Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i have my 3 inch sav for about 2 weeks now and everytime i go to pick him up he puffs up. Then once i actually touch him he turns and hisses at me. What is the best way for me to get him to let me pick him up. And since he is so small im afraid to just grab him really fast and hold him tight so he cant bite me. Thanks for any help.

If you are scared of a sav at three inches, that puffs up and hisses, savs are not for you. Yes, you just have to grab them, but not exactly "grab" them. Be gentle and easy about it, but of course be firm enough to where he cant turn around and bite you. And you MUST start handling now or you will end up with a 2 or 3 foot sav that hisses and puffs up. Just remember gentle but firm, especially w/ one of that size. Good luck and best wishes.

Its probly not a good idea to handle him when he is that small all its doing is stress him out.Give him time and let him come to you.He will be a happier and healthier monitor.The reason he is puffing up at you is because he thinks your giant hand is something trying to eat him and hes trying to make himself look bigger.It takes time and trust.By you reaching in and takeing him out of his home and trying to handle him is not going to tame him just stress him out and stress causes a lot of ploblems.You have to rember that he is a monitor not a fluffy kitty that likes to be petted.

Ok thanks, So i know have 2 different views on what i should do. Its not that im afraid of him it is that i dont want to hurt him by just grabbing him. So based on both of your opinions(which i appreciate very much) I think i am going to put my hand in his tank at least once a day and just keep it in there and clean the tank and what not just to get him use to my hand.And i will slowly get closer and closer to him until he gets more comfortable. Any other ideas will be helpfull. thanks again

Well like you just said cleaning the cage and letting him get use to you is exactly how I am going about trying to get my baby savannah to get use to me.This is the method that was always told to me how you gain their trust and if you use food that helps.like mine it will take pinkies from my fingers now but of course when he gets bigger I will start to use tongs just incase he gets to excited when he is chowing down the pinky and gets one of my fingers. Good luck with your savannah

I don't handle my monitors unless it's needed, vet visits, and moving for cleaning. I can do all these without a problem because my lizards know I am not going to mess with them and will let me do what I have to do.
I have a sav that will follow me around and in and out of her cage if the door is open. She only comes out of her cage for a couple of minutes and goes right back in. My argus will climb all over me and root in my pockets and pants legs looking for food. The only one that gives me a problem is my blackthroat. He don't like people and I don't blame him. I can go in his cage, he will hiss and tailwhip, but will eventually go in a burrow so I can change the water and clean.
Teach your lizard that you are not a threat and he will get used to you doing the things that must be done.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Kap is right, don't force handle it if you are indeed trying to "tame" it, let it get accustomed to you. Someone on this board gave a good description on why thats better for you and the monitor.

"let's take a squirrel for example. If you(for some strange reason) wanted to be able to pet and interract with a wild squirrel in your backyard or a park, you do not go out and grab it, and restrain it in your hands as it writhes and bites, in an attempt to get away.....
What you would do, is slowly day by day, week by week, you would begin leaving food out, getting closer and closer to you as time goes by. Eventually, the squirrel will become more comfortable with you, and move closer and closer. Eventually, with enough time and pateince, it may even come to eat out of your lap, and allow touch" ~ treemonitors. com

All forced handling does to a monitor is freak it out and make it fear you and it will never come out of it's hide cause it's in constant fear that it's going to be grabbed at any min. Trust me, I know from experiance with my Sav who used to really active, but now stays in his hide all the time cause I USED to force handle him.

Yup thats what my sav started to do just a couple of days ago, everytime he saw me he would run inside his hide and not come out.Now he is starting to come out again and when he sees me he watches me to see my actions and now i just leave him alone.Its better to have an active unhandled monitor than to have a nonactive unheathly tamed monitor that has given up.