Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This pic was taken after she ate a few jumbo adult mice. I still prefer feeding many small meals over one large meal thats why I bought 250 adult mice for $50 at Hamburg the other day. Next month Ill have the big freezer in the new house to use so Ill also order a wholesale lot of chicken peeps from a local supplier with 2 fiends, my current chest freezer doesnt have enough room to fit more than some people food, 250 adult mice, 100 large rats, and 2 bags of ice in it, that doesnt include the refridgerator freezers feeder content yet. The new house has a huge freezer in the garage big enough to keep a few bodies and all of my feeder needs with space left over. Cant wait to assemble Sobeks new cage either, I guess the hard part will be dealing with a few truckloads of sifted field dirt after the box is built.

I'm sure you've spoke on this topic in your many posts, but was your Monitor huff and puffy as a juvenile? I have a yearling and he still is quite wary of me and will tail whip and generally squirm when handled but never bites. I have raised large Iguanas and Tegus (Tegu which never became tamed), any who the approach I've taken with all of my herps is slow and steady, and consistent patience. I haved refrained from handling more than a couple of times a week, I believe hes still a little guy and has a hard time understanding that I am no threat, I've opted to wait until he gets a bit older to really start some training. I also realize that the best I could ever hope for is that he doesn't want to eat me. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences, I check your posts often to pick up some realtime knowledge.

Being handled early. Sobek was 2 months old when I recieved her and was told she was used to human handling, and had a good attitude. She bonded fast to me and shows some bond although alot less to my fiancee as she handled her from the start also. I allowed her more time alone in the first week or 2 without being handled with handling occuring once or twice a day at most for 10 minutes or so but watching her roam and climb. After adjusting to the new cage she had already outgrew it fast, followed by the next cage and so on. The real test wih her trust and bond to an individual is to approach her outdoors, Im the only one that can approach without getting threatened by a tail whip. Even if she is on my shoulders and someone else approaches outdoors they have to approach very slow and calm or get whipped. She has never attempted to bite a human, although a C-5a (first one she ever saw) scared her passing over low from the airport and she stood her ground threatening with her mouth open until I got her indoors to calm down, this happened once.
Every albig or bosc, every reptile Ive had was an individual and their tolerances and adjustment are all different.
One big factor with Sobek is that she was captive bred and born, and handled from the start, she never saw the wild, so therefore never missed it.
A blind or deaf man who was born that way never misses that sense, but those who had it and lost it never truelly adjust completly. Just like missing a limb, if you were born without it it becomes normal, but those who lost one feel phantom limbs, phantom nerve responses, they feel as if its missing. Once wild its always there, even if its only a small amount.

Yeah this guy is captive bred (from what I've been told), thanks for the response. I definately uderstand that Monitors have diverse personalities. I loved the species every since I saw a six foot plus individual years ago. They were always more money than I wanted to spend, and then one day I got a call at the pet shop I was working at, the guy wanted to see if he could trade his BT in for a snake. I told him the store wouldn't do that but I was interested in buying it. Turns out he orginally bought a Dummerils Boa and traded it back for the lizard and I traded him a pink phase common Boa which I bought from the store for $100, I think I got the best deal, I Flagyled and Panacured and away I went. Its funny if your patient many fine specimens come your way at bargain prices, especially here in Arizona.

I asked because CBB monitors dont have parasites native to their home country as they have never had anything to eat or drink there nor set foot there. If you had a stool sample taken and it showed positive, I wouldnt believe the CBB claim. Thats an easy way to tell, although a positive test may not show up for 6 or more tries on a WC. Good luck.

I treated with medicine as a preventive measure, due to the fact of cbb being in question, and also I know it came in contact with other wc herps. Thx for the input

I learned years ago that if I wanted a monitor that would grow up and also allow me to hold it, I had had to pick a juvie that exibited those same qualities. It is very difficult, in my 30 years of experience, to make significant changes in their personality. I don't take a juvie that whips and or bites. Everyone is different but I enjoy interacting with my monitors and its worth it for me to pay a little extra and wait a little longer. Becareful not to mistake alert and calm for lethargic and ill. Good luck w/ your bt, Mike.