Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am new to monitors and have asked this question a thousand times and still dont have an answer.. Maybe there isnt one.. What is the most likely monitor to be the most docile? money nor size is an issue.. actually I would love an animal on the large side..

Thanks in advance..

Some individuals are more accepting of people, some are less. They are wild animals so therefore being docile is not a trait that would allow for survival of a species that lives in their particular niche.
Maybe a dog is what you need if your looking for a known docile pet.
Also dont mistake fear and playing dead as being docile, or being unhealthy to the point that resistance is an exercise in futility.
If a monitor is to trust you, you must let them come to you on their own terms. If you force behaviors on them they fail young as a pet.
There are those individuals who will parade their monitor on video as tame and try to convince others that you can tame them like a dog. These are examples of species that react by playing dead naturally more often than running away.
Monitors are better off being a hands off captive.

Honestly I don't know how people get their monitors to calm down. My sav isn't docile at all he tail whips and hisses. I feel like if I pick him up it will stress him out too much so I just observe him behind the glass.

Somehow I lucked out to get a 6' Water I can walk in the woods with no leash. And no he is not fat or too cold. He was raised from a baby in someone's house in the living room so he's seen it all. I have another I raised from a hatchling that comes over and gets on my arm to be taken out. And a large albig who was very defensive when I got her now is OK in fact great with interacting after 2 years. The other seven would rather be look at only monitors. A Sav raised by a teenage boy no telling what her early life was like, 2 Crocs Hands Off!, A big Nile raised by people but he's a Nile. He is getting more tolerant of me because I feed him special things. A newly imported Salvator bivittatus that is just now tolerating/letting me scoop her up from below now to move to a new location, a young albig raised by a girl in an underbed cage, he does not like being picked up at all and hisses and whips. A Water female raised with the Walk in the Woods Water who is the quintesential Bittinglittlewitch.

>>What is the most likely monitor to be the most docile?

I can't tell you "most docile", but of the species I have experience with, flavies, savannas, and salvators have all become quite docile. Supposedly, Dumeril's are said to have a tendancy to also become docile, although the one juvenile I cared for a short time was somewhat squirmy. I have no direct experience with ackies, but they are also said to be fairly trusting.

Also, big gets really old really fast. Larger monitors are a LOT more work than smaller ones. If you think you'd like to work with one of the larger species, start with a medium sized species like a savanna, flavie, or Dumeril's before trying to deal with a salvator. Also, be aware that salvators are illegal in a number of states.

Luke

I posted earlier about my baby Savs but I do ant to mention my 3 foot adult male. I know Savs are a handful but this guy spent his first two years as a family pet. He was allowed to roam free in the livingroom with 3 dogs. The 7 year old boy handled him frequently. It was the only reason why I even thought of taking him in. When I went to see him, the guy simply took him up out of his tank and handed him over, no hissing, no puffing but he did seem to know I was a new face but later that night when I had him home and set up, he warmed right up to me. On occasion, he looks like he is in "hunt mode" if I make sudden movements in front of his tank but he is otherwise very handelable. I dont allow others to handle him because it only takes one time but I for once have no fear of a large lizard like him. I'm guessing this is a case of just how much attention he was given. Not everyone can spend this much time with their monitors but the proof is in the pudding I guess.

Dumerils!