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nile monitor questions

vthefamous1v

vthefamous1v

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hi i have been raising my nile monitor since he was a hatchling, he is beautiful, but ive been wondering about tips on taming/ training

he has never really been too bad especially for a nile, he never whips his tail at me. but when i first pick him up after his heat light has been on he hisses and bites me several times eventually he calms down after i hold him for about 5 -10 minutes. is there a technique to helps him calm down? also he flips out when he sees me reach for him he runs frantically in his habitat. he gets very scared and i hold him almost everyday.

is that because he is a baby and thinks im so much bigger so im a predator? or what.
just looking for suggestions i love miles and even if he became the meanest nile montior i still dont think id get rid of him.

p.s
he never flipped out or bit when he was a only about 10 in long

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Honestly there are no real tips. Taming isn't impossible but these guys don't ever truly become tame.

I'm willing to bet if the cage was set up properly it would act a lot more like a monitor and you would get the tail whipping, hissing, biting etc. It's not being mean per se. It's just being ................. a monitor. Defensive of it's personal well being. Yes you're a lot bigger and yes you look like a predator. Most monitors under 3 foot are this way.

I see A LOT wrong with your cage setup. No offense but are you housing a rodent or a reptile???? That's a bird perch /stair case not something for a monitor. Aspen shavings are for mammals.
Seal off the screen top as that lets out A LOT of heat and humidity.

Do you have hide boxes???
What are your temps????

It becomes frantic because to the animal you're attacking it. Part of building trust is having a proper enclosure with proper temps. Believe it or not being kept that way is crazy making for a monitor because it goes against EVERYTHING that's normal and natural.

Usually with Niles the older they get, yes the more temperamental they can become. But that's not uncommon with most species. And as I already stated in another thread as babies, coming from a pet /reptile store 90% of the time they are not being cared for and housed properly. So they're calm and relaxed.

Care:
Housing requirements:

Enclosure: The best rule of thumb for this is you want at least 2 sq. foot of space for every one foot of adult monitor. That’s inside open cage space. From the top of the enclosure to the top of the substrate. A hatchling /juvenile can easily be housed in a 4’ long x 3’ deep x 4’ tall enclosure but that will not last long with proper care. Adults can and will take a room sized enclosure. You can build or buy a large enclosure.

Temperature: The cool side of the cage should be between 75° - 80° F, with ambient temperatures 85° to 90° F on the hot end with basking spots that reach 130° to 145° F. Night time temperatures can fall to normal room temperature but leave the heat mat on 24 /7.

Heat/Light: A warm basking spot should be provided for this monitor by radiant light. Racks of flood /spot lamps work well for this, plan on 3 to 4 lamps at 60 to 120 watts each. Adjust the height above the basking spot to reach the ideal temperature. Supplemental heat can be supplied by large, robust heat mats such as Kane Mats. The Nile monitor should be able to rest its entire body on the mat. You will need a Helix or some other form of heat controller!!!!! You want the heat mat to reach 100°. Ultraviolet light is not necessary.

Substrate: Dirt provides the best substrate. It needs to be deep enough to allow the monitor to construct tunnels and burrows naturally. This provides not only security, but helps with regulating humidity and temperature. Go to places like Home Depot or Lowe’s and pick up non-chemically treated soil, sand, and peat moss. Mix the soil and peat moss (add water if needed) then add the sand slowly together until it clumps in your hand but doesn’t drip. Fill the monitor's cage to a depth of two or three feet. You can also get mulch (cypress) and use that instead of dirt but be sure to have humidity gages so that you can ensure proper humidity. You can buy a mister to spray if the cage with if it’s having a problem holding humidity. By using the mulch the cage will need to be sprayed everyday. You can also spray the top of the soil to ensure it doesn’t get to dry which can strip the cage of humidity and dry out the monitor.

Environment: Aim for humid-tropical air without making the cage wet. Humidity levels should be about 75% for this species. Monitors become less active in the dry season; a dry cage coupled with readily available food will lead to obesity and health problems. Logs and sticks, particularly hollow logs, provide exercise and entertainment. All monitors climb so be sure to provide logs /branches that are thick enough to be used. A large cat litter pan can be used for providing water. Live /fake plants will quickly be destroyed by a curious and active monitor and can be toxic!!!! It’s advised to not use them. If you choose to use fake plants be sure to only buy plants purely designed for reptiles.



Hope this helps and please give me some information.
 
i hate that you focused so much on the habitat in the picture he was only in that enclosure for temporary, that day while i cleaned out his actual one that has rocks and it used to have eco earth substrate until he got a cut on his tail from escaping a feeding session then i temporarily switched to newspaper so it wouldnt get in the cut, its since healed up. he also has a hide log and a gigantic water dish he loves to swim in he also has a branch.
 
