07/10/2026
🦎✨ Part 2: Morning cuddles with Ziggy! ✨🦎
Following on from Cyprus, today we are moving on to the second video in our morning series featuring Miss Ziggy!
For those who don't know her backstory, Ziggy is actually Daisy’s sister and is around 6–7 years old now.
Years ago, when I was brand new to the monitor side of the reptile hobby and working at a pet shop, I was deep down a lace monitor research rabbit hole. I desperately wanted to meet a local keeper to learn about care, cleaning, and setups—a huge ask since most keepers are pretty private!
Enter: a regular customer who had just bought baby lace monitors. We got talking, and I ended up visiting. One of them immediately adored me—her name was Daisy (yes, the exact Daisy I have today!). But the other little lace monitor was Ziggy. And Ziggy? She never liked me. She was fiercely a one-person lizard who adored her previous owner.
Years later, when my friend needed to downsize, I happily took Daisy in. But earlier this year, his family circumstances changed and he needed to find a home for his beloved Ziggy, so he asked me first. I knew keeping a wary, anti-me lace monitor would present a challenge for general maintenance... but I love a challenge! 😉
Socializing an Adult Lace Monitor:
Socializing a baby is one thing because they're small and can't do much damage. An adult lace monitor? Totally different story.
I started extremely slow—giving her space and letting her dictate the pace. One cool thing I've noticed with lace monitors is how much they learn from each other.
Because Ziggy constantly watches Cyprus and Daisy walk right up to me for pats, she gradually realized I wasn't a threat.
The journey: At the very beginning, she’d give me full threat displays—puffed-out throat, standing tall, and hissing.
Progress: Eventually, that downgraded to just getting the "stink eye."
Now: She simply doesn't care that I'm in the enclosure anymore; she just looks at me and goes about her day.
This didn't happen overnight. It took months and months of tiny, few-minute interactions rather than long, forced sessions.
Breaking Down Today's Video
This clip is a massive milestone:
It is literally the FIRST time Ziggy has ever climbed onto me!
She’s approached and licked me a few times before, but this time she actually trusted me enough to climb up. If you look closely at her body language, you can definitely tell she is still quite wary of me. I wanted to remain as calm and slow as possible and let her do her thing.
The Head Push:
You'll notice me gently pushing her head away. When monitors find something interesting, their immediate instinct is often to give it a test nibble... and I really don't want to be nibbled 🤣.
The Technique:
I pushed from the underside rather than over the top. Going over the top would have startled her into a panic and made her bolt. By going low and slow, I set my boundary, she accepted it, and she calmly walked away. And that is 100% okay!
(Note: She actually did a quick approach earlier before this video was filmed, but it was so fast I wanted both hands free just in case, since I am definitely more guarded with her than I am with Cyprus! 🤣)
I am so, so proud of how far Ziggy has come. Watching her build this trust on her own terms has been incredible.
Let me know what you guys think of her progress and if you want a break down video of her behaviour! 👇💚
