Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A couple of weeks back I picked up a BlackThroat that was in horrible condition. He had been taken in as a rescue due to the owners health and had obviously not been fed or cared for very well at all. I have been working on getting him healthy and so far it seems to be working. His ribs and hip bones are no longer visible and he walks tall on his legs instead of dragging himself around, but, he is MEAN AS THE DEVIL. Now I relaize that this poor guy has had a rough time of it for at least a little while, but, how much patience am I going to need to get him to a handleable state? He hisses, puffs up his throat, tail whips like crazy and tries to bite, luckily I have avoided the bite so far but he is getting faster everyday.
His cage is not as big as I would like but I am working on that. Right now his setup is as follows:
Cage is 7'x3'x2'......basking spot(rocks to bask on) is 115-125 deg. cool side is 85-90 deg. substrate is aspen bedding until I can get him a deeper cage when he will get dirt. He is eating raw turkey and rodents(small rats or adult mice, whichever i have) and pooping like a KING. Cage is cleaned daily and he is fed out of his cage, reason for that is he got to the point where he would charge the door as soon as I unlocked in and try to worm his way out to get to the food, so now he is placed in a large wire dog carrier while he eats and then returned to his cage.
This guy is about 4.5 - 5ft. long and I would have to guess pretty much an Adult although I cannot be sure of his age. I guess my main concern is that he may never turn that corner and trust that I am not going to hurt him, never calm down to the point that I can confidently handle him, is this a safe assumption?? The only handling that he gets right now is in transit from his feed cage and back and the momentary petting i sneak in on him as often as possible. Just looking for some encouragement i guess....let me know what you think, sorry this is so long.

Well you have an uphill battle that may end up w/ you just accepting it will never be tractable to the point of being held. It may tolerate you cleaning it's cage or your presence as long as it's not being touched. The reason being at this size it is most likely developed most of its' personality & as the saying goes it's hard to teach an old monitor new tricks. W/ all honesty though only patience will prevail as long as it gets taken care of then handleing is secondary.
Its' temperment may have been what caused it to be neglected by the rescuers. Some monitors are one owner pets, like dogs, where they only completely trust the one who raised them but tolerate others.

Hi
I have very little experience in general, as I have had a few monitors, less than a year. BUT.... my experience with a giant WC rudi has been ALL positive.
IMO, I got simply the worst choice in a pet monitor. From his size, I can guess he is older, and I found out later I was lied to, -he was recently imported. This means, he grew up wild, and was torn out out of his home by god knows what means.

Now that he is here, he is pretty much insane. Who wouldn't be?
The point of this story is, he is old, and he is adjusting.
He has been here 9 months, and continues to improve. He whips and freezes less. He will hunt mice now, breeds the female and will tripod for food. He stays basking when I go talk to him, he used to run at the sight of me. He does not panic when I pick him up, he just grumbles now. He stands his ground when I try to shoo him away from the fridge; meaning: he is less afraid. He now competes for the food. He will walk over my feet when I am on the computer.

I don't think he will ever be the same as one raised in captivity, as he is a prince of a rudi, but I am amazed and grateful he did not die. He has even continued to grow (length, not in the belly). So please, be nice to your new BT, and give it some TIME. You said you've had it a few weeks, and are getting discouraged. Please don't be. Please. Don't let him lose another home just because reptiles change so slowly. Monitors are smart, show him you won't hurt him, and he will learn it.
What did I do with mine? I am near him all the time. I do not physically touch him more than I have to. Baths are once or twice a week. I would extend my hand towards him sometimes, but would withdraw if it was making him lose his mind. He is better now. I can stroke his neck, he just grumbles about that. Touching his back or tail aggravates him. 9 months is not a long time. Not when I am keeping him for the rest of his life. He can go as slow as he wants.
Good luck with yours. Sorry this is so long.
D.