Intoducing Twitch.

Sasha2 · 10-13-15, 02:26 PM

He is a gold tegu and rather friendly, except when he thinks you have food then watch out..I am starting target training in a few days once he is settled in. I took him in and dont for sure know if Im keeping him long term but I will train him and keep him as friendly as I can until I decide so he will be adoptable.
Either way I think he is super cool.
He shed just after this picture so looks much more gold..

reptiledude987 · 10-13-15, 02:38 PM

Very cool. What is target training?

Sasha2 · 10-13-15, 03:45 PM

Well Im hoping to train him to target or touch a stick for food so he doesnt go after me.
Ive done it with birds and dogs but not with a lizard before. I have seen youtube videos with monitors, alligators and a komodo dragon so hoping with alot of patience can also get a duller witted animal to target as well. My biggest concern is his quick excitement, he can just about leap out of his tank he gets so exuberant for his food.

MM1 · 10-13-15, 08:09 PM

Nice. How old do suppose he is? I know some of the Argentine varieties get over 4 feet long and heavy. Don't the gold/black and white Columbians stay a bit smaller and lighter? Also, it seems from the ones I've seen the males don't get those same big jowels like the Argentines, correct?

**Minkness** · 10-13-15, 08:53 PM

Ooooh, these sound nice! I have been interested in a nice lizard that's on the larger side but easy to handle. Maybe gold tegues are something I should research.

dave himself · 10-14-15, 03:03 AM

He's a beauty, we've found that most of the golds are more feisty than the B&W or reds that come into the shop. Although I was talking to a guy who breeds golds and all his are very calm so perhaps we've just been unlucky

**Tsubaki** · 10-14-15, 03:05 AM

What a beauty

Sasha2 · 10-14-15, 07:34 AM

Yes he is way faster then an argentine and what I would call high strung like small lizards are. Ive had an argentine tegu I raised from a baby. I bought him from Bert before he passed away, he was totally awesome and was huge.
But the teguixins are just not the calm easy going lizards that the Argentine are.
I have no idea if I will succeed or fail miserably at training this guy. Im lucky that he is used to being handled so half the work is done for me.

**Tsubaki** · 10-14-15, 09:24 AM

I hope it will work out, i cared for a black and white one for a bit once (just for the holidays) it was very tame and such an amazing creature.. but a danger when there was food around!

Sasha2 · 10-14-15, 10:35 AM

My argentine was crazy around food as well but I think in hindsight I should have been more routine with his food. Like always feeding in the same dish at the same time etc.
I was rather random and that made him more unpredictable at mealtimes.

prairiepanda · 10-14-15, 03:13 PM

He looks great! A friend of mine target trained his tegu with a bell. It was an Argentine, though, so a bit easier to work with, but I think if he can do it then you can too

Tegus are much smarter than people tend to think. I think their slowness and tendency to ignore certain things makes people think they are dumb.

Hope all goes well for you! He's at a good size for that kind of training, from what I understand.

Sasha2 · 11-21-15, 05:58 PM

Well I rehomed Twitch, he was just too crazy for me and the longer I kept him the less likely he would be to find a new home. So I gave him to a guy who had a good cage and really was excited to get him. I explained how crazy he was at feeding time. But also how amazingly calm he was when out of his cage.
Anyway, I am thinking this man could handle him and happy he will have a good home.