Can You Train a Lizard?

[@avaleloc1513]

“Um ... But, I ... I’d still really like to play with shoes.” “I’m gonna play with those shoes” 🤣

[@AnonJuggerbot]

"We're playing with shoes today."

[@RTJsims]

One does not simply say no to miniature carnivorous Dinosaur who demands shoes to be played with…

[@Sheislizz]

I knew a woman who looks just like My pretty lol Smeigal or smeegal?

[@sumithatake1234]

Wth is your profile pic

[@avaleloc1513]

@@sumithatake1234 it’s Gollum

[@TB-zl6le]

Note: don’t make the target the same color as your hand.

[@2yearoldeastercandy935]

Or your favorite shirt

[@AlexaBellaMuerte]

Hah

[@torquess454]

😂

[@TomMAF4]

Or your tie! : S

[@ICY-HURR]

@@resurrectedhelicoprion 😂

[@mildlydistressed]

Gus Gus: Hello, my human, have you come to give me scritches? Clint: *shows an orange circle* Gus Gus: G I V E T O M E T H E S A C R I F I C I A L O R A N G E

[@danquaylesitsspeltpotatoe8307]

02:20 Lucky thats not your baby!

[@mardroidmk1393]

Heh. It was just like a switch had been turned on in his head. Which I guess it kind of was.

[@chibicricket]

Yes, yes you can. My iguana was potty trained. Embarrassingly, I was on the local news because of it. They are smarter than people give them credit for.

[@Deepbluhuntr]

Did you potty train it like you would a dog , with positive reinforcement ? How did you get it to understand where not to go ?

[@HastyChester]

I had an iguana for 21 years. He was super smart and nonaggressive. He frequently chose to poop in my sister's room. I did not encourage that, but I also did not discourage it.

[@chibicricket]

@@Deepbluhuntr more like you would a cat. It was a lot of repetition and when I would see him do his potty wiggle, I would bring him to the same area. He just started going in that same spot after a while.

[@chibicricket]

@@HastyChester mine too, never was aggressive, pretty chill and free roaming. He was a little over 22 when he passed.

[@Deepbluhuntr]

@@chibicricket , Thank you !

[@hellbreakfast1590]

I really like how this guy explains how these creatures work, illustrating their personalities without anthropomorphizing them in a way that's deleterious to their well-being. They do *think*, but not like us.

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

"The tall fleshy one approaches without the yellow food circle. He must wish to give me attention."

[@arronalt]

"brother, may I have some oats?" vibes

[@Grab_001]

I always love seeing animals do that thing where they arch and lean into the pets. GusGus' immediate reaction to the petting is such a soothing sight. The eyes closing, the arching, the wiggles, it's just amazing

[@KylesMonitors]

I have a female ackie that does that and it makes her 5x more enjoyable to interact with

[@seanrallis6714]

Like Clint said... he's basically a reptilian dog.

[@porakiyadraekojin3390]

Some of my leopard geckos do the same. It makes them extra cute

[@dragonsoul123]

GusGus be like... OMG right there yiiiss keep scratching! You feel good just seeing that.

[@MastemaJack]

My leos do that. Hopefully my tegu will be like that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJLZiKeVrd90qbc

[@nathanielleack4842]

Target training has been such a big request its so cool that you got around for it! It proves how smart alot of big lizards are. Your gus gus is a clever boy

[@McSandraMAC]

My boy is target trained and he only gets fed on one side of the enclosure. I come in on that side and clap the tongs that means food. I come in on the other side he comes up for scratches. It’s amazing how smart they are. It only took about two weeks to get him trained.

[@beardlessdragon]

Oh, this is a really good addition to the training to know about! I kind of naturally do this just based on where I place my tegu's food, but coupled with target training, maybe I can actually get him to associate the other side with handling/interactions! Thanks!

[@yvainestelmack7196]

I just realized that Gus Gus would be an absolute terror if he ever made it into the Simpson's universe.

[@jake120007]

PFFT i got this immediately, kudos'

[@oscarlynch6567]

"eat my shorts" The next day "here lies Bart Simpson

[@user-eh2jk6mf9s]

Or even Gumball. Remember the pet turtle?

