Big snakes, small enclosures.

[Denial]

this is awesome Its been a while since Ive seen someone get crucified. Lets make some smores to!!!!

[AjBalls]

"Being able to" and actually doing are two very different things.

I had a Nile I raised from a hatchling to a 16 year old calm, trusting animal. I didn't move it to another enclosure for feeding, but I could open the door, let it roam the basement and feed it by hand. Sure, he was "able to" remove a finger if he wanted to, but he never did.

Chris

True enough. But when it comes down to it, they're wild animals. With their keen sense of smell they could pick up a rodent from anywhere and just snap. A buddy of mine has a 5' blue Nile, F'N gorgeous BTW, and it went into a feeding frenzy as soon as he walked in with rodents.

[Denial]

I saw a blue nile at the last reptile show here and I have to agree they are gorgeous

[AjBalls]

I know what let's do, let's go burn down Brians business. Maybe we could crucify him too, that would be cool huh? I mean, it's not like the guy has what, FOUR or FIVE thousand snakes to take care of. It's not like he's got any employees to oversee. He could surely take time to go get some 2 X 4s and plywood to build a box big enough to let that nile raise its head, even if it wasnt' heated properly and didn't have a pool, or a screen top, or any lighting, but hey, he could lift his head and that's what's important.

Maybe we could beat up his helpers for letting that monitor be put in that tub to begin with. Yeah, it was probably them what done it anyway, don't you think? And we, LOL, shouldn't let THEM get away with that. It's just not right.

So what if a state of the art enclosure with a pool and a 130 degree basking spot and substrate deep enough to burrow in and space enough for a small herd of Niles to live in is being built while that poor poor lizard suffers in agony, not able to lift his head like that. Who cares? The new cage should have been built FIRST. How dare Brian think only of himself and what's easiest for him.

We should probably pelt him most thoroughly with rotted fruit before we crucify him. I mean, certain things should just be kept secret. You just don't go showing things that aren't perfect, it's just not cool. Why, if he had only given some thought to the relative intelligence of some folks I bet he never would have been honest enough to show a temporary set up for a lizard that HAD OUTGROWN (read as had since it WAS small enough for the previous enclosure) it's old home. What a buffoon Brian is.

In fact, we should probably boycott BHB entirely. I mean, that is the only way to truly show the disdain and contempt I've seen expressed here. Yup, that's what should be done. Rotten fruit, crucifixion, boycott. That'll show him.

Oh wait, we could burn his place down too. I'll bring marshmallows and some of you bring graham crackers and chocolate. We can make sommores, won't that be fun. We can eat them by the light of the fire while we let Brian know what he did was just too wrong to tolerate.

How DARE he make improvements without having a better plan than just doing them.

Why, I'm just flabbergasted.

Now, where is that lighter fluid.....

Now you're getting the picture

[Denial]

I know right god forbid his business actually burn down and someone crucify brian becuase they wouldnt have to look hard for a prime suspect

[mumps]

True enough. But when it comes down to it, they're wild animals. With their keen sense of smell they could pick up a rodent from anywhere and just snap. A buddy of mine has a 5' blue Nile, F'N gorgeous BTW, and it went into a feeding frenzy as soon as he walked in with rodents.

Usually they know when feeding time is, whether they smell rodents or not, if it's done the same time everyday. I am currently raising an Ornate, captive bred, and it gets fed everyday between 6 and 6:30 pm. You better believe he knows what's coming...

And you know what I do when he's done swallowing his last mouse? Yup, I introduce my hand and after he licks it, I start petting him on the back. He's only a little fellow yet, 9 months and about 3 feet, but he's learned the difference between me and dinner. That's the first thing you teach monitors.

Chris

ps - And no, no bites yet...

[AjBalls]

Good hearing you have success in calming their temperament. Most people hear Niles are nasty lizards and that's how they treat them. Basically a show lizard for them that they ignore and only open the cage to feed and clean.

[wolfy-hound]

I've been told by a lot of tegu owner/breeders that you should move a tegu or monitor to a feeding bin, so that they don't start expecting to grab food every time you open the cage. I've done that, and left them in. I leave mine in now, because I don't have issues with it, but I did see increased aggression to hands coming into the cage, when I was dropping food into the cage, instead of moving them.

As far as dangerous because of potential injury, all dogs over medium size can bite off a finger too. Anyone keeping large monitors should be experianced enough to work around them. I move my large monitors before and after feeding, as well as no where near feeding time, and haven't considered it to be "highly dangerous". I'm respectful of them, and keep my attention on what I'm doing. I prefer to keep them calmer by opening the cage up several times without feeding, so they get "bored" with the idea that the door will open.

Again, just because YOU don't do it that way, doesn't mean that no one else should. I'm not going to name a bunch of names for you. Anyone searching the net about keeping tegus or monitors should come across the debate of cage feeding or seperate bin feeding. Just because you haven't read it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[Buttons]

this is awesome Its been a while since Ive seen someone get crucified. Lets make some smores to!!!!

mmmm smores

[MarkS]

I know what let's do, let's go burn down Brians business. Maybe we could crucify him too, that would be cool huh? I mean, it's not like the guy has what, FOUR or FIVE thousand snakes to take care of. It's not like he's got any employees to oversee. He could surely take time to go get some 2 X 4s and plywood to build a box big enough to let that nile raise its head, even if it wasnt' heated properly and didn't have a pool, or a screen top, or any lighting, but hey, he could lift his head and that's what's important.

Maybe we could beat up his helpers for letting that monitor be put in that tub to begin with. Yeah, it was probably them what done it anyway, don't you think? And we, LOL, shouldn't let THEM get away with that. It's just not right.

So what if a state of the art enclosure with a pool and a 130 degree basking spot and substrate deep enough to burrow in and space enough for a small herd of Niles to live in is being built while that poor poor lizard suffers in agony, not able to lift his head like that. Who cares? The new cage should have been built FIRST. How dare Brian think only of himself and what's easiest for him.

We should probably pelt him most thoroughly with rotted fruit before we crucify him. I mean, certain things should just be kept secret. You just don't go showing things that aren't perfect, it's just not cool. Why, if he had only given some thought to the relative intelligence of some folks I bet he never would have been honest enough to show a temporary set up for a lizard that HAD OUTGROWN (read as had since it WAS small enough for the previous enclosure) it's old home. What a buffoon Brian is.

In fact, we should probably boycott BHB entirely. I mean, that is the only way to truly show the disdain and contempt I've seen expressed here. Yup, that's what should be done. Rotten fruit, crucifixion, boycott. That'll show him.

Oh wait, we could burn his place down too. I'll bring marshmallows and some of you bring graham crackers and chocolate. We can make sommores, won't that be fun. We can eat them by the light of the fire while we let Brian know what he did was just too wrong to tolerate.

How DARE he make improvements without having a better plan than just doing them.

Why, I'm just flabbergasted.

Now, where is that lighter fluid.....

Wes, you can truly turn sarcasm into an art form. And for that, I salute you...