Not necessarily a Tegu-centric training method, but I was able to bring down my Schneider's Dwarf Caiman's defensive behavior by spending lots of time just sitting at ground-level with them, gently petting them and gradually increasingly the frequency of our interactions. It started incredibly slow with only 20 minutes of socialization and with lots of bites, but by the time he had reached 3ft or so, I had him in a ritual where any time I'd show up near his enclosure after 9pm, he'd swim over to me to be scooped up and let out for free-roam for a few hours. No thrashing, no hissing and no biting. I've spent god-knows how many hours working with him. He responds by name and will readily trot over to me and climb up into my lap of his own volition.

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Can never go wrong spending more time on reptile bonding! The best bonds are formed that way

@Madchris8828

3 жыл бұрын

Very very cool!

@koltonjeffrey496

2 жыл бұрын

InstaBlaster.

I've got Credence 2 months ago, he was about 3 months when I got him. I also placed some shirts into his enclosure, he pushed all of them into his hide to sleep 😂 I also use food as a positive reinforcement. I feed with tongs, pick him up first or lead him on my hand/arm and then give him the food. I always make sure to come in with my hands first, so he never just sprints at the first thing he sees. He now walks up on my hands/arms on his own. Also a thing I do is placing my hands under the basking spot. So he lays on it to warm up. while roaming I place my hands in the same position and he sometimes rests there to warm up

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Jennifer!

It's easy 1, Get a breeded juvenile one 2, When it's young, place next to you in a smaller box (smaller place helps to be docile, bigger place makes them more wild) 3, Walk up and down next to him when he is basking, and don't take care -> the animal get used to the noises, smells, and know he is not your target, just ignore him couple of times 4, Try to touch him and grab him up, see how does he react, but never chase him 5, Feed it from hand (not directly, via a plate) 6, When it grows up give him bigger place (bigger enclosure, free roaming) 7, Never mess with him when he is hiding, let him hide for hours, days, etc.. to feel secure. His cage is his empire.. He will come out when he wants to. With my previous tegu he was free roaming in my flat, he liked to be in the back of my couch or goung out to the terrace to warm up. When he was ready he went back to his cage always.. Let him be a tegu...

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Cool stuff!

Great video man! The great content just keeps on coming!👏

I've had mine since 17th of june. Hes ok with my hand, just doesn't like when it becomes "grabby" (obviously). I just learned that he doesn't like his hide being picked up by receiving bite attacks with one being landed at my ring finger the second time I did it. Good to know. Understood, respected.

Even smaller reptiles are intelligent enough to respond to negative situations. So don’t frighten them.

Still thinking about getting a tegu and these videos always make me want one even more. Lol.

@jessepaynter3752

3 жыл бұрын

Just got a 7 month old tegu, it's pretty rad not gonna lie. Its alot alot alot of work though and I've only had mine a few weeks

I love your channel man, your gonna go places with this

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

I hope so!

@ryderjahjah2376

Жыл бұрын

​@@ProfessorHerp You didn't, lol

Great video

Love your personality bro

My half a year tegu I brought home about 3 days ago, she is VERY food motivated and even chases my hands like food when I move in her enclosure. Is this rehoming stress? She definitely doesn't act angry, no back arching , just tongue flicks followed by sprinting like she would go after a roach. It's hard for me to even get close to her. I do pet her back when she's turned and sit in front of her terrarium.

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

probably use to human interaction being connected to food. May take time to train her to not expect food every time you interact. May want to try exclusively feeding outside the enclosure also. That way any initial interaction in the enclosure is not connected to eating.

I’m trying the smelly clothes in the hide with my blue male who’s in his third month of guberty right now. I’m hoping my patience will pay off. Thanks for the vid!

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Best of luck!

The shirt and underwear complaint from your wife sounds a little more personal than just a hypothetical lol😂 great video super helpful

Great tips! The only one we haven't done (yet) is the smelly clothes. We're moving Jub-Jub into a large enclosure this weekend and will be trying that tip them. I'll let you know if there's a difference in her behaviour!

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

hows it going?

@AllCanadianReptileGirl

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp good! Thanks for asking. She buried my mom's shirt in her hide and sleeps with it (clearly she's the favourite). She buried mine in another spot and dragged my dad's around shaking her head and trying to kill it. Overall, she's been doing great with training/socializing. She's learning so fast, it's incredible! Her intro video comes out in a few weeks. It was a lot of fun to film.

