nile monitor??

[Sylvias]

.... you have 2 ball pythons...so you automatically know how to care for all reptiles....
and you want it to be mean as hell.....
I do not see this ending well. Nile monitors are MUCH more demanding than many other species of lizards or even other monitors and DEFINITELY not even slightly comparable to a ball python....
I don't mean to put you down (or other ball python keepers in general) but it takes absolutely no skill to keep a healthy ball python.
Niles are very large, VERY aggressive animals and they are extremely difficult to tame down... even with the best, most experienced keepers some never actually tame down. But I guess you don't want it to so I suppose you just plan on building on a HUGE 10ftX10ft enclosure (at least) for a heavy 6ft lizard that will eat probably $20-$40 worth of food a week depending on what you are feeding... on top of that you will need to provide high temperature hot spot large enough for the majority of the animals body to fit under. I am not sure on the specifics for niles but I know most monitors like it very hot! Around 120 degrees or more for some species.
And then let's not forget you have to get in there to clean, change water, and whatever else.
So you have a giant, evil -and there fore dangerous- lizard for what reason?
This was not an really and intelligent decision....


You mentioned having 2 ball pythons... have you had anything else? ANYTHING at all? Ball pythons do not really count as experience... for anything... If you were going to get into monitors you should have done your research much more thoroughly and decided on something like an ackie or a savannah monitor to start with. hell even a water monitor would have been better! They get big but they also tame down.
Best of luck to you, next time you think about getting something... research it VERY well and plant out exactly what you will do for and with it for it's entire life span.

 

[A. gigas]

.... you have 2 ball pythons...so you automatically know how to care for all reptiles....
and you want it to be mean as hell.....
I do not see this ending well. Nile monitors are MUCH more demanding than many other species of lizards or even other monitors and DEFINITELY not even slightly comparable to a ball python....
I don't mean to put you down (or other ball python keepers in general) but it takes absolutely no skill to keep a healthy ball python.
Niles are very large, VERY aggressive animals and they are extremely difficult to tame down... even with the best, most experienced keepers some never actually tame down. But I guess you don't want it to so I suppose you just plan on building on a HUGE 10ftX10ft enclosure (at least) for a heavy 6ft lizard that will eat probably $20-$40 worth of food a week depending on what you are feeding... on top of that you will need to provide high temperature hot spot large enough for the majority of the animals body to fit under. I am not sure on the specifics for niles but I know most monitors like it very hot! Around 120 degrees or more for some species.
And then let's not forget you have to get in there to clean, change water, and whatever else.
So you have a giant, evil -and there fore dangerous- lizard for what reason?
This was not an really and intelligent decision....


You mentioned having 2 ball pythons... have you had anything else? ANYTHING at all? Ball pythons do not really count as experience... for anything... If you were going to get into monitors you should have done your research much more thoroughly and decided on something like an ackie or a savannah monitor to start with. hell even a water monitor would have been better! They get big but they also tame down.
Best of luck to you, next time you think about getting something... research it VERY well and plant out exactly what you will do for and with it for it's entire life span.

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"?

 

[M|L]

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.

 

[coura]

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 agree with most of your statement, however I dont agree with you saying that niles arent paticulary smart, they actualy are VERY smart, most simply have minds of their own and dont want to cooperate with humans, they can be trained and they are very inquisitive. There are some very "tame" niles but nothing like other pets, the animal has to have control in the interaction it wants to have, othrwise they turn nasty.Also I would say that a room size enclosure its best for such a big and dinamic animal.

 

[Miguel]

I know zilch about Monitors ( love them, anyway ). But I know guys who keep the big ones ( Salvatori and other big species??) and I am told that their danger level is so high, that they actually, inteligently, AMBUSH you when you are in their enclosure, and that, consequently, there is a high risk of being victim of an active attack by them.

Does this apply to Niles?

 

[M|L]

Yeah, I didn't intend to say niles are "stupid", the one I kept a year ago was pretty docile (it never attempted to bite me) but still typical young monitor attitude (flighty). In other words, it was like any other lizard I've kept. I'm by no means an expert with experience on large monitors but I really have not heard of a "dog tame" nile. I'm sure as they grow up they get more confident and less flighty but I've yet to see one that enjoys the company of it's keeper. It could be that because of their low prices, inexperienced people buy them and can't raise these animals up properly. It is absolutely possible that by using the method of interaction I (and others) described above, you can get your nile to be a pretty "tame" animal.

 

[coura]

I know zilch about Monitors ( love them, anyway ). But I know guys who keep the big ones ( Salvatori and other big species??) and I am told that their danger level is so high, that they actually, inteligently, AMBUSH you when you are in their enclosure, and that, consequently, there is a high risk of being victim of an active attack by them.

Does this apply to Niles?

Shure does Miguel, even some iguanas do that...

 

[coura]

Yeah, I didn't intend to say niles are "stupid", the one I kept a year ago was pretty docile (it never attempted to bite me) but still typical young monitor attitude (flighty). In other words, it was like any other lizard I've kept. I'm by no means an expert with experience on large monitors but I really have not heard of a "dog tame" nile. I'm sure as they grow up they get more confident and less flighty but I've yet to see one that enjoys the company of it's keeper. It could be that because of their low prices, inexperienced people buy them and can't raise these animals up properly. It is absolutely possible that by using my method of interaction I (and others) described above, you can get your nile to be a pretty "tame" animal.

By "tame" I mean, comes to check you out, doesant run or try other agressive behavior if, you keep your distance and you dont try to confine him. Thats what you can expect from a nile.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

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...?

 

[Bottomfeeder]

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.