this thread is the only negative comments i've ever heard about monitors. iguanas on the other hand, the only good thing you ever hear is how good they look. so i guess it's more the person than the reptile. the care sheet i read said 4'x2'x2' enclosure for an ackie that seems kida small for a 2' lizard, is this about right???
monitor info
- Thread starter dreamandscheme
- Start date
And dude, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to 3 years. It depends on species, origins, how you interact, husbandry conditions, hidespots (VERY important for them to be allowed to burrow) and probably even feeding. Its a slow and gradual process. When it accepts you, you got yourself a friend. But you have to respect when they have bad days. This goes for just about any animal.
Hope Im helping! lol I think im off to bed...
Hope Im helping! lol I think im off to bed...
I dont see a single negative comment. Only thing I see that resembles that is thew fact that 99.9% of monitors are imported and its a tough time getting a CB one thats not Aussie.
Monitors are one animal that do not follow the books. Go as big as possible! For monitors, all dimensions are important. First, floor space needs to be SPACIOUS. They require both deep substrate and elevated spots, and I guess width too so they can burrow. Circular or oval shaped troughs make wonderful enclosures.
Monitors are one animal that do not follow the books. Go as big as possible! For monitors, all dimensions are important. First, floor space needs to be SPACIOUS. They require both deep substrate and elevated spots, and I guess width too so they can burrow. Circular or oval shaped troughs make wonderful enclosures.
loconorc;1251729; said:
Dude on the snake thread you said there's no point getting animals you don't want.
This guy could go for a large monitor ASLONG as he gets ALOT of experience with 'em which tbh, any current monitor or perspective monitor owners should do way before they get bought.
Suggesting him a 'starter monitor' which he does not particularly want just to "learn" is pretty bad advice, it won't get a as much attention (and I DON'T mean handling!) as would one he actually wanted, and it will only be sold off later. Thats not ownership. Its doing an LC..and any wonder when advice like this is being given out?
By the way, this is NOT a dig at you Loco, despite the little one about the UV at ME.
I'm not a huge monitor fantatic, but here's my $.02...
Don't know a huge bit on ackies, but I always hear good things about them and how they have relatively better dispositions than most other varanids. They also require slightly less space. The only downsize is that they are initially more pricey than most as well.
I've kept savs before so here's my spiel on them...
First of all, their temperment can vary greatly with diet, method of feeding, amount of human interaction, and most importantly, individual personality. I had one named Titan, and he was a puppy dog. Others can absolutely terrors.
I personally feel that part of this is greatly caused by diets primarly of rodents and rarely anything else. While not wanting to turn this into a heated debate on sav diets, I would like to point out that approximately only 5-10% of a wild savs diet is rodent prey. I would also like to say that savs (like many animals) have whats called a "gorge factor"; In other words, in nature, they do not come across a hefty meal every day so when they do, they gorge themselves because they don't know when their next meal is (which could a week). [FYI, my phrasing can be misleading; they really have no choice in this matter; they're simply acting on instinct].
Now in captivity, when they're given a rodent every day, they act the same way, feeding with such vigor which prompts the owner to feed them more, thinking they're still hungry. And of course, its so much more fun to watch a lizard eat a mouse than it is to eat bugs and canned food, so the end result is a very obese monitor that dies prematurely from kidney or liver ailments.
On top of that, owners usually feed the monitor in its cage, because they think its mean. So just like some snakes, the lizard associates the opening ot the cage with food, and in a roundabout way, actually does become cage-aggressive. So from these scenarios spawn two false myths: A.) all savs are mean and b.) savs must be fed rodents. Both are quite untrue.
Now I'm not going to tell anyone not to feed their savs rodents (although I never fed mine any and he turned out great). However, I do suggest feeding them rodents in much moderation, perhaps one once a week or even every other week.
Back to the topic....IMO, savs are a great beginner monitor as long as you prepare for their adult size. A custom-built enclosure is probably the best route. Feed them right and spend time with them, and you might end up with a bg lizard that does tolerate occasional handling.
[Z-trip, stand down. I already know you're going to declare that feeding savs mice will kill them. I've already addressed the issue and I didn't have to use all caps locks to do it. Your stance on the matter is dually noted.]
Don't know a huge bit on ackies, but I always hear good things about them and how they have relatively better dispositions than most other varanids. They also require slightly less space. The only downsize is that they are initially more pricey than most as well.
I've kept savs before so here's my spiel on them...
First of all, their temperment can vary greatly with diet, method of feeding, amount of human interaction, and most importantly, individual personality. I had one named Titan, and he was a puppy dog. Others can absolutely terrors.
