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Thread: Aggressive Sav

  1. #1

    Unhappy Aggressive Sav

    Hi.. my foot long savannah monitor keeps randomly attacking me when I try to handle him. He hisses whenever I open his cage and when I hold him he randomly runs away and huffs. Less commonly, he bites me. He has bitten my lip to the point of bleeding. He has bitten my knuckle until it bled. Today, he bit my chest while I had him under my hoodie to try to bond with him. I have had him over a year and he was a terrible baby but as he has gotten bigger he seemed to be getting better. I don't know what to do with him, I have put so much work into his care and handling. Part of me thinks I should sell him because it hurts me when he bites me for no known reason. I know this is a site for tegus but I assume they can have the same problem. I just need help, I'd really like to know if anyone can help or give me advice.

    Elan

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    San Antonio,TX
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    Hi Elan. We don't mind that he is a Savannah Monitor. We talk about all kinds of pets on here. It's just mostly Tegus that's all. When you handle him do you do it before or after he ate ? How much are you feeding him ? Do you feed him until he is full ? Do you was your hands before you handle him ? Did you eat something before you put him to your mouth. If he is still hungry and he smells something on you he will bite. Even the tames ( well in my case ) Tegu can do this. We have been napping with our Tegus allot. But one day our Leonidas ( black/white Argentine Tegu ) was taking a nap with me. I just got of the night shift and was very tiered. Leonidas poked me with his nose a few times and was huffing and puffin. This is how he shows me that he is hungry. I knew what he wanted but I didn't wanted to get up. I kind of pinned him down and told him to stop. Well he puffed at me one more time and then bit me on the lip and on the chin in one bite. What I'm trying to say is try to look out for the signs he is giving you. If he is flicking his tongue around allot and huffs and puffs around your hands or your body I would move him away from you. He is maybe trying to tell you that he is hungry. When you feed him try to feed him until he is full and then handle him. Well you maybe want to give him a quick bath to make sure he will not poop on you lol .

    When you are moving you hand close to him don't come up to him from the back or the top. This might scare him.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

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  3. #3

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    Thank you. I feed him crickets, as many as he wants until he stops paying attention to them. Sometimes I feed him frozen mice, he will not eat live.. except me. I had not eaten before he bit my lips. He bit my knuckle after he had just eaten an appropriately sized mouse (which I did not touch). He bit my chest today after he had finished off all the crickets I had, around 30. He did not even hiss beforehand. Once I put him under my hoodie, he hissed once when I accidentally touched him through it but did not afterwards. I had him on me while I began typing a paper and was talking to my friend when I started feeling a small pain sensation on my chest. I thought it was his claw, it started hurting more and I thought he may be digging. It really started hurting so I opened my hoodie to find him latched onto the thin skin over my sternum, probably the most difficult skin to pinch. I had eaten about an hour before but I had my hoodie zipped up entirely and food could not have touched my skin there. I want there to be a reason like those you mentioned but there isn't. I always move my hand in front of his head(a distance away) before I pick him up. I do not understand, my Columbian will sit and lick my lips and he has never bitten me. I have even handled him after defrosting a small rat for his dinner.. but for the life of me he won't sit still. I just want a lizard that can at least stand me loving him a little, that will at least sit next to me and let me pet him. My beardie and tegu run away, my sav bites, my leos can't sit still, and my blue-tongue scuttles around like a hyper land fish.. maybe I'm just having a bad herp month with the rest of them, but my sav has been slowly getting worse.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    Earth
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    I'm sorry if this is going to sound snarky, but....these are reptiles, they're not kittens or puppy dogs. No matter how tame any of them may seem, they are still wild animals, their instinct still rules their behaviour. Some reptiles do get to the point that they are comfortable with their caretakers, they may even seek out attention (I say this is more a case of habituation than of taming, but to most this is just semantics). However, they aren't robots: they didn't get that way because the person pushed the right set of buttons, they got that way because of the individual personality of the reptile and with how the caretaker worked with them individually. No one scenario is going to work for all people and their pets. Some methods work better than others, but there is no guarantee. Reptiles are the type of pet you get if you love them unconditionally - if they like you back then that's a rare bonus.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Reno, NV
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    i mean its a good thing that he even lets you cuddle with him...mines a big baby and has never bit me, but my friends wont even let him get him out of the tank...that is kinda what they are known for... and mine will eat more than 30 crickets and he is only about a year old, maybe he just wanted some more food or maybe he was a bit stuffed in the jacket and maybe felt like he couldnt escape so he bit. and i am sure it hurt really bad mines to the size that it would cause quite a bit of damage. sorry that it happened...but like the others above me said its an animal they arnt meant to love humans we just get lucky with some exceptions

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    I'm sorry to hear that even if you do things the right way that he is still being so nasty. I wish I could help.
    Rich is not how much you have, or where you are going, or what you are.Rich is who you have beside you.

    Our videos :

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  7. #7

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    Heh. I know he's not going to like snuggle and love me. I just want him to not hate me and tolerate me

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    Reno, NV
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    its super weird, i rescued mine and he instantly fell in love with me and will cuddle...my teggy on the other hand is a lil squirmy at times

  9. #9

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    My painful but necessary question is, do you think I should sell him? He is like my baby and I love him but I don't want him to keep hurting me. And I'm afraid that when he gets big he could cause me some real damage rather than just some blood and inflammation. I don't want to lose big chunks of my skin, ya know? I go through enough rubbing alcohol as it is. I love him so much but.. I'm tired of trying so hard with absolutely no improvement. Thoughts?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    Massachussettes
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    Quote Originally Posted by DeathByLol View Post
    My painful but necessary question is, do you think I should sell him? He is like my baby and I love him but I don't want him to keep hurting me. And I'm afraid that when he gets big he could cause me some real damage rather than just some blood and inflammation. I don't want to lose big chunks of my skin, ya know? I go through enough rubbing alcohol as it is. I love him so much but.. I'm tired of trying so hard with absolutely no improvement. Thoughts?
    thats realy your own decision. i dont think anyone should actualy tell a person, or even convince a person to give up there loved pet. It's your pet, your life, and your choice. i dont mean to come on rude or anything, so please dont take it that way.

    i do want to add though, you said your sav monitor was a foot long? he/she still has a good amount of growing to do. if you decide on keeping her/him, dont force things. try taking things slow. try sitting in the bathroom with her and let her freeroam. she comes close to you, pet her. she doesnt like you petting her then let her walk away. she will make her way back to you. she will get more n more comfortable with you too. when you take her out of her enclosure, try doing the same thing everytime so she knows its only u and not a threat. i make a clicking noise with my gu and lay my hand down and she knows now to just climb up my arm to get out. the clicking noise (like something u would do to a stray dog) actualy calms her down a little. try diff things.

    I hope you keep her/him. there beautiful
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