I have a savannah monitor that I'm guessing is about a year and a half old. I have had him for about 8 months. When I picked him up at the pet store he was really calm but he was also in a very small tank and very cold. When I got him home and he warmed up I got to know how he really was... When I first got him he was really aggressive, always tail whipping, hissing, opening his mouth. He has gotten better but he still hisses a lot and tries to tail whip every once and a while. When I try to handle him he seems ok once I get him and have one hand under his belly and the other at the base of his tail but if I try to remove him from his tank he freaks and is really hard to keep under control.

His tank is 6'x3'x2.5'. I have a spot heat lamp, a red heat lamp, and a uvb bulb on one side with a heat pad, 1 hide, and his x- large corner bowl. With another hide on the cold side. I am also currently closing in half of a shed as his new home.

My main concern is that his is almost 2 feet and still aggressive... I don't want a 4 foot monitor on my hands that I can't control. Any advice would be appreciated

He was calm at the pet store because the inappropriate living conditions zapped him of any energy.
Once you got him warm and eating he got it back.
The thing with monitors is that they are some of the most intelligent species of reptiles. You can't tame them on your terms.
You have to earn his trust by leaving him alone at first. Pulling him out of his hide will never tame him. Picking him up when he's hissing won't either.
Learn to know his moods. Tempt him to come to you with treats but don't touch him until he is very comfortable with your hand near him.
It's a slow process. Forcing the issue will get you nowhere.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

I agree.

When you got him home, did you ever give him an adjustment period? A time when you didn't handle him or mess with him to give him time to get used to his new area?

If not, even though it seems a bit belated, you may want to do that now. If you need to, move him somewhere quiet in the house, and leave him alone - just offer him food and keep his cage and water clean - but hands off as much as possible.

The goal is for him to associate his new habitat with safety. The safer he feels, the more comfortable and calmer he will become. So that hide has to remain in place most of the time. Going into the hide violates the safety of it. He can't "get away" if you can come in after him. That will make him nervous and he'll keep up his aggression.

A *lot* of patience is required to get a reptile used to you, but it's worth it.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

I did give him about 2 or 3 weeks before I tried messing with him when I first got him and I don't ever go in after him when he is in his hides. If he retreats from me to one of them I just let him be.

He doesn't seem to be scared of me until I go to pick him up and that's when he will jerk away and curl that tail back and hiss. He will come right up to me for food. He will even stand on his back 2 legs and eat about right out of my hand. It's just when I go for that tail he doesn't like it. I picked him up again this morning. He was trying to get away a little when I grabbed his tail. I never pulled him all the way out of the tank though. When I sat him back down he retreated to the warm hide and I sat down beside the tank with him until he came back out and he always comes and lays right beside me when I am there but he won't do that for anyone else.

I feel like I have been getting through to him but its just taking FOREVER...

Thanks for your help and maybe with a lot more work soon I will have an amazing new friend who actually likes me as much as I like him

That's probably a natural fight or flight response. By going for his tail, you're acting like a predator, who might strike from behind. Maybe you should just try to be careful about what triggers his aggression, and try to avoid those things. It might be as simple as that.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Going after the tail? That's a definite no no. Really, If some higher being kept you as a pet, that would be like picking you up by one ankle. It wouldn't be very pleasant.
Maybe you are scared of being bitten?
One of the reasons why savs are so popular is that they can become almost like lap dogs.
When you pick them up, pick them up by the torso. Then let them lay on your forearm. They don't like to be grasped in the hand. Put your other hand lightly on his back so if he tries to bolt you can catch him.
You can stroke his head and back with your fingers.
They will always hiss from time to time. Matter of fact, if he ever escapes, you can usually find him by the hissing sound he makes when you get close. He will be hissing at anything when he's out of the tank and in unfamiliar territory.
Savs are the masters of acting like grumpy old men. My experience is that it is more an act to try to scare you away.
Stop grabbing him by the tail!

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Git'er Done!

Mine is pretty much the same way. I can't touch him without him flattening out, hissing, and sometimes whipping his tail or nipping. And forget about trying to pick him up, he squirms like a 2 year old having a temper tantrum. Luckily he's still pretty small, less then a foot long. I'm thinking the people I rescued him from never interacted with him at all (they kept the poor guy in their basement).

I had read a long while ago in a guide that by holding them daily, you could get them used to it.
But I'm going to go with the less stressful way you suggested Typhanie. Thanks.

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i'd be better off opening my own small zoo.

You may want to start slow. Go in the room his cage is in and read a book, or sit and talk for a little while or clean every day. Get him used to you being a presence in his world without that fear that you're going to come after him. Of course, feed him and clean the cage, but try not to be too invasive.

After awhile you may notice him staying outside of his hide when you come into the room, or just seeming more comfortable with you being there. That's when you do want to start picking him up.

Do it carefully. Try not to come from above, but from the side (or front), scooping him up by the belly and not the back. Move slowly and gently. You want him not to panic and respond to you as he would to a predator. Then hold him gently but firmly for a few minutes each day. 5-10 at first, and then you can start holding him longer as he grows more comfortable.

But once you start picking him up routinely, don't let him scare you into putting him down early. When he struggles, just hold on firmly until he calms down. Otherwise he's training you to leave him alone when he tells you.

Giving him a treat from time to time when you hold him can't hurt, either. He *may* (not always, though) start to associate you with treats, which will make him even more comfortable around you.

__________________
"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Don't be intimidated by their antics!
If you drop him every time he hisses or tail whips, Then you are only reinforcing that behaviour. He learns that "if I act tough, I'll be let go."
But, holding them daily is not a great idea either. All animals need some alone time. Some need more time than others.
I believe some herps need to be handled on a daily basis while others need their privacy and should be handled less often. I think some herps become agitated with overhandling.
I believe my sav knows my scent and the sight of my hand.(I've only been bitten once when he was a hatchling.) He is now a hair over 2 feet.

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Git'er Done!

Since we got him, he's been on a shelf over a pc in the living room, so he can always see us and we can always see him. He seems to not be bothered by us and doesn't seem to care about our presence unless we go right up to the aquarium, then he'll just look at us and sometimes hiss, but not retreat to a hide at all.

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i'd be better off opening my own small zoo.