[@sampagano205]

I also accidentally target trained my blue tongue a little bit just by having a feeding routine. I'd always refill his water bowl before feeding him, and we only have one set up of cups in my house, so he learned the cup meant food.

[@Lyrabela]

I accidentally did the same thing. Mine, while adjusting, wouldn't leave his hide when I was around. So I would tap on the bowl I was leaving it in. Now I tap on it and he comes running. Lol

[@popenieafantome9527]

My uncle’s turtles is similar. Its food is a small container and makes a distinct noise when picked up (think of cereal in a container). So if you shake it, the turtle tried running up its inclosure.

[@porakiyadraekojin3390]

I think I might have target trained my bluey by accident as well. I have one of those glow-in-the-dark food bowls that I only put in when feeding her (usually) and lately I noticed that she likes to bite it when I'm moving it. Lol, kinda scared the wife a bit once when she was messing with it.

[@TomDufall]

I've done it with chickens half-intentionally - they get corn as a snack and it naturally rattles a bit in the cup + I tend to give it a shake to get their attention/because I fidget. Very useful for getting them back in if you let them out (although we've now got a larger enclosure so it's no longer an issue.)

[@ssr8555]

It’s really interesting to see how many people have accidentally target trained their reptiles. Just comes to show how smart they really are even without us trying to specifically teach them that.

[@user-eh2jk6mf9s]

Finally! A person that knows and speaks the truth! Every time I mention getting a pet lizard/snake everyone's reaction is "They are dangerous! Don't!". Every time I see a shark video and comment on how the shark interracted with the diver calmly, everyone says "It was sizing him up, it was thinking about eating him!" and such. But then I point out how many people get attacked by dogs, especially stray packs, everyone acts as if it never happened. Indeed, every animal can be dangerous. Thanks for spreading the word.

[@hyperion3145]

Not just dogs, even chickens can make you have a bad day. Some have spurs large enough to take a finger and can be pretty aggressive. Some cats, even domesticated ones, can cause some pretty serious infections if they bite you. Yet a corn snake is what makes people jump.

[@lexslate2476]

I like how the big, strong lizard happily gobbles up those leaves. And how he responds to scritches. Gus knows that Clint is his friend.

[@KraftyKeelah]

I love this so much! Too often we refuse to recognise the intelligence of non human creatures. Even more so when they show signs we view as aggression. This is a great lesson for everyone to respect their lizards for the critters they are, while being able to interact safely. This made my day!

[@leishamortimer]

Gusserton! The most satisfying lizard to pet. Those beaded scales and incredibly cool. Good job, Clintyy! This was fun!

[@dustind4694]

"See, funny story, this one time my giant lizard got hold of a shoe at the police station..."

[@gabrielhenning1620]

Excellent video! I never understood exactly why people did target training, THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!!!

[@OddOzzy]

Aside from this target training is a good stepping stone into other more specific and complicated trained behaviors. A lot of tricks start at target training, things like crawling, spins, plantform work, ect. At least with mammals it is, i'm not familiar with reptile training methods.

[@millenial90]

@@OddOzzy Target training is an excellent step to training other behaviors (spin, get in the vet crate, etc) for birds, too!

[@aryak.9623]

@@OddOzzy and actually i think is the easiest way to teach a HUMAN how to teach. Usually the problem is that humans rely to much on words and can't explain things in other ways, not even other humans. We did experiments where we tried to communicate just with touch as we do with horses and it was a disaster. Not just animal, people need to rationalize, be consistent and precise. Target training is a good first step

[@rathmiron]

@@aryak.9623 Its not quite the same (clicker instead of target training) but I've seen a video of a dog trainer that addresses this tendency humans have. It shows some people "training" each other using ONLY clickers to mark the correct behavior. It really shows that just because YOU know what you want an animal to do, doesn't mean that animal has any idea what you want them to do, especially with more complex (meaning more than one "step") behaviors.

[@revivevfx_]

Nobody: Shoe: *exists* Gus Gus: “Yeah, um, we’re gonna play with shoes today.”

