Posted by:
JimM
at Tue Jul 8 15:07:59 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by JimM ]
You have to be careful using that word on this board, some people have quite a problem witn it. The header is just a joke of course, as I understand the aversion to that term, it can be misleading - anyway....
That being said, a nile, regardless of your definition of the word "tame" is a tough customer! Personaly, I've had no problem getting them to calm down. The thing is, it takes patience and much perseverance! No small amount of pain too.
I do what psychologists call "flooding a behavior" I start with a hatchling first of all, this is important! I let it acclimate for a few weeks before messing with it too much. I take it out, and let it bite me. I then get it to release the bite, (usually by setting it on the ground) then let it bite me again. I do this until I can no longer elicite that response from the animal in that session. Usually after 7 or 8 bites. I put the animal away, and the next day I will do the same thing. When I feel the animal is becoming a bit less stressed at being handled, I will do this twice a day or so. You have to be carefull, stressing your animal too much is counterproductive, not to mention cruel! Some will say "just let it be a monitor" and there is validity to this. However, the reality of the situation is that most people don't want a six foot lizard around that can and will kick the $hit out them on a routine basis! Most keepers are not interested in display only animals. If you are breeder, you probably don't care as much either. So, either you decide to accept this, and let the nile be who he is naturaly, or you put your time in. Neither proposition is an easy undertaking.
So...after a period of time doing this "flooding", usually about 4 months or so, the animal will stop biting you. When the nile reaches about 2' or so, the onset of puberty it seems, you may have to go through the process once more. This is not the only way, but the fastest way.
The fact of the matter is that most larger niles are just as calm as most large albigs, it just takes MUCH more effort to get them there. Honestly, given the ease with which some of the other larger varanids become accustomed to our presence, I have to question whether the effort the average nile monitor takes is worth it! Then again, there are those individual niles that will ALWAYS remain very wary. So you should always go in assming that your animal will always be what it is. Mine have always calmed down.
Frankly, I got tired of them moved on to other varanids. I'm sure I will have them again one day when space allows.
Cheers
Jim
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Careful, the "TAME" police will come and get you... - JimM, Tue Jul 8 15:07:59 2003