How to get my monitor to like being handled

[micko77]

Hi all ,

This is my first post of many as I have a few reptiles and tarantulas, with many conversations on the way.

I recently picked up a juvenile freckled monitor a month ago , gorgeous lizard with a few missing toes. I believe it's a he so I named him Enzo , he loves running around his enclosure. Basking on his hollowed log and sleeping in it during the day , digs burrows under everything and chases crickets like all monitors do.

I would love to be able to hold him , knowing these are very skittish so I believe in the let them approach you rather just grabbing him. He sits at the glass watching everyone , and occasionally let's me and my partner pat him . He tong feeds crickets well and every 2 weeks tong feeds a fuzzy or 2 and is shedding atm with no issues

His enclosure set up is a 4x2x2 laminate reptile one , his basking spot is 38°- 48° as it's very humid atm . Cool side is 28°- 30° , i use a 100w exoterra intense bulb for basking and a 14% 24" arcadia uvb tube covering half the enclosure . I also run a 120mm fan on all my enclosure ontop to take hot air out , all my set ups are connected to echotech dimming thermostats and echotech dual thermometers.

 

[dragonlover1]

the let them approach you is the only way to do it. You will never gain his trust if you push it.
With all my lizards I talk to them as I do stuff, "Hi XXXX do you want some veges" , " Hi XXXX I'm just filling your pool blah blah" , " who wants bugs" etc. some will come to see what's going on.
When I first got Lacies I ended up just opening the enclosure and letting them free roam the dragon room, the female more so would climb all over us, the male would just go half way up my leg and go "nah too much work"

 

[micko77]

the let them approach you is the only way to do it. You will never gain his trust if you push it.
With all my lizards I talk to them as I do stuff, "Hi XXXX do you want some veges" , " Hi XXXX I'm just filling your pool blah blah" , " who wants bugs" etc. some will come to see what's going on.
When I first got Lacies I ended up just opening the enclosure and letting them free roam the dragon room, the female more so would climb all over us, the male would just go half way up my leg and go "nah too much work"

Thanks dragonlover ,

I thought that was best approach , everything in my enclosure set up does it seem to be right , also I purchased some chicken hearts i heard these are also something they like .

 

[dragonlover1]

Thanks dragonlover ,

I thought that was best approach , everything in my enclosure set up does it seem to be right , also I purchased some chicken hearts i heard these are also something they like .

hearts,giblets,quail eggs, even the odd sardine are all nice treats but don't make these main meals. They need the calcium from bones ,ie. whole animals- mice and day old quail

 

[micko77]

hearts,giblets,quail eggs, even the odd sardine are all nice treats but don't make these main meals. They need the calcium from bones ,ie. whole animals- mice and day old quail

Should the mice be fed daily , weekly or fortnightly , and crickets daily . Also what is the correct basking temp you recommend .

 

[dragonlover1]

Should the mice be fed daily , weekly or fortnightly , and crickets daily . Also what is the correct basking temp you recommend .

mate it all depends on the size of your critter and his feeding habits, it's something you have to experiment with. Start slow and work upwards. My Gillens like crix every second day, with occasional scrambled egg and chopped pinkies .As for temps most monitors like to be quite warm, I have Gillens and western Storrs inside and they like 40C+ but sometimes go hotter

 

[micko77]

mate it all depends on the size of your critter and his feeding habits, it's something you have to experiment with. Start slow and work upwards. My Gillens like crix every second day, with occasional scrambled egg and chopped pinkies .As for temps most monitors like to be quite warm, I have Gillens and western Storrs inside and they like 40C+ but sometimes go hotter

Thanks appreciate your advice , just want to make sure he is getting everything he needs .