nah ~ young + scared .... (more)

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Posted by iZ's mom on August 12, 2001 at 18:44:21:

In Reply to: Mean and nasty posted by mark on August 12, 2001 at 15:00:19:

if he's only 8mo, my guess would be that it's got more to do with *fear* rather than that he's "mean" ...

igs all have different temperments and so even if all the others "tamed" quite easily, i'd call *them* the exception rather than the rule ...

1st of all, ya gotta remember ~ igs are *not* domesticated animals and they do not "tame" in the same way dogs/cats do ... with igs, it's more that we have to earn their trust ... daily! :)

also remember ~ in the wild, igs are "snack food" for just about everything that's bigger than them ... so it's a very strong instinct to be afraid of us giant humans ...

sounds like all this ig prob'ly needs is alot more time + patience ~ some just take longer to *believe* that you're NOT gonna munch on 'em ... :)

some things to try:
careful *how* you approach him ~ if you "loom over" him, you're acting like a preditor would + he's gonna freak and attack to protect himself ...
better if you're at his eye level when you approach him, better still is if you are *below* his eye level ... and his enclosure should be set up so that he can look *down* on his surroundings, make him feel like he's high up in a tree, nice + safe ... that'll help keep in a calmer frame of mind in gerneral ...

maybe try spending time "just hanging out" *near* him, so he gets used to seeing you ... just hang out + talk to him + nuffin else ...

what's his most favorite food?? try hand-feeding a bit of that before picking him up ...

extremely important to have a set daily schedule so he knows *what* to expect + *when* ... that right there can take alot of his fear away!

don't expect him to "be easy" ... he's wired way different than puppies (who are pretty much born loving us) ...

like so many other ig-related things ~ time + patience are key ...

good luck!
Bon. + iZ

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: if he's only 8mo, my guess would be that it's got more to do with *fear* rather than that he's "mean" ... : igs all have different temperments and so even if all the others "tamed" quite easily, i'd call *them* the exception rather than the rule ... : 1st of all, ya gotta remember ~ igs are *not* domesticated animals and they do not "tame" in the same way dogs/cats do ... with igs, it's more that we have to earn their trust ... daily! :) : also remember ~ in the wild, igs are "snack food" for just about everything that's bigger than them ... so it's a very strong instinct to be afraid of us giant humans ... : sounds like all this ig prob'ly needs is alot more time + patience ~ some just take longer to *believe* that you're NOT gonna munch on 'em ... :) : some things to try: : careful *how* you approach him ~ if you "loom over" him, you're acting like a preditor would + he's gonna freak and attack to protect himself ... : better if you're at his eye level when you approach him, better still is if you are *below* his eye level ... and his enclosure should be set up so that he can look *down* on his surroundings, make him feel like he's high up in a tree, nice + safe ... that'll help keep in a calmer frame of mind in gerneral ... : maybe try spending time "just hanging out" *near* him, so he gets used to seeing you ... just hang out + talk to him + nuffin else ... : what's his most favorite food?? try hand-feeding a bit of that before picking him up ... : extremely important to have a set daily schedule so he knows *what* to expect + *when* ... that right there can take alot of his fear away! : don't expect him to "be easy" ... he's wired way different than puppies (who are pretty much born loving us) ... : like so many other ig-related things ~ time + patience are key ... : good luck! : Bon. + iZ

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