Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Would a monitor not hide/borrow if it is completely comfortable with its sorroundings, inside and outside of its cage?

Monitor burrowing is normal and natural behavior. It will still burrow, even if the rest of the enclosure is correct for them.

Would you sleep out in the african jungle if it was comfortable?

There are many reasons for burrows, the main one being, ITS THEIR HOME. how would you like to be locked out of all homes? , not just yours.

Another analogy is, would you like sleep in a prison cell without anything, Period. All the while expecting other prisoners to mess with you. And some giant monsters that do not speak your language, at all. In fact, they put crushed granite for you to sleep on(kinda rough) Cheers

But what if the monitor knows and is comfortable with the human, dog, cat, radio, and tv activities that are outside of its cage. What if that is what it has known since it was a month old. Would it still feel a need to hide if there is nothing that it needs to hide from? Other than maybe a new human face of a friends dog visiting. If you are in prison with friends would you feel more comfortable? Has anyone out there had any monitors that are comfortable with its "out of enclosure" environment? A monitor that doesn't freek out if a dog sniffs it or if a punk song is turned up loud on the radio? I am just curious. Not all people have a bedroom just for delicate reptiles. I am interested in hearing about how monitors deal when they have to live outside of that reptile room. Would very shy monitors be able to deal with noise and activity if it was exposed to it at a very young age?

Monitors hide and burrow for many reasons, not just fear. As for a monitor staying out in the open so you can see it more often, that can be an individual thing. Some are just more comfortable being out in the open. Alot of times it has nothing to do with how tame or fearless it is. Remember it depends on what its 'needs' are. I do understand the notion that nobody wants an 'empty' cage all of the time. There are some species more inclined to be in the open and active, such as argus and sand monitor complex, though remember there is alot of individual variation, and different needs at different times. My crocs are always out and have no problem crashing out in the open. As a general rule however, monitors function unseen.

Thank you Mike. I also believe that it is the preference of the animal and that they should always have the availability to hide and burrow. I am just wondering if monitors will hide less once comfortable with its surroundings. This post has nothing to do with my sav I am just educating myself about monitor behavior and other peoples experiences on this topic. Thanks again

First off, that your even asking this question, leads to those what if's never occurring. You do not realize the needs of a monitor, so they cannot be meant.

Secondly, this is a very easy question to answer. If your confident in all its needs being meant, then take the door off and see if it leaves. My bet is, the first thing it does is get out and hide.

Then you can ask yourself why?

Consider, this is a mental health issue. There are also physical needs. Like not wasting moisture through the skin. This causes gout. They are not designed to loose moisture through their skin. Humans are, we sweat, monitors dehydrate. How simple is that.

Do you live where theres little animals? like lizards? what do they do? every night they go somewhere, and much of everyday. Where? where are all the mice, squirrels? rats? moles?

You may understand that moles live in the ground, yet monitors spend as much time underground as moles do. Why cannot you understand that? Cheers and learn what you have, before you force it to live 100% unnaturally.

I understand captivity is NOT natural, but don't you think we could make just a few compromises and let a little of what is natural back into their lifes? Cheers