He's such a cutie. Watch out when he wants to climb on your head. He might jump onto your face, at least mine did that a few times, when I was cleaning the enclosure :D
Wonderful progress 👍 So funny to see him searching through the layers of towel 😅 The biggest breakthrough I saw, was when he backed up ON your hand. From that point on, it seemed like he just wanted to look for things that are just as harmless as the hand 😊
Sorry for the late reply, sometimes youtube doesn't notify me of comments on videos and I don't see them until I review the channel comments section which I rarely do... Yes, I use topsoil and playsand 60/40, then I add like 10% excavator clay, wet it all down and pack it down tight. Then I wait like a week before she goes in so it's dry and holds the burrows. I only use a small amount because everywhere I look, Ackies are missing toes and although most people assume it's because their enclosures aren't humid enough, I have a suspicion that's its more likely due to wet sediment or clay clinging to their hands, hardening when it dries, and then cutting off circulation. That's just my opinion though...But little joy is always so much cleaner than the other ackies I see, and I never have to bathe her or anything.
@@tetra3ne56scur3 I'm talking about inside the substrate. If you are referring to the rock scaping.... this enclosure is just spray foam carved and then sealed with drylok. The larger enclosure for the ackie from the recent videos was sculpted using carved spray foam covered with epoxy clay that was then drylok'd.
I ignored this guy for 6 months too... If I'd have done all this once he tamed down from my presence, it would have been a lot easier I bet. Good luck with your little guy. Leave him be beside tong feeding for a while and spend a ton of time in the room in view of him doing unrelated things to him or his enclosure. Once he's chill and curious of you, this stuffs easy.
@TreeMonitorTraining thanks, I have his enclosure in my bedroom so I want him to see me as much as possible. And I'll definitely tong feed until I can start your method of training when I see he is getting use to me.
@@alrios5716 Well, with him in your bedroom you are off to the best start possible. Look around enough and you will see that most of the people with these hyper social and calm monitors have them someplace where they see them all the time. Most people try too hard with these things and just focus on desensitizing them to their touch. But look at what I do without even touching them. Desensitize them to your presence, that is the way.
@@alrios5716 Nice! I'd love to see them. And if you do have success applying anything from my videos, please let me know. I'd love to hear about it. I keep waiting for someone to tell me "hey this worked great!" or "OMG I trained my tree monitor to jump to me on cue using your process." Nothing would make me happier. I'm currently rendering The final part of the Ackie series. It's 40m long and that's after being edited down. It took all afternoon and covers the last few weeks and includes clips from this very morning. It should be out by tomorrow afternoon.
Awesome progress! Your idea of not using food to coax them out is great. I have used food to get my baby rusty monitor used to me but she’s pretty much climbing on my arm every time I offer it to her now without food - I think i’m going to adopt some of your ideas like the little platform, it’s so smart!! Really great stuff!!!
Yeah these guys are so curious they will do all that stuff by themselves with enough time in presence. I just think this food usage to cause contact has always just been the goto program in taming that people don't realize its the actual time in presence during those sessions that was actually pushing the animal further and all they have been doing with the food is creating awkward moments along the way. Plus you're conditioning them to expect food for interaction if you are trading for it. Sure, over time both ways can get you to the same place, but why bring it into the process when its not needed. The food in the relationship is already implied, it's the only reason they like you to begin with.
BTW I had to look up what a rusty monitor was. So little info on it's wiki page. Is this like a smaller version of a mangrove? You have an videos or pictures of yours anywhere?
@@TreeMonitorTraining Yep they are roughly ackie-sized mangrove monitors! Maybe a little bigger. Very similar to Varanus mitchelli. A lot more arboreal than ackies though. Endemic to Queensland mangroves and at this stage i think the only keepers are here in Australia.They're pretty uncommon in captivity, I only know a handful of other people who have them. I have an instagram which I update pretty regularly on my little one, @ biobysara Plenty of pictures and videos on there. I'm thinking i might start posting videos similar to what you're posting I really love how you talked through your thought process here.
