Re: Should I be ashamed of myself?......

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Posted by Ig Chick on February 20, 2001 at 13:51:02:

In Reply to: Should I be ashamed of myself?...... posted by Joseph on February 20, 2001 at 10:22:30:

I think Christy said it best -"No matter how experienced you are a Reptile (any animal for that matter) can always have the oppertunity to bite you. They are unpredicatable to a point, as well as you are human."

The worst thing you can do is stop holding him. The more interaction he has with you, over time, the tamer he will become. I think one of the largest misconceptions is that these animals are tame. They are not, they are wild animals who have been turned into pets. "Tame" isn't going to come overnight anymore than a human child learns to behave itself over night.

I've seen everyone mention gloves and long sleeve shirts -that is an excellent way to start showing who is "boss". Once he gets used to you picking him up with gloves, stop using them or only expose a few fingers so he can feel your skin on his body. Patience is going to be key and I'm not saying he will never bite you again, no one can make that guarantee about any animal.

Good luck and I hope you decide to try a few of the ideas that were mentioned. A word of advice, in the event you do decide to find him another home -don't make him out to seem like the Tazmanian Devil to people -explain to them that he needs to work on his socialization skills and that he has bitten you several times. I would hate someone to take him because they think he is a monster just for the sake of having a monster. I know maybe that sounds strange but believe me I have run into that, ie- someone wanting an aggressive animal because it is aggressive and they have no plans to socialize it.

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WOW I have been Quoted LMBO First time for everything n/p Christy 02/20/01 (0)

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: I think Christy said it best -"No matter how experienced you are a Reptile (any animal for that matter) can always have the oppertunity to bite you. They are unpredicatable to a point, as well as you are human." : The worst thing you can do is stop holding him. The more interaction he has with you, over time, the tamer he will become. I think one of the largest misconceptions is that these animals are tame. They are not, they are wild animals who have been turned into pets. "Tame" isn't going to come overnight anymore than a human child learns to behave itself over night. : I've seen everyone mention gloves and long sleeve shirts -that is an excellent way to start showing who is "boss". Once he gets used to you picking him up with gloves, stop using them or only expose a few fingers so he can feel your skin on his body. Patience is going to be key and I'm not saying he will never bite you again, no one can make that guarantee about any animal. : Good luck and I hope you decide to try a few of the ideas that were mentioned. A word of advice, in the event you do decide to find him another home -don't make him out to seem like the Tazmanian Devil to people -explain to them that he needs to work on his socialization skills and that he has bitten you several times. I would hate someone to take him because they think he is a monster just for the sake of having a monster. I know maybe that sounds strange but believe me I have run into that, ie- someone wanting an aggressive animal because it is aggressive and they have no plans to socialize it.

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