In my experience, a tough shed can really lead to a tegu being grouchy about being handled. Another trick I learned was to give my boys a little snack before I picked them up which seemed to calm them down a lot. I would have the bath ready and would take them immediately to it. I would place the day's food on a plate and just sit on the floor next to the tub. When they started acting like they wanted out, I would let my arm be a climbing appliance making sure I had a sweat shirt on or I would hang a rubber bath mat over the edge of the tub to give them a surface that would enable them to crawl out on. After they got large, they stayed in as long as they wanted and would get out or back in without me or the mat.
They would usually go right for the food and after filling up, they would explore the bathroom, tip over the trash, play with the plunger, (that I bought for them), and would eventually come to me for warmth against the cold linoleum.
They like routine and things that occur outside of that routine can upset them and result in defensive or aggressive behavior. In other words, a change in the way you handle and even the time of day can upset the apple cart.
The biggie as I said before is a hard shed which for me as a sure fire road to being grouchy.
T. merianea, Gordo
T. rufescens, Eva
V. Ionedes, Nyuse Kinabo, (Swahili - Black Gift from God)
Standard Poodles - Millee & Sonny Boy
A bunch of colubrids and tarantulas
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