Lesson:Don't take your eyes off the Tegu! (Warning: Bite Pics)

So yesterday I was cleaning the Tegu Cage, took him out no problem. When I put him back in, he goes right into feeding mode. I turn my head for 1 second to shut the glass and WHAM! He's clamped onto my hand like a toothed vice. So everyone learn from my mistake. DONT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE TEGU! Even if he was being nice 5 seconds prior.:rolleyes: I got lucky and rather than breaking bones he only scrunched my hand together really hard. I can tell you, with that bite pressure he could have snapped a finger right off. It could have been a thousand times worse, but I'll let the pictures do the talking from here...

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3.../TeguBite1.jpg


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3.../TeguBite2.jpg


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d3.../TeguBite3.jpg

Wow, that is the perfect bite mark!

no pics of the culprit? I'd like some for size reference :D

Glad it looks like you didn't sustain anything serious. Did he get a head shake in? Like you said, no broken bones or lost fingers, I'd be counting my blessings from not even having floppy torn skin!

This must be a decent sized adult if it got the top and bottom of your hand.I'd like to see pics to.Love me some tegu...

He's about 3 foot Argentine B&W, give or take a few inches. Didn't shake, just held on and repeatedly squeezed and squeezed.

I'm guessing, then, that he's about a year old at 3 feet, unless you brumate him.

I suggest you start to initiate a "feeding call" - a sound that is made everytime you feed him. He will learn this and will not expect to be fed unless he hears the signal. Works for me...

Chris

Oh yeah,.:(..luckily Dino has never bitten me :). I just got him back after being over seas for a year and yeah he was fed in his enclosure so he's very cage aggressive now. Anytime he heard the key in the lock he'd ram the door. Even if he was sleep there was no hesitation to look and see or figure out what was happening. So I took the lock off but I still don't trust him in his enclosure now. I open the door and wait until he's ready to come out. Then take him out or let him come out before I do anything in there.

I know the feeling, my boy got me when he was in a breeding season mode and was not happy. It was only a cut on my finger but it swelled up for 2 hours after I poured a bottle of hydrogen peroxide on it.