kingsnake.com - reptile and amphibian classifieds, breeders, forums, photos, videos and more

return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
 
click here for Rodent Pro
Mice, Rats, Rabbits, Chicks, Quail
Available Now at RodentPro.com!
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Gecko . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Tucson Herpetological Society Meeting - Jan 27, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Feb 01, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Feb 05, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Feb 06, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Feb 09, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Kentucky Reptile Expo - Feb. 15, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Feb 15, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Feb 16, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Feb 18, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Feb 22, 2025 . . . . . . . . . . 

Hand feeding


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Tegu Forum ]

Posted by Ripley on April 23, 2003 at 15:34:10:

In Reply to: Hand feeding posted by Rollin on April 23, 2003 at 09:38:21:

It sounds like you & Taz enjoy this "bonding" every day. :-) That's pretty cool that he'll run over to you then stop & wait for his dinner. I hear ya about hand-feeding. I don't really advocate it either, and wouldn't recommend it to someone unfamiliar with a particular tegu's temperament.

That being said... My red female is extremely mellow, and I used to hand-feed her treats which she'd delicately eat from my palm (not mice, she'd attack those!) We later got a juvenile gold male that was very aggressive and bit a lot (see "Colombian tegu bite" post below). There's NO WAY I'd hand-feed him! Now they're both bowl-fed and that works great for me. OK, the red still gets an occasional treat by hand...

I'm glad you shared the video. Please post more of 'em!


:I don't want to advocate hand feeding. I realize there is a risk in associating food with my hand. Taz has never attempted to bite anyone so I feel comfortable with it. I have been tossing food to him for months now so that's why I didn't think twice about posting the video. Thanks for bringing it up I really should watch it, I had kinda forgot about the risk, I could have just used my tongs or put it on the floor before I call him over.

:I do feed him like this every day, usually I do it a couple of times in a row. It's a way for me to have fun with him and teach him a trick, much like the way I taught my dog. He has been really good about not seeing my hand as food like my dog. He'll usually stop about a foot short of me and wait while I reach for the food to toss him, and he's usually not so energetic about it.

:I'm not concerned about the 70s shag carpet here because it's going to be replaced soon. It's a good thing too not because what I feed, it's what comes out the other end. All of the mice I've feed go down just like the one in the video with no mess no fuss.
:





Follow Ups:




[ Follow Ups ] [ The Tegu Forum ]