I'm sorry you feel that way. I worked with what you provided. Temperament and handling of the animal is usually husbandry related. You ask why and provided photos and I commented. Like it or not.
Why not post photos of it's true enclosure then???

You also didn't answer my question on the temps of the enclosure.

And a hurt tail is no need to relocate it or remove the animal from its enclosure. 98% of the time stuff like that heals on it's own without incident. Wild monitors have suffered worse injuries and lived long healthy lives. :)

I'm curious. What do you mean by:
escaping a feeding session
Click to expand...

And forgive my being very skeptical about the enclosure. By the photo it gives the impression that the animal is permanently housed in that setup.
 
i didnt mean to show that cage in the pic i didnt remember it lol....and im not mad sorry if i came off that way, Im not home but the temps i belive are aroung 88 to 72 F

he will only take frozen thawed mice from me if i hold it up to him so i had him out on a table like i normally do and got freaked out and ran under my entertainment center

those are old pics of miles, my camera is broken i can try to take a web cam pic later tonight and show you his habitat, i really dont see why you would think that was a permanent set up...there isnt anything in there.....that set up is just my spare 45 gallon I keep for anything new i might get you know?

oh his tail looks fine now there is a small scar i put polysporin on it for a couple weeks when he first got it
 
ok this is his cage it looks a mess, well you know why....he's a monitor due for another cleaning and still on newspaper till i get his other stuff again...hey do you think play sand would be good or stick with eco earth??

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Is it still a screen top?
Is it covered other then where the light sits or uncovered?

I personally use a mix of top soil, sand and peat moss. You can get all this stuff really cheap at Home Depot or Lowe's. I think even Wal Mart sells it all. Mix equal part with water until it clumps but does not drip. You could put about 3-6 inches that cage. The top is fully secure????

Ditch the hot rock. :D With proper lighting it's not needed anyway and even a low temp heat rock can burn a monitor's belly. The belly skin is much thinner then the skin on their back. Any discoloration compared to that normal white or off white is more then likely being caused by the heat rock.
 
its just a screen top but it is very secure he has never escaped his cage, he is very beautiful, and he is my favorite lizard. most the time his attitude is fine he just gets scared inside his cage, i have even brought him along to pet stores and he was very well behaved there. do you think that feeding live prey makes him more aggressive? because i thought maybe it did so i started feeding him prekilled
 
Cover the screen top with a thick old towel or foil or even a Styrofoam sheet to help hold in humidity and heat. You want his hot spot around 130o.

I personally think that turning aggro because of live food is a myth. I haven't seen it. People have said the same with feeding live prey to Retic. But really I think it's just someone wanting to interact with the animal to soon after feeding and the animal is in food mode. Some lose food mode early some don't.
 
ok and like cut holes where my lights are?? thats good to hear about the live food thing because i know he enjoys the chase....or atleast i do.

do you have a nile monitor?
 
Yes cut a hole or use a towel. If you use styrofoam or something potentially flamable be sure to keep it away from the lamp. ;) A sealed thin board like melamine works pretty good to but stick to foil or something like that as it's less work to cut and is cheaper.

Yes I currently have ......................(counting).................. four. (Have bad headache so thinking is a bit delayed). Niles are a favorite species.
 
four? thats awesome! what sizes? may i see pics?? I adore niles too atleast i have always adored miles lol he lumbers around even though he is still so little XD
 
I have to head out very soon so when I have more time I'll post some photos.

I've owned as many as 10 Niles at one time. Right now I have two in the three foot range, one 4 footer and one 5 footer. Two ornates, one true blue and one blue-ish light colored.
 
Yours is a 'normal'. Just a locality color. It's funny in a sense that a true blue nile IS different is rare and the place in Africa they're collected from is top secret just like with the sulfur water monitors.

My Light phase locality:
Spaz-08-17-094.jpg


True Blue. Yes he really is that bright:
BigBlueNile06-03-094.jpg

BigBlueNile06-03-091.jpg


High yellow ornate. In shed when photo was taken:
SmallOrnate-10-18-091.jpg

Hiding2.jpg


BIG ornate. Takes up the whole bathtub:
LargeOrnate-09-06-097.jpg


 
ok one more thing about miles, sometimes when i pick him up like last night i was about to give him a bath in the tub and when i picked him up he snaked his head back slowly and bit me a couple times, he doesnt do it quickly or even his he just bites.....any idea why or if he will ever stop that particular thing?
 
Eh. That's very typical behavior. Regardless of age if a monitor doesn't want to be touched or held they're going to be more then willing to let you know any way possible. Biting is definitely one of those ways. :laugh: Fear is almost always the reason for this (and others) type of defensive behavior.
 
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