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Thread: Retraining techniques?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Chesterfield, VA, USA
    Posts
    265

    Exclamation Retraining techniques?

    So apparently Jabba isn't doing as well as I'd thought in his new home. He went from super calm to actively aggressive. He now sees the bathroom as 'his territory' and when I go in he rushes me. At fist I thought he was being cute, and wanted attention like he has before but when I reached down to pet him he snapped at me.

    I put him back in his tank after I found my old pair of gloves and a few minutes later when he seemed to calm down I reached in to pet him with the glove still on, just in case and it was a bit loose. He bit at the glove and tore it off so I left it in there for him to get used to the scent (took him ten minutes of trying to tear the glove apart) before I used the other glove to get it out. Did it again an hour later and he only bit once, so I know I'm on the right track at least, but does anyone have some great re-training tips just in case what worked the first time doesn't work now?
    Money is NOT the root of all evil, LOVE OF MONEY is. Far too many people get that mixed up.


    1.1.0 Blue Tegu - Jabba, Jasmine

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    2

    Default

    The single best thing we did for our male Argentine b/w was to feed and soak outside the cage daily. When he came to us, he had been labeled "food and cage aggressive," which was no doubt true at the time. After only a few days of taking him out daily on schedule for feeding time, putting him in the tub with food already there, and then just transitioning to a post-meal soak, he seems to have accepted that our approaching his cage is a sign of good things to come. I know that the process of getting him TO the tub/soak is an issue; until he becomes adapted to the trip even a towel restraint might give him some sense that he isn't going to fall and the full body but soft restraint seems to help.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Chesterfield, VA, USA
    Posts
    265

    Default

    Mostly I've just been concerned because he'd been jumping to claw out of the wire mesh lid and he was hurting himself. I finally had my day off and spent it grabbing him every time he did it and putting him back down and forcing his head down. He got it after a few hours and then I'd go up and pet him when he looked up but didn't jump. I think he's got it now since today he only jumped like twice all day since I got home.

    As for the aggression issue, he did seem to respond to the original taming process, and by the end of his free roam time I wasn't wearing gloves, just to put him back since I have really small hands and he takes advantage to claw and escape.

    And unfortunately I am unable to keep him on a schedule for free time since I work on a rotating schedule. But I forgot about using a towel to move him since it's been so long since I had to do that. Since the way I'd been getting him used to my scent again is with a towel that would work really well.

    Thank you!
    Money is NOT the root of all evil, LOVE OF MONEY is. Far too many people get that mixed up.


    1.1.0 Blue Tegu - Jabba, Jasmine

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    Do you feed him as you take hime out? The rushing and snapping sounds like young, hungry tegu more than territorial tegu. My yearling will follow me and try to eat my feet until I feed him. If someone who didn't know tegus came into my house and saw him, that person would think he is cage aggressive and mean. He jumps because 1) He can 2) He has opened the lid and escaped before so he tries all the time 3) tegus are active and cages are boring. When I walk up, he looks as if he wants to wants to eat me and tries to grab at my hands through the glass. Getting him out is interesting. I have to get him interested in food on the floor before he eats my feet or jumps at me. After he eats, he's great. My other young one did this too.
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Chesterfield, VA, USA
    Posts
    265

    Default

    What it was before (not now at least) was that I left him in the bathroom and left the room to do laundry and such. When I went back about 30 min later after he'd eaten and pooped he just kept chasing me. I reached down cause I thought he wanted attention but he went to bite my hand.

    Now I make time to sit in the bathroom with him while he eats and whatnot and he's much better. He's never managed to get out of his tank while it's closed/locked but once it's open he can hop right onto the lid. Anyway he's been a lot better about jumping anyway, and as long as I stay in the bathroom when he goes out he stays good.
    Money is NOT the root of all evil, LOVE OF MONEY is. Far too many people get that mixed up.


    1.1.0 Blue Tegu - Jabba, Jasmine

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