@@geronimo1010 Figured you were in Aus. Also never heard of Mitchelli, those look even prettier. So I got a ? for you Aussie, there was a youtuber that went to Aus to check out natural Ackie environments. He said something about hearing about some small subset of Ackies in a specific locale that are all black. Have you heard of this or is this BS? I can't find any info on it anywhere. I can't imagine how badass a black ackie would look. Thanks for the kind words. Every time I post a new video, I spend the next hr or 2 while its processing deciding whether or not to delete it before its done thinking nobody wants to watch your stupid animals run around for 20 minutes. But I always remember that thats exactly what I want to watch because I'm so taken with these guys and their behavior.
@@TreeMonitorTraining I have never heard or seen a black ackie monitor, but there’s a heap of colour diversity between yhe monitors here depending on where they’re found in the wild. There is solid black varanus tristis though ‘perth hills’ locality. So many people use instagram for their monitors it’s a great platform but i have found it hard to grow a follower base! I think the key is constant uploading and hashtags. Your videos are super interesting and useful for keepers I think it’s great content for the hobby. Definitely keep it up!!!
Thank you! He’s grown so much since the first video you showed. My girlfriend and I just got an enclosure for our Ackie. Could you consider doing a walk though on temps/humidity and substrates that you use?
I will when I build his larger enclosure but that's likely a couple months away. There's plenty of Ackie guides out there... but yeah I know every one of them differs slightly. I tend to start with a thorough and reputable source and then I let the animal's behavior dictate changes. Like when my trees were younger they def didn't like it hot at all and would always sit way off to the side of the basking spots set to what guides told me. So I dialed down the heat and watched them move closer to the basking spot. As they got older they moved closer to the centers of the basking spots and I adjusted as they grew. So use guides, but let the animal's behavior dial you in further. Specifically for this guy he likes so many diff temps. The right side ledge goes up toward the back and there are two halogens covering it. The temps on that ledge go from anywhere from 110-165 or so depending on where he is on it. Both lights can be dialed up or down, I check my stuff frequently with a heat gun. He'll usually only hit the really hot spots right after eating. One of his other fav places is up on the ledge where you see me coax him down from with the egg.. That's where the DHP is and all my monitors love these things. They aren't super hot but they have crazy penetration with the heat and they don't delete humidity like ceramics do. I also provide them all with 6500k led, there is something about this they really like. A lot of people recommend a rete stack for these guys... easy and efficient way to provide them a huge gradient of hot temps. I like a more rocky scape though and don't like how the stacks look so I don't use it. The humidity in the enclosure is anywhere between 20-40 throughout day but it's around 90-100% inside the dig box. Took this idea from brad's bioactive ackie build and it will 100% be used again in his forever home. This dood sheds amazingly and really clean every time and I'm pretty sure its from all the digging in that box that is also kept at very high humidity since the box doesn't let moisture escape. Substrate should be around 60/40 or 70/30 split of topsoil/playsand. It should be moistened when first put in and then compacted down really tight so they can dig burrows that hold. You need a foot or more for an adult.... my guy currently only has about 8 inches in his box but he was never supposed to be in this first enclosure this long. Build help: th-cam.com/video/encKeoKZsJg/w-d-xo.html Here's a lot of info from their natural habitat temps/humidity: th-cam.com/video/uS_Fn9FecS8/w-d-xo.html
Sorry, sometimes I don't get notified of comments on videos and don't see them until I actually go into the channel comment section which I rarely do... The green trees won't get much bigger than they are now. Blues can get pretty big but greens are on the smaller end. They are reptiles so they will never stop growing but they have really slowed down and I'm not expecting them to get much larger than their current sizes, especially Ajax. But even if they did get like 4 ft long, yes, I would still do it. They are very gentle with their nails when on me, they grip with their fingers and have never used their claws to grasp me even when climbing my legs.
![The Last Reptile Room Tour Of The Year! [Reptile Room Tour 2023]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IUY31UwQoQs/mqdefault.jpg)
She’s so pretty, with that medallion printed suit!
So glad i found your channel
I had a turtle once, who would rub her face into soft, furry things like your blanket on the platform.
Yeah, it's weird what random objects they use like Kale with the coffee machine, dog bowls and that wooden ladder.
He's such a cutie. Watch out when he wants to climb on your head. He might jump onto your face, at least mine did that a few times, when I was cleaning the enclosure :D
He does try.
