Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I acquired within the last 8 months a 4ft Nile monitor and a 3 1/2 ft. savannah monitor. Both of which were not handled much. Both are agressive. The nile tail whips fiercely and tries to bite, and the savannah chases my hand around his cage. I have tried coming in to handle them from both the top and sides of their cages and they aren't responding well. They allow me to go in and clean their water bowls with EXTREME caution, however, I do get tail whipped. They are fine as long as I am not inside their cage or trying to handle them. Any suggestions? Also, does anyone know of a GOOD pair of gloves to use to prevent penetration and crushing that I can use to handle both reptiles?

I've raised both niles and savannahs for many years, and animals acquired as adults can be more difficult to work with. You have no control or influence over the years of experience they have had interacting with humans. Whether such past interactions were positive, neutral, or negative is beyond your control. So you have history working against you. Typically, niles are not calm and tolerant animals regardless, and although there are exceptions to the tendency, you should be prepared for an animal that never quite accepts you. You have a better chance (but no guarantees) of getting the savannah to calm down and accept you on some terms, but again, you should not expect it to be as calm and tolerant as it might have been if you had worked with it from hatchling size.

For the nile to calm down and accept you, will require daily - even several times a day - interactions that are non-threatening. Niles also have a tendency to relapse into their old ways if you take a break from interacting with them.

If you are hoping for an animal you can take out and handle and mess around with, then you are probably going to be disappointed with both of these animals. So set realistic goals. That does not mean you cannot set ambitious or hopeful goals, just make sure you have realistic expectations if you do not achieve your higher goals.

There are several ways to improve your interactions with them. First, provide them with suitable hide spots. The ones that serve best for encouraging a monitor to calm down is one where the animal can observe you from its hide spot and with minimal movement completely disappear from sight. My niles had a board where they could sit under it with their heads poking out and with minimal effort pull their head back and be completely hidden. My salvators have the same board now (though my male still gets upset). My timors have logs and wood they can peer out from and watch me (and they do). When they've had their fill or I startle them they pull their head and they're hidden.

Second, position their enclosure so that you never suddenly appear in front of them. Putting the cage near a hallway entrance or right next to a door will probably increase your monitor's defensiveness. One minute he sees nothing and the next minute a giant "predator" is standing near him. Put the cage somewhere so that when you enter the room you are far away. This allows the monitor to see you from a distance and decide how to respond. He can also decide as you approach to respond different and not need to do so on an "emergency" basis.

Third, make sure your interactions are positive. If you're tired or stressed, that is a bad time to work with your monitor. Your tolerance and patience will be lower and your monitor will know you are on edge. They will respond according to how they think you will react, and if they sense tension they will respond accordingly.

Fourth, be consistent. Be predictable. Let your monitor figure out patterns to your behaviors. The better he can predict and know your actions, the more he will trust you.

Finally, be patient. This takes time. Your monitors have a history. You are trying to teach them something different. They learn dangers quickly and safe things slowly. You have to adjust to that.

Good luck.

wow, thank you for all the info. Yes, I realized before I brought them home that they would probably only be animals to "look" at, however, I still need to be able to get in their cages without worrying about them chasing me around. Believe it or not, the nile is MUCH calmer than the sav. LOL. I know this sounds strange, but if you could see the sav beeline for my hands when I try to take out his quite large water bowl.....you'd be shocked. I sort of got him out of that habit, somewhat, but still don't trust the bugger. I am currently trying to remodel two rooms just for them- approximately 10'x 15'. Perhaps when they get in there they might feel a little safer. But now I wonder if they are going to turn into ankle biters and shin whippers. I'm already at piece with the thought of never handling them. I knew that ahead of time to some degree, but then I thought, if I ever need to take them to the vet or something, it would make it MUCH easier on the two of us if they had some manners. (let alone the vet) They both seem fine as long as I don't go in the cage. My nile even comes up to me at the cage and is quite inquisitive. My sav gives me this ferocious look like "you come near me...you die". He is calm, but the looks say it all. The trouble only starts when I reach in the cage. My nile even gets so upset sometimes that she regurgitates her dinner, no matter how slowly and calmly I move. You think she is just scared to death? Is there a better way to handle them that won't feel like a threat. Right now I have to come in from above, and quick grab around the neck before they get a piece of me if I need to trim their nails or get them out of the cage to clean it. I tried grabbing at the base of the tail gently, but they whip around after me before i can get a chance to scoop them up. Any suggestions to my tactics? Everyone's advice is GREATLY appreciated.

