nile monitor??

[A. gigas]

Wait, you WANT it to be mean?? Why??? You definetaly should not be keeping this animal. Or any others for that matter. This kind of crap is why Monitors and Boiids are illegal in so many places. Thanks for hurting the industry.

this^

 

[Citrinellus]

Well, I agree with the above comments. But since you already got one and you're building a big enclosure for it, then I might as well add my few cents in the proper care of these animals.

First of all, niles aren't the smartest or social of reptiles. So you must be able to cope with a pretty anti-social animal until you're able to "tame" it. Now, how do you "tame" a nile? Well, most people just try to forcibly handle the lizard and expect it to get use to it. It doesn't work that way. The way I go about it is offering food using a tong, dangling it in front of the animal and let it come to me. The same way your fish would come to you because they associate you with food. After a few weeks, the animal should be comfortable enough that it will approach you. Then, I would extend one arm into the cage with my hand resting on the bottom, and dangle the food with my other hand. The lizard should climb onto the arm in order to get to the food, once it's on my arm I slowly move it out of the cage. The whole idea is to let the lizard come to you, rather than you running after it. However, I've seriously not heard of a dog tame nile. They get semi-calm at best, so you basically have a big, carnivorous temper prone lizard that will (at best) tolerate you.

There's a reason why they're one of the cheapest monitors around. These just aren't really considered pet quality animals.

You should dust it's food in vitamins and calcium powder once a week. Being scavengers, they'll eat anything. So they have no specific or delicate dietary needs.

The adult enclosure should be big, about the size of a small room. Since these are terrestrial animals, and get very big, a good 15 ft by 10 ft enclosure should be provided.

I like your method of taming, and its how I went about it for taming my crested gecko too. But, I personally wouldn't want an 8ft monitor to associate my hand with food. It sounds like an accident waiting to happen in my opinion.

 

[nilemonster420]

ive had more then just ball pythons ive had savs and Ridge-Tailed Monitor (Varanus acanthurus)

 

[nilemonster420]

well said.

i have a few things to add:
1) i think we have a new candidate for the darwin award, someone who wants a giant carnivorous lizard that hates his guts..
2) who bets that this guy ends up on that show "fatal attractions"?

sad thing is i live 5 mins from the guy in delaware

 

[nilemonster420]

A 10' cage is not big enough for an adult Nile. It'd make a good swimming pool for a Nile to put inside a larger cage though. I'm not so sure you did all your research here...?

u dont under stand like hes olnya foot with the tail its a 10'x3' when he out grows it ill make a bigger one i plan on givein him his own room

 

[Bottomfeeder]

You should not possess this animal. End of story.

 

[Miguel]

I ask everybody to please calm down.

Let us keep this thread open, for its learning value.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

u dont under stand like hes olnya foot with the tail its a 10'x3' when he out grows it ill make a bigger one i plan on givein him his own room

Good man. But you realize that having a room for it would be a LOT of work and money, right? It would always be wet, and you'd be best off having a sloping tile floor with a drain at one end so you can just hose the crap down the drain. And you'd need to temp-control it, give the animal a suspended basking light, and either have a ceiling of non-UV inhibiting glass or have high powered flourescent lights everywhere.

 

[Citrinellus]

Good man. But you realize that having a room for it would be a LOT of work and money, right? It would always be wet, and you'd be best off having a sloping tile floor with a drain at one end so you can just hose the crap down the drain. And you'd need to temp-control it, give the animal a suspended basking light, and either have a ceiling of non-UV inhibiting glass or have high powered flourescent lights everywhere.

I thought monitors don't require uv, because they get the essential vitamins from their whole prey (Don't quote me, but I believe I've read here a few times). Though if he wanted to still provide uv, a few mercury vapor bulbs should be able to cover the basking spot.

 

[Miguel]

Infracted.

If this thread turns stupid, it is gone.