Quote Originally Posted by Lizardlicks View Post
Iiiii am not so sure I would go with the stick method. The only way you're gonna tame an ig is handling it everyday. Ideally this would have been done when they were hatchling and not quite so capable of dealing out damage, but there isn't any helping it at this point. Make sure you've given them enough time to settle in to there new environment from the time you got them (one to two weeks) with minimal interaction. Once you're ready to start the taming process, take it slow. go in for only a couple minutes at a time, BUT DO NOT RETREAT. Biting, tail whipping, puffing up and head bobbing are all things igs will use to intimidate you, and if you let it, they'll learn to KEEP doing that.

Sobe was really amenable to treats when I was taming her. My first interactions were to stick my hand in with a high value food item (strawberry slices) or just part of her diner and just... sit there. Hand extaned, food offered. Let her do her panic thing, and when tail whipping didn't drive me off she would eventually calm down enough to come over and tongue flick around cautiously, trying to figure me out. once she was reliably taking food from my hand, I would come in from the side with the other. started with petting her, then lift her up for brief moments, first just her front half, then the whole ig, and finally taking her out of the enclosure for a few minutes at a time then putting her back before she tensed up for a fight again. Took about a month of daily interaction but she got it figured out that pink squishy warm tree means food and exploration out of the enclosure time. She never really got to be a friendly lizard, but she would do just about anything for a snack, and that's how we got to be buddies (she still would have nothing to do with my husband though, lol).
We only have the female now and she escaped for a few hours and lost her tail. She's no more friendly than she was before. Handling her is out of the question. If you even move to do anything but refill food or water, she will spazz. I don't want to stress her when she needs to heal from a traumatic wound. Is there anyway to get her to eat and trust me without possibly losing her again?

0.2 Normal