[@coco_the_corpse]

"They are dangerous" Emily: I'mma hug it

[@ivy9922]

Emily's Ally seem more behaved. Gus seem like the type who'd run around in the playground.

[@AngryMothNoises]

My local reptile store often has a black/white tegu roaming the store. Its a small building with no isles so he can see him from the register. One summer he had the store door open. And while I was looking around I watched this tegu just.... roam out side. (Owner was witch a customer) I am not remotely scared of lizards, but like dogs I don't just walk up and start petting dogs I don't know with out the owner's consent. The owner by then had went into the back for something so I walked out side, picked up or tried to and dragged him back into the store. Closed the door and let the owner know. He thanked me but that was it. His tegu's had always been so sweet, his son brought in a Red tegu and I got to hold him and I wanted to cry. Such an awesome animal. More so when you train them.

[@finagledpixel5688]

My partner convinced me that instead of a puppy we needed an Argentine Tegu with Clint videos. Now every time Clint states, "they are just like dogs." I look over at her and she is always trying to tail climbing something in her terrarium as the dog cheers her on from the outside -.-

[@sobble_p]

no words can describe the joy of hearing you open with "well hi there! this is gus gus!"

[@TheBT]

I can confirm that the going outside thing is true, my Olly was also aggressive the first time he went out side. He's a healthy weight, he's a red but nowhere as chunky as a certain famous red tegu (as well as not as chunky as his dad) When he's spayed out he looks a bit chunkier then gus gus but then he's standing he doesn't show it.

[@Chriszapis]

I am so honored that i get to see Tegus in their Natural Habitat, it's simpilly amazing. (Im from south Brazil BTW)

[@Kialna]

Funnily enough, I accidentally trained my Ball Python as well with a feeding routine. He associates a green bowl with food, because I didn't want him to ingest substrate. Now whenever the green bowl is placed, he'll wait in front of it, patiently. hahahaha

[@Kyenta]

Hah haven’t gotten my girl nementh to be patient at feeding time but I do use a shallow orange bowl

[@GRANNi3S.G0N3.WiLD_]

Don’t you guys just love how he make his learning so much love and puts so much hard work into his videos so we enjoy them! Your Rad Clint!!

[@richardbinkley8487]

Like Bill Nye for animals

[@newtd2458]

I just like the passion it's really clear he loves what he does and can hardly contain it.

[@sampagano205]

This whole story makes me feel bad because I recently figured out I probably won't be able to get a tegu unless Florida's laws change, because the specific field of herpetology I'm studying will probably mean moving to Florida eventually. Ironically when I move to Florida, I'd probably be studying invasive Tegus.

[@avaleloc1513]

Maybe you can help show the government that by banning tegus there will just be more illegal ownership and thus more invasive tegus being released into the wild, and you can help show them that changing the laws to a permit system or something would be much more effective.

[@Trekki200]

What do Floridians do with invasive, but injured animals? (Where I live you aren't allowed to keep wild animals like squirrels as pets, unless they are rescues unable to survive on their own, so maybe a three legged Tegu would be a possibility.)

[@olyvia1380]

@@avaleloc1513 unfortunately, governments aren’t banning animals for any real reasons and also aren’t great at changing things they’ve done incorrectly. wickens wicked reptiles has a good video explaining this.

[@theimmortaleye7511]

@@Trekki200 im pretty sure any invasive species is euthanized then. But im from germany so idk your local laws. It just makes sense since to get rid of invasive species they kill them , so they also kill the injured.

[@CrimFerret]

Maybe you'd be able to get an exemption for research purposes. You can't really study them if you don't have access to them.

[@theamphibinator]

This is just like how Joseph Carter The Mink Man trained Raptor to target the purple tongs! Fascinating stuff!

[@archkull]

It's incredible how intelligent monitors are too, I don't remember who it was, but somebody in yt trained his raptors to approach the glass and give their arm to be let out of the cage, purely by association and the reward of being let out of the cage. It's astounding that animals so incredibly different to us mammals in mind and evolution can still be "communicated" with like this. Blows my mind. I do wonder, if reptile breeding was less focused on cosmetic patterns and instead trainability and intelligence based, in many many decades, where we would be.

