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hes a 8 month old 2ft tanzanian black throat hes really really tame but when ever i take him outside to get some air and get out of his cage he freaks out he starts to get really aggressive but once i take him back in he calms down and goes back to hisself any ideas why he does this?

Because the outdoors is unfamiliar to him and he is scared out of his mind. Keep him inside if he is like that.

ok thanks ill keep him in then

It really is more then that. You need to take 5 minutes, I mean 5 hours, and read through the forums for some basic information. As I stated earlier look for information from people who produce results. Period.

Mike.

alright ill do that thanks for you help

Carrying it outside, is more or less forcing it, suddenly, into unfamilliar surroundings. Naturally, this is very stressful for it if it is not familliar with the wide array of sights, sounds and smells of the outdoors. It's a sensory overload for the animal.

Allow the monitor to discover the outdoors on it's own terms. These are very curious creatures and seem to be compelled to familiarize themselves with everything in their surroundings. Leave the cage open and let it come out of it's own accord. Eventually it will become used to the environment outside of it's cage within the house. Sooner or later it will explore the whole house and find it's way to the door. Leave the door open and it will more than likely venture outside. Be carefull, however, cars, loud noises, and things like large flying objects tend to cause them to run for cover. You might find yourself giving chase, digging it out from under something or climbing a tree.

Original question:
hes a 8 month old 2ft tanzanian black throat hes really really tame but when ever i take him outside to get some air and get out of his cage he freaks out he starts to get really aggressive but once i take him back in he calms down and goes back to hisself any ideas why he does this?

Reply:
Because the outdoors is unfamiliar to him and he is scared out of his mind. Keep him inside if he is like that.

With all due respect to everyone I'm going to go against the flow here and say that I think it's the other way around.

I believe the BT is actually petrified, scared to death, in it's normal environment. Feeling trapped & hopeless, with no way of escape it feels it's best chance of survival is submission, commonly referred to as "tame" by the unknowing.

Taken outside it realizes that there are no close barriers confining it except for what has a hold of it (the owner/keeper) and it figures it now has a fighting chance to make a get away. It then, finally, begins to act "normal."

I'm betting that you handle your BT frequently. Try a simple test to see if I'm right or not. Leave your monitor alone for about 2 weeks except to feed it. Do not touch it at all during the 2 weeks, just feed it with tongs or by dropping it's food in it's cage. Put it in a room with little to no traffic and don't bother it by sitting & staring at it or checking on it every hour or so. Give it complete solitude.

After two weeks pass go ahead and try to pet it, handle it, just like old times, and see what happens.

No offense - it's not a ferret and it doesn't enjoy being treated like one. Some will "tolerate" some handling, but force handling is very stressful to monitors and bad for their health.

I know the above statements are going to be hard for you to believe. You're not the first, and you won't be the last, to think that your monitor is "tame." Let it be itself, all the time.

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

www.natures-signature.com

it all makes alot of scense im just not going to take him outside
also if i feed him in his cage will it do damage if he ingests some organic soil ?

"it all makes alot of scense im just not going to take him outside"

Hi!
I think you might've missed my point. My point is that if you are frequently handling your 8 month old BT and the only time you see aggressive or defensive behavior is if you take it outside, you are most likely, literally, scaring the poor thing to death. It's living a life full of fear.

Is that what you want? Do you want your monitor to be so afraid of you that it will not behave the way it normally would? I'm trying to tell you that there's a very good chance your BT is stressed to the max. Stress is one of the leading killers among reptiles. It is a silent killer.

I'm not saying this as if I'm a monitor expert, I'm far from it. I'm saying this as a "Been there, done that" fellow monitor keeper. I've experimented with some monitors. I've got two Savannahs that I can pick up and handle for a few minutes, on occasion. I've got another Sav and a Nile that will tear you from limb to limb if you try. They all show aggressive or defensive behavior from time to time and none are always "tame."

Try the test I mentioned for 1 1/2 - 2 weeks and see what happens. What do you have to lose? Your monitor will surely not die or become depressed from you not handling it.

"also if i feed him in his cage will it do damage if he ingests some organic soil ?"

Nah, it won't bother a healthy monitor one bit. That is, as long as there's no fertilizers, chemicals, etc, in it.

Hang in there and try to learn to read your captive's behavior. It will tell you all you need to know to take good care of the monitor.

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

www.natures-signature.com

alright ill do that ill leave him alone except for when i clean his cage water ect..
you prove a valid point
thank you for your help

Well put...

>>Original question:
>>hes a 8 month old 2ft tanzanian black throat hes really really tame but when ever i take him outside to get some air and get out of his cage he freaks out he starts to get really aggressive but once i take him back in he calms down and goes back to hisself any ideas why he does this?
>>
>>Reply:
>>Because the outdoors is unfamiliar to him and he is scared out of his mind. Keep him inside if he is like that.
>>
>>With all due respect to everyone I'm going to go against the flow here and say that I think it's the other way around.
>>
>>I believe the BT is actually petrified, scared to death, in it's normal environment. Feeling trapped & hopeless, with no way of escape it feels it's best chance of survival is submission, commonly referred to as "tame" by the unknowing.
>>
>>Taken outside it realizes that there are no close barriers confining it except for what has a hold of it (the owner/keeper) and it figures it now has a fighting chance to make a get away. It then, finally, begins to act "normal."
>>
>>I'm betting that you handle your BT frequently. Try a simple test to see if I'm right or not. Leave your monitor alone for about 2 weeks except to feed it. Do not touch it at all during the 2 weeks, just feed it with tongs or by dropping it's food in it's cage. Put it in a room with little to no traffic and don't bother it by sitting & staring at it or checking on it every hour or so. Give it complete solitude.
>>
>>After two weeks pass go ahead and try to pet it, handle it, just like old times, and see what happens.
>>
>>No offense - it's not a ferret and it doesn't enjoy being treated like one. Some will "tolerate" some handling, but force handling is very stressful to monitors and bad for their health.
>>
>>I know the above statements are going to be hard for you to believe. You're not the first, and you won't be the last, to think that your monitor is "tame." Let it be itself, all the time.
>>
>>Hang in there!
>>HH
>>-----
>>Due to political correctness run amuck,
>>this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
>>Appalachian American
>>
>>
>>www.natures-signature.com
-----
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Heinrich,
Mike@amazontreeboa.org
www.amazontreeboa.org

Because your BT was wild caught, therefore it tasted freedom once, when given a chance it will try to be free again. When you are indoors dont mistake the calm animal for tame, its actually doing what it does naturally, playing sickly and dead to get you to leave it alone.
Ive noticed over the years that a wild caught monitor is more apt to run from you if given the chance, a captive bred monitor has never seen freedom, they are more apt to stand their ground to you.
Also outdoors it is exposed to the open sky, a monitors biggest predator other than a bigger monitor (their own or other species)is a bird of prey, they do anything they can to stay under cover and avoid the open for long.

I agree with SHvar cause he knows a lot of stuff.

yea he was wild caught but the guy i purchased him from said he took him outside alot during the summer and didnt have anyproblems with him
but i feel awfull its not right to take an animal out of its naturall environment so im seriously going to do the absolute best i can to make his life as stress free as possible