How to tame a Black Throat?

[lord jackel]

So I adopted a Baby Black Throat; I am sure it is a CB import. It is growing and eating just fine...but my question is what is the best way to "tame" it down. I see and have spoken to owners who have "tame" BT but when I put my hand in the cage I get the hissing and tail whip. I can catch him but this seems almost more stressful and scary for him. So I am looking for best practices, experiences, etc. on what you do to get yours to acclimate.

Thanks for your help.

[Denial]

If you were small and big hands caught you then you would probably freak out also. In my experience forcing handling sessions have only left me with a seriously stressed out monitor. So I went months without touching it. Mine use to run from me and hide anytime it saw me come in the room but after it while I could mist his cage and remove his water dish for cleaning and he would not run he would just watch. Tong feeding was a HUGE step for me. You have to earn its trust and as the grow bigger they seem to not be as skittish and afraid and seem to be more and more curious. I have no gotten my monitor to where I can get it to come out of its enclosure and climb up my arm for its food. It has no problem eating in front of me and does not run and hide when It sees me. I still have not tried to grab it or handle it. But I think im making great progress to getting mine to calm down. And even if you dont have a "tame" monitor theres nothing better in the reptile hobby then having your monitor walk up to you and take food from you. To me thats the best feeling I have had with reptiles so far. Its like feeding a little dinosaur

[tjm]

i had a nile monitor for my first pet.i got him when he was about 3 weeks old. he was in good health, and he would let me pick him up without much problem. he only bit me 1 or 2 times but he was small. from that point on it only got better. i had him for 2 plus years and 5.5 feet long. my girl and split and my nile went to a breeder because i couldnt take him with. i do miss him. now i have a water monitor and its not like my nile. when i first got her she would hiss and whip her tail at me and try to bite me when taking her water dish out. one year later i am now earning her trust. i wouldnt try picking her up but would leave her come to smell my hand. it is working but its a very slow process. i can now take her out when i clean her cage but with welding gloves do to her sharp nails. i dont have much here but i hope it helps. some reptiles put up with more than others with handling. but also how much time u spend with them and how u go aout it. i like the let them come to u becuase its less stressful to ur lizard and to u.

[lord jackel]

Thanks Guys...this is exactly the feedback I was looking for. I didn't think chasing him around his cage just to hold him was the right idea. I am good with Slow and Steady. You can tell they are just so intelligent and just watching him is cool (better then watching my fish tank...LOL)

[mumps]

I made a small list of pointers for establishing trust, in Denial's water monitor thread. They should help a bit.

Chris

[BallsUnlimited]

you need to gain his trust. Dont force handling as it will stress him out even more and will cause him to attack you when u enter his cage. ive kept quite a few black throats and savs over the years.

[Darkice]

Start by petting him and talking calmly. Slowly put a blanket on his back so he gets used to the feeling. Then in a couple days you will be able to strap on a saddle. Lead him into some water that is deep enough to cover half his belly. Then hop up and HANG ON! The water will keep him from jumping too hard and throwing you. And it will wear him out faster.
Once your monitor is well broke in you will enjoy riding more. And you can even let your friends ride.