Can you train a lizard?

A simple demonstration of the learning ability of a monitor lizard.
I should note that the monitors are only out for relatively short periods of time and usually signal when they want to return to bask (when their body temperature drops from ~36C to 32C) by walking up to the front of the enclosure, looking up at the glass and tongue flicking, at which point I lift them back in.

[@RSOxSPEC4x]

This is definitely a " they can open doors?" Moment

[@RogueV5]

They can

[@vire559]

Clever girl...

[@kennarajora6532]

ok, try to imagine yourself in the Cretaceous Period. You get your first look at this "six foot turkey" as you enter a clearing. He moves like a bird, lightly, bobbing his head. And you keep still because you think that maybe his visual acuity is based on movement like T-Rex - he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not Velociraptor. You stare at him, and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side *whoosh*. from the other two raptors you didn't even know were there. Because Velociraptor's a pack hunter, you see, he uses coordinated attack patterns and he is out in force today. And he slashes at you with this... A six-inch retractable claw, like a razor, on the the middle toe. He doesn't bother to bite your jugular like a lion, say... no no. He slashes at you here, or here... Or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. The point is, you are alive when they start to eat you. So you know, try to show a little respect.

[@Asterion_Mol0c]

@@kennarajora6532t rex is not motion based eyes it has great normal eyes

[@kennarajora6532]

@@Asterion_Mol0c yeah I know, but I was just quoting the movie.

[@Terrakinetic]

Then this happened: Recently I have noticed Alex going over my taxes. I have decided to encourage this behavior by...

[@volatilesky]

Terrakinetic then this happened: I noticed Alex scrawling rudimentary pictograms on the rock wall. I have decided to encourage this behaviour by...

[@wixolotus8287]

then this happened: I noticed Alex writing a political treatise for Humans-Lizards. I have decided to encourage this behavior by...

[@julianspaghi4592]

then this happened: I realized Alex was writing a communist manifesto. I decided to encourage this behavior by...

[@thewolfofcomedy5966]

Then this happened, I noticed Alex writing a full-length Autobiography about his life experiences and political views. I have decided to encourage this behavior by.....

[@Clonetrooper-so9ki]

Then this happened: I noticed Alex militarizing and declaring a formal war against the neighbor's dog, I decided to encourage this behavior by...

[@Akaryusan]

how to train your dragon

[@acrusader9061]

Akaryusan jesus fuck thats funny

[@justanotheruser6744]

We need a part 2

[@Whitewing89]

the European dragon does come from reports of these kinds of lizards.

[@tristanwilliams4180]

i was gonna make that joke XD

[@Mojopin03]

Akaryusan lmao

[@The6stringpenguin]

So Alex raises his hand, and you immediately let him out... Who trained who?

[@KalinoursEU]

clever girl...

[@theskyisblue8979]

bruh

[@Jan_Iedema]

@@Corgi_fax you really went out of your way to write an essay. Respect :)

[@NaCl_is_salt]

@@Corgi_fax wooosh

[@riotpolizei3522]

@@NaCl_is_salt Go back to reddit, you dweeb

[@teenagemutantammnite8944]

This is one off the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen. Also is it just me or does anyone else think that these lizards are so cute.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! Regarding the lizards being cute it isn't just you; a lot of people feel the same after having watched the video.

[@reelbytes6447]

They are very nice to look at

[@Voxen712]

I also think that lizards are cute

[@skybuilder7753]

No it's not just you reptiles are just adorable.

[@deliziosetiefkuhlkost2463]

Wait till you see a bells face (natural occuring morph, i think)

[@alexisgrunden1556]

Healthy, bright-eyes, lovely lizards, a gorgeous, spacious enclosure, supervised outside-time, consistent training... Sir, my hat is off to you! These two are in the best home they could possibly have, with a human who cares deeply for their well-being 💕

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@crocdoc2]

Nick Conte - thank you!

[@among-us-99999]

Meanwhile, my bearded dragon: *white noise*

[@crocdoc2]

Lol

[@TomsBackyardWorkshop]

Reptiles are very intelligent. They have good memories, problem solving skills and some have even been known to form emotional bonds with their caretakers. My Green Iguana learned how to unlock the dog door by observation. She once went missing for two weeks when she let herself out. Then one day she came walking up to me when I got home from school. She managed to survive outdoors for two or three weeks in the California desert and then find her way home. She was a bit dehydrated but otherwise unharmed. My tortoise responds to verbal commands. He comes when I call him and he will stop what he is doing immediately when I give the command "stop".

