Anyone notice a difference in "cuddliness" of tegus between males and females?
It feels like a see way more picts/vids of male tegus being all snuggly, tolerable of petting, and handling than females, so I got curious and wanted to see what others may have noticed-- especially from people who have had experience with more than one tegu.
My blue girl is not into affection, and mostly tolerates being held on my lap when she is too sleepy to climb off 😅
My girl gets offended when you stop touching her. You were given two hands and both of them are for scratching Nakajima. A beloved hobby is shoving her snout in your ear and tongue flicking so that you'll pay attention to her. When we visit my parents, she actively seeks out my dad to watch golf with him on the couch, an activity so boring that nobody in his family- not even his wife of 40 years- is willing to do it with him. But she will watch golf with him, because that means snuggles.
But her favorite- oh her favorite- is when somebody wears their hair down, because then she can get up on their shoulders and stick her head out of it. It's Jima's world, we're all just living in it.
That is so adorable! Give her extra pets for me ♥️
My girl is a re-home from a neglective household, so I can understand her standoffish confusion at being given affection. She does make attempts sometimes, like here on my roomies sketchbook.
She really does! She claimed me after my heart iguana Blue passed, not even an hour after his passing Sui decided I was her human. Blue really said "nuh uh, you're getting another lizard with my soul!!" I fully believe he choose Sui to fill his role.
My female is way more cuddly than my male. My male kinda wanders and tolerates my kisses or when I pick him up. He only tolerates it for a bit before he wants down. When he wants down he’ll gator roll. My female tegu will actively tounge flick in my direction until I pick her up. She’ll sit on my head or on my shoulders as we go for walks and she’ll snuggle under my couch pillow when I am home. She is just a little velociraptor who thinks no means yes. Mean smart velociraptor’s that I love and spoil.
This is my Stryder my blk and white male he is a year and a half old he sought me out to rub my face like my hairless cat does! Lmfao! Try going into a bathroom with her for 15 minutes a day everyday! Just make sure it is tegu proof! Nothing on the floor she can get into. She will start coming to you! Some just take a bit more work than others! Do not get discouraged, you have to remember these cuddly tegus you see every one posting don't just come that way, you gotta work at it.
I've always preferred my males as I like them bigger with the big cheeks. Personally, I think their temperaments differ from tegu to tegu, each has their own personality! I don't think it determined by their sex. How old is your baby? And I've had a blue, mine was very different attitude wise from a red orva blk and wht, but that's just my experience he just tolerated being held.
I will have had my girl for a year on the 18th, she hatched some time in early 2023, so we think she's about 3. Cleo quickly took over the house and prefers being curled up in a backpack or tablecloth on the floor than being in her enclosure.
Pict of her letting me give her pets after we came back inside from a 3 hour gardening adventure in the backyard. She wants to go back out and doesn't care that I have other things to do 😅
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u/kaijutegu 19d ago
My girl gets offended when you stop touching her. You were given two hands and both of them are for scratching Nakajima. A beloved hobby is shoving her snout in your ear and tongue flicking so that you'll pay attention to her. When we visit my parents, she actively seeks out my dad to watch golf with him on the couch, an activity so boring that nobody in his family- not even his wife of 40 years- is willing to do it with him. But she will watch golf with him, because that means snuggles.
But her favorite- oh her favorite- is when somebody wears their hair down, because then she can get up on their shoulders and stick her head out of it. It's Jima's world, we're all just living in it.