Out of the following, which monitor would you choose as a pet? I will read as much as I can and make sure it has the best possible care. I have studied their lengths, enclosure sizes, diets, temp requirements, humidity requirements, etc. If I do end up getting a monitor, it will be excellently cared for. This is a matter of personal preference. Here are a few I'm looking into: -Ackies -Savs -Mangrove Monitors -Argus Monitors -Black Tree Monitors -Mertens Monitors I love water monitors and lace monitors and all the rest, but they are too large for me to accommodate.
I was wondering this a few weeks ago also, but have decided on getting a sav. Savs still need a good 7x4x4 enclosure though(i'm going to build my own). Not sure where you got your information from but alot of places aren't exactly..how you say accurate exanthematicus.com is a site by a good sav keeper. If you want a nice picture guide on how to build a good enclosure just ask.
what do you want? if you want colours, or personality, or size? i will surely vote for green tree monitor if you have them! small sized, unique and (in my opinion) perfect colour, quite nice personality. easy to care for too.
Thanks for the input, guys! If I end up getting a monitor, it will be my last lizard. I am busy a,s it is. I think 2 lizards is my limit. I'm looking for one around 3-5ft, maybe smaller. I understand that all monitors can be snappy, but I am looking for a somewhat-friendly lizard. It will get handled regularly. Teiryklav- I will look into green tree monitors. They look really cool. Wearentfree- I may end up with a sav too; they are the most available. I know what you mean about online reading; I have found many reptile care sites that are completely incorrect. I will look for a book, I'll also check out exanthematicus.com. Thanks! Also, after reading a bit more about some of the monitors I listed above, I realize that many of them require high humidity, which is not an option for me. Our house is normally around 35%, lower during the winter.
Humidity shouldn't be a problem. If you have a cage with proper ventilation(which is supposed to be less ventilation, to keep in humidity) then humidity shouldn't be a problem. When you say he will be handled regularly you should understand that monitors aren't exactly beardies. You should take it slow when handling. When you first get him don't handle, approach the cage slowly when you do and just toss in the food. Once he gets used to you and isn't scared when you approach the cage and will act calmly then you can feed him with tongs. The key is to teach him basically that it is YOU that is giving him FOOD, the thing he needs to survive. I saw a vid on youtube of a guy tong feeding his sav and put the food up high so he had to raise on 2 feet then used his arm as a perch for the sav and kept feeding him. And another of the same guy who made the sav chase the food up his leg till the sav was on his lap then kept feeding him. Here's a link to a post on different forums with a good pictured cage structure for monitors. http://repticzone.com/forums/Monitors/messages/1272637.html
Thanks! I understand that monitors take some time to calm down. I also strongly believe in giving lizards free roam for several hours a day. Do you think low humidity would be a problem during free roam time?
Nah its just free roam time, its not like its gonna be for an incredibly long period of time. They'll still be put back in to their cage with the high humidity for digesting and shedding and whatnot. Let me know how it goes whenever you decide to build a cage(if you do) cause i'm in the same boat as you right now. Just need to start building the cage which hopefully isn't too difficult.
I'm not sure yet... I've got a new snake coming tomorrow and a lot of other things going on right now. If I do get a monitor, it won't be for a while. I built my bearded dragon's cage (4x2x2). It actually wasn't too hard. I went off of this site. http://www.freewebs.com/crossfireenclosures/
are you getting a new snake and you didnt tell us?? the BRB you dreamed? BRB got really expensive here. i just found a very expensive snake for sale in my country, that goes for US$ 10.000, a pygmy python from west aussies
Actually, he's a blood python. I'm still getting a BRB, but I'm waiting for the fall when there are more available. Here's the thread I made for him with pics and such. http://www.reptilerooms.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64670 Wow! $10,000! That's a lot. I've never heard of a pygmy python.
Sav's grow fast, but I would recommend them to anyone who has the time, knowledge and love for great lizards! Loki is nearly two years old and just building his adult tank, has taken me bloody ages!
Hey dekor. How are you building his adult cage? If you got pics i'd love to see them. I'm going to start building a cage for a sav i'm going to get. I'm building it out of wood and FRP.
Right now, time is the only problem. I have read loads about all different kinds of lizards (still filling up with sav info) and I love lizards, but I don't have much time on my hands.
