Steeve B
02-12-04, 12:13 AM
However most keeper never pay attention to this and therefore never fully experience the joy of interacting with there monitors,
No,1 Almost 100% of keepers have direct eye contact prior or during handling, eye contact is a sing of predation to your monitor, most will never get use to it.
No,2 The second most common mistake is to approach you monitor in a direct line, it doesn’t matter if your monitor is in a walk in enclosure or in a cage, if he sees you coming in a strait line you are a predator, approaching any monitor in an arc while presenting your body sideways and avoiding eye contact will always be less stressful for your monitor.
No,3 Avoid gesticulating while watching or when handling, I see this often especially when a keeper is showing his monitor and lecturing at the same time, any unnecessary gesture makes your monitor alert, think about it next time! just try talking without gesturing.
No,4 when making your approach keep your hands low and close to your body, the worst approach that will most likely stress any monitor who’d be, going for him in a strait line keeping eye contact while putting on your big gloves (predator claws to a monitor), funny but this is the approach most keepers do.
Also learn to acknowledge your monitors wish, if he tails slap you! Its because you invaded his boundary’s and he doesn’t wish you to come closer, when I work with new monitors and I trespass there boundary, as soon as I see there are about to flee or tail slash I bow my head in submission and slowly retract, I try not to make this mistake again. I often see monitors submitted into something they are not, I prefer keeping them for what they are! And to give them time to know and trust me. Many new keepers also use this approach now days.
So to answer your question I guess there are monitor whisperers, peoples like you and me who respect the animals and willing to pay particular attention not to ad more fear to there captive life’s.http://ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/959de12_003-med.jpg
No,1 Almost 100% of keepers have direct eye contact prior or during handling, eye contact is a sing of predation to your monitor, most will never get use to it.
No,2 The second most common mistake is to approach you monitor in a direct line, it doesn’t matter if your monitor is in a walk in enclosure or in a cage, if he sees you coming in a strait line you are a predator, approaching any monitor in an arc while presenting your body sideways and avoiding eye contact will always be less stressful for your monitor.
No,3 Avoid gesticulating while watching or when handling, I see this often especially when a keeper is showing his monitor and lecturing at the same time, any unnecessary gesture makes your monitor alert, think about it next time! just try talking without gesturing.
No,4 when making your approach keep your hands low and close to your body, the worst approach that will most likely stress any monitor who’d be, going for him in a strait line keeping eye contact while putting on your big gloves (predator claws to a monitor), funny but this is the approach most keepers do.
Also learn to acknowledge your monitors wish, if he tails slap you! Its because you invaded his boundary’s and he doesn’t wish you to come closer, when I work with new monitors and I trespass there boundary, as soon as I see there are about to flee or tail slash I bow my head in submission and slowly retract, I try not to make this mistake again. I often see monitors submitted into something they are not, I prefer keeping them for what they are! And to give them time to know and trust me. Many new keepers also use this approach now days.
So to answer your question I guess there are monitor whisperers, peoples like you and me who respect the animals and willing to pay particular attention not to ad more fear to there captive life’s.http://ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/959de12_003-med.jpg