# taming a water monitor



## 400runner (May 15, 2006)

Anyone got any good tips on taming a juvenile asian water monitor?
Mine is not too bad if you pick him out of his water but if you pick him up of the substrate, he just bites, and although i'm the first one to tell people to take a few tags of snappy snakes, it bloody hurts!
Any suggestions?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

wear gloves.....:whistling2:


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## 400runner (May 15, 2006)

starting to think i'm gonna have to. i've got a thing about using gloves though as i've found with snakes that they are more relaxed on your bare hand. if you wear gloves you have to grab them and surely that doesn't help to gain the trust of the animal


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

i found they dont tolerate force handling too much, with ours we have kinda built up a trust relationship, as she just freaked when i force held her...took alot of tiem and patience tho, but now she plods over to say hello, and wants to come out ALL the time !


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## browner93 (Dec 17, 2007)

maybe give him/her the glove to bite as you pick it up it had the glove to bite and not u lol

Josh


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## Dan Bristow (Jan 12, 2008)

dont ever forcefully handle a water monitor or you'll end up with a large vicious lizard on your hands.just leave it be. when it doesnt run and hide when it sees you start doing things in its vivs and wait for it to come and investigate you.then start gentle stroking eventually moving up to sliding your hand underneath and picking it up for a few seconds and gradually let this period get longer.also offer it food off forceps so you gain its trust. monitors never really become tame,they become tolerant. this may take months or even over a year or so. plus the bigger it gets the more confident it'll get round you.the main thing is dont forcefully handle it.it'll only get more scared of you!!


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

yes...grabbing and restraining is something that they don't like... and they will associate that with you... give it a sense of freedom....stroke it bare handed in the cage...let it walk up onto your hand... they are smart preditors and being small it is on the menu of many other animals.... build that trust up otherwise it'll believe that you are just going to sieze it every time it sees you... it will calm down around you as long as it knows that you are not going to grab it...... a small, clear room is good for working with it... it has to get used to your presence and not feel as though you are a threat..... time and patience is the key as always.... start investing in it now... it'll learn quickly that you mean no harm and are the food guy... they will never be tame completely...never quite trust it.... it can easily take your ear off one day when you least expect it.... so called tame. work with it and it will tolerate you...it's all about familiarity... let it swim in the tub...that's a good place for it to get used to you and it won't run away...it'll submerge and think it's invisible... if a giant grizzly bear wanted to grab me it would take a while for me to get used to that...if ever...: victory:


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

agree with whats been said av never handled mine yet they will hide when young and gradulay come out and get more confident av seen topics on here before with people saysing just grap it or just handle it if you do you they will end up bk 5 steps mines started to come out more and will now happyly come out and sit and watch whats going on it just takes time


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## Dextersdad (Mar 28, 2008)

I think a few people may have read the story behind mine.

That's why mine is as tame as a dog. No word of a lie.


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## 400runner (May 15, 2006)

Dan Bristow said:


> dont ever forcefully handle a water monitor or you'll end up with a large vicious lizard on your hands.just leave it be. when it doesnt run and hide when it sees you start doing things in its vivs and wait for it to come and investigate you.then start gentle stroking eventually moving up to sliding your hand underneath and picking it up for a few seconds and gradually let this period get longer.also offer it food off forceps so you gain its trust. monitors never really become tame,they become tolerant. this may take months or even over a year or so. plus the bigger it gets the more confident it'll get round you.the main thing is dont forcefully handle it.it'll only get more scared of you!!





HABU said:


> yes...grabbing and restraining is something that they don't like... and they will associate that with you... give it a sense of freedom....stroke it bare handed in the cage...let it walk up onto your hand... they are smart preditors and being small it is on the menu of many other animals.... build that trust up otherwise it'll believe that you are just going to sieze it every time it sees you... it will calm down around you as long as it knows that you are not going to grab it...... a small, clear room is good for working with it... it has to get used to your presence and not feel as though you are a threat..... time and patience is the key as always.... start investing in it now... it'll learn quickly that you mean no harm and are the food guy... they will never be tame completely...never quite trust it.... it can easily take your ear off one day when you least expect it.... so called tame. work with it and it will tolerate you...it's all about familiarity... let it swim in the tub...that's a good place for it to get used to you and it won't run away...it'll submerge and think it's invisible... if a giant grizzly bear wanted to grab me it would take a while for me to get used to that...if ever...: victory:


good advice guys! i'll just be patient and gain his trust gradually!


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