# New Bosc monitor won't come out of hide!!



## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

As the title says, my Bosc won't come out of his hide. He came from a shop where he had no substrate and I was sold a big bag of orchid bark. I have since been advised to change to a mix of plain soil and play sand, which I have, and have made it deep enough to burrow in and since I've done this he just won't come out of his hide!! I've only seen him poke his head out for a sniff once and burrowed straight back in. Why is he doing this and should I be worried? His temperatures/ humidity levels are all good. He is around 6 months old now. He's gone a bit feral since i brought him home but is comfortable with me doing maintenance and sticking my hands in and around him. Its really puzzling me so if anyone can help me with this I would be really grateful.


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## stungy (May 28, 2011)

If everything is right in his viv he will come out whwn he is ready I've had my little guy for about 7 weeks now and he only comes out to feed,if he was being kept like that,added to being moved to a new home,it's going to be a shock to his system.temps,humidity set up would help


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

I see your point, I guess he had no humidity in the shop, there were three of them kept on vinyl and just a small water bowl. I managed to entice him out of his hide with a fuzzy lol he's just chilling.. He is mid-shed so would that contribute to him wanting to hide? He's really struggling to shed but since the soil mixture has been in it seems to have helped and especially with the humidity levels.


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

They are not a visual reptile, they are secretive and will hide when small. Give it time.


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

I was just a little concerned because he's always been curious and active until I put the soil/sand in for him as long as its normal for them to be like that, it's good to know its nothing to worry over...


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## azza23 (May 4, 2011)

I know there not the same but there both monitors, my salvator hid and i didnt see him for the first 3 months of getting him, some monitors no matter what there species just need time to settle and do there own thing, i wouldnt worry, aslong as your temps are correct and he's eating everything should be fine :2thumb:


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

He seems fine when he's out he's quite comfortable me doing daily maintenance and stroking him every now and then, if he does hide for months on end will he go feral on me? Lol


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

HissyMissy said:


> He seems fine when he's out he's quite comfortable me doing daily maintenance and stroking him every now and then, if he does hide for months on end will he go feral on me? Lol


Not at all.

Time, patience and left to get on with own devices is nowt wrong.


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

azza23 said:


> I know there not the same but there both monitors, my salvator hid and i didnt see him for the first 3 months of getting him, some monitors no matter what there species just need time to settle and do there own thing, i wouldnt worry, aslong as your temps are correct and he's eating everything should be fine :2thumb:


My AWM was uber secretive and funny when busted in the open.

:lol2:


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## azza23 (May 4, 2011)

Whosthedaddy said:


> My AWM was uber secretive and funny when busted in the open.
> 
> :lol2:


 :lol2: i alsways catch mine in the open now, and he stops and freezes like "i'm not here, just keep moving mate" :lol2:


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

Mine sits right up against the glass and peeps out to see what's going on when he's out it is quite funny. : ) I refer to him as a male because the shop thought he was male, I know they are quite difficult to sex but is there anything to help other than watching when he goes for a poo (I never catch him doing it lol)


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

we have had or little man about 7 months now he was only 6 months old he was the same he is just under 3ft now from top to tail and you cant stop him now he loves coming out and falling asleep on you it just take time and paitence with them just keep doing what you are doing dont try and force them, mine would hiss and whip but now he takes food off you like a baby from the hand just takes time its worth it in the end :2thumb:







our little man


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

Oh wow he's lovely!!! : ) if he's wandering about when I'm cleaning his viv would it be ok to continue to stroke him as long as he's calm enough for it? Do they calm down with people by themselves??


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

HissyMissy said:


> Oh wow he's lovely!!! : ) if he's wandering about when I'm cleaning his viv would it be ok to continue to stroke him as long as he's calm enough for it? Do they calm down with people by themselves??


 thats the best thing to do just mess around in his viv he will come to you as they are very nosy and cant help themselves lol and just keep strokeing him but dont try pick him up just yet let him get used to you first, and yes most calm down it just takes time beleave it mine was a little shite lol when we first had him but now you cant stop him, does yours try and bite you ?


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

MICKYP said:


> thats the best thing to do just mess around in his viv he will come to you as they are very nosy and cant help themselves lol and just keep strokeing him but dont try pick him up just yet let him get used to you first, and yes most calm down it just takes time beleave it mine was a little shite lol when we first had him but now you cant stop him, does yours try and bite you ?


He only snapped once he had been home 5 minutes, literally. Lol he hisses and coils up for a lunge more than anything. Oh and he likes to take a dump if anyone has held him lol! I get a little nervous sometimes when he comes up for a taste because I don't know him well enough yet to read his behaviour lol! The one sure fire way of really annoying him is to leave the door of the viv open while sorting out his mouse for him like today...










All was well when he inhaled the mouse haha!


