Savannah Monitor taming?

Ok so I have a sav who is about a year old, rescued him from a collage student who only fed him rats and kept him kinda on the cool side. When I got him he was kinda lethargic and agressive, but now a days when he isn't hungry (which is almost never LOL) I can reach into his tank and pet his back,his head, and POSSIBLY pick him up but only inside his tank. If i take him out he gets hissy and tries to bite.:( I want to know if there is a better way and quicker way to tame him and make him less aggressive outside his tank?? Thanks!!! :)

Tame him on his own terms! Just slow and steady. Once he chills out every time you get near him slowly build up to touching, petting, etc. Patience is key! Forced handling (picking him up as he panics) and get rid of months of work of trust building, so be careful!

Less is more. I know it's hard but you really have to leave him alone for a while. He has to get to trust you. My Sav finally climbed up on me last week and that is after 7 months of hardly handling him. My Sambuca loves to come out and roam and be fed but he still has his days when he will hiss at anybody that comes close. Don't be discouraged, remember this is a monitor, not a Bassett Hound :)

I had the same issue with my savannah so i did something recommended to me by a friend who said to get doors on its cage that open from the front not the top. He said this is helpful because monitors have an instinct to fear things coming from above (birds) and feel more comfortable when something comes at the from a side. It was time for a cage upgrade for him soon anyway so i bought a custom 7x5x4 cage for him which is still not his adult cage. I also decided to not pick him up but instead let him come to me. After only two weeks in his new cage he climbed up my arm and sat on my head.