The most nervous lizard in the world...

[Karly]

Hi all
Here's a couple of pics of Oliver, a Mertens water monitor that we adopted from a mate that had to move interstate. He came from a pretty bad environment, the kids that lived with him used to tap on his glass and basically annoy the poor lizard to the point where now he's a complete nervous wreck!

We've put his enclosure in a quiet spot so that he doesn't get annoyed all the time, but still he hardly ever moves from off his perch to go swimming, and will only ever eat when no one is watching.
I don't want to be able to curl up on the couch with him and watch a dvd, I just want a little bit of hope that he's not going to completely freak out every time I open his cage door to feed him.
Anyone had any luck bringing a lizard back from the point of insanity?

 

[nathanbanks]

mad monitor aye trying to convince mum to let me get one

 

[reptilefan95]

You might have a chance if you slowly coax him, such things as putting your hand in the enclosure for a bit a day and trying a little later to hand feed him, but its a real shame that small kids have the tendancy to annoy living creatures, i know that people here have kids that are great with animals but the ammount that arent is amazingly large.

 

[Khagan]

That's a shame, maybe over time in a more peaceful environment he might become a little more trusting. Maybe he needs some nice hides to help de-stress? (Dunno are monitors like snakes in that regard?)

 

[Karly]

You might have a chance if you slowly coax him, such things as putting your hand in the enclosure for a bit a day and trying a little later to hand feed him, but its a real shame that small kids have the tendancy to annoy living creatures, i know that people here have kids that are great with animals but the ammount that arent is amazingly large.

Thanks reptilefan95, I'll give it a go. ATM, we're just kinda leaving him in peace in hope that he'll start to trust us.

 

[Karly]

That's a shame, maybe over time in a more peaceful environment he might become a little more trusting. Maybe he needs some nice hides to help de-stress? (Dunno are monitors like snakes in that regard?)

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for too.
Our other lizards have hides that they absolutely love to use, but for some reason Oliver never uses his.... He just sits up on his perch all day, we even had to move his heat rock up there in winter so he wouldn't freeze! Its weird, like he needs to see what's going on around him all the time or something?

 

[kupper]

hey karly great looking monitor , great enclosure as well

only one suggestion take the heat rock out might burn his stomach , he will calm down in time
dont force yourself upon him let him come to you
he will in time hopefully come to your hand for feeding and allow you to watch him go about his daily habits

 

[Karly]

Ok thanks kupper. Will the heat lamp be enough warmth for him? He has no other heating in the tank. I'm in Townsville and the nights are getting much warmer now.

 

[kupper]

is the enclosure thermostatically controlled ?

 

[Khagan]

Maybe try covering the front of his enclosure? So then he can't see out and might not be so scared by movement etc and go to the heat lamp.

 

[itbites]

I have a mertens he's been in my care for almost 6 months
& he's just as flighty now as when I got him ..

To be honest they are timid/hissy by nature..
I don't see many tame ones around they basically just tolerate people.

I've seen a few fully grown mertens as well
& they are basically the same as the juvi's, not keen on being annoyed.

Also my lil one will eat in front of me.. but only after I've closed the glass doors
& taken a few steps back.

He moves around heaps but again if you get to close to him he gets pissed off.

 

[Karly]

No there's no thermostat in it, ATM we're monitoring the temps the old fashioned way with a thermometer. During the past few winter months it has been up around 30 - 32 in the day under his heat lamp, down to about 25 in the cool end. At night its around 18-23, staring to warm up now though.

 

[kupper]

great ! i would probably organise some sort of thermostatic control just in case
it sounds like the heat lamp may need to be a little bigger once the heat rock ahs been taken out

what sort of a water source does the enclosure have? and is it heated?

 

[bfg23]

i would turn the temps up a bit, its a big tank so im sure there is plenty of cold to retreat to if it gets to warm.
and put a few more hides in there. especially some up high where he likes to sit.
stick to a routine too, so feed him at the same spot in the tank at similar times, and clean the tank routinely and he will soon get used to everything and calm right down.
id say it would be very very stressed coming from a stressful nature to begin with to a totally new home its probably pretty startling for the poor guy.
i had one of my ackies go all weird and just hide all the time, i would never ever see him, temps were right up. i had to pull him out to feed him, then all of a sudden he just became really timid and would feed right out of the tweezers, and even wait in the same spot on his back 2 legs waiting for more food.
he will come round, just be patient.

 

[Karly]

great ! i would probably organise some sort of thermostatic control just in case
it sounds like the heat lamp may need to be a little bigger once the heat rock ahs been taken out

what sort of a water source does the enclosure have? and is it heated?

The tub at the bottom of this pic is the swimming pool, its a pretty big and has an aerator in it and we clean it frequently. Not heated though.... should it be?
Any thermostats that you can recommend too?