Komodo Dragon as a pet..?

[hunter4life]

Does anyone think it's outrageous to have a Komodo Dragon as a pet..? My neighbor used to own one and he kept it in a huge aquarium..I felt so bad for it because it being a large lizard in small area, he was about 50ish pounds and 4ish feet when I held him and played with him one time. It actually liked coming over to see my Sav. Monitor and they'd bask out on the driveway together..sadly his ended up dying because it got ahold of something in the house and died, hence why you don't leave things out it bothers me a ton! What are your views?

[Bloutitt]

Well, uhh, seems dangerous to me but it would be a thrill to own one.

[sweatshirt]

I didn't even know they were legal :P

[smy_749]

I doubt he had one. Pics or it didn't happen.

[MDT]

I'm gonna just watch this one....

http://i.imgur.com/Hkq3c.gif

[Akuma223]

I agree with smy lol

[Mikoh4792]

Does anyone think it's outrageous to have a Komodo Dragon as a pet..? My neighbor used to own one and he kept it in a huge aquarium..I felt so bad for it because it being a large lizard in small area, he was about 50ish pounds and 4ish feet when I held him and played with him one time. It actually liked coming over to see my Sav. Monitor and they'd bask out on the driveway together..sadly his ended up dying because it got ahold of something in the house and died, hence why you don't leave things out it bothers me a ton! What are your views?

How do you know the komodo dragon liked seeing your savana monitor?

[hunter4life]

How do you know the komodo dragon liked seeing your savana monitor?


Not sure, it just seemed they didn't care that they were around eachother (mind you I was around 9 or 10 and I thought that they liked eachother if they looked at eachother lol) And I don't have pics cause this was about 8 or so years ago, I just brought it up because I was talking about savannah monitors earlier :)

[smy_749]

It was probably a water monitor or a black throat or something...

[Amadeus]

Not sure, it just seemed they didn't care that they were around eachother (mind you I was around 9 or 10 and I thought that they liked eachother if they looked at eachother lol) And I don't have pics cause this was about 8 or so years ago, I just brought it up because I was talking about savannah monitors earlier :)

They were to cold to care.

[valid]

I want to know why you were just letting your monitors hang out on your drive way. Especailly the Komodo. Even if you were a kid I would assume the guy who owned the komodo (If's that's what it really was .. I have high doubts) would be an adult .. and know better than to just let his potentially dangerous animal 'just hang'.

I would assume that a Komodo dragon would require a large exotics license ... Which as far as I know, do not allow the caretaker to remove the animal from off their property - Unless being taken for medical care, or educational purposes.

[infernalis]

I am going to put the brakes on this one.

Varanus komodoensis has been an endangered species and highly protected since before some of you kids here were even born.

I believe you have been lied to, and it was either a water monitor (closely related) or an Albigularis (black throat, not so closely related)

If anyone were to be caught in posession of a Komodo, not only would they face felony charges, but the whole thing would make the news.

[hunter4life]

I want to know why you were just letting your monitors hang out on your drive way. Especailly the Komodo. Even if you were a kid I would assume the guy who owned the komodo (If's that's what it really was .. I have high doubts) would be an adult .. and know better than to just let his potentially dangerous animal 'just hang'.

I would assume that a Komodo dragon would require a large exotics license ... Which as far as I know, do not allow the caretaker to remove the animal from off their property - Unless being taken for medical care, or educational purposes.


It was probably something else, but it seemed like one (remember I was a kid and I believed people on what they said cause I didn't recognize all the animals at that time) I think the guy may have been trying to be cool saying it was something 'exotic' which I hate, if you get an animal I don't see it as a symbol of social climbing because it's 'rare' or 'exotic' and people think it's cool and fun. And they both were on lizard leashes, his lizard wasn't full grown yet, around 4ish feet. When I say together, I still mean they are apart, just the same area.

[infernalis]

I would assume that a Komodo dragon would require a large exotics license ... Which as far as I know, do not allow the caretaker to remove the animal from off their property - Unless being taken for medical care, or educational purposes.

That caretaker would have to remove that lizard from one of the only 35 zoos in the US that have one.

No chance of eggs getting stolen either, since breeding is so rare.

[hunter4life]

I am going to put the brakes on this one.

Varanus komodoensis has been an endangered species and highly protected since before some of you kids here were even born.