[@flaziblaz]

how long did it take to teach your tortoise this?

[@Mekose]

My family had a large green iguana for years and he was extremely intelligent and sociable. He lived in an open enclosure and could walk around the house mostly at will and would climb up and perch on top of the couch most of the time or just explore and bask around the house. He came if his name was called and was seemingly very affectionate and sociable. I was quite young but I felt safe around him and he seemed to seek and enjoy affection and interaction. He was more like a dog than anything. Unfortunately we were too relaxed and content leading him to find his way outside one day and we never saw him again :( I still miss him to this day and could never think of reptiles as anything but intelligent and capable of affection and emotional bonds with people.

[@bienvenidovelasco6834]

They will be good employees with their problem solving skills

[@Just4funN92]

My friends turtle Chuck Norris did the same, he would call him over w/e he was home from school and the turtle would slowly walk to the living room from the yard 🤣

[@orangephoenixbrazier4978]

My Sulcata knows his name. I think it was conditioned by hollering it at him in his room when it was time to feed him.

[@shabadoo1]

I actually trained my monitor lizard to do the same thing, but his right arm became so powerful he was able to shatter the glass enclosure and escape. Then a week later I saw on the news that he won a BIG RIG and $100k at the World Arm-wrestling Championships in Las Vegas. Sure enough he came back home and now we drive around the country solving crimes and tearing phone books in half at high school pep rallies.

[@homielizard606]

Hope he is ok

[@adcon00]

I'd watch that show

[@birdygal6945]

shabadoo1 when does s2 come out ?

[@will-od1lr]

make a movie about this

[@dco1019]

Solving crimes is so much easier with an arm wrestling monitor lizard as your sidekick.

[@alexanderwingeskog758]

In the Lizards mind he thinks finally now I have trained my human to let me out when I want to...

[@crocdoc2]

Without a doubt!

[@Robert53area]

That's what I was think. Is it you training the lizard or the lizard training you. I mean he does simple tricks and you open a door, you lift him out and let him roam around and all he has to do is get your attention

[@anddudewaslike]

"I didnt want them scratching the glass" *trains them to scratch the air instead*

[@crocdoc2]

Yes. Annoying noise vs no noise at all. Hardly rocket science

[@SkrunkyTheClown]

This is actually a very cool way to train your animals, not just lizards. They're all pretty dang smart. The concept of Ignoring unwanted behavior, and rewarding them when they behave the way you want, is a quick way for them to learn how to properly do stuff. And over time, they begin to improve that behavior on their own, like Alex did by progressively raising his hand on his own, and then reaching higher and higher. Giving treats is not the only "Reward" you can give to your animal, giving them attention or letting them out to play also works. I have tried this method shown in the video on my cats, whenever they wanted to be let out in the backyard, they'd have to wait until i did so, I'd ignore the constant meowing and scratching on the glass door, for as annoying as it was, but eventually they picked up the idea i was trying to show them. Now they always wait until i let them out, and do so by sitting in front of the glass door and remaining completely silent. Thanks Man, You Are a Very Effective Teacher

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@patrickstar561]

How to train your discount dragon

[@williamadams9774]

Emmett Rasmussen ROFLMAO

[@varanid9]

Hardly "discount"; Varanus Varius are very expensive, IF you can find them for sale.

[@YikesIsMe]

"discount" is made operative by the fact that a REAL dragon would (likely) be priceless (if real) therefore making these "dragons" quite cheap in comparison. :)

[@nateetornkittikunpituk6292]

This is actually very funny because I live in Thailand and there are tonsss of them around my university.

[@crocdoc2]

*Nateetorn Kittikunpituk* Those aren't lace monitors. The large monitors you commonly see around Bangkok are water monitors, _Varanus salvator_ .

[@anoldbeggar9742]

"Free me papa."

[@nicolle2126]

can I just say I almost thought this was a professional nature documentary because of your voice :)) your narration really stands out for me

[@crocdoc2]

Wow, thank you!!

[@nuclearhardt]

Just caught myself saying "Now that's a good boy" when he raised his arm as a response to your beckoning

[@lisajack8454]

It is so lovely to see a pet owner put in the time and effort while utilising a monitor's natural behaviour to increase their quality of life. Kudos!

