Taming a subadult tegu

[Shonuff]

Hey everyone! I have a question. There's a red tegu that I like. He's very beautiful and is 1 1/2 years old and is very healthy. The problem is that he has not been handled and has a temper upon being picked up. Once he's picked up, he seems to not really be that bad. I was thinking of getting him but I don't know if I should because of his age and aggressiveness. Is it possible to work with him to get him tame or somewhat at all? Or would it be a bad choice to try to work with him because of his age. I have a nile monitor and understand its species and most other monitor species behavior. But I've never owned tegus so I don't know the whole taming down process with them. Any advice would be helpful.

[DaveDragon]

You'll have a little Blue Tegu next week!!!

Are you sure of the exact age? He's probably a month or 2 younger than that. The one Tegu we raised from a hatchling when through the "puberty" phase and suddenly mellowed out at about 18 months. It seemed like it happened overnight! This Red is probably just scared and reacting out of fear. If he hated your guts he would never let you handle him.

http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=22

Post some pics!

[Shonuff]

Yes, one more week Dave! Yeah, I thought the red seemed to be very mellow when my friend handled him, it just was going crazy while he was trying to pick it up. If I can I will post pics of the red. My friend owns a pet shop and received the red from someone who had no interest in it anymore. I don't know if I'm really going to get the red though. I'm just being big eyed. Lol. I think I'm going through a tegu frenzy or something! I'll definitely post pictures up of the blue once it arrives.

[Ben3233]

Well taming a Tegu is like taming every kind of animal. You have to be patient and work with it a long time. Compare to nile monitor, tegu are easy to deal with. I don't know why exactly the nile monitor is so skittish and agressive compare to other monitor. It has to be a part with genetic and natural behavior. The more breeding occur, the more the animal become tame. A long time ago, nile monitor we're consider as the "untamable species". Today, I have seen a couple of captive nile that we're tame just like any kind of lizard.

The problem when it comes to tame and mid-adult or adult species is their potential size and strengh that make the job harder. But you have to break your animal behavior and show him that human interaction or human presence isn't going to hurt him. All you have to do now is to show your intention slowly and progressively.

The other problem with this tegu is that nobody has handle him when he was young. 1 1/2 years later, a person out of nowhere, pick him up and start to handle him. Reaction : the animal is confused, scared and defensive because he doesn't know what happen to him.

If you get this Tegu, I would recommand you to buy some protective glove, because a 1 1/2 years old and wild tegu can cause you a harmful bite.

Good luck and have fun!

[Shonuff]

So is it possible for him to have the same bond you can achieve from a younger specimen that learns early on in life, or he will forever have some negativity towards tolerate of human interaction. Thank you for the advice.

[Ben3233]

Well I can't guarantee you that he is going to have the best bond compare to other tegu that has been socialize since they we're hatchling.

But, I heard many people buying a tegu when they we're adult and work with them for about 1 year and have one of the best pet they never had. It will depends on how much time, and how patient you are.

I have to say, that tegu are much more social compare to some monitor, so you have a little bit less work to do compare to an adult untame monitor.

You have to understand that every lizard has their own personality, so it is possible that your Tegu will always be a skittish tegu even how much time and work you spend with it. But IMO, I would let him a chance for about 1 year. After that, if he still remain skittish and defensive, that would mean that you reach his maximum sociability.

I suggest you to start working with it, he will never be as agressive as a wild nile monitor right ?
Good luck and have fun
If you have any other question about taming, pm me, and I will give you more information about it.

[Shonuff]

Thanks. I made my mind up. I'm not going to get him. That'll be another dragon I will have to give attention to!