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

@@AllCanadianReptileGirl Looking forward to it!

"Anne-sea-duhl evidence" Lol close enough. I appreciate the videos, just got my first lizard a B/W tegu and so far so good!

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

best of luck!

Tegus are some of the Best. To others they're the Best. What a Reptile.

1 week ago i got baby chaco white headed. My way is sparing time 30-40min a day for handling and hand feeding. Just a jumpy like a usual baby reptiles, but never bite or whipping like iguanas

Your vids are sick

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Interesting

arent you afraid your going to get bit when hes smelling you

I have a juvenile and they do not like me. Ive been feeding with tongs since theyre a little clumsy and was going to switch to hands when big enough to take a grasshopper. Everytime i open the cage their breathing gets heavy. I try to leave my hand in there so they know im not a threat but it still freaks them out. Picking up has become a huge no no because everytime i try they run away. Am i being too impatient

I need some help with my tegu She is constantly wanting to be buried in her soil and is freezing all the time she never wants to come up to the heat.

So when picking up your Tegu scares the hell out of your Tegu, what do you do? "Handling" as in picking him up and going somewhere can only be done if I 100% for sure give him a bad experience. I'm talking about a Tegu that even as a baby was flipping sh*t when you picked him up. Biting, whipping, death rolling, full out panic mode 3000. Every time. What do I do?

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Try picking him up after giving him a treat or some of his food. Associate something positive with you holding him.

@MoritzClips

3 жыл бұрын

Shouldn't I be giving him a treat after I picked him up then? Like a dog you don't teach him to sit if you give him the treat first ;) Anyway he completely attacked me yesterday for no apparent reason just while I was in front of his enclosure. The entire "let him come to you on his own terms" isn't working with him. Like at all.

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

@@MoritzClips With reptiles it really doesnt matter before or after. I prefer before since it starts the positivity before I interact. May be hard to start super negative with interaction and then win the gu over with a treat. The main point: make as many interactions as positive as possible.

@camilleduncan2394

3 жыл бұрын

I have this same issue, and he’s completely chill like 30 seconds to a minute after. I do have to chase him to get him out a little. Not long but maybe a minute or so. He jumps and everything lol

@Ilanawolf12

Жыл бұрын

Get a dog. Why would anyone want one of these creatures?

I'm really struggling with the safety aspect. My tegu is about 2 years old and a bit of a loner, but he's never had his mouth open at me, he's just huffy. He's even gentle when he eats. But he ONLY responds well to bare hands, if I have a glove on he panics. If he were to end up biting me, Is the bite a risk I'm "safe" to take? I have a very high pain tolerance, I just want to make sure if he gets a finger I won't end up without one😅 he let's me pet him I just stay away from his mouth, I've seen how fast they are

Thank you

Does the smelly cloth thing work with Ackies also?

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

It just might!

Hi Professor Herp! I was wondering if you could please help me with a new situation I've found myself in? I have an adulescent tegu that I've had for about a year now (although much of that was spent with him/her brumating). No history on it, wasn't used to being handled but has never been aggressive, is roughly 2 ft long or so (nose to tail). Since it woke up I've been working hard on positive interactions and regularly give it little pets and would take it over to the bathroom for good soaks in the tub which it really enjoys. It used to be in an enclosure that opened from the top, so it was easy to reach in for pets and it relied solely on me for time outside of the enclosure. Well, about a week and a half ago I upgraded to a front opening enclosure and its temperament has changed since. Now it's hard to give it pets since it just tries to bolt out the door once opened, and today it tried to bite me for the first time while reaching in to grab his tub to change the water (even though I was moving slowly and wasn't near it). Once it is out of the enclosure it wants nothing to do with me and it's hard to have a positive interaction. Have to bait it back into the enclosure. Not sure at all if this is guberty related or it just getting spicy with an enclosure that is significantly better than the previous one. Sorry for the novel, would just really love to hear any pointers you (or anyone reading) might have.

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Could be the environment change. I would give it a month or so before really worrying. Give the gu a little space right now. May need to sort of start over and work from the beginning taming/interaction wise to re-earn trust.

