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My Hand Trained Argentine B&W!

G

Goanna

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Yes, she is hand trained. That is, trained to go after my hands!

I need to figure out how to try and calm her down. Whenever I open the cage she thinks it is feeding time and she will lunge for my hands. Then, if I just stand there for a minute without bothering her, she will calm down and I can reach right in and pick her up.

I dont understand why she does this. I never hand feed her, I use 18" hemostats when giving mice, and everything else I feed from a shallow dish, of which I also use the hemostats to place the dish in and out of the cage.

Once she is out, she is great. I can put her down on the couch or my office chair and clean her cage, and she will just curiously walk around without causing much trouble. She will also hang out on my shoulder, in fact she will often climb up there herself.

It is just the opening of her cage that sets her off. Is there anything I should try and do to correct this? I am thinking maybe I will have to get a big rubbermiad bin and feed her in that everyday, and then put her back in her cage when she is done.

Also, another question, anyone ever notice that tegus seem to be intrigued by flourescent lighting? She will constanly jump up and try to attack the flourescent. She pulled it off the top of the cage once and I found her sitting on it inside the cage, lol. Needless to say, it has like 10 extra screws in it now, and a cover protecting her from breaking the bulb, lol.
 

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most of my experience is with golds, but the response is fairly typical and happens with many reptiles. the cage opens and food comes in, so whenever the cage opens they want food. as soon as they realize food isn't coming - life goes on as usual. keep in mind that when kept at optimal temperatures. these guys are truly opportunistic - unless they are so stuffed they can barely move, they will eat anytime they can get food...they never really know when their next meal is coming, even if they now know from where (from the top of the cage when it opens). many people have used separate feeding containers with good success. another option is to do something to break the food mindset - a tap on the nose with the handle of a snake hook (or similar cushioned item) works on many individuals. if just waiting for a few minutes settles her, I'd just run with that (but that's me)
 
well, I have tried distracting here with the snake hook, but she charges the snake hook and latches on to it. Last time she almost pulled it out of my hand and she whacked it against the glass. Last thing I need is the glass door to break, so that was the end of that, lol.

I have also tried giving her some extra food, and while that does settle her, it often results in her releasing alot of fecal matter when I take her out, which also isnt too great, lol. Plus, I dont want to overfeed her just so I can handle her.

I guess I will try the seperate feed container, see how that works. When I first got her, she didnt do this, she started maybe 2 months after. At first I would just put the food in, and she would slowly walk up to the bowl and eat. Now, she charges at everything, lol.

Thanks for the reply. If I try out the seperate feeding container, I will post here wether it seems to work or not.
 
yea friend of mine has a few snakes, and what he was told by seperate shop owners is that once the lid opens it thinks its food time - so he takes them out of the cage, and feeds them. Problem here lies that they are usually testy because they can smell the food regardless =). Another thing that usually offsets the aggresive behavior from what ive found is wether or not you are feeding it live or dead food. If it has to fight its food then it will tend to grow more aggressive in that nature.

-Jay
 
Problem Solved

If you really want her to calm down.....
DO NOT FEED HER IN HER CAGE. She has learned that you do this and thus reacts the way she should. Break the cycle before its too late.

I breed argentines and I have seen this behavior corrected by many people. It is a common error on our part to want to feed them where they live... error all the same.

Also make sure you feed her til shes full each time and she will mellow way out, but you must not feed her in her home.

Hope you take the advice. It might save you several fingers.
 
Yes, I have been feeding her on the floor in a large open sweater box for over a month now and I already see a big differance. She still strikes at the glass sometimes if I am doing something nearby and I happen to move my hand/arm near the glass.

But now I can open the cage (I give her a few seconds after I open the glas before I put my hands in) and pick her up without her trying to lunge at my hand :D.
 
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