The target training thread

[critterguy]

OK I figure their has been some discussion on this so it'd be nice to have some posts/videos of people's target trained bluetongues. I actually had one do this little trick at a cub scout presentation and I'll see to getting video of him up in a few days.

A bit about target training.
-Target training is useful for providing enrichment, exercise, and its a fun way to interact with your bluetongue. It also tempers their feeding response by directing it at the target rather than your hands.

How to start:
Easiest way to begin is to find something your bluetongue likes to eat, and will be easily presentable as a reward. Bits of dry food, mealworms, etc. work well. It probably works best if this food is only offered in association with target training.

Then you need a target. It can be as simple as a pen or a wooden dowel with a different colored tip. I use a chopstick with a wooden ball on the end of it. Pretty much anything should work.

To start you simply put the food item in front of the bluetongue, or otherwise get it interested in food. When the lizard starts moving towards the food, swap if out for the target. If the lizard stops, gently touch the target to its nose-then present the food. After doing this a few times the lizard will start tracking the target. You can tap the target to get the lizards attention-move it closer until he tracks the target, and then move it away. Let him reach it after a few steps and then reward him. As things progress you can try having it follow the target for longer and longer periods/distances before being rewarded. Note that body temperature and hunger will affect target training. A cool or full bluetongue will not be responsive even if it does recognize the target-or it won't accept the food reward. A very hungry bluetongue will often follow the target for longer distances-sometimes even run after it-but they can then be overly exuberant in attacking the target. You may have success by not rewarding a reponse you do not want.

Change of context can affect things a lot. If you train in the cage, you may find you do not get a response when you take the bluetongue out of the cage. Getting them to react to the target both inside and outside the enclosure takes a little longer.

[amb44]

thanks for this, would love to see a video. my dog is target trained and i have started with my rats and wanted to start with my bluey once i found a food he would kill for.

[Spindown]

wanted to start with my bluey once i found a food he would kill for.

I would recommend snails, banana, or blueberries. especially snails!

[supersnakeman101]

i been wanting to try this with a asortment of animals but i would be easy for blaze because his Favorite treat: blueberries. are all around my house

[amb44]

wanted to start with my bluey once i found a food he would kill for.

I would recommend snails, banana, or blueberries. especially snails!

mmm suddenly target training loses its appeal *imagines self having to chop up live snail to get bite-sized pieces* lol

[Spindown]

haha depending on age of bluey, they can crush up the snails in shell...smaller bluey = smaller size snail. You can feed them with shells on! I have to crush mine to teach my live prey fearing skink to like eating snails. He loves the taste, hes just afraid of their size. Everyone else eats them if they can fit them in their mouth to squish them up!

It helps that i also enjoy eating snails, so this doesnt bother me at all

however, berries are small and easily given, and you dont want them to get full after 2 tries, so berries or banana would probably be a better choice for training
That or use the bits from the "can o' snails" they are tiny and the skinks still go nuts for them

[critterguy]

I've never fed snails. Mine work for mealworms for the most part.

[WanderingChai]

My girl goes crazy for my cat's dry food broken up into little pieces.

Thank you so much for posting this thread. I have an old video somewhere, and I'll try to post it. It's not very informative, but it does show my bluey(when she was much younger) target training.

[WanderingChai]

Here's the video. I hate it so much, I sound like an idiot. But here you go!
Warning: It's LOUD. turn down your volume!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn-2UznVzG4&feature=plcp

P.S. There is a cat in this video as well. Do not put your animals together unsupervised, ever. I was being extremely careful and it not something to be taken lightly.
P.S.S. I have successfully taught her to stand up now, but it took much longer than just teaching her how to target train.
P.S.S.S. This was a while ago and my voice is not nearly as annoying.

[Richard.C]

some of mine would just go the object with out a treat on it,the blotchies outdoors would go beserk i reckon,lol,bite first,ask questions later,i guess it would work better for animals housed seperatly,no competition to get the food first

[critterguy]

Wow WC-thats crazy yours stands up. I've never seen that myself.

Richard: Their definetly are novel things that bluetongues will react to...particularly large round things. But I think just about anything will work as a target so long as the skink can identify it.

[WanderingChai]

Wow WC-thats crazy yours stands up. I've never seen that myself.

Richard: Their definetly are novel things that bluetongues will react to...particularly large round things. But I think just about anything will work as a target so long as the skink can identify it.

Yup! It's pretty impressive. I'll try to get a few shots of what I've taught her to be comfortable with with Target Training.

Also, CG, do you know if there is any real value for the skink in Target Training? Could skinks that Target Train be "smarter" than those that do nothing? Just a thought.

[Spindown]

well if nothing else, most animals seem to need stimulation of some sort on a fairly regular basis. I dont know if it would make them smarter, but it would give them something different to do. You should look up monitor problem solving, those guys are SMART! I bet blueys appreciate the treats too if nothing else.

[skeetersmom]

I've never fed snails. Mine work for mealworms for the most part.

Is this by choice or you can't find them? I was ready to order the can-o-snails from the internet before I finally convinced a local pet shop to carry them.

If the snails are available - I would personally feed them over the meal worms.

[skeetersmom]

P.S.S. I have successfully taught her to stand up now, but it took much longer than just teaching her how to target train.

How do you train them to stand?

[critterguy]

That is by choice. I figure a very small amount of their nutrition is mealworms and they like them plenty well enough. I got a bunch of fig beetle grubs and they like those as well for this. In the wild a large percentage of the diet consist of beetles/beetle larvae.

[WanderingChai]

P.S.S. I have successfully taught her to stand up now, but it took much longer than just teaching her how to target train.

How do you train them to stand?

First they have to. E very comfortable around you and know the basics of target training. Then, you slowly progress by making them put their head up, then pushing off of their feet so that they are slightly off the ground. My skink will actually pick her feet all the way off the ground, but I'm not sure that all skinks would be willin to do so and I wouldn't count on it.