Lace monitor

[Lockie_1]

Hey guys I'm just curious as to how keepers remove a large monitor with a bad attitude for cleaning purposes? My guy is slowly starting to calm down and I hope that with respect, time and patience I will have a manageable monitor but as mentioned above how do keepers go about removing monitors for cleaning?

Any answers or advice for future reference would be greatly appreciate!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chicken]

What kind of enclosure is it? An outdoor walk-in type or indoor? How old is the monitor?

 

[sd1981]

Very carefully.... My lace monitors aren't too bad but you can never afford complacency... I do most of my cleaning in the earlier hours of the morning when they're still cold n lazy but I still keep a very sharp eye out. Always wearing jeans and boots, gloves etc... They always like to check out what I'm doing but a very gentle guiding away with a foot (not a kick) seems to keep them away. After I've cleaned their enclosure like this a few times, they stop even coming to check it out, they figure it out pretty quick... Just don't touch their food tongs or handle anything that could send them into food mode and they're all good.

 

[-Peter]

I do it early in the day while they are still cool.

 

[Lockie_1]

But what if the enclosure is inside? And the monitor has to be physically taken out?

 

[Lockie_1]

Very carefully.... My lace monitors aren't too bad but you can never afford complacency... I do most of my cleaning in the earlier hours of the morning when they're still cold n lazy but I still keep a very sharp eye out. Always wearing jeans and boots, gloves etc... They always like to check out what I'm doing but a very gentle guiding away with a foot (not a kick) seems to keep them away. After I've cleaned their enclosure like this a few times, they stop even coming to check it out, they figure it out pretty quick... Just don't touch their food tongs or handle anything that could send them into food mode and they're all good.

Thanks heaps for your response you can never have too much advice and what you say definitely makes sense do you recommend feeding with tongs if your goal is to eventually have a sociable animal?

 

[Lockie_1]

Mine is indoors I'm pretty sure it's a male bells phase almost a year old but I was meaning an adult monitor

 

[sd1981]

Thanks heaps for your response you can never have too much advice and what you say definitely makes sense do you recommend feeding with tongs if your goal is to eventually have a sociable animal?

I personally tong feed,and have never attempted hand feeding any of my reptiles... I require use of my hands and cannot afford to suffer any damage to them as they make me my $$$$$... (Yep, hand model right here lol).
I keep mine outside but I did keep an adult inside for a while, my enclosure had a large hide which I could block the entryway, securing him in whilst I cleaned the enclosure. The other option I'd go with is to feed him up so he's got a belly full, and he'll go and bask, and carefully clean up, replace water etc.. Though cleaning is a job I'd always do in the morning when they're cool.... Hope it helps...

 

[whyme]

I keep mine in a cage in the garage. When I do a basic clean, which is once a week, I let him wander the shed. He usually finds the bit of sunlight streaming through the window and does'nt move. I leave the door open and he wanders out. When its time to go in, a gentle nudge with a piece of dowel guides him back to the cage. With a full clean, usually around once a month or so, I put him in a spare tank, or I shut him up in the bathroom. As for removing him, long sleeve jumper and welding gloves. He can get pretty agro, but I find he calms down once he's being held. Always first thing in the morning, before the lights come on I always tong feed. I've had a kiss from him before, and once is enough;D