needs all info <------------------

im sure everyone has asked this question but i gotta ask it too! is there any way to tame a nile monitor? a guy i work with has 1 thats about 1.5'-2' long and he says its mean as hell. he wants to kill it so i told him that i will take him. so is there any info that you guys can give me to help me with this situation.

thanks,

chris

We have a Nile and we have handled him 2-3 times a week since we purchased him as a hatchling. He still is extremely hateful and we can not handle him without a pair of thick leather gloves to lesson the damage of his bites. The likeness of a Nile becoming "tame" is slim.

However, the little guy needs re-homed if the owner is threatening the animal with physical harm. The majority of monitors should not be considered tame (though I will admit I do have a lovely White Throat who is dog tame), and their better off left to themselves in a large enclosure.

I always considered my niles "tame" if they didn't try to rip away chunks of me with their teeth. For the most part, I was able to reach that rather unambitious goal...of course, that didn't mean that they wouldn't smack me with their tails, or claw the heck out of me. I will say that you can get them more tame than that (I've done it), but it is best not to set your hopes/expectations too high. At the size you mentioned, I would hazard a guess that your coworker isn't feeding it enough - they are bottomless pits, and at that size should still be eating at least 3-4 times weekly. I also preferred to limit their access to a high temp basking area to a couple hours daily (maintaining appropriate ambient temps throughout the day, of course). I did that because the higher temps seemed to bring out all of their undesirable "personality" quirks.
The one you mentioned is still small enough to work with easily. Strong, but controllable. Big enough to grip in a manner that is comfortable for both of you. Niles are great animals, but you have to truly understand what you are getting into AND be willing to make that commitment. They live a long time, grow large, and need spacious caging. And that is in addition to the possible/probable crankiness, and the amount of food they eat ($$$)