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@talybama]

I thought the same thing!! Excellent training technique, and the video was shot great too...

[@crocdoc2]

talybama Thanks!

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks, talybama!

[@theblackbaron4119]

One day he started raising his arm higher and higher. Now he's doing my taxes. Was the next step I would have liked to hear ^^ those are some beautiful specimen.

[@carolinesmith9473]

The Black Baron HAHAHA

[@SourDankness]

This shit made my night 😂

[@binal-flecki2387]

My monitor now drives me to work.

[@Ellie_Y]

You literally trained him to wave when he wants out. And how gorgeous they are!

[@dudeistpriestman]

"the next time you see a reptile, watch out for it suddenly cloaking and doing a teleport-crossup combo, those can easily hit you for 40% and feeds him plenty of meter."

[@David-ux5wn]

It is interesting that the lizard recognizes being allowed outside as a reward, rather than a natural thing (since there is only a glass panel in between). This would imply they know they are in captivity and only own a small space. And they are also interested in exploring their surroundings, rather than being apathetic. Very nice.

[@crocdoc2]

*David* You've got it. In many ways it's like a suburban dog that lives indoors that enjoys going for walks but at the end of the day seeks to go inside for comfort (although with dogs there's the extra element of social needs). These monitors seek to be let back into the enclosure (and have ways of signalling me, although not nearly as interesting as the letting out behaviour so I haven't done a video - they just stand in front of the enclosure, look up at the sliding glass door and flick their tongues). Inside the enclosure is where they can bask and is also where they get fed. If I found that on trying to get them into the enclosure they struggled and scratched in an attempt to stop me putting them back in it would be a different scenario entirely (and I'd probably have stopped keeping them ages ago because of how it would make me feel).

[@DerpASherpa117]

Their spatial intelligence is larger than people realize, as is their reasoning of causation.

[@keengwilli6]

He dont own nothing. He didnt make or buy the materials😂

[@Talkathon408]

@@crocdoc2 ultimately it's a trust bond they make with humans.

[@crocdoc2]

@@keengwilli6 I'm not sure who or what you are talking about.

[@bigjakegames3207]

Can they be trained. Mmmm.. I suppose Is he a good boi? Yes, for certain.

[@strangeperson700]

Their intelligence and forward thinking is borderline scary and I love it!

[@WaffleKrushaTTV]

1. You're a good owner 2. They are beautiful 3. This is sick! Awesome job man.

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@Skimmerlit]

This was excellently shot, edited, and scripted. Keep up the good work, my guy.

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you very much! I had been ignoring my KZbin channel for quite a few years as I've been busy with other projects, but have decided to slowly replace the tired, old, low-quality content with new videos. The two newest videos are this one and the one titled How to tell an alligator from a crocodile.

[@ekinteko]

"Reptiles are often seen as slow dimwitted animals..." *takes weeks to train him to slightly wave his hand* "...this is not the case" Are you sure? I've seen people achieve this with pet fish.

[@crocdoc2]

_"I've seen people achieve this with pet fish."_ Because fish have hands. I'd like to see someone train a fish to wave its hand, slightly or otherwise. :) All jokes aside, the point of the video wasn't that I was trying to teach him to wave his hand, but that he started doing it himself in anticipation of the action of being let out. I just encouraged it. Nor did it take weeks to teach him. The time periods had to do with when he started initiating new behaviour.

[@ekinteko]

Yeah, all fish have hands. Most are ghost hands, invisible to the human eye or cameras ; ) I get what you're saying, but your initial premise seemed contradictory to the story which you laid out. Otherwise, great video.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks.

[@haleyclark6828]

They are so freaking adorable I almost started crying, they are so intelligent and adorable!!

[@turduckenwrath6110]

this is adorable!! I’m a psychologist hoping to use operant conditioning with my baby tegu. Your vid inspires me!!!

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@lordmado3918]

They way you observe and interact with your animals is simply satisfying

[@crocdoc2]

Lord Mado Thanks!

[@CermyAndroidGameplay]

Wow, that's amazing

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@amphitheremajesticon4928]

Know why? BECAUSE IT'S A DRAGON WITHOUT WINGSSSSSSSSS!

