# Suggestions on how to tame a flighty baby monitor



## cougarstrike (Nov 3, 2013)

Title says it all guys just after some tips to help calm and tame a flighty monitor thanks for help guys


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## RSPcrazy (Nov 3, 2013)

In a nutshell. 
Plenty of hides, heat and food. Never pull it out of a hide when it's hiding. Once the monitor feels comfortable enough to hang out in the open while you're in the room (could take 6 months), start playing around in the enclosure, but don't forcefully touch/handle the monitor. If you let it come to you of its own free will (which it will, because monitors are so inquisitive), then you will have a much more tame monitor, then if you forcefully handle it.

Monitors take a lot of time and effort to tame, so don't get inpatient, otherwise you could loose the trust of your monitor.

What type of monitor is it by the way?


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## cougarstrike (Nov 3, 2013)

thanks for the advise its a lace


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## RSPcrazy (Nov 3, 2013)

cougarstrike said:


> thanks for the advise its a lace



Well in that case, definitely let it come to you on its own. Lacies can be very skittish and are not a reptile you want to push, because once they have a bit of size to them, if they push back, you'll be taking a little trip to the hospital.


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## Junglejags (Nov 4, 2013)

Honestly if you need to ask these questions, do you think you should have a Lacie? I've seen it to often where inexperienced keepers get large monitors not realising how big they actually get. Most of the time a lace monitor doesn't calm down until it's at a size where most inexperienced keepers are too scared to handle it so the monitor stays in its under size cage it's whole life. You should look at getting something smaller that is more of a beginners monitor like an ackie.


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## Justdragons (Nov 4, 2013)

Junglejags said:


> Honestly if you need to ask these questions, do you think you should have a Lacie? I've seen it to often where inexperienced keepers get large monitors not realising how big they actually get. Most of the time a lace monitor doesn't calm down until it's at a size where most inexperienced keepers are too scared to handle it so the monitor stays in its under size cage it's whole life. You should look at getting something smaller that is more of a beginners monitor like an ackie.



although this sounds harsh its very true.. however have you had monitors before??


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## Junglejags (Nov 4, 2013)

Justdragons said:


> although this sounds harsh its very true.. however have you had monitors before??


Yes lacies, Spencer's and ackies I know how intimating it can be handling a lace monitor for the first time and I already had my other monitors a couple of years before that. I'm not trying to be harsh but a lot of people buy these tiny hatchlings not realising that by the time they are at a size to be confident enough to be handle, they are at a size that things can go very wrong quickly. I don't believe in a dog tame monitor sitting on my shoulders but it is important for the health and wellbeing of the animal that it can be handled safely when needed, a 1.5 meter adult Lacie that needs to be restrained to examine it is not fun at all.


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## whyme (Nov 5, 2013)

Give it some good hides, and always feed with tongs. If you pick a spot to feed it, you can condition it to accept food from that particular spot. All takes time. Young lacies are ALWAYS skitish. Just need to be patient. And being complaicent WILL give you stitches


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## Flaviruthless (Nov 6, 2013)

My younger V. panoptes is just starting to calm down at ~18 months - you're in it for the long haul so don't try and rush it.


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## Junglejags (Nov 6, 2013)

whyme said:


> Give it some good hides, and always feed with tongs. If you pick a spot to feed it, you can condition it to accept food from that particular spot. All takes time. Young lacies are ALWAYS skitish. Just need to be patient. And being complaicent WILL give you stitches


Yes they can be condition but don't kid yourself into thinking because you feed in a bowl in the same spot of the enclosure it will prevent or deter a monitor from going into a food response. The only way to reduce their food response and get a "dog tame" monitor is to over feed it but that will led to long term problems and reduce their life span. Monitors are large preditors that have a very aggressive food response, they are never "tame" but can be confident of a better word around humans.


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## sd1981 (Nov 6, 2013)

Junglejags said:


> The only way to reduce their food response and get a "dog tame" monitor is to over feed it.



I'm going to have to disagree with you on this particular comment JJ... There are other ways of getting a "dog tame" monitor than to over feed it... TRUST is what you need to build with your monitor... Have it trust that you aren't going to hurt or eat him.. This can be done by using its feeding time to "train" your monitor to let go of its fear, little by little, this takes time... Using a motivating tool (food or stimulus such as a light stroking or patting) is how people have been training all animals to gain a favourable response from animals since the beginning of time and monitors are no different, just hard wired to be more cautious until they can adequately defend themselves... Once the trusting bond is formed, you can remove the food reward and go for an affection based reward, a light stroking, patting on the back etc (monitors do go for this in my experience)... Monitors are easier to guide that most animals once you understand their motivation which is food and fear. If you're going to use the food reward method, smaller food rewards are used... ie: if your monitor eats 3 small adult rats at an average meal, use fuzzy or pinky rats and go for 6 or 8. This gives your monitor 6-8 reward opportunities without over feeding it... Time and patience....


Cheers Simon...


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## whyme (Nov 6, 2013)

Junglejags said:


> Yes they can be condition but don't kid yourself into thinking because you feed in a bowl in the same spot of the enclosure it will prevent or deter a monitor from going into a food response. The only way to reduce their food response and get a "dog tame" monitor is to over feed it but that will led to long term problems and reduce their life span. Monitors are large preditors that have a very aggressive food response, they are never "tame" but can be confident of a better word around humans.


I wasn't talking about bowl feeding. I haven't had a lacie yet the i've regularly fed from a bowl. I find feeding from tongs, in a certain spot, has worked for me. Tongs, I find also help with the trust issue. The first part of getting a monitor to the point when you can see it regularly and up close, is trust I believe. I'm by no means an expert and am only stating what has worked for me. OVERFEEDING does not make a tame monitor. It makes it lethargic and sick. To the OP. Sit down and study all the behaviours of your monitor, and study its eyes when moving around. They're an amazing creature! Like has been said, once they grow, they become a lot more curious and bold. so keep ya wits about. Good luck!


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## Junglejags (Nov 7, 2013)

sd1981 said:


> I'm going to have to disagree with you on this particular comment JJ... There are other ways of getting a "dog tame" monitor than to over feed it... TRUST is what you need to build with your monitor... Have it trust that you aren't going to hurt or eat him.. This can be done by using its feeding time to "train" your monitor to let go of its fear, little by little, this takes time... Using a motivating tool (food or stimulus such as a light stroking or patting) is how people have been training all animals to gain a favourable response from animals since the beginning of time and monitors are no different, just hard wired to be more cautious until they can adequately defend themselves... Once the trusting bond is formed, you can remove the food reward and go for an affection based reward, a light stroking, patting on the back etc (monitors do go for this in my experience)... Monitors are easier to guide that most animals once you understand their motivation which is food and fear. If you're going to use the food reward method, smaller food rewards are used... ie: if your monitor eats 3 small adult rats at an average meal, use fuzzy or pinky rats and go for 6 or 8. This gives your monitor 6-8 reward opportunities without over feeding it... Time and patience....
> 
> 
> Cheers Simon...



a tame monitor and a dog tame monitor are to different things and I didn't explain myself well. The most ''tame'' monitor will still react to the smell of food and go into a food response. what I refer to as ''dog tame'' is a monitor that is generally over weight from over feeding and doesn't have a massive food drive because it is readily available.


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