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## MICKYP (Nov 27, 2010)

HissyMissy said:


> He only snapped once he had been home 5 minutes, literally. Lol he hisses and coils up for a lunge more than anything. Oh and he likes to take a dump if anyone has held him lol! I get a little nervous sometimes when he comes up for a taste because I don't know him well enough yet to read his behaviour lol! The one sure fire way of really annoying him is to leave the door of the viv open while sorting out his mouse for him like today...
> 
> image
> 
> All was well when he inhaled the mouse haha!


just keep on with him try not to flinch if he just comes to smell you it will make him more nervous plus if he is pooing on you that is seconed line of defence 3rd line of defence is hissing 2nd pooing 1st biting so if he is pooing just try keep stroking him in his viv first and if you handle try have him at the same height as you say put him on the sofa with a towel if he is prone to poo then kneel down to his level they dont like being viewed from above' plus where is your viv if its low on the floor try to put it somewhere higher so he can see you not just a big tall threat coming at him its ok as adults cause they should be tamed down by then this can also help cause if he is low on the floor every time he see's you he just looks up and see's a giant if you know what i meen


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

MICKYP said:


> just keep on with him try not to flinch if he just comes to smell you it will make him more nervous plus if he is pooing on you that is seconed line of defence 3rd line of defence is hissing 2nd pooing 1st biting so if he is pooing just try keep stroking him in his viv first and if you handle try have him at the same height as you say put him on the sofa with a towel if he is prone to poo then kneel down to his level they dont like being viewed from above' plus where is your viv if its low on the floor try to put it somewhere higher so he can see you not just a big tall threat coming at him its ok as adults cause they should be tamed down by then this can also help cause if he is low on the floor every time he see's you he just looks up and see's a giant if you know what i meen


I will let him come to me he's a nosey sod anyway lol! There was only one time he charged at me while cleaning and that was my fault by doing it just after feeding time! The viv is on the floor temporarily I am raising it anyway to make it deeper incase he turns out to be a she. I tong feed all his food to make it as least aggressive as possible he doesn't snap so much and will sit at the door I feed him through waiting for it of he sees it : )


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## Dazzz (Nov 22, 2011)

HissyMissy said:


> I will let him come to me he's a nosey sod anyway lol! There was only one time he charged at me while cleaning and that was my fault by doing it just after feeding time! The viv is on the floor temporarily I am raising it anyway to make it deeper incase he turns out to be a she. I tong feed all his food to make it as least aggressive as possible he doesn't snap so much and will sit at the door I feed him through waiting for it of he sees it : )


Ours has been whippy and defensive since we got him 6 weeks ago, not hissy though, but we have started target training him, and he now gets his main food out of the viv, so he climbs out of the viv into a large plastic tub and eats his food in there.

Once we were happy that he will come out to his target we started letting him roam the living room (Last weekend) and he has now worked out that by scratching the glass to be let out he can crap in the living room rather than in his viv. However since we started feeding him out of the viv and letting him roam he has calmed down a LOT.

Next step is toilet training 

Dazzz


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## kaaathx (Apr 20, 2011)

we barely touched ours until she got to about a foot and a half.now shes 2ft+ 11 months old and so gentle

as alot of experienced monitor keepers will tell you , the hands off approach works best


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

I'm definitely going to try the hands off approach. He's been out this hide this morning : ) how do you go about the target training? Should I wait until he's a little more trusting of me?


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## Dazzz (Nov 22, 2011)

HissyMissy said:


> I'm definitely going to try the hands off approach. He's been out this hide this morning : ) how do you go about the target training? Should I wait until he's a little more trusting of me?


Have a search on here or youtube for stuff on target training, its basically having an object that signifies to your Bosc that its feeding time, and when he see's that object he's going to get food very soon.

We use a childs hand toy, bright yellow with bells on

They are smart animals and pick it up very quickly 

Dazzz


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## geckocider (Nov 22, 2010)

Ive had mt bosc a year, and we have just upgraded his viv and hes been sat wedged behind the cork bark and all we can see is his eye glaring at us... lol 

Hes just getting used to the viv, the house and you.. They are shy mine only comes to me if he thinks ive got a rat for him


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

geckocider said:


> Ive had mt bosc a year, and we have just upgraded his viv and hes been sat wedged behind the cork bark and all we can see is his eye glaring at us... lol
> 
> Hes just getting used to the viv, the house and you.. They are shy mine only comes to me if he thinks ive got a rat for him


Did you leave him to it and how long was it before he began to start trusting you?


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## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

I ignored my female for the best part of 6 months and the difference was huge by the end of it.


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

Ok, so ignore him and he shall calm down on his own? Lol here's me spazzing out about him going feral. It's a good thing I joined up really because I have been given some really dodgy advice about him and I'm really disappointed with the place where I got him from. Does anyone here use UVB bulbs with theirs?


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## azza23 (May 4, 2011)

HissyMissy said:


> Ok, so ignore him and he shall calm down on his own? Lol here's me spazzing out about him going feral. It's a good thing I joined up really because I have been given some really dodgy advice about him and I'm really disappointed with the place where I got him from. Does anyone here use *UVB bulbs* with theirs?


Its upto you wether you want to use U.V, its no neccesary though, :2thumb:


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

azza23 said:


> Its upto you wether you want to use U.V, its no neccesary though, :2thumb:


I wondered if they would actually benefit from it seeing as he's enjoying his hide and burrowing... Seems a bit pointless to me!


