intelligence

intelligence

Postby Buck Rogers » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:48 am

Okay, I know monitors are smart but today I witnessed it. I control my bosc's diet based on the number of times he defecates - especially in winter - so I have not fed him for a few days. So I was feeding the other herps and was ignoring my bosc's and he was doing his usual scratching the glass and then I turned around and saw him tearing bits of his plant (old man's beard) and throwing it around his cage. Would you say that is intelligence, brattyness or just a chance feeding response?
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Re: intelligence

Postby Cerberus » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:53 am

Im not sure, I've seen a few that respond to people during feeding and even resopnd to a bell as a signal that food is on the way. In the same breath though once a bosc has food on the brain it temds to be an eating machine. two theories and not much help, HAHAHA best we leve it to the people who know.

Just my 2c though ;)
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Re: intelligence

Postby Sico » Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:44 pm

Buck,

my monitor has his cage facing that of my snakes. when he see's me walk in with a bunch of rats or other food items he is definately a lot more alert and active, coming towards the front of his cage. his cage also only opens on the one side, which is further away from where i stand to feed the snakes, and he goes to that side of the cage instead of coming to the side where i am standing, which i presume means he has learnt that that is where the cage opens and that is where the food comes from.
also i dont really handle him much, basically only to take him out of the cage to clean it. if he has seen me with food before i open the cage then i have to be very careful that i dotn get bitten, whereas if i just open the cage without having any food he is quite relaxed and happy to be picked up and moved.
i do think they learn very well, and they seemt o have excellent eyesight. he appears to be able to distinguish between food objects and other objects, and i cant see how it would be related to smell, as he is alert a long time before i get to his cage, so there is no way he can smell the food coming until it is right there.
i read an article where captive Komodo Monitors exhibited "play" behaviour with random objects in their enclosures, and i wonder if this is not a trait of the monitor lizards in general.
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