Reptile & Amphibian Forums

And that bad habit is thinking my fingers are food when I clean his water dish or poop. There any way to discourage a monitor from running over thinking your hand is a lovely food item?

And yes, I do feed him first before I stick my appendage in his cage. He's still "a baby" and I'm not sure if this is his way of "testing" like a shark would, and it doesn't hurt NOW, but most certianly will months from now. I've heard before that if you let them bite you now when it doesn't hurt, they'll remember your not food, but the food giver, and not to bite you because you taste horrible. Haven't tried it because it seems kinda silly in a way.
-----
___

signature file edited 5/3/06; contact an admin

I haven't tested this, just passing a word along. So don't think this has to work.
This guy who works at a pet store around here always feeds his monitor over a white plate and he only puts the white plate in to feed it. He doesn't even put the food on the plate. He puts it in and tong feeds over it. He says it works.
I don't know about monitors' sight enough to say if you could use another color or even that they can for sure tell a white plate from the rest of the stuff, but they sure seem to have pretty good eye sight. They seem to see what is going on and react to it quite effectively.

I always keep'm guessing as to what I'm doing. Sometimes I slide the lid from the left, and sometimes from the right. Sometimes it's roaches in a tupperware container, and sometimes it's a mouse hung, tossed, or placed into the cage. I also sometimes feed in the am, and sometimes in the pm.

If there is no pattern to elicite the anticipated meal, then you won't be greeting a riled up monitor.

Ian

But then again, if you form one pattern that is obviously and exclusively unique to feeding time, It might get them riled up at the right time.
I don't think the time of day really helps many reptiles identify feeding time because I commonly see anoles here that didn't know night was approaching and fell asleep in middle of a sidewalk.
Whatever works for you though.

You mentioned you fed it first. Did you feed it, or did you chum the waters? Heres the thing. You think you gave your monitor a meal, yet its actions are suggesting you did not. If you fed it until it was full, then you could put pinkies in there and it would not eat them.

Monitors are survivalists. When they are straving, they are not picky, they will eat anything to survive. When they are well fed, they can be very picky, and its here that you taste terrible. If they are starving, they don't care what you taste like. You are merely a source of food for a starving animal. Its well known that starving predators will consume non normal prey items when starving/sick/injured.

When your monitor exhibits starving type behaviors, then most likely its starving.

Nest time, let the monitor eat its fill, then put your hand in there and see what happens. Then you can work to a happy medium for both of you. Cheers

See, thats the thing, he is full to the point where he wants nothing else and he goes to bask so then I take the water bowl out, clean it, fill it, then open the cage and replace the dish. At this moment, he gets curious and comes over to investigate, but not every time he does this, just every so often. He then starts nudging my hand and rubbing his head against my hand like he does against any rough surface in his cage. He then proceeds to open his mouth and taste my fingers. It doesn't feel as if he's applying any pressure because if he did, I'm sure I'd be bleeding since he appears to have teeth coming in now.
-----
___

signature file edited 5/3/06; contact an admin

To nip, is monitor language for, go away, move over, this is my spot or the like. If they nip you, I think that is a very good sign. To me, it means they are treading you as one of them, and totally afraid of you.

Considering the above, nipping has nothing to do with being tame, in fact, its about being tame, or they would bite the holy beans out of you. To bite the only beans out of you, is the other end of the scale from nipping. Let them nip, it will get over it, hopefully.

A little story, one of the monitors that made me really like them, did this. I would put my hand and arm in the cage and it would walk up my arm. IT would sit on my shoulders while I watered and fed other cages. When it was ready, it would get antsy and I would put my arm/hand, back in its cage. It would then go back in its cage.

At times I did not want it to climb up my arm, I would block it with my hand, you know, just place my open hand in front of it. It would then nip my hand. I was telling it, no, and it was telling me, yes. How the heck great is that? to argue with a monitor. Indeed, that simple behavior was marvelous. Cheers

AND NOT TOTALLY AFRAID OF YOU. I need someone else to write this stuff. guezzzzzzz

Actually, your story about the monitor climbing up your hand and you blocking it happened awhile back to me as well. I placed my hand out for him to climb on, which he did, but he kept climbing up my arm so I stopped him at some point and he didn't like it. I let him traverse over my hands and eventually he got tired of it and wanted down.

But the whole unafraid thing was another assumption of mine, but I seconded guessed it because he is still young and didn't really expect him to become acoustom to me so quickly, but, I reckon him being captive born helps in that aspect.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the help/suggestions/advice.
-----
___

signature file edited 5/3/06; contact an admin

Captive hatched is a huge difference at times, as the monitors do not know what wild is, and that your a predator.

But, being not afraid is alot about conditions and individuals. For instance, we have individuals that are super tame inside, then go stupid outside. We also have the opposite, ones that are nice outdoors, and go stupid indoors. The same goes for switching cages. And this is with captive hatched.

All I seek out of my monitors is to treat me like yours is treating you. To be them, not a puppy or other lap pet. Good luck