Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Unless you know your monitors very well!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ZfdATMIT0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y14VoZEzrE

flavi-argus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MyOfdTZdE4

Shvar: I think you posting this to hundreds of teens is a poor judgement. The tong feeding is fine, but hand feeding and pulling on the rat is going to get some kid's hand bit b/c he saw you do it. I don't understand what you're looking to accomplish. Even if i did hand feed my Argus, I would not display it to hundreds of kids. Sorry to post negatively when you're sharing, but i think it's in the best interest of your audience here.

For those who didnt read it and commented.
"Feeding video, careful dont try this, unless you know your monitors very well!!"
The point is to understand that it is safe to do with enough experience and KNOWING YOUR MONITOR well enough.
If someone decides to try this and doesnt use common sense, and they get bit, it was surely their own fault, and an example of natural selection in action, the "Darwin Awards" if you will. Of course if they post about it afterwards Ill laugh at them for not using common sense.

The point being that I would not try this with my flavi-argus, but with Sobek I am safe and she is used to this after almost 6 years of hand feeding. In fact I can safely take the food from her mouth after she starts eating, thats trust. This is the same giant lizard that can grab a cricket from my fingers, and scrape her teeth across my fingers until they clear safely, then pluck the cricket from my finger tips.

i dont care how well u know it...thats just stupid

With all due respect, phantompoo, I disagree with you. If that was a fresh wild-caught monitor I might agree with you, but SHvar said he has been hand feeding that monitor for almost 6 years.

We, as keepers, should know every one of our captives just as well as SHvar knows Sobek. If we don't, then we aren't doing our job. No, I'm not saying that everyone should jump up right this minute & go see if they can hand feed their monitor, I'm saying that we should be building a level of trust, defining barriers, finding out what our captives will accept & what they won't.

If what SHvar does in those videos is stupid, then I'm stupid also for handling my 11ft burmese python, or even feeding it. The circus lion tamers are stupid, the person that works with a bear on a movie set is stupid, Siegfried & Roy are stupid, and the list goes on and on.

I happen to think that SHvar is quite remarkable for having accomplished the level of trust and understanding that he has with Sobek. I commend you, SHvar, for being a hands-on keeper instead of merely peering through a plate glass window.

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

np
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1.0 c.b.02' 6' Pastel Colombian Boa(thanks Bill!)"Maverick"
0.1 c.b.06' 32" Firebelly x Pastel boa "Betty Boa"
0.1 c.b. 07' Het Albino B.C.I. "Cherry"
1.0 wc/captive raised 3' Savannah Monitor "Ozzy"
1.0 c.b. 04' 4' Everglades x Yellow Ratsnake "Pooh"
1.0 c.b. 05'2' Snow Corn "Zero"
1.0 Oscar 10" "Jaws"
"...does it bite?"

Well said, Happy. I feel that interacting with your monitors is an important part of maintaining these wonderful creatures.
Best to ya, Chris

I disagree. You never know your monitors well enough to do that kind of thing, it's no different than sticking your head in lions mouth. Russian Roulette.
In all honesty, Sobek unfortunately doesn't look that good, I would be worried if one of my monitors had that reaction to food.

You're right, RSG, you never know when any wild animal is going to do something it considers normal, something we might consider abnormal.

I think that there are some good points, pro & con, made here, and they all should be considered if anyone is contemplating any bold moves.

Why, even FR made a valid point.
Do as I say, not as I do.
I'm missin' a finger, how about you? LOL!!!

When in doubt, don't try it out!
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Which reaction do you refer to?
When I started the video after she came after the first rat, and stopped as I handed it to her, or when she grabbed and gave the second rat a shake, which she does frequently when shes eaten one or a few then has one left. She just came from underground in the coolest end of the cage.
In fact every monitor Ive had that ate rodents would shake them after eating so many beforehand some every rodent, as if they arent that hungry any more. But none of the albigs have ever done that with birds, they just stop eating and walk away.
Heres a newer pic for you, today.