[@talaverajr391]

Cermy 667th like

[@crocdoc2]

Potato Chips Bleach Flavored (Across the road) neighbour of the beast

[@aveside]

damn 1000 perfect likes dont even wanna be the oddball and ruin it

[@nilsthornburg8473]

lifting him out is like a cute handshake

[@riproar11]

I owned a few small pet lizards when I was a kid and enjoyed finding salamanders out in the wild. These monitor lizards are so beautiful! Excellent narration and Alex is a nice buddy to have to spend time with and amuse you with his actions.

[@JTBReptiles]

Incredibly well done - engaging, straight to the point and a thoroughly enjoyable video. Definitely innovative and one of the best reptile videos I've watched for a very long time!

[@crocdoc2]

JTB Reptiles Thank you!

[@DushanChaciej]

I like how he didn't put the video about this up after a few days of training but actually spent a lot of time and prepared a good amount of footage showcasing the learning, nice

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you for noticing. :)

[@John-dd8kh]

JTB Reptiles coming from another reptile lover that means a lot.. Yeah sure.. Gee

[@lunarbrona4412]

How did you do this are you a wizard? Sorcery? Also really cool keep it up and theirs no telling what you can teach😄

[@DannieJensen]

Great work. I kept Piranhas for years. When they got hungry they would form a semi-circle and evil-eye me until I fed them something.

[@crocdoc2]

Dannie Jensen Thanks!

[@SeaWasp]

They've trained you well!

[@Megasterik]

Hooloovoo Same as me.

[@Allthingslife30]

He’s a dog in lizard skin he’s really cute and I can tell just by watching this video that lizards are 100% capable of recognizing and reciprocating compassion , gentleness , calmness , and I can also say I think this lizard has an attachment to the owner 100% influenced by food , and conditioning but also I think the lizard loves him in a lizard way , something is humans would need to be a reptile to understand😊😊❤️❤️

[@caincook259]

This video is incredibly underrated

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@M00nSlippers]

I don't know why this was recommended to me by KZbin, but I don't care, it's great!

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! I have had a couple of people comment that it came up in their recommended list quite randomly. One was a psych student, if I recall correctly. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it!

[@FlyingSnake]

Omg he is so cute! Love those little hands

[@crocdoc2]

*Alex:* _"Wait, what?! I have BIG hands! Trump, he has small hands."_

[@PrinceJes]

crocdoc2 Lol

[@thediamondpixelbros4431]

That can painfully cut into you

[@Lykyk]

I remember when americans made fun of obama purely out of context sometimes. It was weird, but rare and relatively benign. Now I see americans making fun of and visciously insulting their president in every fucking context imaginable while waiting for their compatriots to come and clap. It's annoying, makes you seem like assholes and the culture surrounding it seems like indoctrinated garbage. Get a fucking hold of yourself and stop telling me "but I didn't vote for him" with a slightly nervous laugh whenever I meet you IRL, I never asked, I don't give a fuck, he's not Satan and you're neither original, nor funny.

[@crocdoc2]

*Lyk D'Nine* Why would you defend someone that's turning your country into the laughing stock of the world?

[@HeShoeTooBig]

Alex is going to be in college in a couple years at this rate. As a professor.

[@ptrainingbytim]

I had a conehead lizard for over 5 years when I was a boy and he knew the sound of my voice. When called, he would quickly climb up near the top of his enclosure waiting for me to hand feed him a cricket/moth. He only responded to my voice. Lizards are the best. Great video and God bless you!

[@joshuaprick2596]

Very impressive. I tried that with my juvenile bearded dragon. He has to sit in the front right corner of his enclosure in order to be taken out. This works 100% of the time. I now touch his ribcage with my index finger and he puts both of his hands on my hand so I can lift him up. Sometimes he even does it when I simply approach him with my hand. My leopard gecko even comes to me when he sees me and I call him by his name. Reptiles are so much more smarter than one would think, your video was really educational and helps me prove my friends wrong :P

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@Xakaion]

100 like

[@gregd3898]

You deffinetly just said that cause buddie is sicker than you

[@cacogenicist]

The types of lizards you mention all happen to be abnormally smart as lizards go.

[@alexryback8253]

He’s like doing the dog trick “Give me The paw!”