I personally feel that part of this is greatly caused by diets primarly of rodents and rarely anything else. While not wanting to turn this into a heated debate on sav diets, I would like to point out that approximately only 5-10% of a wild savs diet is rodent prey. I would also like to say that savs (like many animals) have whats called a "gorge factor"; In other words, in nature, they do not come across a hefty meal every day so when they do, they gorge themselves because they don't know when their next meal is (which could a week). [FYI, my phrasing can be misleading; they really have no choice in this matter; they're simply acting on instinct].
Now in captivity, when they're given a rodent every day, they act the same way, feeding with such vigor which prompts the owner to feed them more, thinking they're still hungry. And of course, its so much more fun to watch a lizard eat a mouse than it is to eat bugs and canned food, so the end result is a very obese monitor that dies prematurely from kidney or liver ailments.
On top of that, owners usually feed the monitor in its cage, because they think its mean. So just like some snakes, the lizard associates the opening ot the cage with food, and in a roundabout way, actually does become cage-aggressive. So from these scenarios spawn two false myths: A.) all savs are mean and b.) savs must be fed rodents. Both are quite untrue.
Now I'm not going to tell anyone not to feed their savs rodents (although I never fed mine any and he turned out great). However, I do suggest feeding them rodents in much moderation, perhaps one once a week or even every other week.
Back to the topic....IMO, savs are a great beginner monitor as long as you prepare for their adult size. A custom-built enclosure is probably the best route. Feed them right and spend time with them, and you might end up with a bg lizard that does tolerate occasional handling.
[Z-trip, stand down. I already know you're going to declare that feeding savs mice will kill them. I've already addressed the issue and I didn't have to use all caps locks to do it. Your stance on the matter is dually noted.]
My advice :
Don't limit yourself..and more importantly, Don't let ANYBODY limit you!
But in order for this to work, you NEED to research and get as much experience (especially behavioural wise with them) as you can.
Don't limit yourself..and more importantly, Don't let ANYBODY limit you!
But in order for this to work, you NEED to research and get as much experience (especially behavioural wise with them) as you can.
Im not trying to limit anyone, dude. Just saying that ackies are great for beginners, I didnt say anything about HIM in thats sentance. No one wants him to bite off more than he can chew right?
The great sav diet debate.... My man Frank Retes would disagree with you. Hes bred almost every monitor species CONSISTANTLY for the past 20 years or so, and if it werent for him, you wouldnt even see half the monitor species you do now. He feeds ALL of his monitors nothing but crickets and mice. NOTHING. And look, his are the healthiest, largest, and best breeding animals in the country. He outbreeds all zoos combined by a longshot. So make of that what you will.
*Considering a CAPTIVE BRED, healthy, human-conditioned adult monitor*, savs make the best pets. They are much more confident than dwarf monitors, but not as hyperactive. But since 99.9% of savs are wild-caught mistreated imports, thats pretty much null and void.
So dreamandscheme, visit http://www.varanus.net. Go through the forum back to day 1 and read anything and everything that might remotely pertain to you. Ive read every post in the forum (it only goes back to January) and believe me, youll learn everything you need and more, plus stuff you didnt want to know.
So good luck man, dont get in over your head!
The great sav diet debate.... My man Frank Retes would disagree with you. Hes bred almost every monitor species CONSISTANTLY for the past 20 years or so, and if it werent for him, you wouldnt even see half the monitor species you do now. He feeds ALL of his monitors nothing but crickets and mice. NOTHING. And look, his are the healthiest, largest, and best breeding animals in the country. He outbreeds all zoos combined by a longshot. So make of that what you will.
*Considering a CAPTIVE BRED, healthy, human-conditioned adult monitor*, savs make the best pets. They are much more confident than dwarf monitors, but not as hyperactive. But since 99.9% of savs are wild-caught mistreated imports, thats pretty much null and void.
So dreamandscheme, visit http://www.varanus.net. Go through the forum back to day 1 and read anything and everything that might remotely pertain to you. Ive read every post in the forum (it only goes back to January) and believe me, youll learn everything you need and more, plus stuff you didnt want to know.
So good luck man, dont get in over your head!
loconorc;1253360; said:
This I agree on. I don't think anyone here would condone getting a WC animal. However, even most CB, healthy lizards won't be guaranteed to be "human-conditioned". Breeders and distributors simply don't have the time to give individual snuggle time to each and every baby animal that goes through their stock. Its normally up to the customer to take on that challenge.
Also, I started another thread if you want to debate this further. I didn't want to derail this anymore than it has been.