[@amyb5339]

GusGus!!!!! He has such Epic Radness ! Thanks for the fan fav feature Clint. Now we all know what color tie NOT to send you 😳😋

[@ClintsReptiles]

It would be fun to test his discernment. 👔

[@aureaphilos]

I was actually surprised to see that Clint wore a tie that had an orange hue... So maybe Gus Gus has made the association that food comes from THAT orange hue and shape. Clint??

[@psychicchicken5263]

@@aureaphilos I think it's probably because the tie has a pattern (isn't a flat orange) and isn't as vibrant, that would be my guess.

[@mardroidmk1393]

It's also notable that Gus didn't react to the round target straight away despite being close in colour to the temperature gun. He had to be trained to associate them the same. So it's the object specifically, not just the colour. So if Clint wore orange shorts or pants and stuck his bottom into Gus Gus's enclosure, he may be just fine. I dare ya.... 😂

[@RealmofRuss]

Target training is great, used it with both pigs and a Shetland who was particularly food aggressive.

[@natanaru]

It's so interesting how he interacts with you and loves scratches. Very intelligent animal.

[@wikyWargaming]

I recently started tap training my cranky male blood python (I got him at about 1.5 years old), and it's working excellently! Reptiles are a lot smarter than many give them credit for.

[@Zach-sx8cm]

Omg Clint you just solved a huge mystery for me!! My bearded dragon pumpkin never showed any aggression, even when force fed antibiotics, in his first 8 months with me. Then in may I opened my window for the first time. When I tried to interact with him he went full on black beard and inflated body. I never guessed it was how different I looked to him. Wow!!

[@shamik_sathe]

Gus gus is sooo rad. I really like how tame and tolerant he is. It must be a lot of work to make him this freindly.

[@loopbreaka]

Legendary advice. Thank you.

[@geckofeet]

My tokay gecko trained me to feed her by coming over me when I was sitting near her tank, moving back and forth to get my attention, and licking her lips. If she wasn't hungry, she would often just hang out next to me because she liked me or something.

[@afshinmithwani5823]

We love Gus gus

[@keithpayne9776]

So how do you go about giving him a whole bowl of food with the Target training?

[@ClintsReptiles]

I just put it in while the target is still up. He stays on the target until it goes down. I also usually put it on the far side of the pillar.

[@FeebsTarantulas]

WOW - I knew the reactions would be different but they were INSANELY different. Absolutely brilliant. Amazing. Thank you Clint!

[@Torahamutaro13]

Gus is such a good, sweet boy. 💖

[@sampagano205]

Since you breed pythons and keep boas, do you think you'll ever do a video about IBD and the importance of testing for viruses generally? I recently had an IBD scare with my children's python which thankfully turned out to not be the case, but I think it does deserve more attention.

[@AdarColussi]

Gus Gus is so magnificent! love how he turns around like a cat or dog with that "Oooooooh that felt good don't stop!" look in his eyes after scratches.

[@buck_tv8936]

I really like stories about gus gus. It kind of makes me imagine an adorable tegu playing with toys

[@Kahdel]

I have my Argentinean Tegus trained acoustically. I can reach in grab food bowl, pat them, etc they won't go for their food until I've taped their bowl or plate 4 times on the edge. They'll also immediately stop eating if my hand touches their bowl or plate. Neither of them are obese, I used small amounts of fruit treats (fresh blueberries typically)for training and rewarding good behavior. This also helped them learn when dinner was served as both of them are free roaming in my house with a couple of rooms blocked off they can hear me tap the food dish and will return to their enclosure.

[@Janeway1269]

I never realized they ran on two legs before. I'd LOVE to see that! Also good to be reminded that even sweet Gus Gus can have his moments. Always respect these animals and the power they possess. Love Gus Gus.

[@antaguana]

That's some enthusiastic biting for a leaf. You don't often see things so determined to eat a leaf.

[@Azynel]

“And it was one of those days where I was wearing shoes”

[@RoseProseFroze]

Well, I think I may need to target train my skink now. But weirdly not because they are food aggressive. I have a WATER aggressive skink.