[@dinomaniac1573]

This is really amazing, the mutual comprehetion between both is fascinating

[@tetsushatarii2108]

I love videos like this. Animals are so much smarter than people give them credit for. Reptiles included. Those monitors are absolutely gorgeous btw

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@sushi777300]

Adorable puppies

[@avdgaming3550]

Gross sushi

[@zuika4160]

it's clearly a cat

[@pacmantheking1957]

lol xd you fool it's clearly a fish

[@BeavisSaves]

you spergs thats a bird.

[@jacques5525]

sushi777300 It’s obviously a hamster, duh

[@nickdouglas736]

The nearly scientific calmness of the footage and the simple but amazing explanation of behavior and training is what makes this video outstanding. They're beautiful, fascinating animals and I really hope this makes more people aware of how responsive these reptiles are if you know how to treat and train them right.

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@trust.worthy]

And he can t pose perfect lizard 10/9

[@entomologistmaximus5097]

​@@crocdoc2do you have recommendations on care guides for either a monitor or tegu? I want to get one but I want to make sure I'm absolutely ready for one, I've always loved reptiles and really want one that shows a lot of effection like this

[@crocdoc2]

@@entomologistmaximus5097 Monitors don't really show affection, but can become tractable. You're probably best off with a captive bred Argentinian black and white tegu.

[@CorbieMessenger]

I already loved monitors and especially lace monitors, but now I love them even more. This is a great video and demonstrates that lizards aren't just dumb machines. Wonderful work with this pair!

[@jeliarra]

Impressed with their clean, well designed enclosure, that you let them out to roam, that you have two, and that you have taken the time and effort to learn about them! Well done!

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@lghal1]

I like the idea of the lizard training his human by gradually understanding that "left arm raised" means he should be let out, and expanded on that concept until he could merely wave whenever he wanted to leave

[@martiananomaly]

LOL

[@zoeyzee6261]

Love how intelligent monitors are, and it's amazing seeing that intelligence in action!

[@RStaRaptoR]

Zards are dumb as shit because thair brains are smaller than my last shit. The bigger brain to body ratio, the smarter you are. PERIOD. humans, dolphans, dogs, ... very smart. Very big brains. I bet you can show that we have evolved dogs to have bigger brains, but i have seen no evidence in brain size evolution becides humans to my knolage. Shit like this should be fromt page news but the media wants us to be dumber than a nut sized brain elephant. Sad. So sad. Very sad. Yes sad.

[@greennova-zi9tn]

RStaR RaptoR then why are humans more intelligent than a elephant or whales? You don't need a large brain to be intelligent.

[@dust7962]

The Meat Grinder No it just had to be large proportionally to your body, size is relative.

[@lucetubegplusstillsux2678]

That kind of stuff is very old logic, and Shrews kind of go against the whole brain mass per body ratio since they should be ruling the world since they have us beat. Recent tests have been made to test Lizard's cognitive abilities and the results were better than sparrows watch?v=sZM2aVGIrvU has some more info from Duke University about the subject. It turns out most IQ tests didn't consider that cold blooded creatures eat less, and can only be tested once a day to get accurate results.

[@RStaRaptoR]

Lucetube GPlusStillSux i giess so. Our brains actually are smaller than before too. But we got smarter. And birds need to have tiny brains yet they can beat puzzeles. Although reptiles dont have a beak or hands, and reptiles are slow.

[@Desimere]

I never knew reptiles weren't considered smart. When i was a child i made friends with a lizard in our garden by removing a tick from it. Although that only lasted until i showed it to my sister and it climbed up her sleeve and she freaked out. In any case, both actions on the part of the lizard, becoming friendly and strangers again seemed pretty reasonable to me.

[@1TakoyakiStore]

That looks like a really happy monitor lizard! Your training techniques are so gradual that I doubt it even realizes that you encouraged the behavior.

[@CrimlyKoo]

[Insert dog joke]

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you for highlighting out how generic and old that dog joke is getting (and for not posting it). :-)

[@CrimlyKoo]

Yeah, I filtered by newest and just about every other comment is someone thinking they're clever for reusing the same joke for the 10,000th time. I see it in just about every exotic pet video too.

[@crocdoc2]

Nailed it. What I am curious about is whether the line 'your dog has autism' appeared on the Simpsons or something, as it's the most commonly used phrase.

[@BonnieBunny118]

@@crocdoc2 N I C E D O G

[@ogalo1653]

I think your dog has autism, did you vaccinate it?

[@PianoMan5000]

That's a good way to avoid the scratching.