👏🏼
Wonderful progress 👍
So funny to see him searching through the layers of towel 😅
The biggest breakthrough I saw, was when he backed up ON your hand. From that point on, it seemed like he just wanted to look for things that are just as harmless as the hand 😊
Me too. I had a few other clips with more contact but I really didn't want to cut any of the towel stuff and the video was getting really long.
Did you use excavator clay?
Sorry for the late reply, sometimes youtube doesn't notify me of comments on videos and I don't see them until I review the channel comments section which I rarely do... Yes, I use topsoil and playsand 60/40, then I add like 10% excavator clay, wet it all down and pack it down tight. Then I wait like a week before she goes in so it's dry and holds the burrows. I only use a small amount because everywhere I look, Ackies are missing toes and although most people assume it's because their enclosures aren't humid enough, I have a suspicion that's its more likely due to wet sediment or clay clinging to their hands, hardening when it dries, and then cutting off circulation. That's just my opinion though...But little joy is always so much cleaner than the other ackies I see, and I never have to bathe her or anything.
@@TreeMonitorTrainingI see how you sculpted it, I think escalator clay is pretty neat. I think I’m going to work with it
@@tetra3ne56scur3 I'm talking about inside the substrate. If you are referring to the rock scaping.... this enclosure is just spray foam carved and then sealed with drylok. The larger enclosure for the ackie from the recent videos was sculpted using carved spray foam covered with epoxy clay that was then drylok'd.
Im getting my Ackie in a few days, i hope im as successful as you...thnk you for the content
I ignored this guy for 6 months too... If I'd have done all this once he tamed down from my presence, it would have been a lot easier I bet.
Good luck with your little guy. Leave him be beside tong feeding for a while and spend a ton of time in the room in view of him doing unrelated things to him or his enclosure. Once he's chill and curious of you, this stuffs easy.
@TreeMonitorTraining thanks, I have his enclosure in my bedroom so I want him to see me as much as possible. And I'll definitely tong feed until I can start your method of training when I see he is getting use to me.
@@alrios5716 Well, with him in your bedroom you are off to the best start possible. Look around enough and you will see that most of the people with these hyper social and calm monitors have them someplace where they see them all the time.
Most people try too hard with these things and just focus on desensitizing them to their touch. But look at what I do without even touching them. Desensitize them to your presence, that is the way.
@@TreeMonitorTraining I'm definitely going to enjoy him or her, and I'm glued to your videos, lol....I'll send you some pics when I get the baby.
@@alrios5716 Nice! I'd love to see them. And if you do have success applying anything from my videos, please let me know. I'd love to hear about it. I keep waiting for someone to tell me "hey this worked great!" or "OMG I trained my tree monitor to jump to me on cue using your process." Nothing would make me happier.
I'm currently rendering The final part of the Ackie series. It's 40m long and that's after being edited down. It took all afternoon and covers the last few weeks and includes clips from this very morning. It should be out by tomorrow afternoon.
Awesome progress! Your idea of not using food to coax them out is great. I have used food to get my baby rusty monitor used to me but she’s pretty much climbing on my arm every time I offer it to her now without food - I think i’m going to adopt some of your ideas like the little platform, it’s so smart!! Really great stuff!!!
Yeah these guys are so curious they will do all that stuff by themselves with enough time in presence.
I just think this food usage to cause contact has always just been the goto program in taming that people don't realize its the actual time in presence during those sessions that was actually pushing the animal further and all they have been doing with the food is creating awkward moments along the way. Plus you're conditioning them to expect food for interaction if you are trading for it. Sure, over time both ways can get you to the same place, but why bring it into the process when its not needed.
The food in the relationship is already implied, it's the only reason they like you to begin with.
BTW I had to look up what a rusty monitor was. So little info on it's wiki page. Is this like a smaller version of a mangrove? You have an videos or pictures of yours anywhere?
@@TreeMonitorTraining Yep they are roughly ackie-sized mangrove monitors! Maybe a little bigger. Very similar to Varanus mitchelli. A lot more arboreal than ackies though. Endemic to Queensland mangroves and at this stage i think the only keepers are here in Australia.They're pretty uncommon in captivity, I only know a handful of other people who have them.