[@kitsune0rei]

Videos should be made of this.

[@melmiamisfit]

I guess the lizard likes what it likes. My Bearded dragon was lettuce aggressive.

[@fetusdeletus9266]

Your skink: *I request hydration mother*

[@RoseProseFroze]

@@kitsune0rei I'll try lol

[@virgoleo81]

I love how he arches up when you give him pets. I have a leopard gecko and he does the same thing!

[@phasm42]

Googling, reptiles are typically tetrachromats. So two colors that appear identical to our trichromat vision could appear distinct to them.

[@willnolan7040]

Gus Gus makes me so happy 😭😭😭

[@susanmartin3762]

What an incredible difference in his behavior when you put the target up. That's awesome to watch

[@matthewblackwelder6487]

It's amazing how he just leans into the scratches just like a dog or cat.

[@blackfirehedgehog7725]

This was a very valuable video for me. I've seen target training used before, but explained not as extensive as this, and in this case, you can see the difference in Gus Gus's reaction really clearly. Plus it's always a treat to see him, haha. I would like to get a larger lizard someday, and as far as larger lizards go... Well, at the moment a Tegu sure seems the most interesting to me. Knowing how to interact with one safely will be important.

[@loriw2661]

I’ve used target training for years. It’s especially beneficial when training birds, like large parrots. Consistency is key. It is THE most important part of target training. Target training allows for safe feeding, handling and moving your animal to the place you would like it to go. It’s also excellent for “hand shy” (which is actually a fear of hands) animals. Great video!!🐍❤️🐍

[@Nettyou]

I have a month old Tegu, and I cannot wait to target train her like this!

[@DFangs219]

The channel has grown and evolved so much over the years and I'm very happy for the Clint's reptiles team, but I would really enjoy some new Gus Gus content!

[@ClintsReptiles]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmXCoGaGo5yIgrc

[@torquess454]

Gus is so handsome, even training your smaller lizards is a good idea for things like escapes , easier to get them back

[@dooksouls5423]

I had to pause this video to go and find footage of a tegu running on hind legs. What. The. Heck?! Phenomenal!

[@lisarich777]

Tego’s are amazing. They’re so smart. They’re so intelligent. I love your videos. They’re so helpful. Thank you.

[@papanasicuafine]

Love this video!! I'd love to see a video on reptiles and play, btw. ☺️

[@lindsayschmidt2177]

What a good handsome boy!! I love tegus so much. I doubt I’ll ever own one, but gosh, they’re such amazing creatures. Gus Gus and Ally (Snake Discovery’s tegu) are two of my favorite animals to see on KZbin.

[@beardlessdragon]

Amazing method to know about. I've had troubles with my tegu associating my hand with food. Time for target training!

[@Dreadykruger11]

Thank you again for a great video Mr.Rad

[@xandermin]

Always a treat to see Gus Gus, the biggest bestest boy!

[@Makingofabetterlife]

So smart. Gus Gus is one of my favorites of yours.

[@taeviansworldofreptiles3828]

Definitely going to remember this when I get my future tegu

[@raveneldawnstar]

Gus is so precious! I love tegus so much. He deserves ALL the scritches.

[@soullesshonky1707]

any video with that much Gus Gus is a win in my book. You can tell he wants attention when you put your hand up,but knows immediately what the target is. That he does it that seamlessly is pretty amazing. While i have no animals right now,when i can,i really want a tegu. And yes,he is part of the reason.

[@Textile_Courtesan]

Great presentation! Something I never thought about for a tegu. Definitely an amazing animal that's top of my bucket list.

[@thirdeye_pythons6064]

Thanks for the video. I've been debating on whether or not to get a Tegu and your videos have been SUPER helpful!!

[@calebgardner2687]

So cool! I can't wait to train my own lizards when I get the chance. Eventually I want to see if they can be audio trained, so that I could play a specific note and they would connect that with feeding time and another with just regular interaction. My plan is to use the "feeding note" before showing the target every time, and then eventually see if they respond to just the note.

