Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. Is it possible to teach monitor lizards where to do their buisness? I have a water monitor (he's great! He licks food off my finger without biting me), and he is always crapping all over me. Does anyone have any ideas on how to teach him?

I once had the most beautiful peachthroat in the world, she was a sweet little thing and would delicately take food from my fingers. With each passing week, she gained more confidence and grew more bold, till one morning upon seeing food, she leaped into the air and nailed my fingers.

The moral of the story.

Hand feeding is asking to get bit, no big deal on a smaller monitor, but when it happens it is not the monitor's fault. More importantly, the other moral, repressed feeding response is a sign of stress and fear. Fear is not a switch, it is all sorts of grays, while your monitor is clearly not scared enough to not eat it at all, it is apprehensive about your presence. I don't know anything about water monitors, but all of the species I keep are fairly aggressive with food (jobiensis, gouldi, argus, ackies), the "gentle" nature and it's tendency to crap on you (which is another fear response) seem to indicate it is apprehensive at your presence.

Keep in mind I'm not saying your monitor or any monitor can't be a very peaceful animal that you can interact with, without fear. But that a truly tame monitor, is (at least in my experience) alot more likely to accidentally bite you, because they don't fear you. I have one very tame monitor, but he will grab mice out of fingers like they were tongs, which again in my experience is not something I like to have happen.

Tong feed it and give it time, and it'll more than likely come around to be the awesome lizard it really is.

--Robert

PS - I really don't like the forced handling for taming approach, but I know many here really think it's great, so I'll keep my many opinions of that to myself.

Well, my water does not appear to be afriad of me. When I'm with him, he crawls all over my shirt, never flinches (well, he does just a little when I enter the room where I keep, and once he realizes it's me, he's cool) and he pretty much walks around like he owns the place. He just crapps on me when he's laying on my arm or shirt. Anyways, any help is appreciated.

How does he get on your shirt?

Do you go pick him up?

I'm babysitting a gorgeous female water currently. She does not flinch or move when I reach in and pet her. When I have her in the bathroom with me, she crawls all over me. Yet I know she is stressed to pieces. She only crawls on me because she wants out of the room so bad. And she bolts for her hole as soon as I back away from petting her.

I believe she knows I will not eat her, or maybe even harm her. I don't think she is afraid of me in any sense, but I do KNOW my presence stresses her. There's a big difference between afraid, and being stressed.
None of my animals are afraid of me. But it doesn't mean I don't stress them at times. As time goes on, they are less easy to stress out.
Crapping is a sure sign of stress.
Just trying to help.
D.

Yep, he crawls onto my shirt without hesitation . Also, he only craps once or twice a day. I'm just wondering if it's possible to teach him to use a litter box like a cat, so he won't get my carpet dirty when he gets bigger.

Although I am not a monitor expert by any means, my instinct is to say, no, you cannot 'train' one. Positive or negative reinforcement will do squat for an animal who does not care to please you.
Try to capitalize on their habits. Mine will poop given a soak of warm water, usually. Even the babies like to go in their freshly changed water dishes. Try soaking yours before you let it walk around the room.
That said, mine will still manage to squeeze out some urates (pee) in a corner of my living room, even if they don't have to 'go'. So I think it is marking behavior of a sort, but then, I am just guessing.
Your's habits will change as it grows older, be they stress-based or not. Monitors change a lot. Its like getting a new lizard every six months. Enjoy.
D.