Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Savannah monitor is mean. When I reach in to pet him, he hisses and tail whip and would occasionally try to bite me if I don't have any food for him. He'll actually come to me during feeding time, it's like he expected to be fed. I just usually tape on the cage to let him know food is on the way, and he'll run so fast, it looks like he is going trip on his own legs...get the picture? LOL!!! He has so much personality! Sometimes, I think he's thinking about something when he looks at me.

You mean your sav acts like a sav?
Dislikes people? Only puts up with you for food?
Man, That is horrible. hahahaha

Now, that he/she has shown itself to be healthy, earn it's trust.
The fun now begins.
Please post pictures of the beast.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

My Sav monitor acts exactly like that. She'll follow my hand around her cage waiting for me to turn over things to let her find crickets. But i better be helping her find food or feeding her cause if I come with no gifts!! forget it! Its great... although I hope to earn her trust someday. I do my best to respect her. I guess Im trying to learn to speak SAV. Im new to monitors..so.. wow is it a whole different world than Boas

Good luck
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Adrian De Leon
Hissenia Reptiles

Hello Paradon,
I am sometimes reluctant to respond to posts of this nature but I remember being young and know that it is important to educate.
Rather than petting your monitor, you may want to begin to view your captive environment as his/her home and when you have to make appearances(maintenance)- they are you intruding into it's home range(- if it is a monitor and not already a scaley little person, it will have a home within this "home range". Refrain from "petting"- to him/her it is an unecessary and hostile invasion. If you want it to be happy and not "mean" don't do behavior(human behavior) that will initiate a hostile response. You will remember(in time), that they will remember for longer than you will- your hostile invasions... Just feed, water, clean, watch and enjoy- in time strive for other rewarding behaviors like reproduction instead of "petting"... Best to you-Mike

Consider your relationship with your animal less like one you would have with a dog (companion) and more like a charge. You are this animals guardian, its your job to ensure that it has the conditions it needs to be healthy and happy.

Now... would YOU like it if a big scaly thing came along, ripped the roof off your house, and proceeded to poke you in the head and back?

Didnt think so.

Stop the petting. Stick with observing for now. Handling can come later- maybe, if things work out that way. And you will likely never have a cuddly pet- thats just not what this is.

Biting, hissing.... these are all normal behaviors. You have this animal conditioned to exhibit a feeding response everytime you show up- thats good and bad. That means its easy to lure your animal into the open for viewing and such, but its almost impossible to handle safely, as the things constantly searching for food- something youve conditioned it to do.

The first year with a sav is critical. If you don't work with him daily, he will never settle down and get used to you. I have a 2yo sav and the first year was a real challenge - lots of fun but very challenging. When they're little everything wants to eat them so they develop attitude to try to scare off potential predators including you! Mine behaved the same way you describe -hissing, tail whipping, lunging,and snapping. But I doggedly picked him up, held, petted, tickled, fussed over him and in every way showed him I was his friend/boss. It was important that he get used to me whether he liked it or not. The result is that today he is a lap lizard. He's also house trained. He won't go potty in his enclosure. He'll rattle the top of the cage to let me know it's time to go out on his leash. When he's done with his 'business' he likes to sit on my lap and be stroked like a cat and scratched behind the ears. Considering how big he is, I'm really glad I worked so hard with him because I wouldn't want him to still be behaving the way he did in his first year!!!

Don't give up - keep working with him. It's worth it!

My baby sav was EXSACTLY the same when I bought him 3 months ago(6inches). I left him alone for the first month, inorder to minimize stress. After the 1st month, I was able to pet him on his head and neck without him feeling threatened. Finally, after the 3rd month (12inches), I can now pick him up out of his cage without ANY problems (hissing or whipping). Just make sure your movements and actions aren't threatening at all. You can usually tell if what you are doing is making him mad, happy, uncomfortable, or scared. All you need is more time. You need to first earn his trust, and that takes awhile, but it's better than forcing him to do something YOU want him to do. When HE is READY (confident and comfortable enough), he will come to you. Until then, I would only interact with him when necessary. Be patient and wait until HE is READY. Do you expect him to be "BUDDY BUDDY" with you, when he just met you? and you are 100X bigger than him. I don't think you have to really worry, because he's still very young. You can force him, for quicker results, but you wouldn't be GENUINELY earning his trust, and therefore he will do it only because YOU are MAKING him. This is just my oppinion from my personal experiences. Hope I was of somewhat help. Just remember, it took me 1 month just to pet him, and 3 months to pick him up.

Se7en,

se7en is right. i had the same problem when i got mine. just let it mellow out a bit before handling it. mine is about 97% tame. 1% is if i make the wong move. either to fast or put my hand in the place he dislike or is a discomfort. 1% is when hes grumpy and doesn't wanna be fooled with. the last percent is his instinct that will never be tamed bcause at heart he has the genes of his wild accestors. just take time and persistance and youll get it.