I believe you have been lied to, and it was either a water monitor (closely related) or an Albigularis (black throat, not so closely related)

If anyone were to be caught in posession of a Komodo, not only would they face felony charges, but the whole thing would make the news.

I'm positive you're right. As I said in my last reply I'm sure he was lying trying to be cool (the guys was also about 20 at the time and pretty much seemed like a bum who did nothing all day with no job..lol)

[infernalis]

I'm positive you're right. As I said in my last reply I'm sure he was lying trying to be cool (the guys was also about 20 at the time and pretty much seemed like a bum who did nothing all day with no job..lol)

That seals it then, With a big enough cash flow, anything is possible.

But the likelihood that a 20 year old "bum" is going to have the resources to poach a living Komodo is about the same as little green men living on mars.

[hunter4life]

That seals it then, With a big enough cash flow, anything is possible.

But the likelihood that a 20 year old "bum" is going to have the resources to poach a living Komodo is about the same as little green men living on mars.


Very true lol but even if it was any of the other stated monitors, keeping it in a fish tank that was a 50-60 gallon long tank seems absolutely terrible for the poor lizard.. :hmm:

[valid]

I have never looked into large exotic liscences for my self - but when I was young, for a brief time we had a crazy Romanian neighbor, that inherited a Russian brown bear from his uncles brothers cousins circus' or something. He had to jump through MAJOR hoops to get it imported and allowed legally. He had a bucket list of restrictions and authorities would come out and check up on it all the time as well.

I have no idea what would be require for a komodo, and i highly doubt it would even be allowed - but I would imagine the process would be similar.

[infernalis]

Very true lol but even if it was any of the other stated monitors, keeping it in a fish tank that was a 50-60 gallon long tank seems absolutely terrible for the poor lizard.. :hmm:

This is absolutely true.

I keep my monitors in a cage that takes up half my reptile room, and I feel horrible confining them in it.

[infernalis]

It was probably a water monitor or a black throat or something...

Plus one ++ I just now read this post.

The two largest monitors commonly seen in the pet trade.

[smy_749]

I smell the lizard king's dirty business at work here. Was your neighbors name Anson Wong?

[infernalis]

I used to walk my megalania on a leash too. :D

[Kimmie]

Komodo Dragon-Smaug - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvdLj7o2P98)

This is a Zoo, but I cant remember where I saw it, but someone owned one and he was petting it, laying with it, it can be a pet just like a retic
(just taking a large snake since that is also dangerous in somes eyes)
they are just like a tegu or a water monitor. But like some say they are not allow in most countries. I would gladly own one but would not have the space ;D.

This women even trained hers.

[robertjnovak59]

Every so often I see an ad on craigslist selling komodos. I always figured it was a scam.

[Will0W783]

As others have stated, it couldn't have been a Komodo dragon. They are endangered and highly protected, plus a bite is almost always fatal. Although they are not technically venomous, they have a slurry of foul bacteria in their mouths that cause rampant infections, sepsis, and death in bite victims. It's a primary means of subduing their prey- they attack and bite it, then track it until it is overcome by the bacteria and dies (usually within a few days). Keeping one as a "pet" would be a death wish.

[smy_749]

As others have stated, it couldn't have been a Komodo dragon. They are endangered and highly protected, plus a bite is almost always fatal. Although they are not technically venomous, they have a slurry of foul bacteria in their mouths that cause rampant infections, sepsis, and death in bite victims. It's a primary means of subduing their prey- they attack and bite it, then track it until it is overcome by the bacteria and dies (usually within a few days). Keeping one as a "pet" would be a death wish.

Says the girl with 20 venomous snakes! lol I'm just messing...but seriously :P

[murrindindi]

As others have stated, it couldn't have been a Komodo dragon. They are endangered and highly protected, plus a bite is almost always fatal. Although they are not technically venomous, they have a slurry of foul bacteria in their mouths that cause rampant infections, sepsis, and death in bite victims. It's a primary means of subduing their prey- they attack and bite it, then track it until it is overcome by the bacteria and dies (usually within a few days). Keeping one as a "pet" would be a death wish.


Hi, just to let you know that they ARE venomous in every sense of the word. It is NOT bacteria in their mouths that does the damage (all animals have some bacteria in their mouths), it`s the teeth and venom.
There was a discussion on this topic very recently if you`d like to take a look, and get some very reliable updates, the title is: " "Recent Komodo dragon postings of Dr. Bryan Fry", it`s at the bottom of page one on the Varanid forum.