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## azza23 (May 4, 2011)

HissyMissy said:


> I wondered if they would actually benefit from it seeing as he's enjoying his hide and burrowing... Seems a bit pointless to me!


alot of experienced keepers would agree there and say it is pointless :lol2:


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

azza23 said:


> alot of experienced keepers would agree there and say it is pointless :lol2:


I'm really beginning to get the impression where I got him from was just out for the sale... How annoying. I've got mine in a 6x2x2 I know this isn't big enough for an adult Bosc but when I do upgrade his viv what sort of age should he be/how big can he get until he needs a bigger viv?


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## azza23 (May 4, 2011)

HissyMissy said:


> I'm really beginning to get the impression where I got him from was just out for the sale... How annoying. I've got mine in a 6x2x2 I know this isn't big enough for an adult Bosc but when I do upgrade his viv what sort of age should he be/how big can he get until he needs a bigger viv?


adult boscs can get 2.5 - 5 foot when adult and usually get to approx 3 foot at 12-18 months old, and i personally like big vivs and think an 8x4x4 would be nice for an adult bosc or even 2 but i know people who keep them in 6x3x3 id go bigger the better, also i can prob name about 2 petshops in the whole of the uk that actually know anything about monitors, most of them just talk sh*te


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## geckocider (Nov 22, 2010)

we were 'hands on' with taming but my first love were tokays so i was prepared... 

for the first two weeks we had him in a 2x1 viv (he was the size of my palm) all we did was put our hands in his viv without touching him. After two weeks he gave up huffing at us. 

after that we just stroked him in the viv without picking him up, we did that for about a month.. he soon stopped puffing up and sfter a month allowed us to pick him up. 
we then moved him to a 6x1x1 viv but while moving house we put him in a 3x2x2 

he will be a year old in June and kids can handle him, poke him and prod him while shouting dinosaur!! he doesnt care! last week we moved him from 3x2x2 into his new 6x3x3 viv.he spent 3 days hiding and huffing but today he was out back trying to walk through the glass doors.lol. 

ours is staying in a 6x3x3 but hes so tame he has run of the lounge atm but once hes bigger he will have run of the house because trying to find a 24 inch bosc is a nightmare.. 

ours has uv im thinking about turning it off for "summer" because i sit in my garden and as hes lead/harness trained id rather he have real uv if its warm enough outside


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

geckocider said:


> we were 'hands on' with taming but my first love were tokays so i was prepared...
> 
> for the first two weeks we had him in a 2x1 viv (he was the size of my palm) all we did was put our hands in his viv without touching him. After two weeks he gave up huffing at us.
> 
> ...


How did you get round not losing fingers with tokays? Lol I have one and she's just pure vicious!!! Gotta love them though! I take it hatchlings are easier to 'tame'? Mine looks like he's charging at me most of the time but today he came charging up while I was changing his water, had a taste and ran away after a minute or two. Is this a good sign?


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## ShaneLuvsMonitors (Sep 27, 2008)

azza23 said:


> adult boscs can get 2.5 - 5 foot when adult and usually get to approx 3 foot at 12-18 months old, and i personally like big vivs and think an 8x4x4 would be nice for an adult bosc or even 2 but i know people who keep them in 6x3x3 id go bigger the better, also i can prob name about 2 petshops in the whole of the uk that actually know anything about monitors, most of them just talk sh*te



Personally i think a bosc that gets to 5' is a one in a million kind of lizard 4' is big for a bosc.


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## azza23 (May 4, 2011)

ShaneLuvsMonitors said:


> Personally i think a bosc that gets to 5' is a one in a million kind of lizard 4' is big for a bosc.


Apparently some guy on a yanky forum had a 5 footer, he never had a pic tho so sorry pal i'll correct my self - "boscs can get to 2.5-4 foot" :lol2:


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## HissyMissy (Mar 1, 2012)

azza23 said:


> Apparently some guy on a yanky forum had a 5 footer, he never had a pic tho so sorry pal i'll correct my self - "boscs can get to 2.5-4 foot" :lol2:


Lol bigger than a beardie!!!


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## kaaathx (Apr 20, 2011)

Going back a page or 2 we use UV and with the exception of the odd lazy day our bosc is annoyinglyy energetic, but im not sure their linked or its just a personality thing


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## ShaneLuvsMonitors (Sep 27, 2008)

kaaathx said:


> Going back a page or 2 we use UV and with the exception of the odd lazy day our bosc is annoyinglyy energetic, but im not sure their linked or its just a personality thing



Based on your photo your bosc is still young and hanst been run down by captivity yet (i.e. got used to the idea of food being available at all times) 

they seem to get used to this and adapt to a lifestyle of sloth :lol2:


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## kaaathx (Apr 20, 2011)

ShaneLuvsMonitors said:


> Based on your photo your bosc is still young and hanst been run down by captivity yet (i.e. got used to the idea of food being available at all times)
> 
> they seem to get used to this and adapt to a lifestyle of sloth :lol2:


its idominos missus btw and that sig pics from the day we got her

most recent


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