Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey all

well the day draws near when im getting my black roughneck

just a couple questions though, i know with my smaller reptiles i always put them in a seprate tank to feed them,

but should i feed the roughneck inside or outside his tank, since having that big of a cage is hard enough..... dont want to build another one just to feed him lol

I always feed my monitors in the same tank.Why add stress by moving them.In the wild I don't believe they go to a seperate dining area when hungry(but I could be wrong)

I'm going to flame you a bit, and say; if you want to have a happy healthy monitor, you're going to have to learn to think, and not just follow instructions you read somewhere. Because lots of crap is written about monitors.

Now just think for a minute WHY people would recommend separate feeding cages. The theory goes, if you feed in the cage, the (snake) will learn to expect food whenever the door is opened. By feeding somewhere else, you prevent the (snake) from associating someone at the door with a feeding response (bite).

But hey, you are talking about a MONITOR. A monitor is a thinking animal, not a simpleminded snake. They know perfectly well, if you have food or not, regardless of where they are. They also know the difference between you and food, in my experience. And they truly don't want anything to do with you. They're not that stupid.
Now how would your monitor feel? Being picked up (stress), taken out of its home (stress), and offered food. The monitor may very well decide food is the last thing it wants at that moment. Every monitor handles stress differently, but you said you are getting a BRN, and they are shy and sensitive IMO. Do you think it would even want to eat, when something bad is happening to it? (You took it out of its cage)

Please try to lessen stress for your monitor. Speaking about the shy BRNs, a BRN may not even eat in front of you, though they are hungry. They may not bask, even though they need the heat. Think of ways you can let it hide and feel secure. These guys need it.
And please don't just blindly accept crap you read, this post even. When you read something about them, THINK, from the monitor's point of view. Your monitor is depending on you. Good luck.
D.

well thats why i asked isint it... i know that not all monitors jump on you and expect a ride over somewhere, (sarcasim) they ussaly put up quite a fight, thats why i asked since from MY point of view it would just harm the animal even more since of his large size requiring more force to handle, and then your putting it in a cage thats native to eat and expect it to eat,

i wouldent of asked if i belived ever "crap" i read,

i havent dealt much with large reptiles like this, so unless i read this crap i wont get to far, hes not exactly gona tell me how hes feeling on a daily basis,

if this sounds like a flame, sry then cause thats not what im trying to get at

Well, if you'd already thought of how the monitor would take it, that's good. Sorry if I sounded condescending, I don't mean it. Some of the questions asked on here frighten me, and the answers.
(Feed your rudicollis CATfood? hahahahahaha -this is off a rudi mailing list, that I won't be participating in anymore.)

There also seems to be a lot of advice given, which is actually meant for other reptiles (UV for iguanas, no loose skin on snakes, cooling for breeding purposes), that doesn't really apply to monitors.
My apologies if I offended you, please stick around. (Pics would be nice!)
D.

If your a friggin cat LOL!!!!!

I was on that list too but geez. I invited the guy to come here and share with people and get different oppinions but he would rather stick to where people keep that specific species.

He has a lot to learn & the invitation to do so. You know; the whole lead a horse to water thing.

Any how, I can see why you would be reluctant to sell your babies. Someone might feed them kibbles & bits.

Later
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Gene

That's how I felt about them when i had a ball python.It bit me every time I opened the cage,then would let the mice walk all over it and wouldn't bite them!

Sometimes it is necessary to feed in another cage or container. This depends on the situation. We do that mostly with agressive feeding males, in order to allow females to feed properly. We normally grab the male by the base of the tail, dunk him in a bucket of mice, he grabs one or two, then we put him in a trashcan or cage. There is no stress doing that, I don't get goons, everything stresses monitors deal.

The real point is, IS it necessary? if its not, then feed them in the cage. If for some reason it is, then feed them elsewhere.

Also, if a monitor is stressed by doing that, then don't. Its really that simple. IF you go about making rules for everything, then maybe monitors are not for you. Use common sense. Monitors are not timid or fragile creatures. F