You can use welder's gloves to protect from the highly painfull claw rakings and to some extent the teeth. But that will not really protect you from the crushing power of the jaws.

I've been pondering using fish cutting gloves (the ones made of stainless steel mail, similar to that used for those anti-shark suits) as an inner liner for the welding gloves. they are supposed to spread out pressure over a wider area. Then i saw how much these things were. If i can ever borrow a pair I'll find out for sure if they would be usefull.

good luck

Sounds like the steel covered gloves at tongs.com.. those are expensive too.

Thank you. I will be sure to check that out. I realize I will have to spend some so I don't lose some...a few fingers, hands, and whatever else they might do to me.LOL thanks so much!

Yep, that sounds like a good idea, however, I think I would need two sets of those! My sav's head is about 8-10" wide. I don't want to know what that kind of pressure feels like. LOL

np

Thank you for your response. Do you think that there is a possibility of taming them at this size? Or do you think it is too late? I read that the kevlar gloves are puncture resistant but will not help with my sav's vicious crushing jaw power. Is this true, and where can I get a good deal on them? I live out in the boonies here, so stores are out of the question, and I'm having trouble finding ones that go up to your elbow online. Any suggestions? I really appreciate your advice here. Thank you for taking the time to help me.

Here's a link for them.They are about $60 a pair.A lot of places have them online also.I bought some years ago because a wild adult Sav I was given,bit my knuckle and broke itI had to get the neighbor to pry it's mouth open gently with the handle of some pliers!There is no pain as bad as an adult monitor biting a finger and holding on.Just like vise grips.The gloves won't completely stop the crush,but it barely hurts with the gloves on(compared to not wearing them.)I don't think you'll have much luck taming them if they're adults.They are usually set in their ways by thenGood luck!

Hey thanks! That will definately help. yeah, i guess they are considered adults by now..at least the sav. I underestimated their length and measured (what I could) from OUTSIDE the cage...LOL. they are approximately 3 1/2 ft (sav) and 4 1/2 (nile). They are pretty cool with me as long as I don't go into their territory. But water dishes (tupperware totes) have to be changed almost daily so you can understand why I'm inquiring about this. I don't want them soaking in their pool of crap, so I've been risking my fingers and hands to change it. LOL Thanks so much for helping me. I love the critters and want the best for them.

sincerely,

sunshimmer

My experience with both. Here ya go. My savs just took time. My situation was exactly the same as yours. Gradually I simply left my hands in the cage next to the water bowl. This was only after they had stopped whipping, which took some time. The trick then is to slowly work your way to them or to let them come check you out. One of my savs came to me, the other I crept to over a few weeks time. You will get whipped at etc. trying this. Thats when you stop and try again next time. Worked for me so I hope it helps. Now for the nile. My nile doesn't like people for anything and has a broken tail. I am just now to the stage where he doesn't absolutely freak and hide from me all the time. He still hates being handled but does tolerate my presence somewhat. I can only recommend time and patience. Good luck to you and don't give up.

Thank you so much for your advice. I will DEFINATELY try this. I'm hoping that I can at least try to get them out of their cage once in a great while (to go to the vet, cage cleaning, or just excercise)from time to time at least. I'd like to keep all my fingers if possible. LOL

thanks again,

sunshimmer