Gila Monsters!!!

[Najakeeper]

This poor guy sleeps alone while the other two huddle together under a rock:

 

[VictorHernandez]

Nice lizards! They look so cool.
Does anyone know ow potent their venom is?
But if I really wanted one, couldnt I just go out and search all day for some? Or is it illegal...?

 

[Najakeeper]

Nice lizards! They look so cool.
Does anyone know ow potent their venom is?
But if I really wanted one, couldnt I just go out and search all day for some? Or is it illegal...?

The venom is strong but the delivery mechanism is not as efficient as front fanged venomous snakes.

They are listed as near threatened by IUCN and protected under CITES. There are also state laws protecting them, it is illegal to "harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect the Gila Monster." You can serve jail time if you get caught helping them cross the road.

So no, you absolutely could NOT.

 

[jarmst4]

Ive always heard they were pretty hard to get bit by, is that true? Or can one really get going after you if you piss it off bad enough?

 

[Najakeeper]

Ive always heard they were pretty hard to get bit by, is that true? Or can one really get going after you if you piss it off bad enough?

Captive bred adults are seldom aggressive and very reluctant to take a bite. Babies are a bit nippy as they are prey to many animals in the wild. Unless you really provoke a captive bred adult Heloderma, you won't get bitt. However, if you do get bit, it will be beyond painful. Their bite is the exact opposite of a snake bite as they bite, hold on and chew. This is due to the fact that they are slow animals and they need to hold on when/if they get something to eat. Some keepers chopped the head of their gilas to get them off. When I had an adult pair, my female bit the male and I couldn't get her off. At the end, I sprayed a little little vinegar into the female's mouth and she let go immediately. Of course, their skin is so thick, the male was completely unharmed.

 

[Najakeeper]

1st feeding video:

[YOUTUBE]fNXga5KM624[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Redneck101]

that is really cool to watch. question, i dont know to much about these guys.. but i have heard of people being able to safly handling these guys with leather gloves. is this true? just wondering.

 

[Najakeeper]

that is really cool to watch. question, i dont know to much about these guys.. but i have heard of people being able to safly handling these guys with leather gloves. is this true? just wondering.

Yes, you can handle them with very decent leather gloves. I have brought my Midwest Leather Gloves from US with me, which are specially designed for reptile handling. Here is the link for the website and even the advertisement picture shows a guy handling a Heloderma sp. with the gloves. http://tongs.com/leathergloves.aspx

Since their teeth are not like hypodermic needles like venomous snakes, leather gloves give you a better protection. However, if the animal bites the glove, making it let go is another challenge.

 

[Redneck101]

thanks man! yeah, i knew about the teeth and grip i just didnt know about the gloves.

 

[jdl]

That is a really nice setup. How is the price of setups in Europe compared to the U.S.? Enjoy them

 

[Najakeeper]

That is a really nice setup. How is the price of setups in Europe compared to the U.S.? Enjoy them

In my experience, everything in Europe is a bit more expensive compared to US. But I had most of the stuff that I needed from a previous setup so I didn't spend too much on this one.

 

[Najakeeper]

From today's feeding:

I love the inside color of their mouth, very nice deep purple.

 

[Redneck101]

seeing videos and pictures of these guys never gets old. =)

 

[Najakeeper]

seeing videos and pictures of these guys never gets old. =)

Filming them never gets old either, very interesting animals with great dispositions.

Even desert animals love a bit of extra humidity, when they can get some and Heloderma are no exception. Here is all three monsters huddled together in their small humidity chamber:

Here is the picture of the chamber within the cage for size reference:

The chamber is basically a small plastic box with some natural damp moss in it.

 

[Najakeeper]

I upgraded the prey size for the Gilas as due to new working hours, I don't have time to feed these guys twice a week. Here are a couple pictures:

 

[Shrike]

Gorgeous lizards! Naja, you've got an amazing collection.

 

[Arachno Wolf]

Nice! Those are some pretty Reptiles you got there.

 

[Najakeeper]

Gorgeous lizards! Naja, you've got an amazing collection.

Nice! Those are some pretty Reptiles you got there.

Thanks a lot guys. At least a couple high end and very cool animals will join the collection in March and let's keep that secret for a while .

In the meantime, here is a picture from this week's feeding:

 

[Najakeeper]

Here are some cool photos of the Gila Monsters that I took with my new macro lens.

Skin:

Tongue:

 

[antinous]

REALLY nice animals! I'm really jealous!