i was thinking about looking into getting a monitor (not sure which species but i got a thing for larger reptiles). but there are a few questions i have before i get serious. i currently have an iguana and was raised with snakes. first q is the enclosure, how big related to size?? and temperament how aggressive are they compared to an iguana w/attitude?? any species suggestions would also be appreciated (keep in mind i live in ca so anything that can be considered "wild" is illegal). thanks to all that reply!!!!
monitor info
- Thread starter dreamandscheme
- Start date
Best to start out with ackies, and work your way up. A huge monitor is OVERWHELMING. Even small ones are not to be taken lightly. They are NOT handling pets, but are such a blast you shoudlnt even want to. Big ones can be outright dangerous. They are bulletproof when kept correctly and require lots and lots of space. They are a much bigger commitment than iguanas...
One last thing (lets see what happens...) Monitors dont need UV light.
Check out http://www.varanus.net.
One last thing (lets see what happens...) Monitors dont need UV light.
Check out http://www.varanus.net.
Um... Ackies are expensive everywhere. The only reason why Savannahs are so cheap is because they are mass-exported out of Africa. So much so, no one really bother breeding Savannah Monitors. Either way, most of the Savannahs I seen for sales at shows are naaaaaaaaaasty.
Dude, ackies are CHEAP. Savs are EXPENSIVE. When you think about the cost of an animal, you think WAY beyond the animal itself. Heating, caging, feeding, breeding, everything. You could feed an ackie for a year with the same amount of $ it takes to feed a sav in a month. Not to mention niles and waters.
And you CANNOT get CB savs. Almost all of them are a nightmare to get conditioned to people. Dont even try force handling... (which no one should do anyway)
Saying you can afford a sav but cannot afford an ackie is like saying you can afford a Burm but you cant afford a mandarin rat.
And you CANNOT get CB savs. Almost all of them are a nightmare to get conditioned to people. Dont even try force handling... (which no one should do anyway)
Saying you can afford a sav but cannot afford an ackie is like saying you can afford a Burm but you cant afford a mandarin rat.
Kioka;1251781; said:
really? All i see is ones that are either to lazy or dont care what you do to them to do anything and let you pick them up or whatever.
loconorc;1251795; said:
yeah i geuss, just saying thats what everyperson tells me at my shops
so i dunno, still a noob sorta
Thats because they are *mentally* dead. Aside from the fact they are too cold, sick, stressed, and dehydrated to move, theyve given up the will to live. Kinda like a prison inmate... And actually, most ARE dead.
Thats not lazy. Thats not passive.
A real, healthy, tame (for lack of a better word) monitor will walk up to you, give you a sniff, try to get food from you, and once it realizes you arent a threat, MIGHT privelage you by letting you pet it. But for this to happen, it has to be HEALTHY first.
Thats not lazy. Thats not passive.
A real, healthy, tame (for lack of a better word) monitor will walk up to you, give you a sniff, try to get food from you, and once it realizes you arent a threat, MIGHT privelage you by letting you pet it. But for this to happen, it has to be HEALTHY first.
I think a better word would be tolerant, not tame.
None of my reptiles are tame, but they are tolerant of me.
None of my reptiles are tame, but they are tolerant of me.
my iguana has an attitude from hell(i've tried acclimating. its been two months, hasn't worked yet). so as far as aggression i'm willing to deal with that.