Help to stop biting?

[Tyguy35]

Hello, I have had a black throat around two months he is still very young which I understand. I am havin issues with him differentiating good from my hand. Even when he chills out he will walk over calmly and smell my hand ten seconds then attack it. Anything I can do to help stop biting?

Tyler

[reptiledude987]

I have a nile thats a few years old now and in the beginning I had the same issue ( without 10 sec of pleasent sniffing). I always figured that with regular handling he would come around. Also tried some other tricks I read about such as leaving a dirty tshirt (after gym tshirt) in the tank so he becomes used to my scent and dosent associate it ot feeding. Also read as they get older and bigger their increased size they feel less threatened by you. All of this failed for me. I now have a quite large miserable prick of a lizard lol. but still one of my favorite pets none the less (to the piont that hes tattooed over my right shoulder). I m not saying dont try but for my nile none of these techniques seemed to help. Good luck and get some good leather gloves lol.

[Tyguy35]

Lol mines only little and man does his bite hurt like hell.

[Jim Smith]

I can't help you with a solution since I only keep snakes. That said, I've always felt that lizards, especially the larger monitors are much more intelligent than most snakes and with that, much more willing to give their keeper a good nip once in a while to let them know who's really in charge. They seem to be watching and "figuring things out" in their heads all the time where as at least the snakes I keep only watch when they think there's food coming or if they are apprehensive because someone is in their space. There are snakes like cobras that are clearly watching and thinking, but I find that trait much more common in the larger lizards. Just my humble opinion...

[Tyguy35]

Your totally right. I can feel him eye balling me all the time. Actually he is right now. He's up against the door staring me down lol.

[reptiledude987]

My nile is like that too I will see him creeping around his huge tank out of the corner of my eye and if I turn to look at him he freezes. If i walk over to look he either climbs under his rock pile or dives into his water and hides under the waterfall. Thinks hes so sneaky lol.

[Toothless]

Are you using tonges to feed? If you are hand-feeding than that may be why he is biting- hand feeding is a big no-no.
Also, you state that he is still very young and young monitors can tend to be quite nippy until they figure out what is food and what is not :).
Another factor could be force handling. They are extremely intelligent and do not usually take to force handling kindly. Some will become stressed and close their eyes to 'get away', while others will fight back in objection.
No hand-feeding, no force handling, and try not to react when he/ she bites. It can help to wear gloves while being around him if it helps. Most will settle down with age :).

[reptiledude987]

With my nile I only feed live. He has no intrest in anything he cant chase hunt and kill. even when he was smaller he had no interest in worms of any sort. I dont "force handle" but sometimes taking him out is nessacery to clean his terrarium and change lightbulbs ect. if I waited for him to be willing I wouldnt have handled him a single time since I bought him.

[CosmicOwl]

I have a nile thats a few years old now and in the beginning I had the same issue ( without 10 sec of pleasent sniffing). I always figured that with regular handling he would come around. Also tried some other tricks I read about such as leaving a dirty tshirt (after gym tshirt) in the tank so he becomes used to my scent and dosent associate it ot feeding. Also read as they get older and bigger their increased size they feel less threatened by you. All of this failed for me. I now have a quite large miserable prick of a lizard lol. but still one of my favorite pets none the less (to the piont that hes tattooed over my right shoulder). I m not saying dont try but for my nile none of these techniques seemed to help. Good luck and get some good leather gloves lol.

This definitely one of the reasons I would hesitate to get a big lizard.

[Aaron_S]

Easy answer is. Stop putting your hand near the toothy end.

[mdfmonitor]

I have a nile thats a few years old now and in the beginning I had the same issue ( without 10 sec of pleasent sniffing). I always figured that with regular handling he would come around. Also tried some other tricks I read about such as leaving a dirty tshirt (after gym tshirt) in the tank so he becomes used to my scent and dosent associate it ot feeding. Also read as they get older and bigger their increased size they feel less threatened by you. All of this failed for me. I now have a quite large miserable prick of a lizard lol. but still one of my favorite pets none the less (to the piont that hes tattooed over my right shoulder). I m not saying dont try but for my nile none of these techniques seemed to help. Good luck and get some good leather gloves lol.I aim when choosing a new monitor for it never to associate me with force handling or holding from 1st off, they remember what you did lol, some forgive some don't & some just aren't interested in you messing with them whatever, i keep them to watch & enjoy (like above quote) if i can get them to walk over me without taking a finger off etc then great :) :)

[reptiledude987]

Ya I dont handle him unless i have to. Cleaning and water changes ect. Sometimes I can do what I need to do without taking him out if hes up high basking. But can be stubborn if hes on the ground I often have to take him out and put him to a bin while I clean and thats when the leather gloves come in handy.

[Sublimeballs]

He knows its your hand, and he's deciding to bite you.

Heres whats worked for me in the past; never chase him down or grab him. Just put your hand in his enclosure away from him and let him check you out. When he's comfortable enough hell walk onto your hand, you can then move slightly and gauge his reaction and act accordingly. No garuentee, but its built trust for me with varanids and tegus in the past.

[reptiledude987]

Ive tried that many times and all I get are tail whips lol

[Sublimeballs]

If you're getting tail whipped while doing what I said you're putting your hand too close to the animal or your cage is too small.

[reptiledude987]

The terrarium is 8'x3'x4' and hes around 3' head to tail. Hes got tons of space just got a real attitude problem. None the less I only go into his terrarium once a weak to clean and try to make it as stress free as possible. I'd say typically I only have to actually take him out once/ mth to do what needs to be done. When hes up on his big high branch hes fine with me going in (just puffs himself up a bit).

[Sublimeballs]

Oops thought you were the op with the BT. You've got a Nile..... Enough said. Lol. I've seen very few calm niles, and they were still pretty unpredictable.

[reptiledude987]

Ya that what I've seen as well from everything I've read lol.

[Tyguy35]

The only issue with putting my hand in and letting him smell and check me out is that he sits there smelling me then eventually bites me. If I pull away before he bites he just continues thinking I'm dinner. Do I let him bite me?

[reptiledude987]

It wont hurt him if he does lol. You on the other hand....

[Akuma223]

I'll prolly not be any help here as my rudi is as calm and curious as can be, but does he let you tong feed him? When my boy was young he would flip out and hiss If I went near him, but gradually through tong feeding he warmed up to me fast. I like to cut his food up for him to draw out how long feeding takes. Chicks get their heads and feet cut off and I feed each piece one at a time. When I get him close enough and his mouth is full I can stroke his back and pick at his shed. But again, I'm just a noob with a monitor that'll let me hoist him up with little warning. On the rare occasion I do he gives me this look that says "I suffer you to live".