[@kaijemarti5372]

Those two are so cute. Reptiles are a amazing creatures

[@MegaSnow121]

How fun and interesting to watch how you trained these two beautiful creatures. Well done! You can see the anticipation of getting out of their enclosure. Thank you for sharing and teaching the rest of us about their intelligence.

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you for watching!

[@beemer9108]

Interesting. I never really realized how often we just seem to tread over the fact that reptiles are perfectly capable of conditioning much like other animals. It's easy to forget that these are thinking creatures too because seem so much more different from us, as opposed to a mammal which is the same classification as humans. Excellent video.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! *Beemer:* _"It's easy to forget that these are thinking creatures too because seem so much more different from us, as opposed to a mammal which is the same classification as humans."_ You just nailed what I have been saying to people for years: That one of the fascinating things about keeping reptiles is trying to understand the thinking processes of an animal with whom we haven't shared a common ancestor for hundreds of millions of years.

[@RogueV5]

@@crocdoc2 interesting.

[@veetigtr]

When they started waving the video was completely sold for me, congrats for training them so well!

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@fireinateacup89]

What a gorgeous, awesome monitor! As a reptile keeper, lover and zookeeper, I just love seeing videos like this! Well done for capturing all of those stages, too! Takes an extra presence of mind.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@frogman3740]

It's amazing how intelligent they are. And they're beautiful.

[@xaytana]

Cute doggos

[@zanderwilde3827]

Lol

[@manny655321]

its not a doggy its a bald ferret

[@392lyl4]

Xander Zoolander cold blooded doggo

[@Conklin03]

Xander Zoolander DAT DIGERIDOO IS SO CUUUUTTTEE

[@Conklin03]

David UT its very much a digeridoo

[@themirror8994]

*Clever girl*

[@VivaMessico]

hahaha

[@schlopsker.mp5]

adi yaf Gahhhh ya had to ruin it? 😂

[@Aron-ru5zk]

adi yaf there’s a male and a female he said in the beginning

[@jeffblaine933]

adi yaf it's a jurassic park reference and you ruined it

[@ruasunev1178]

Ha, best comment imo

[@lamina11]

Im not even fond of reptiles, but how you delivered the content is exceptional!!

[@crocdoc2]

Now THAT is a compliment. Thank you!

[@write2judie]

This is fascinating. They're beautiful creatures.

[@AetherDreamSeeker]

The way they look around reminds me of pets people would consider more intelligent than reptiles such as parrots and dogs. Your cinematography captures that aspect really well. Wonderful work.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! I can't take full credit - they're pretty photogenic.

[@oinkleberry]

I have such a soft spot for reptiles. I feel like people disregard them because they can't read their faces or body language like they can with mammals. The result is treating them with misplaced apathy in comparison to mammals. In reality, I intuit that they are just as cognizant as mammals are, and videos like this lend evidence to such.

[@RogueV5]

Intrigued.

[@silverjade10]

You gotta watch their eyes, tongue, and throat area. But especially the eyes. I can tell when my baby is content, when he's irritated, when he's suspicious, and when he's okay with hanging out just from his eyes.

[@SilimsLetsPlays]

Your monitor lizards are the coolest lizards ever. I love how you both kinda trained each other with the whole arm raising/waving thing, too.

[@HellDog001]

Your lizards are adorable. And it is heart warming to know the sympathy and kindness can do just about anything.

[@codyparker7891]

Amazing. Your knowledge and patience with your animals are a true testament as to what you've accomplished with such misunderstood animals. People think I'm crazy when I say my female red tail boa knows me apart from others. She exhibits certain behaviours uniquely to me. But she has nothing on these monitors. Makes you wonder if the largest of monitors i.e the komodo is capable of what your showcasing or possibly even more..

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! Komodo dragons are very closely related to lace monitors (lace monitors are their closest living relative) and my limited experience with Komodo dragons is that they're very similar in terms of intelligence.

[@codyparker7891]

They're all amazing. I love the monitor you have called Satan, they're all beautiful but his phase or morph is just unreal. I've always wondered.. where a komodo can take down a much much larger prey animal than it's own size what's the largest prey that these smaller more personable cousins of the komodo can do

[@crocdoc2]

I've seen photographs of wild lace monitors taking half-size feral cats and a friend had her rooster taken by a wild lace monitor as well, but for the most part they take smaller things. The interesting thing about Komodo dragons is that most of the prey species with which they are now associated were introduced to the islands.

