Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i was the one who got a newly imported male black rough neck. he is doing great i just finished his cage it is like 61/2 by 3 by 3 with a big log in it and 2 basking lights. but still having trouble heating the bottom it is about like 76. he is about 27 inches now hasnt grown that much to me is 7 inches in 1 yr good. he is eating 3 - 5 f/t hoppers evry other day and tong feed cricket still make him work of them tho.

i was feeding him one day when i put him in his new cage and it is a 2 door cage so i opend the top one. i didnt realize that nemo could jump long distance he was laying on his branch then i had a hopper on tongs he jumped out of the cage on to my shirt then on to my hand and ate the hopper on my forarm. that gave my hole family a big supprise my mom said put the lockes on it when you put him back it. one scary time.

question i have been holding nemo for a while over the past yr like 15 mins evryother day . i wear gloves bc i head getting nails cut puts stress. how come he aint getting tamer he crawls on my shirt and sits ther but as soon i as like touch his back he puffs up and hiss like crazy. some time a buff bc if you pick him up he just stops and licks you face for like and hower and he loves sitting on my head when i had long hair must have though it was a nest.

so why is he getting mad some time then calms down right away. and he hasnt been grown much why not he is in a big cage probly gunn house him the rest of his live but i love him so.

only one probly how am i gunna get the cage under my door room bed in 3 yrs for colleg or in my closet with my bearded dragons and my new ball python.

last question after i grad. vet school hopefuly cross ur finger go exotic vet. im gunna try to get a female and breed them i would get more info bc you helped me so much i want to get evryone to have the same love for these mid sized babys.

take care tom
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1.1 bearded dragons iggy and harry
1. black rough neck monitor nemo
.1 ball python angel

Sorry I only skimmed your post and I own a brown rough neck CBB. I got him over a year ago as a hatchling and he is only just now starting to tolerate my hands in his enclosure for maintenance. So being that you have a WC the road to a “tame” monitor may be a long one. I would recommend giving up on the handling for some time and let him slowly grow to trust you. That is the road I have taken and it will slowly pays off, when it does the reward is that much sweeter.

Glad to hear you and your BRN are fine, and you still love her/him.

You are aware that I'm replying as someone with limited experience with monitors in general, right? (Gotta throw in the disclaimer)

You need to understand that all animals are not the same, and all cages and homes aren't. So no one can tell you if your monitor is healthy or growing well or not over a computer screen. BUT, the fact that the monitor is growing, shows no illness, and has a strong feeding response, indicates good health in my opinion!

I don't want to get in a war over cage size here. I don't care how big your cage is. Does it have lots of stuff in it? You mention one log and a platform. Is that it? That's not lots of stuff. Your cage could be sixteen feet long, and it would be no good, with that amount of stuff in it. Monitors use stuff, not empty space.
Can your monitor get away from sight? From the light? That is where they live. Not out in the open, sitting on a branch. People get monitors confused all the time with iguanas.
Build some boxes with small entrance holes. Make the leaf litter deep enough for them to hide under. Water tubs should allow them to submerge (kinda hard with an adult).
You don't need to heat the bottom!!! 76 is like, perfect. How else can the monitor cool down? They need hot areas and cool to alter their body temp. They don't require a steady temp all the time like us. If you want to be considerate and provide a warm bed as an option, make a box or shelf up high, where the air temp is automatically warmer. My girl spends many nights sleeping in the top half, she likes heat.

I don't know if 7 inches is good. Growth is good, period, IMO.
Growth is influenced by food. Do you know if what you're feeding is OK? Test it by letting Nemo eat all she wants to. If she can pack away 15 or more of those fuzzies, well...will you still feed only 3? You'll need bigger food, or more than what you're feeding.

I'm kinda alone on this forum regarding gloves. I absolutely hate them. I'm a big fan of nail clipping. I regard it as better for the animal, and better for the keeper. IF the animal is a house pet, as mine are. If the nails are done, I can be oh-so-gentle sliding my hands under the animal to remove it for baths or cleaning the cage. I can keep my giant wild male really calm when I can pick him up really gently.
I wrap the animal in a bath towel, sit it on my lap, then unwrap one foot at a time to clip just the ends. I don't consider it stressful. My animals know the routine. Its not a battle, though they all wiggle.

Is 'tamer' defined as a monitor who will not hiss when you pet it? hahahaha, good luck. They're SUPPOSED to hiss (rush it to the vet if it doesn't). All mine HATE being stroked, the movement. They are better about me laying a hand on their back or neck and keeping it still. They are OK with that, depending on mood. You said she gets mad, then calms down right away? She was just talking to you then. They do that, U know. Hissing is their only audible words.
If you had two monitors, you could watch them in the tub and notice that they don't mind being stepped on or laid on as long as its not the head. They move their heads away from contact. So of course, you wouldn't expect them to allow a human to touch their head, right?
My advice, take it or leave it, is, clip Nemo's nails, let her rest on your arm, place a hand on her back and just sit quietly with her. Let her smell you and look around. That's how monitors spend their time, sitting quietly with each other. Humans move way too much, it bums them out, IMO. Think about what the monitor would like, not what you would like.

Get the cage in your dorm room, and throw your mattress and stuff on top of it. You may need a small ladder like a bunk bed does. I've seen pics on the net of people who made a cage the base of their bed. I was thinking of doing it myself.
Cheers
D.