|
1-10 of 12 messages
|
Page 1 of 2
Next
|
|
Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by snakeguy101 on September 17, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
anyone have any suggestions on how to tame these guys? I am looking to get one at the next columbia show and I know that they can be tamed but how do you go about doing that with an aggressive juvie? is it something you need to work on using gloves or do they seem to do it naturally over the years?
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by Aries54 on September 17, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I've worked with several. And yes, some are very laid back after a while. But if you truly think you're going to tame one,....I don't think you should have one. It's still a venomous animal that at any moment, no matter how calm, may decide to bite you. No venomous animal should be kept so that you can hold it as if it was a blue tongue skink. Please be careful.
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by Peter84Jenkins on September 17, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
You cannot "tame" a reptile. To tame an animal suggest domestication which takes more generations than you have life on this planet. Reptiles are animals of instinct and can simply learn to tolerate our interacting with them. Its quite annoying to hear people speak of taming their reptile, its just not possible. Heloderms are venomous, so please treat them with the respect and caution they deserve, and not as a pet bunny!
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by theemojohnm on September 17, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Daniel hit the nail on the head.
Reptiles cannot be "tamed" in the traditional sense.
Do they eventually become accustomed to routine
handling and maintenance? In some cases, yes..
But, venomous reptiles are not 'pets', and NO venomous
reptile should EVER be considered 'tame'…
"You can take the snake out of the jungle, but you
can't take the jungle out of the snake"..
The same applies for Heloderma.. ALWAYS expect them to do the
unexpected.
Will a Heloderm calm down after it settles in, and becomes used to it's captive
environment? Yes, most likely.. But, you can't 'cuddle' with a Gila, at any
point, and be 100% safe.. They aren’t mammals; their likes, dislike, and triggers
are much different than ours; their thought-process is very different..
Even a calm Gila or Beaded, if startled, has the potential to pump your hand full
of a quite unpleasant venom..
The fact that these are venomous animals, further makes
trying to 'tame' them, an irresponsible risk, and
dangerous to everyone's rights to own venomous animals.
Look at your motives for wanting to 'tame' a Heloderm,
an re-evaluate.. It not only serves no purpose, but
it is dangerous..
They calm down, but 'tame' is not a good word to describe a venomous reptile.
People are killed by their 'tame' pythons, all the time.. They're reptiles,
not domesticated mammals..
Take Care,
-John Mendrola
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by snakeguy101 on September 18, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Daniel, there is a difference between taming and domestication. a single animal can be tamed but domestication is what takes generations. Reptiles CAN be tamed, I have several that are although none of them are venomous.
Taming a beaded would serve the purpose of making daily maintenance easier on both myself and the animal. Don't worry, I am not going to be "cuddling" with it as you guys assumed but it would be nice if I could simply change the water bowl and spot clean without having to use a trap box or something along those lines.
I have several venomous right now and I understand the risks of keeping them and I will be the first to point out any questionable procedures when dealing with hots. I have strict protocols and methods that I stick to with my snakes and I will continue to use with the beaded if I get one. It would just make it easier if the animal were calm.
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by Peter84Jenkins on September 18, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
The word tame as we know it comes from the old English word "tam" but, its roots are in the Latin "domare" which has the root for such words as dominate, dominant and you guessed it domesticate. If you look up the words tame and or domesticate they are used to define one another. I don't mean to sound abrasive, but I have this conversation with countless people and it has become a pet peeve of mine. You will not, nor will you ever, have a "tame" reptile. The fact that your reptile "tolerates" your presence does not suggest it is "tame".
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by Buzztail1 on September 18, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
An unfortunate choice of words, Chris.
I would suggest that a plexiglas shield would achieve the result you are seeking.
R/
Karl
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by LarryDFishel on September 18, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Personally, I think "tame" is one of those words, like "large" that has such an imprecise definition as to make debating it's meaning pointless...
That being said, I've had everything from domestic dogs to burmese pythons to heloderms to green mambas, that were calm every day for years, suddenly freak out one day. The difference in how much you can trust those animals has more to do with the likely consequences in a potential freak-out.
So, yeas, a calm heloderm can make maintenance easier, because he not chasing your hand, but you should still never be close enough that he can reach you quickly or take your eyes off him while your hand's in the cage.
With venomous snakes, I normally advocate never putting your hand in the cage without removing the snake, but since heloderms can't be picked up with hooks, it's more dangerous to handle the animal to remove it than to do some tasks with it in the cage. As mentioned, a shield is a good idea, or at least a hook held gently on the animals head or neck.
As for your actual question, I can't help much because all the heloderms I've worked with so far were quite calm adults already.
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by theemojohnm on September 18, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Could not have put it any better, Larry!
That is what I was getting at.. I don't mean
to come off as rude, but 'tame' isn't the most
appropriate word, in my opinion.. Yes, they calm down
but the point is not putting yourself in a position
where things could get ugly, in the first place..
It seems that you understand this, though.. And I
would advise, simply working at the animal's pace..
Slowly and calmly.. I have never come across many
truly aggressive Heloderms, and have never encountered
one that I thought warranted the use of a trap-box..
They get used to regular cage maintenance routine, but
don't let that lull you into a false sense of security.
They are venomous animals, capable of inflicting some
serious damage.. Trying to tame a beaded or Gila for
the sake of carrying it around town as you might a
'pet', is simply not going to work.. Making them
comfortable enough to settle in, to make working with
them easier, comes on it's own.. It's all about
routine, and having them associate certain tools and
movements with certain things (feeding, cage-
cleanings, etc).. Again, their thought-processes, likes
and dislikes, and triggers are far too different than our
own to 'tame' them, or make them truly sociable animals..
Take Care,
-J. Mendrola
|
| |
|
RE: Taming Heloderms
|
Reply
|
|
by snakeguy101 on September 19, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Okay, Thank you all for the advice, I will look into getting a plexiglass shield made.
And as a final note to clear things up, I found what I feel is a good definition of tame as compared to domesticated:
http://circuswatchwa.org/domestication.htm
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
