Taming Monitors For Dummies?

**Queen 'O Green** · #1 09-14-2006, 11:29 PM

Soooo, I have officially weaseled my way into the local pet store's good graces and have almost total free rein over the herp section. WHHOOOO!!! Of course, almost as soon as I started volunteering the poor boa stopped drinking, dehydrated himself dramatically and couldn't shed, and the baby Bearded Dragons started dying off mysteriously. It's been a bit hectic.

Anyway. They have a White Throat Monitor that is never handled and has become skittish... to put it lightly. I've started just placing a hand in the cage for a little while to get him used to the closeness, and every once in a while I'll rest a finger on his tail if it is sticking out enough from his hide. It totally freaks him out, just moving the cage make's his eyes get huge and you can see how scared he is. Poor little thing. Anyway, I'm trying to start him out slow.

Basically if you move or touch his hide he throws a total fit. He hisses and jumps around wildly until you back away... which tends not to take long, as nobody wants to get bitten, even if he is only about a foot and a half long.

Basically I was just wondering if anybody had any suggestions on how to help him relax. I know it will take a lllooooonnngggg time to get him handleable, if he ever manages it, but I would still like to try. Anything I should know?

**mshrmheadcharge** · #2 09-14-2006, 11:34 PM

All baby monitors are skittish, you would be too if you thought you were goona be someones snack

. Dont touch his tail, this will get you nowhere but bitten or tail whipped and him more then likely tailless. You should touch his back gently, and the back of his neck as well. When picking him up support his whole body inclusing feet, he wont flip out so much. Dont handle him around customers, all youre accomplishing with this stressing him out. What are his temps/humidity and substrate if you dont mind me asking. Also, what does his diet consist of?

Oh yeah, Ive ben bitten plenty py my rough neck monitors, it dosnt hurt. If youre scared of being bit you will never have a tame monitor.

**Queen 'O Green** · #3 09-15-2006, 01:09 AM

Bless you and your advice. When it comes to hairless legged creatures I am basically clueless.

Ok.... no more tail touching, and I feel better knowing I'm not going to loose a knuckle messing with the poor guy. And I do try to do things when it's quiet around there, though there isn't really any place with privacy, and since you have to actually haul the whole darn tank off the shelf to get at him... going somewhere else isn't much of an option. No wonder he is so scared!

As for his stats... In most cases, I have no idea. About all I know is that he's on aspen bedding and he gets a mouse... sometimes. I'm not very involved in his feeding. The temps ect... They don't thermostats, or anything really, so the rest of it is a crossed fingers affair. He does have a heater, but no real warm/cool side.

**Moshpitrockchick** · #4 09-15-2006, 02:05 AM

Patience Patience Patience.....and a complete overhaul on his enclosure, which im sure Savannah will be around to educate you on as she knows more about them than I do.

**Queen 'O Green** · #5 09-15-2006, 02:48 AM

I only wish I could.. but considering my inexperience, and the fact that I don't actually work there, messing with the cages is out of my hands.

**Moshpitrockchick** · #6 09-15-2006, 03:50 AM

Ohhh! I thought you worked there...maybe someone can direct you to a good caresheet and you could print it off and try to reaosn with them, it sounds like they are willing to make some changes!

**Joe** · #7 09-15-2006, 08:24 AM

Just continue as others have sugested and try to talk the owners of the store into a stat for him, also I would change his diet, rodents are too fatty for monitors to be fed as a staple, once in a while is fine but a diet of crix, mario worms, locusts etc would be much better for the little guy.

Good luck

**mshrmheadcharge** · #8 09-15-2006, 07:49 PM

Temps should be in the lower 90s and humidity needs to be round 60%, vent. is needed, you should feed him a diet as followed: 60%insects 40% whole prey, whole prey includes rodents, ground turkey with egg, cb frogs,fish,frshwater shrimp/crabs...you get the idea. Take him off aspen bedding, put him on bedabeast or something simialr that will hold humidity...
Ill PM you a quick caresheet in a few, Im too lazy to type it out right now

**Queen 'O Green** · #9 09-15-2006, 11:32 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys! And don't worry about the care sheet, I can find one for him from the forum!

Though in all honesty... I don't think I will be able to change anything at this point. While I am able to handle and spend time trying to help the more needy reptiles I have no say in how they are kept. Also, if I get too annoying or pushy... they may just ask me to leave, which would not help matters. The best I can do is gently suggest a few changes at a time, and I really don't think the aspen bedding is going anywhere. Plus, even if his temps are out of wack, the heating system there is basically impossible to change, so it wouldn't make much difference to point it out.
Sigh... Patience is going to have to be my motto.

Speaking of which, I went in again today and spent five minutes with him, which is about all I can do at the moment, as I really think he's going to have a heart attack if I spend any more time. Seriously, touching him at all is totally out of the question. The moment his hide is moved he starts freaking out, jumping around madly, hissing... and he spat at me. Um... do they do that? He doesn't show any signs of bubbling or anything, but he managed to send a glob of flem my way. It was.... nice.

Anyway... The day I can actually touch the little fellow will be a happy one.

Until then I've got a bermese python, two Bearded dragons, three turtles, six corn snakes a fire skink, three geckos, three ball pythons, six frogs, one red tailed boa and a whole lot of rabbits to keep me company. The rabbits are a bit out of my experience... but DANG they are cute!

**mshrmheadcharge** · #10 09-16-2006, 12:43 AM

umm..no monitors dont spit flem. Get him on some weak antibiotics(genocin cocktail should be easily obtained for the vet your store goes to)Its an early sign of a RI...if you let it progress it will only get worse, low temps can be the cause of this as well as poor ventalation.

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