The virtues of patience

[skinheaddave]

Well, I'm just pleased as punch and I thought I'd share.

The last 9 months has gone by, with my savannah monitor Behemoth growing from 15" TL to 25"+ TL. Starting out, he would not even show himeself if he could see anyone. That lasted several months, until he started basking in our presence. At that point I started to become the source of food, feeding him with tongs. Slowly, he has progressed to the point where he is fine with petting, can tell the difference between a welding glove and food and is sometimes calm when picked up (but still fights on occasion). Recently, I have been working with a leash. First I got him used to the feel. Then, a couple days ago I took him out on it for the first time. He was obviously stressed. Today I did it again and he explored a lot more, ate two roaches and did not instantly retreat when I put him back in his enclosure. So basically, we're getting there -- it has been a long time but I would not trade any of it for anything in the world. My monitor represents more time, money and effort than any other animal, but it is a worthy investment to be sure. He may not be as easy to deal with or as affectionate as a dog, but perhaps that is part of the joy.

Cheers,
Dave