I know where you're coming from, what you mean, and that you're only trying to think in the best interest of everyone but I think today's society has catered to the less intelligible long enough. If after watching SHvar's videos, somebody wants to run on down to their local zoo, hop the fence to a 6ft monitor's enclosure and try to hand feed it a rat, let 'em. Surely they won't do it more than once.

I don't feel its society's responsibility to have to raise other people's kids. It is a parent's job to teach right/wrong, accountability, common sense, etc...

Our weakest links are being nurtured too much these days. Think about it; when I was a kid growing up in the 60's and early 70's I can remember watching a man catch a bullet with his teeth on ABC's Wild World of Sports. Or, Evel Knievel jumping cars and fountains; people shooting apples off the top of someone else's head with a bow & arrow, while blindfolded, etc... You didn't read about a bunch of idiots trying to imitate those things.

My 8yr old son sees me handling venomous snakes; does he try it? No, 'cause he ain't stupid. (Plus, he knows daddy will whup his fanny if he does.)

LOL! Sorry forgetting off on a rant there. Believe it or not, jburokas, I'm real close to the fence on this issue. That's why I said I can see your point & know where you're coming from. But there's this thing called "common sense" that's got me just over the other side of the fence and won't let me go. And I hope it never does.

Take care! Oh, please don't take this personal, either, I didn't intend it that way.

HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

People watch jack@ss the movie then go out and video themselves shooting a bottle rocket from their butt. Thats a perfect example of stupidity, its a perfect example of natural selection. In fact check youtube for home videos of almost any stunt they tried. Go ahead people, we need more room for the rest of us on earth.
From the beginning Sobek chose to be this way, but it took me taking a few risks over time to continue establishing trust to get to this point.
She has never attempted to bite anyone (human that is), but keep in mind that I know perfectly well what those jaws can do, I have had a free floating piece of bone in one finger from an accident feeding Sobeks deformed uncle Shadow. Keep in mind that he was only 4ft long at the time, and 10 lbs. She was 6.5ft last year and 33 or so lbs.

i wasnt specific enough....they are great videos and shvar obviously is very experienced. the thing that caught me as just a bad a idea was letting the monitor actually scrape its teeth over your fingers. Otherwise, the videos are cool

>>Shvar: I think you posting this to hundreds of teens is a poor judgement. The tong feeding is fine, but hand feeding and pulling on the rat is going to get some kid's hand bit b/c he saw you do it. I don't understand what you're looking to accomplish. Even if i did hand feed my Argus, I would not display it to hundreds of kids. Sorry to post negatively when you're sharing, but i think it's in the best interest of your audience here.

My opinion as a reptile owner and mom of three kids ages 12, 15 and 18 . If the kid has unsupervised access to an animal able to do him damage and he is so just plain dumb as to try something that gets him bit.....that is not gonna change seeing a video first or not. The kid is gonna get bit, period. Darwinism and all that. Like HH says, we saw all sorts of stuff done and didn't run out and do it .....'cause we used our brains. Happily I find that my own children have brains and use them also.
My kids see videos of stupid stuff and they say "That guy is an idiot..." or whatever. And no, I am not speaking of this video.....'cause I am on lame dial up and tend to not bother to watch most of that youtube garbage. As an old freind says, "It isn't that bad, but is it that good?"
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

I agree, we should not be showing stuff we should do in private(hahahahahahahahaha) For oh so many reasons.

Hand feeding monitors is not good practice, in fact, its stupid. But then, many of US are stupid and do stupid human tricks.

My kids have ten times the sense about doing dumb things, including getting bit(hahahahahahahahaha)( actually getting bit is one of the lesser dangers). They are far more careful then I.

I seem to have a mangle wish, but somehow seemed to have avoided serious damage. I have served as a great example of what not to do. First hand no less.

So, with this experience, I say, learn to feed monitors properly and do not make a practice of hand feeding. And when you get the crap bit out of you, man up and do not tell anyone. honest Doc, I slammed my hand in the car door. And yes, the door had huge really sharp teeth. Really Doc.

Remember, there are those out there, that want to stop the keeping of ANYTHING and everything. So we should not give them reason. Cheers