i got a baby red ackie over a month ago and there has been no progress in him calming down at all what should i try
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i got a baby red ackie over a month ago and there has been no progress in him calming down at all what should i try
double check husbandry
Instead of telling you what you should do with no reason ill tell you about my water monitor and how hes progressed(tolerance-wise).
The first week i had him he was pretty skinny and very calm, he didnt seem to fear me at all, he would alow petting and handling.(because he was unhealthy)
The second week i fattened him up, gave him a proper basking tmep, and raised humidity, he seemed more active then before. Now that he was healthier he was becoming more shy and seemed to try to avoid me.
The thrid week i continued to try to force handle him but he wouldnt have it, he wanted nothing to do with me, but he never tried to bite.
The forth week i noticed him burrowing all the time and avoiding me at all costs. I tried to handle him again and this time he opened his mouth at me, i used a towl to see if he was bluffing, when the towel got to close he struck at it many times.
Around this time Frank Retes starts telling me off, telling me DO NOT HANDLE HIM. So i listened. As months went by of not handling him at all (i wouldn't even look at him trhrough his glass if i didnt have to) he started to come out more, he started to bask more often, he would watch me while i played guitar or sat at the computer. As the days go by i can see him getting more curious of me.
Kind of like "hey this guy shows absolutely no interest in me... whats his deal?" and ive seen him raising his head out of his water bowl to check me out. he still lowers his head every time i pass him up, but its in a much calmer fashion then it used to be. Whenever i used to walk into my roon i would hear "scatter, scatter, scatter THUD!" right into the glass. Now when i walk in he looks at me, he goes all wide eyed and slowly crawls down his log and creeps into his water bowl... and then once hes in his water bowl out of sight for a minute or two, i see his head... slowly raise up to check me out. Its absolutely halrious, he thinks he sly or something.
You have to take it day by day, you have an ackie so you shouldnt worry about it that much, the worst thing that could happen is that you have a 2 foot full grown monitor that dislikes you. When i first got my water, it pissed me off... shy, sneaking around, avoiding me. But as the weeks go by, i find his paranoi all the more funny. Hes a little sissy. But each week hes gets a little braver then before.
Don't handle your ackie if it doesnt want to be handled... unless your monitor comes right up to your hand wanting food, i wouldnt so much as pet it on the head. Let it be, thats what i did with mine (thanks Frank) and it is working. And if your monitor takes food from you hands this is a great option for bonding. If it sees you going out of your way to feed it while at the same time never invading its space,(handling, touching) then it should calm right down. My monitor wont take food from me or tongs, it wont even eat while im in the room, so it will be a long long time until before it calms down.
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