I have an instagram which I update pretty regularly on my little one, @ biobysara
Plenty of pictures and videos on there. I'm thinking i might start posting videos similar to what you're posting I really love how you talked through your thought process here.
@@geronimo1010 Figured you were in Aus. Also never heard of Mitchelli, those look even prettier. So I got a ? for you Aussie, there was a youtuber that went to Aus to check out natural Ackie environments. He said something about hearing about some small subset of Ackies in a specific locale that are all black. Have you heard of this or is this BS? I can't find any info on it anywhere. I can't imagine how badass a black ackie would look. Thanks for the kind words. Every time I post a new video, I spend the next hr or 2 while its processing deciding whether or not to delete it before its done thinking nobody wants to watch your stupid animals run around for 20 minutes. But I always remember that thats exactly what I want to watch because I'm so taken with these guys and their behavior.
@@TreeMonitorTraining I have never heard or seen a black ackie monitor, but there’s a heap of colour diversity between yhe monitors here depending on where they’re found in the wild. There is solid black varanus tristis though ‘perth hills’ locality.
So many people use instagram for their monitors it’s a great platform but i have found it hard to grow a follower base! I think the key is constant uploading and hashtags.
Your videos are super interesting and useful for keepers I think it’s great content for the hobby. Definitely keep it up!!!
Thank you! He’s grown so much since the first video you showed. My girlfriend and I just got an enclosure for our Ackie. Could you consider doing a walk though on temps/humidity and substrates that you use?
I will when I build his larger enclosure but that's likely a couple months away. There's plenty of Ackie guides out there... but yeah I know every one of them differs slightly. I tend to start with a thorough and reputable source and then I let the animal's behavior dictate changes. Like when my trees were younger they def didn't like it hot at all and would always sit way off to the side of the basking spots set to what guides told me. So I dialed down the heat and watched them move closer to the basking spot. As they got older they moved closer to the centers of the basking spots and I adjusted as they grew. So use guides, but let the animal's behavior dial you in further.
Specifically for this guy he likes so many diff temps. The right side ledge goes up toward the back and there are two halogens covering it. The temps on that ledge go from anywhere from 110-165 or so depending on where he is on it. Both lights can be dialed up or down, I check my stuff frequently with a heat gun. He'll usually only hit the really hot spots right after eating. One of his other fav places is up on the ledge where you see me coax him down from with the egg.. That's where the DHP is and all my monitors love these things. They aren't super hot but they have crazy penetration with the heat and they don't delete humidity like ceramics do. I also provide them all with 6500k led, there is something about this they really like. A lot of people recommend a rete stack for these guys... easy and efficient way to provide them a huge gradient of hot temps. I like a more rocky scape though and don't like how the stacks look so I don't use it.
The humidity in the enclosure is anywhere between 20-40 throughout day but it's around 90-100% inside the dig box. Took this idea from brad's bioactive ackie build and it will 100% be used again in his forever home. This dood sheds amazingly and really clean every time and I'm pretty sure its from all the digging in that box that is also kept at very high humidity since the box doesn't let moisture escape. Substrate should be around 60/40 or 70/30 split of topsoil/playsand. It should be moistened when first put in and then compacted down really tight so they can dig burrows that hold. You need a foot or more for an adult.... my guy currently only has about 8 inches in his box but he was never supposed to be in this first enclosure this long.
Build help:
th-cam.com/video/encKeoKZsJg/w-d-xo.html
Here's a lot of info from their natural habitat temps/humidity:
th-cam.com/video/uS_Fn9FecS8/w-d-xo.html
But what about when they’re full grown? Will you still want him to climb on you and then eat?
Sorry, sometimes I don't get notified of comments on videos and don't see them until I actually go into the channel comment section which I rarely do... The green trees won't get much bigger than they are now. Blues can get pretty big but greens are on the smaller end. They are reptiles so they will never stop growing but they have really slowed down and I'm not expecting them to get much larger than their current sizes, especially Ajax. But even if they did get like 4 ft long, yes, I would still do it. They are very gentle with their nails when on me, they grip with their fingers and have never used their claws to grasp me even when climbing my legs.
@@TreeMonitorTraining I forgot about that! Yours don’t use their claws on you. Seems rare.