How long is your gold tegu

💜💚💜💚

Can someone tell me if I am taming right my tegu because when she is in her enclosure and I try to pick her up she is aggressive but when I take her out of her enclosure she is calm so can someone tell me how to tame her in her enclosure she is still a baby she has 4 or 5 months I just want to do the right thing so she can be aggressive whe she get old and big

@MB-yw7up

3 жыл бұрын

Try not feeding her in her enclosure, try feed her outside so so gets that going outside the enclosure is tied to a positive thing.

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes you need to establish some dominance and control with them I found. To show they cannot always sass their way out of things

Hey Professor Herp, I recently got a baby tegu and he’s a little bit grumpy around me and spends a good chunk of his time underground but I want to train him would it be better if I let him be himself? Don’t worry i give him food but I wanted to know your opinion

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

After he settles into his enclosure from you getting him I would start trying to encourage interaction with you

I tried smelly shirts. It didn't work. He refused to go in his hide with my shirt there and hide next to the hide. I added a second shirt next to the hide and he went to hide on the other side of the enclosure. My tegu is about 4-5 months old and I've had him for a month. I am in the room he is in all day. He will not let me touch him at all. He will only let me sit near him and tong feed him. If I try to touch him he runs aways.

a bald rumple stiltskin

Funnnnee Real Talk...My cats and Doggies loved my Well worn Sox ..underwear ect when the was little it aided in the Imprinting...even my Python...Funny secret

Hola amigo gracias por tus vídeos. Una pregunta mi tegu pequeño no come.otra cosa que no sea cucaracha o gusano grande. No me come fruta ni verdura. Eso es normal? Gracias

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

Definitivamente quieres que coman verduras y frutas. La carne es importante, pero debe ser una pequeña porción. Los invertidos están bien, pero no son tan esenciales a medida que envejecen. Puedes cubrir las verduras y frutas con yema de huevo. Eso suele funcionar. Yo suelo alimentar una vez a la semana una comida de frutas / verduras / carnes y la segunda comida de esa semana no tendría carne. Solo verduras y frutas. Siga reduciendo las carnes hasta que coman más que solo carne. Lo siento si mi español es rudo.

@josebugallo1144

2 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp muchas gracias!! Sigo intentando pero siempre la deja ayi a estropear...y jamás la come.

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

@@josebugallo1144 ¡Prueba esas recomendaciones! Deberia trabajar.

@josebugallo1144

2 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp cuántas veces por semana los alimenta usted?

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

@@josebugallo1144 Dos veces, pero depende de la cantidad que le dé por ración. Entonces, la cantidad de días puede cambiar en función de eso.

Also I would say target train them because they are food aggressive

What if they raise their back every time u go to work with them

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

They are definitely not comfortable and somewhat defensive. Don't push it then. Do brief interactions with that action and show you can give them their space when theyre not feeling it

@SusanLBritt

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp she does it alot and i dont want her to leatn that shr can "threaten" mee away

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

@@SusanLBritt no but you also want to give them their space when they want it. Will she ever calm down? Even for like 20 secs?

Do you have try h2o9 (Superhero Movie)

@ProfessorHerp

3 жыл бұрын

huh?

@Jasonth131

3 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp m.kzread.info/dash/bejne/kaKoq8yFg8jIp7g.html

I think mine is a baby and he bites me when I put my hand in the tank! Anyone have any suggestions?

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

keep working with him!

@justineblessing2261

2 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp haha he’s good aggressive and in a tank instead of something that opens from the front it’s been like a month now and I still can’t hold him yet and I can’t put my hand in there without him being fed.

@justineblessing2261

2 жыл бұрын

Food* not good

@ProfessorHerp

2 жыл бұрын

@@justineblessing2261 try the bathtub method?

@justineblessing2261

2 жыл бұрын

@@ProfessorHerp not yet I’m by myself and it’s hard because I don’t want to hurt him I was gifted him as Christmas present and when he was brought to me I was given a tank with no top (which I made one and he could cut himself on it) and the lights and some eco earth. The tank now he has already became half the size of it and I have a new bigger enclosure but I’m by myself and I had no idea what it was lol I love it now and I’m scared to move him plus catching Covid last weekend wasn’t in my plans either. He might target train but idk. I’m not even sure if it’s a boy or girl that’s why I’m naming it creature 😂. I don’t want to drop him or him drop his tail l I’m just scared I’m going to hurt him or give him a bad experience and then he will never like me I really want to try the bath tub method before I move him to his new enclosure.

Ignoring it works

@Dinglebert86

Ай бұрын

That's what Google said

Great video