Monitors Establish Bonds?

[tHeGiNo]

I was curious, and please do not bash me for asking this, lol. By no means am I going to run out and get a monitor, however it was something I was pondering. Is it possible to have a monitor establish a 'bond' so to say with it's owner? I mean to be able to trust it enough to let it free roam at all times? I was just curious as to some of your experiences relating to the question, thanks in advance. Maybe trust is a better word then bond? I guess I am wndering if any of you have had a monitor who would come near you and enjoy being scratched on the head or neck, something of the sort.

[SHvar]

Could be aloud outdoors with very limited supervision, or could be walked away from, and they would either follow or roam the (unfenced) yard without attempting to leave. It takes building alot of trust between you and them but it can happen. Both would approach and place their body or some part (usually their heads or backs) under or in your hands to be handled etc, would climb up your leg if they had to to get into your hands as if to be held when they feel like it. One is my large female albig Sobek, and the other was my first monitor 12 years ago, Saurian (a bosc). I have an Ackie that acts alot like this but I dont take him outdoors like the others.

[Steeve B]

Monitors in captivity and in the wild (species that congregates around humans) learn to interact with us by association, sins varanids obey to basic commands, feeding being one of them, they quickly associate us with food, in nature they behave exactly like squirrels, coming up to you for food but remaining a little flighty, bigger species becomes bold and dangerous often giving you a chase! However not all monitors will approach you for food, the lowest ranking animals will stay afar as they who’d be chased off by higher ranking monitors. The same scenario applies to captive, however captive learn to tolerate physical interaction, for lack of choice. Only very few monitors will accept you as a co specific (never happened to me) I know of a few special case where monitors interacted with there owners as whit an other monitor, even trying to mate! Greg Naclario said to me on phone, his 78in male Ornatus displayed courtship behaviour biting his foot and mounting his leg trying to copulate, leaving him unharmed now that’s got to be the extreme in human varanids interaction. As for wild physical interaction, I only know of one case of a man in Australia who started feeding wild Lace monitor witch eventually invaded his trailer camp and now reside there with him allowing him to toss them out of his way and sleeping in his bed on cold knights, these monitors are unrestrained and free to leave, however they are coaxed with food making all the deference in the world, as without this agreement, contact who’d have never been achieved. I have a 17 year old Jobiensis that won’t let me handle him, on the other extreme I have a monitor (species not matter) I can freely allow him to swim with me in our favourite lake and even my kids can interact with, something most peoples without varanids behaviour knowledge will misinterpret as being foolish, in reality these interaction are very closely supervised and allowed under specific conditions, you simply don’t just take out T-Rex on any sunny day for a car drive with the kids, this is stupid. You need to know your monitor very well, is it hungry? Is it in breeding? Is he likely to have territorial behaviour? Can he be set on defensive or feeding mode by any surrounding factors (cat, birds, dog, food) you simply don’t do things without knowing, and most of all, if you have poor husbandry your monitor will turn into a monster when he’s wormed up by the sun, it goes without saying, if you have good husbandry he will already be a little monster.
Rgds

[V.hb]

Ive only taken my female albigularus outside as I know her temperment. The male is completely inpredictable. Some days i can enter their enclosure no problem, others he chases me out. Some days he will climb a log i have in his enclosure to be close to my head level (so 6 feet) and dive for my face. I know he isnt doing this to be nasty, he wants his food. And like Steeve said, they will quickly relate you to something, and Ive been related to food!

[tHeGiNo]

That is all very interesting. On the same note, can they see you as the one who provides you with food and therefore appreciate you for that? They seem to be very very intelligent creatures.

[mbayless]

There are a few instances of human-Varanus conspecificity as Steve Blain and others here have told us about their own experiences....I knew a fellow named Joe R. who had an enormous V.salvator - maybe 7.5 feet male named Daisy, who had a fellow conspecific 3 feet long named Lazy, and the owner Joe. Daisy, Lazy and Joe would to the city park and go for a walk; Daisy would tail whip the barking dogs, lazy would ride on Daisy's back. Both Daisy and Lazy would go for swims in the city park pond, chasing ducks (sometimes Daisy a few too!), and Lazy would get scraps. Joe would blow a whistle while they were swimming and they would swim back to Joe and walk with him back to the car.

When Daisy, Lazy and Joe visited me here at my house, we would leave Daisy in my open-non-fenced in yard for several hours while we had "potations" and laughs galore telling dirty jokes, watching movies etc....one day we forgot Daisy was outside and went running outside to see Daisy slaeep in my flower bed, happy as can be - we would take her for awalk down the sidewalk, whereby we almost caused a few traffic accidents by car drivers/paasengers startled at seeing two men walking a 7.5 foot lizard down the sidewalk like a dog with no leash - this lizard is the EXCEPTION, not the rule!! Joe, Daisy, Lazy, Joe's wife Penny and son moved away, and I have not seen them since many years now....I had a 6'2" female V. albigularis that associated me with food, and when I picked her, her tail touched the floor (Im 6'2" too), and if I did not feed her by hand (ANOTHER EXCEPTION), she would unload 3 quarts of crap on my person....I soon became to be "conditioned" to feed her when I handled her - where upon she did not unload on me...merely dug her claws into my stomach, chest, back and get tail swiped a few times when people approached, especially children!

Children and Varanids do not mix to well very often....I think it is the quick motion that startles them, and they act accordingly....

In 1959 Raymond B. Cowles reports on V. niloticus as pets in West African and South Africa villages; the boys would make pets of them: one boy chased his friend with one nile who was swiping its tail too & fro of the backs of his friends when it hit the owner and knocked him out cold....never play "catch me if you can" with your niloticus!!
Just my thoughts on the matter....

Cheers,
markb

[Loki]

The association with food is not always a good thing, like V.hb said his monitor goes after him for food. i hand feed my little nile nile(usualy) his fuzzies, but his staple, crix, i dust and drop in, so as not too be seen as food l8r. I also think these animals can distinguish between people. My little nile will tolerate me handling him, but if my dad so much as walks in the room while im not there, he flips(so ive been told)

[V.hb]

I think the food response is great, but the association is scary.

I do know this male goes for me out of territorial disputes as well, its not always for food. he will bite ANYTHING thats in the way of him chasing me out of his cage. I used a piece of plexi as a shield with him and he literally attacked it, trying to bite viciouslly definatly not a very warm welcome for me! i love them though, easily the best varanid ive ever worked with, Cant wait to work with something new.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Didn't Trooper play fetch with the Komodos at National?

[mbayless]

Hi Jeff,

I am not sure if Trooper did play "fetch" unless it was with rats? But I will ask him and get back to you....good question!

Trooper would blow a dog whistle and the komodo's came a-running...

cheers,
markb