well i was thinking of getting a nile monitor...any one have anything to say about it...its either that or a savanah wat does everyone think...
nile
- Thread starter dovii88
- Start date
have you kept monitors before?
Niles get big 6 -8ft probably they are tetchy (although can tame down quite well), sensitive skittish and when they bite they don't let go ... I speak from experience !!!
I have a young ornate at the moment, a cracking lizard with great pattern and colour its temperament is getting better and it's growing like a weed.
Its not exactly a lizard for a first monitor, a sav is a far better bet.
How much space do you have?
A sav should only get to about 3.5ft - 4ft, should tame down quite well and generally fair better as a 'pet' lizard.
Both are easy enough to keep as long as you have the space (obviously a nile will need a lot more of it) and the time to interact with them. Another thing to consider is that a sav will be a lot cheaper to feed.
carl
Niles get big 6 -8ft probably they are tetchy (although can tame down quite well), sensitive skittish and when they bite they don't let go ... I speak from experience !!!
I have a young ornate at the moment, a cracking lizard with great pattern and colour its temperament is getting better and it's growing like a weed.
Its not exactly a lizard for a first monitor, a sav is a far better bet.
How much space do you have?
A sav should only get to about 3.5ft - 4ft, should tame down quite well and generally fair better as a 'pet' lizard.
Both are easy enough to keep as long as you have the space (obviously a nile will need a lot more of it) and the time to interact with them. Another thing to consider is that a sav will be a lot cheaper to feed.
carl
A friend had a bedroom converted into a diorama type display for his pair of adult niles, the female was around 7' long and dangerously aggressive.
in my experence nile don't really get tame i raised one from 3 or 4" without the tail till alittle bigger than 2' again measured not including tail and it never really got tame even though i handled it everyday it just got meaner the bigger it got...so don't be fooled by the people that tell you that nile get dog tame it's really rare. if you want some thing that tames easy get the savannah. me personaly i perfer the crazy monster nile
Super G said:
Looks a little obesse. That will no doubt affect the monitor's behavior and make it a little calmer but is not healthy.
If this is you first monitor, I would recommend getting ackies (V. acanthurus). They stay smaller, have tons of personality, and you're guaranteed to get CBB because its illegal to export them from Oz. Niles are imported like crazy, so your chances of getting a healthy one would be far less than buying CBB. They also get HUUUGE and are generally very skittish/aggressive. There are exceptions to that rule, but those are few and far between. If you went with a nile, odds are it would end up being more of a display lizard. Savs would be, in my opinion, a better choice but are also imported like crazy, so I don't know if I would buy one of those either.
If you were looking for a larger lizard, I'd recommend blackthroats (V. ionides) or whitethroats (V. albigularis). They are more tolerant of people's presence, which I think is important when dealing with such large, dangerous lizards.
It's your call though. Just remember, that kept properly with the right temps., food, etc, any species of monitor has the potential to be aggressive and not take well to handling, so even though niles are more notorious for it, savs can be just as aggressive. Just my $0.02.
Best of luck though with your decision. They are great lizards to keep, very intelligent, and still rewarding even as display specimens.
I'd check out these websites if you havent already. They have great information on monitors.
This website (Pro Exotics) has some great caresheets, FAQ's, and also sells monitors.
http://proexotics.com/main.html
Kingsnake.com has a good monitor forum with real knowledgeable people who would have some good input.
http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=55
Varanus.net has a forum that typically covers more advanced issues. Not so many noob questions, but a lot of the people who post are the same from the Kingsnake forum.
http://varanus.net/