[@aryak.9623]

It would be interesting to see. Animals can learn different amount of words/sounds and with some is more effective than with others. I saw dogs are slow learner but works very well with sound cue, horses learn more quickly but prefer gestures and touch to sound. Anywsy they can learn a huge amount of different cue. It would be interesting to see how reptiles and different species reacts to it.

[@angelabrown6598]

Your videos are so jam-packed with information, they’re great. 👍

[@rat_dragon]

Target training is extremely useful! I'm glad you covered it :)

[@s.l2741]

This was way better than the usual style vids! More please! Love the more informal chat style 😊

[@Mike-bh9vs]

This is why I love this channel!! Super rad content as always. I need a Gus Gus!

[@codymullens1261]

Always great to see GusGus

[@turtlejeepjen314]

My pet Commom Snapping Turtle is also Target Trained like this. When I want him to come to me so I can remove him from his tank for interaction, I will hold a bright blue square of fabric up against the glass & he will frantically ‘run’ to me to get out!! & He also understands it is not a feeding time, so he will not approach aggressively (aka, a Bitey Boi like he would normally be!) I put a round yellow plastic disk against the glass, he zooms over with the feeding response like Gus-Gus here! another awesome video, Clint!

[@richardkelchjr.1954]

Dr. Laidlaw, that’s amazing. I am currently trying to bell train my year old BCI.

[@devinsweeten5354]

Thanks id been looking into target training this helped a lot

[@GodGunsGills]

This is so true and works!!! My dragons react with an orange feeding bowl or feeder tongs tapping the front trim of their enclosures!

[@zato6226]

That's actually a very good idea! Thanks for sharing.

[@lorrainemunoa791]

Brilliant! I plan to do this with my snake. I've managed it with my dog- She knows a lot of English words as her cues or targets for various activities and one vital one is "DINNER"! That and "Snuggle" are her favorites.

[@EnsToday]

i've been a big fan for a while, this video is particularly excellent

[@wrightwreptiles2516]

I tried target training, but my tegu thought my hand was the target lol. So, I got my tegu and sav colored kid plates, and the only time they eat is off of their plates. Same concept, but I just get charged less lol

[@lavabender572]

I'd like to thank Tegus for basically being lizard bears

[@AllCanadianReptileGirl]

Gus Gus is wonderful! Target training had been very helpful with my tegu. I have a video out next week on how I've trained/socialized her - target training was a big part of my success wth Jub-Jub!

[@matthewweil9949]

“We’re gonna play with shoes today.” 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣🤣🤣

[@teawithfoxes]

This is brilliant!! Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@robzs8388]

I just so happen to have the camera paused on a closeup of gus gus sort of archly staring at the camera and I must say, he is such a handsome boy.

[@ICEMAN-km6nz]

hey Clint, awesome video! would you ever consider a tour on how you made his enclosure?

[@minhannguyen450]

I had been using a lot of bird training techniques with my tegu. I'm excited to add this into the training toolbox. Thank you so much for the video!

[@jmalexander131]

Some shark scientists call that color "yum yum yellow. "

[@zulemazahir666]

I've been needing Gus Gus in my very (currently) sad life. So glad to have another reptile tuber I trust talking about target training so I can prepare for my future dream. Thanks so much for all your hard work Clint! 🖤

[@crispyorange6997]

Bro thank you so much! I’m finally allowed to get a ball python and it’s mostly because of your videos. I decided on a 9 month old hypo/pastel and I’m getting it in 2 weeks!

[@Arid909]

1:33 - Oh good I thought you were about to say he went up and shredded the kid.

[@davidharless3752]

I have a 16 acre homestead. I have plenty for what ever I need for it to flourish. Gus Gus is the reason why I am getting a tegu.

[@nicholasgarrett8594]

I've always been curious about the feasibility of training reptiles. Great video!

[@ao_fpv7552]

Wow that is amazing clint, much respect 🙌

[@TehOneTrewIdjut]

You are absolutely brilliant. You’ve probably extended the lives of many of these lizards with this incredibly observant method. I can’t even begin to express how impressed I am. So glad I stumbled onto this. I probably won’t ever need the info, but damn, BRILLIANT.