[@crocdoc2]

Satan is a bells phase lace monitor. It's a naturally occurring morph (a bit like striped California kingsnakes). I prefer the normal, speckly/banded type, but have raised a few bells phase babies in the hopes of getting a female to pair up with Alex. As Satan ended up being male, he was rehomed to someone in Queensland quite some time ago. He had calmed down a lot as he got bigger (the video was taken when he was still quite small).

[@seankennedy2819]

copa white There is a male komodo at London zoo that is clicker trained and runs to its keepers for a scratch and play just like a dog when its name is called. It even gives them oogly eyes when they give it a good scritching.

[@tomritsn2571]

You're like Daily Dose of Internet....you don't over talk, you talk and then let the video speak the rest. Really well done, didn't think I'd stay interested for the whole video but I was! And have watched others too.....subbed

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@mattslev]

This is such an incredible video. I come back to it periodically and am always blown away. Your enclosure is outstanding. The monitors themselves are extraordinary. Lace monitors are such beautiful and intelligent creatures. One of my favorite reptiles. I wish we could get this species in the US more easily and affordably. Super rare and expensive here.

[@ill_prophet4843]

That arm reach is too adorable

[@CrankyPantss]

Well done. Now, do you have any suggestions on training my roommate?

[@crocdoc2]

All joking aside, operant conditioning works on people as well. Positive reinforcement for the behaviour you want, negative reinforcement for the behaviour you don't want. Just be subtle about it as humans are a bit sharper than lizards. :)

[@neggajunna6061]

The easiest way is to just kick them out or move out yourself cause humans are harder to train they have their own minds LOL 😁😁😁

[@Grimy_Aaronarr]

Use food for humans, preferably sugary food when they do something good. Use your hand to the back of their head if they do something bad.

[@MisterMadnessx]

CrankyPants, kick 'em in the dick.

[@KallenMalefic]

CrankyPants A gun.

[@mdserpents5796]

This is a very impressive/educational video. Beautiful pair of lace monitors, you have me wanting a monitor now lol

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@alis49281]

Most reptile keepers don't have their animals long enough due to living conditions. Many reptiles will learn routines, where their enclosure is. They can go out during cleaning, just make sure no predators or open doors/windows are around. Chamaeleons will enjoy climbing wood placed near their enclosure, especially mounted to the ceiling. They will enjoy sitting in plants in the window. Make sure they can go back when they feel cold.

[@fishingmasterstudios9481]

Your Lace monitors are just absolutely gorgeous!

[@haijac6248]

Those are the funniest looking dogs I've ever seen lol. They are beautiful, good video.

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you.

[@kommandantwulf]

"Can you train a lizard?" Well if that one guy from a movie trained a dragon i don't think a lizard would be that hard :3

[@BananaMana69]

I never thought reptiles like this were dumb, just not loving but it seems Alex and you have a pretty cool friendship.

[@AussieRandomVideos]

Thanks for sharing, nice to know that you spend so much quality time with these beautiful and smart lizards

[@kerrystone7375]

Oh they are so beautiful, I love lizards, these are especially cool though, they are so interesting and intelligent creatures. 😊

[@bengregory551]

i agree screw the a holes that say lizards are dumb

[@Tomha]

I never considered LIzards dumb, just mysterious, and calculating. I use to have a Bearded Dragon who seemingly stares off into nothingness at times but I always thought she was up to something. And when I'd feed her, she does the same except her eyes/head follow me...MENACINGLY! xD Soon as I set loose her live crickets or other bugs she liked, and remove my hand she stops holding still and just barrels like for them in jumpscare fashion .

[@Dellconhagerisanerd]

Honestly I love videos like this The amount of respect the owners can have for their reptile and these massive perfect enclosures make me happy Like just "Yes!! The good boy gets good things!!

[@kirk5452]

I have a tegu, her name is stella and she learned this extremely easily. It was just conditioning over time. She makes the same hand signal. We take her out, and immediately she goes potty (she doesnt like stinking up her on enclosure. These types of lizards are much harder to train howerver.

[@ThatBum42]

I never thought a monitor lizard could be considered adorable before this video 😊

[@brayingmulewithnofree-will9388]

As a psychology student this was extremely interesting to watch. Very informative, and very neat. I'd love to see more videos on how you can condition these lizards to repeat certain behaviors.

