do is squirm and you'll put him back.

The problem is, my tegu is over 3 feet and pretty powerful when he squirms. (Got a good scratch on my left arm from one of his nails.) He hasn't hissed or attempted to bite, but it's tough to keep hold of him while he's squirming around in my arms. I found the real only way for him to stay calm is when I hold him on his neck (from atop) and on the base of his tail. It's not really holding though, it's more of restraining, when I have to do that.
I remember my old savannah monitor which would never squirm at all when I held him, he'd even fall asleep in my arms while I walked around with him for a while.

Any ideas on how to handle them when they start to act up? Also he is calm and relaxed when I pet him, meaning I can put my hand in the cage and pet/scratch him and he'll close his eyes and fall asleep, it's just when he's actually in my arms where he starts to get nervous.

You are right about tegus they can be pretty addictive. I've spent more time with mine today than my family that I'm visiting for the weekend!

I would definitely recommend not putting them back when they get agitated. Tegus are very smart compared to most lizards and will know that if they squirm you put them back. Both my tegus have learned that if they want to get out of their cage, they just go stand up on top of their hide box until I stick my hand down and let them climb up (among other things, these guys are really bright.)

Scared and agitated are two different things though. If your tegu is genuinely freaking out, then you should let them be. Trying to handle them at this time will only build an association in their brain between you and being freaked out.

If your tegu just doesn’t want to be handled then the best way to deal with the situation is to assert your dominance how your tegu would. If you watch lizards interact, you will notice that the HLIC (head lizard in charge) is never underneath another lizard… the more dominant lizards always lay on top of other lizards. If you want your tegu to learn that your smell = the boss, then set him down on the ground, place your hand over his face (so his tongue will come out and hit your hand, you want him to be able to smell you.) Then pin him to the ground with your chest. Be careful not to hurt him though. Always hold yourself up with your other hand so you are only applying minimal contact weight… you really just want to simulate a huge lizard mounting him. After a while your tegu will learn that if they smell you they simply have to deal with whatever is going on.

Wow, I've heard of doing something like that before (setting dominance) do you do it one time, or do you have to do it often? Sounds kind of strange but if it'll get him to stop being so squirmy when I hold him it's worth it. As soon as I put him down he gets calm again and I can go about petting him, even from taking him from the cage to the bathtub (filled with warm water) he'll calm down and close his eyes while I pet him in the tub. It's just the transportation that's a problem.
Just a few minutes ago I got him out of the tub and he started squirming again, I coudn't fully cover his head and he was moving so fast I didn't know if a bite was coming or not. When I apply so much pressure (to the base of his tail and neck where I'm holding him) it feels like I'm going to squash his skin in (causing injury) so I put him back in the cage, he settled down and let me pet him while falling asleep again.

I'll try the setting dominance when I get back to my BOQ with the tegu, which will be the permanent home for it. (I'm leaving tommorow.)
Any ideas on what to do if he's squirming in your arms? If it was just a baby it'd be easy to restrain him and calm him, but due to his size it's pretty tough without hurting him or having him hurt me (the way that head flies around I never know when or if that bite might come)

Again thanks for the tip.

Both of my tegus are pretty calm when handled now. When they were younger and would squirm I hold them pinned between my hands/arms and my chest to assert dominance. These days I let them hang out on the couch and genty lean on them while watching tv etc... just to reinforce it.

Unfortunitly lizards aren't quite smart enought to learn something on the first try, but if you make it a habit of letting him know who is boss when he starts acting up you should notice some rapid improvements in his behavior.

Also, make sure you are supporting all his feet when handling him... find a grip that he is comfortable, where he thinks he is sitting in your hands rather than you holding him up, otherwise he might just be uncomfortable.

I wish ya the best of luck with your tegu tamming.

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