Feeding Juvinile Lace Monitor

[OlivePython69]

I'm wanting to get a male Lace Monitor at the end of the year (Still need to save up some cash and do some more research) and I'm wondering if anyone can help me with how I should feed him.

I had 3 blue-tongue lizards when I was younger which I'd feed every couple of days by putting a bowl of food in the tank, but everytime I opened the lid they would be expecting food and would sometimes bite my fingers.

So when I got my Olive Python (currently 3 metres) I got her into the habit of eating outside of the tank. I put her in the bathtub on a beach towel that stinks of rats and she goes into "eating mode" and will strike at anything that moves, however once I've taken her out of the bath and I put her down again, she is fine. This allows me to open the tank without her striking at me and handle her without her thinking of food all the time.

I was wondering if I could do this with a Lace Monitor? I've read/seen on videos that I should leave them in the tank (when you first get them) and feed them there so they settle down and aren't scared. I just don't want him to associate "opening the lid" with "food time". What do you guys think? Could I take him out when he is younger to get him used to feeding in a seperate area so that he only associates that particular area with food?

Also, how often do you think I should be handling him when he is younger in order to help him get used to humans? I don't want to handle him so much that he starts stressing.

Thanks

 

[Karly]

G'day buddy
I think you have answered your own question there! It is best not to handle juvi laceys too much, so removing him from one tank to put him into another for feeding will stress him out unnecessarily. It's best just to feed them in their enclosure, that way they get used to you. You can use a special bowl for their food if you want, that way they associate the bowl with food, rather than associate you with food.
I have a particularly feisty (ie. crazy evil) water monitor who gets especially vicious around food, so I use a badminton racquet (yes I realise how crazy that sounds :lol to place his food in the enclosure. Now whenever I pick up the racquet, he starts to go crazy thinking that he's going to get fed. Any other time I go near his enclosure to clean it etc, he is rather placid, provided the badminton racquet is no-where in sight!
The way your monitor reacts to you is directly related to how you treat them and how much effort you put into them. If you're willing to put in the time and effort, you can end up with an extremely friendly monitor.
Best of luck, if you do end up getting one, you won't regret it. Monitors are incredible animals and make the coolest pets. Endless hours of amusement

 

[JAS101]

i feed my 9 month old lacey in its enclosure , either via its special plate or a old pair of long BBQ tongs [ iv just started to use the tongs] and sofar as soon as the lacey see`s the tongs it allready knows it food time . i have only owned mine for a month , so i know Jubb Jubb [ the lacey] and i have a long way to go with it trusting me .

 

[redbellybite]

I have two mertens ,when I first got them and a short while after ,even at feeding time they were scared if I placed my hand in their tank ...NOW THEY ARE NO LONGER SCARED OF THE HAND THAT FEEDS THEM!! I put on a welding glove now cause when their hungry they get VERY EXCITED and with open mouths and tail whipping and jumping ..they even will grab the food dish out of my hand ,hence why now place a glove on but after their fill ,they dont bother if I put my hand in they just tail whip ..

 

[OlivePython69]

Thanks for that guys. Appreciate it.

After doing some more reading I'm thinking (after he has grown up and is a bit more tame) I can get him out of the tank and then place the food in the cage so that he still associates opening the cage with being allowed out. I want him as a pet, so when he is used to handling, I am hoping to have him out of the cage every couple of days, so that would align nicely with how often I should feed him. Also, my Olive Python wouldn't eat anything for the first 4 weeks of being moved into her new home, are Lace Monitors the same?

Cheers

 

[jonas]

Monitors are a lot diff to snakes and chances are you wont even get to see your lacey let alone watch him eat for the first few months or more. Best way is to put a small bowl of food in the enclosure and leave him alone..if left in a quiet room you will eventually start to notice the food being taken. Put heaps of hollow logs in as hides and tea tree mulch as substrate instead of newspaper..therefore you can just lift small amounts of mess out instead of having to lift him out for cleaning like you would newspaper and stressing him out. Im currently working on a 5 mth old lacey that will willingly come out of his enclosure and let me pat him while food is present..its all a trust game and can take years. Patience is the key, good luck.

 

[OlivePython69]

Thanks for that. I'm assuming you've had your Lace Monitor for a while now if it's letting you pat it, yet it's only 5 months old. So how young are you able to get Lace Monitors?

Yeah, I'm planning on taking my time with him, just want to ensure I've done heaps of reasearch first and know what I'm doing.

 

[jonas]

My lacies very young and still needs a lot of work. He lets me pat him..but mainly when food is around because hes more interested in the food than what my hands are doing. I got him at roughly one month old because I wanted to start his training early and bring him up in the right environment. However I was able to do that because I work at a reptile park and hes one of our adult pairs offspring (im not sure what age most larger monitor breeders like to move their hatchies on). Hes far quieter than any other young lacie I've seen which is why I chose that particular animal. Also im not sure if this has anything to do with it but his mother is extremely quiet and has never had any work done to her.

As im sure you know, lacies are large powerful monitors and I strongly advise that you gain some experience with adults before purchasing a hatchy. A bite from a decent sized adult can leave you in need of micro surgery or worse. They are awsome monitors as long as you use common sense especially while feeding.