[@crocdoc2]

I have to be careful about what sort of things I do with them, particularly when it comes to what is being used for a reward. The reason I showed this particular behaviour is because the reward was being let out of the enclosure, rather than food. I could teach them all sorts of things using food as a reward and they would learn them remarkably quickly, but there is a danger in using food as a reward, particularly with the male. He's very food focused and if he associates a series of steps with being fed he soon starts short-cutting the routine and gets twitchy earlier and earlier in the routine, to the point that there's a danger of me getting bitten. They have a spectacular feeding response.

[@SoulSilverIV]

What an absolutely beautiful pair of lizards you have! Simply stunning, and so clever too!!! 😍

[@justicebeske5704]

Your lizards have such beautiful scales.

[@jakoda2514]

3:20 when you grab your ice cream but then the ice cream man grabs back

[@Matthew-cd8iv]

dwarf gaming lol that's really scary but u made me laugh

[@OtodusMega]

Ice scream

[@alphaarx3055]

Ice cream horro game lol

[@sgt.lincolnosiris5028]

Lizards are curious, inquisitive, and rewarding houseguests. I had an iguana for years, and during the winters she mainly stayed indoors with her basking spot in her enclosure. She did her business outside in the summer, but was confined to indoor in the winters, of course. Eventually we were able to get her to do her business in her spot on newspaper, never ever thought a lizard could be paper trained yet she surprised me. She even lived with a cat who slept and ate together with her.

[@joelgillaspy9558]

Stunning lizards and an exceptional set up

[@crocdoc2]

Thank you!

[@onii-san3851]

Soooo cute. He’s like, I just wanna go and explore

[@daltonvarnes7759]

That's awesome! reptiles are so intelligent and people don't seem to give them enough credit. Especially larger species like monitors and tegus. Great video!

[@BHVaranus]

One less video I have to make, bravo. I’ll be referencing this video on my channel for people to view. Well done and great species to use.. Bravo

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! I had a look at your page when I was checking to make sure this video was coming up in searches on KZbin. Beautiful ornatus and was impressed that you told people not to handle their monitor when they first get it, but to let it settle in. Nice work. How's that big enclosure you were working on going?

[@BHVaranus]

crocdoc2 thanks, ornatus are definitely poorly represented species indeed, Lace are definitely more popular and on the premium. It’s a better flagship species when teaching monitor care, behavior, and behavioral plasticity. Once again bravo Here’s a link to that enclosure status. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIK8e4eEjbBpbtE

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks. I'll check out the enclosure video now. Funnily enough, I am just in the middle of watching another of your videos (Why Your Monitor Lizard Might Die). Again, nice work. That's a great one for new keepers to see.

[@BHVaranus]

crocdoc thanks It’s those basics that veterans don’t explain that I comprehend when I was exposed to politics. Manners and respect are universal and forgotten when people participate in what they consider a personal pass time or hobby. Problem is this hobby entails living individual beings that require new and old breeders, hobbiest, and biology professional to embrace humility and patience for the sake of the animals we keep.... you know how it goes..lol

[@crocdoc2]

You and I are going to get along just fine. :)

[@VroomTech]

you got some cute monitors. Great personality and amazing home to live in. Glad this was recommended.

[@Toast63781]

This is probably one of the cutest and coolest video I’ve seen about lizards. I think I’m in love

[@durpddurke4633]

Now how do you boop these snoots

[@froganesce]

Da Dragon Durp stallllkkkeerrr

[@laserz8397]

No u

[@froganesce]

?

[@froganesce]

i didn't actually mean da dragon durp was a stalker i just find them everywhere and then i comment that as a joke you are too sensitive seriously i like their channel too

[@laserz8397]

Just shut up u swine

[@SuchCorruptedLogic]

I don't own a fucking lizard Yet i watch this and I'm taking notes.

[@crocdoc2]

:)

[@stevendawood3457]

Bother Me w Awful Things lol

[@chipfett7335]

That was incredibly awesome! Gorgeous monitors.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks!

[@RoysGamingGarret]

You take such good care of your monitors and I love it. plus they're actually real cute. 💜

[@johnsumner2987]

I knew reptiles were smart and I think only people that have reptiles would know just how smart but now we can show the world just how smart they are with your video.

[@crocdoc2]

Thanks! That was indeed the intent behind this video.