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How can I get my tegu to eat regualy in his feeding bin when we dose not wake at the same time &wont come to me.How do I train him he is 9 months old & only 18 inches? I got him in october and he went straight to sleep.He dose not tail whip me or anything but just dosent seem instrested in me.
He is a argintaine black and white
Sounds like he's trying to hibernate... You can't really "train" him, or any reptile for that matter, it will take years of interaction before he comes to you when you "ask" him to.Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovelizards
What do you mean you don't wake up at the same time? Do you have him on a lighting schedule? If he's not trying to hibernate, he should be up and about soon after his lights come on, if they aren't on an automatic timer he might be having a hard time figuring out a schedule (because there isn't one)
Well I disagree about the training part. Reptile can be trained just like any other animal. But you have to use positive reinforcement to each good action that look satisfying for you. The best way, is to use a dog clicker training. Everytime the animal is near to you, click, reward. That's the best way to train an animal with voice command. You could also use a ''touch training'' which will consist of letting the animal touch something (ex: pencil) than being rewarded.
I guess I have a particular idea of "training", although I had never heard of using a clicker with a Tegu. I was more on the mindset that Tegu's interact with their owners in response to stimulating actions such as petting or food, although I guess that is a major part of training...Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben3233
Double posted...
Another important aspect of training, especially in a lizard (because they are inherently more stubborn than mammals I've come to find) is habit. If you keep up the same routine day in, and day out your tegu will catch on. For example (if you work nights) an hour or so after they wake, they get fed, then bathed where they stay until they poop then they get the opportunity to roam about at your discretion. Otherwise (if you work mornings and come home the same time every day) when you get home he gets the same schedule. If you don't get home at the same time every day, keep it about the same time you USUALLY get home then.
It is important to keep his lights on the schedule or as close as you can. I have a rotating schedule so I know how hard it can be to keep it regular lighting. The best thing you can do is turn the light on a bit earlier if necessary or leave it on later, extra light won't hurt your lizard if he's burrowed. On the other hand, if the lights aren't on when they're supposed to be, it skewers his sleep schedule.
Good luck with training, each lizard is different though so keep that in mind when training. If you spend time with him and realize something just isn't getting through, feel free to change it up.
It sounds like a couple of things are going on.
1) Is he fully awake from hibernation? Mine are awake, but my females haven't got their full appetities yet. They are being very picky eaters.
2) Like others have said, routines and habits help a lot. I buy timers from Home Depot or Wal-Mart for my lights. You can get them for about $10 or less. I keep them lights on for 8-10hrs in the winter and 12-14hrs in the summer. Most of my animals are pretty predictable when it comes to when they wake up and when they want to eat. They don't want to eat too early when they are cold or too late. If you work, you'll have to adjust the light schedule to get your little guy to be awake and hungry when you are around the house.
3) What are the enclosure conditions? If it is too cold or lacking good UV, that can affect appetitie and behavior, too. Just to mention it, basking temps around 110-115 will help, and UV not obstructed by screen and within the proper distance is best.
4) What are his favortie foods? If I wanted to entice my tegus, eggs would probably be the big hit. I wouldn't necessarily feed him the whole thing, but a few drops as a treat.
5) Consistent handling will help with taming. I have one truly fanatstic tegu that will come to me no matter what. She comes to the door when I come up and lets me pet her. If she's free roaming, she'll come up to me and lay beside me or climb on my lap. The others just seem to want food, lol. But this one is the only adult I've had since she was a hatchling. She was a nervous baby and hibernated within a couple of months of me getting her. She was still nervous when she woke up. But with regular handling, she just grew into a super laid back awesome tegu.
I always feed outside the enclosure, but I don't feed in another container. I feed on newspaper on my kitchen floor or on the screen porch (depends on the tegu and the weather). When I had hatchlings and fed them in containers, I found it worked best if the container was a solid color with high walls.