Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, My juvinile mangrove defecates on me everytime I handle him, I know this is well known wih mangroves, they perfer to defecate rather then bite. Any ways I can get him to stop this? Is handling him weekly/daily helpful?

Any tips, thanks.
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0.1.0 Grey Banded Kingsnake
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0.0.2 Mackolts Pythons
2.1.0 Colombian Boa Constrictors
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0.0.1 Mangrove Monitor
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0.0.1 Beaver Tail Agama
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0.0.1 Spectacled Caiman
0.0.2 Western Painted Turtles

You are literally scaring the crap out of it. Its crapping because its very frighened.

Handling it more, does not help. It causes them to lose the will to live.(compromised immune system)

Leave it alone, feed it, take care of it, allow it to become accustom to you over time. It will soon eat off tongs, then out of your hands, then up your arm, then up your arm around the room, etc etc etc.

DO NOT FORCE HANDLE it. Let it handle you. Cheers

I ONLY have handled it twice. To put it in its enclosure, then 2 months later into his NEW enclosure. Find out the info before you critise.

Thanks.
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Snakes
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
0.1.0 Grey Banded Kingsnake
1.1.0 Amazon Tree Boas
0.0.2 Mackolts Pythons
2.1.0 Colombian Boa Constrictors
0.1.0 Jalisco Milksnake
1.1.0 California Kingsnakes
1.1.0 Vietnamese Blue Beauty Ratsnakes
0.0.1 Egyptian Royal Diadem Snake
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
2.1.0 African House Snakes

Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Crocodile Geckos
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
2.1.0 Fan Foot Geckos
1.1.0 Pictus Geckos

Assorted Lizards
1.1.0 Inland Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Mangrove Monitor
0.0.2 Leopard Lizards
0.0.2 Jeweled Curlytail Lizards
0.0.1 Beaver Tail Agama
2.1.0 Veiled Chameleons

Other
0.0.1 Spectacled Caiman
0.0.2 Western Painted Turtles

Dude,

You said, "My juvinile mangrove defecates on me everytime I handle him". If you would have said he deficated BOTH times you handled him then you might have gotten a different response than you did when you said "everytime". That word makes it seem like handling him is a frequent occasion. I thought the same thing Frank did.

You asked a question, I answered it, there was no critisium.

The question was, should I handle the craping monitor to get it to stop. The answer, NO. The rest is on you. Cheers

Frank was not criticizing you, only giving you sound advice. I hope you are patient and let your monitor come to you, it will be worth your time and effort. Best of luck to you.

Pam
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1.1 varanus acanthurus brachyurus (Dorado & Dora)
1.1 u. macfadyeni (Amani & Abeba)
1.2 u. ornata (Husani, Zari, & Bintu)
1.1 u. maliensis (Njuru & Neo) Doug Dix
0.0.1 u. aegypticus (Halima)
0.1 pogona vitticeps (Sunni)
1.1 hyla chrysoscelis (Pudge & Squirt)
Herps Are Awesome!

Oh yeah I agree good advice and I will use it, I just thought it sounded like he thought I was stressing out the lizard, etc.
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Snakes
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
0.1.0 Grey Banded Kingsnake
1.1.0 Amazon Tree Boas
0.0.2 Mackolts Pythons
2.1.0 Colombian Boa Constrictors
0.1.0 Jalisco Milksnake
1.1.0 California Kingsnakes
1.1.0 Vietnamese Blue Beauty Ratsnakes
0.0.1 Egyptian Royal Diadem Snake
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
2.1.0 African House Snakes

Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Crocodile Geckos
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
2.1.0 Fan Foot Geckos
1.1.0 Pictus Geckos

Assorted Lizards
1.1.0 Inland Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Mangrove Monitor
0.0.2 Leopard Lizards
0.0.2 Jeweled Curlytail Lizards
0.0.1 Beaver Tail Agama
2.1.0 Veiled Chameleons

Other
0.0.1 Spectacled Caiman
0.0.2 Western Painted Turtles

Handling it does stress out the monitor, thats why it craps, it feels its being attacked. To empty the bowels is a defense mechanisum, thats normal amoungst lots of animals. They do that when stressed.

Once the monitor understands your not going to kill it, it will stop that.

The point is, what are you offering your monitor? Are you offering behaviors that it thinks are aggressive? Or are you offering the monitor something it thinks is good?

If its thinks your handling is good, then why is it crapping on you???? Cheers

I know the handling is stressing him out, like you said thats why hes crapping, but that handling was necessary. The question how can I stop him from crapping on me. You said to let him get more accustommed to me by feeding of tongs then eventually with my fingers.

I'll wait a few months and see if I get any improvments (see if hes a skittish without habdling or scaring).
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Snakes
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
0.1.0 Grey Banded Kingsnake
1.1.0 Amazon Tree Boas
0.0.2 Mackolts Pythons
2.1.0 Colombian Boa Constrictors
0.1.0 Jalisco Milksnake
1.1.0 California Kingsnakes
1.1.0 Vietnamese Blue Beauty Ratsnakes
0.0.1 Egyptian Royal Diadem Snake
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
2.1.0 African House Snakes

Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Crocodile Geckos
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
2.1.0 Fan Foot Geckos
1.1.0 Pictus Geckos

Assorted Lizards
1.1.0 Inland Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Mangrove Monitor
0.0.2 Leopard Lizards
0.0.2 Jeweled Curlytail Lizards
0.0.1 Beaver Tail Agama
2.1.0 Veiled Chameleons

Other
0.0.1 Spectacled Caiman
0.0.2 Western Painted Turtles

Good advice. Juvenile monitors almost always have an "Oh [bleep]! Everything wants to eat me!" mentality. You have to work them up to handling and allow them to get larger and more secure.