Monitors

[Livey]

Does anyone have any good care sheets on Monitors?
I was thinking bosc , but i know there are tones out there..
Are they nice pets?
I've always been a beardie person, but i just think it would be a new challenge for me
Would a 8ft long viv be large enough for one?
ALso i read they don't need a UV? is that true?

Thanks Olivia x

 

[hardhitter]

I don't know much about them but I do know they are cool. I happen to run into a couple at the local pet store that had one with them about 3-4 weeks ago. I can tell you what they told me. First off the one the guy had in his arms was huge!! A good 3 feet long and he told me he was only 6 months old. He also told me that they can get very aggressive and will attack dogs and cats. He said that he eats lots of greens and lots of meat (rats and nice) but he feeds only dead feeders. That is all I can tell you , sorry I'm not more help.

 

[Livey]

thank you that did help,
Im just carnt decide if im a beardie person or an all round lizard person if you understand me :lol:
I would really have to do some looking in to it..
And my house really is not that big, the dragons run across 3 rooms to get a decent run around :|

 

[ziggy23]

They can be quite tame if they are socialized when young. I think like 8f long, 6 deep and as high as you can go is the minimum as far as size of cage. They are very intelligent, the family group is among the most intelligent of reptiles. They are known escape artists. I've heard recommendations that not only their cage be locked, but also in a locked room. When they're small they eat insects, but once they get bigger they do eat rodents. That's a problem for some people. I've never had one, but I've daydreamed of one forever, so I've read a few care sheets on them, and that's what I can remember off the top of my head.

I would say because of their size, power and space requirements a monitor would be considered an advanced reptile. It would be difficult to rehome responsibly if it doesn't work out. If your not sure, I wouldn't do it. There are other reptiles that are smaller and easier then they are.

 

[RHETORIC]

i've got a savannah. its pretty mellow but it takes a lot of work. its gotta be handled consistently to keep it that way. they are escape artists. right now mine is in a 40 gallon breeder, its easier for me to watch it since its still a juvie (its about the same size as my beardie). as an adult it will need a larger tank. i had to get a different lid for my savy's tank, it liked to reach up and shred the screen top. my savy eats dubias, crickets, ground turkey, mealworms, scrambled eggs and 2-3 mice once a week. it gets fed every other day, they're prone to obesity and will eat and eat and eat if you let them. it likes to dig/burrow. a lot of the adult enclosures have tubs under them filled with substrate so they can burrow. it does need humidity! i don't really know much about other monitors.

 

[Floof]

Monitors are great animals, but a HUGE commitment! And they need big cages. The minimum for a Savannah Monitor (can grow to 3-4 ft) is 8x4 ft floor space--not even talking about the height, especially considering they REALLY like to dig!

There's also a crap ton of really bad, inaccurate information to weed through on the internet. One good care sheet for Savannah Monitors is this one: http://savannahmonitor.org/ I don't know of any for other monitor species, though.

If 4 ft is too big for you, then you should look at some of the dwarf monitor species. There are a couple that won't get bigger than a beardie--though they still need a nice, big enclosure! One of these is the Kimberley Rock Monitor, or Varanus glauerti. This Canadian breeder has a care sheet that seems pretty reliable, as well as general species information on Kimberleys and other neat Dwarf species (including Ackies)--just click on the "Varanid Pavilion" to get to the other pages. http://www.canadiancoldblood.com/captivehusbrandy.html Since they're less common, there's also fewer "total crap" caresheets on the net for most Dwarfmonitor species, so a google search on whichever species interests you the most should bring up more good information.

Rhetoric--If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend you take a look at the care sheet I linked to above. As well, there's a good thread right here on BD.org with information about Savs: "Rex's Savannah monitor thread" by Monkey (linked here: http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=130652). She discusses many things throughout the thread, including how feeding rodents can lead to fatty liver disease (just like if you fed a beardie too many pinky mice). Africa has huge, and abundant, insect life, and, combined with the instances of fatty liver disease on rodent diets, it stands to reason that Savannah Monitors have actually evolved to live on a diet of really big insects, as opposed to rodents, like so many assume. It might be worth looking into, in case those mice you give it every week do wind up posing a real health risk.

 

[NightmareDisco]

I want a Tegu soooooooooooooooooo bad...someday when i gave a whole room to give it
They do need UV

 

[Monkey]

I would prolly recomend tegu over bosc...
I have one, and would prolly gone Tegu if I done some more research... Bosc is trickier to keep than you first imagine...


Mine is about 7 months now and I have not handled him at all, he will eat from the tweezers and is starting to relax around me.. but they take time to tame.. as small ones they are rather skittish and people recomend against force handeling cause they will accept it but be more stressed.. as a more adult you can train and tame them on their conditions and handle them very well... I have meet grown monitors thas been forcehandled and they often close their eyes and accept touch but basically they are playing dead... I dont want that for mine so I have chosen to tame him later...

They need a rather complex set up and its hard to find substitute insects for them, a lot of people will say that its ok to give god knows what kind of meats and dog food but it really isnt, a lot of boscs dont survive past 1 years of age and even less to 3-5... due to faulty diet....

no matter what monitor I would recomend UVB, I've always used it, but Im waiting for a friend now to post papers from one guy he knows they have done proper research and it seems like they DO need UVB... the savannahmonitor.org site is awesome on info...

Good luck no matter which one you choose!

 

[LaPrice]

Savannah monitors if acquired early can be pretty good pets. Or they can be terrors, it depends on the monitor's personality.

Tegu's, omg. There like big scaley cats, or raccoons depending if you don't mind a 3ft long female climbing into a case of fabric and deciding to take a nap in it.

for tegu info: http://www.varnyard-herps-inc.com/

sav info: http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/lizardsaspets/a/savannahs.htm
that's pretty correct, except about the mice. Occasionally like someone has already said. We feed ours insects and ground turkey, and he gets out very frequently.

 

[crevalle]

Monitors are favorites of mine, and I've put together a pretty detailed care sheet on my reptile hobby site, http://www.reptilerevolution.com, if you're interested. There are a few major mistakes to avoid:

1.) Provide humidity levels between 50% and 70%, below this can cause liver damage and slow fatality.
2.) Provide a basking spot that has surface temperatures around 135F-150F. Use a temp gun to calibrate.
3.) If you want to tame them, do not force handle them. Build a bond first.
4.) Make sure you can accommodate the adult size of whatever species you're thinking about purchasing.