Curious about costs

[boosh96]

Now, for the record I'm not considering a monitor lizard at this point in time. And I know that keeping monitors isn't exactly a cheap undertaking. But how expensive, exactly, ARE monitor lizards? How do the initial and long-term costs stack up between small, mid-sized, and large monitors?

[athms]

I dont have any large lizards but it probably depends on the type like an ackie witch dosent need as large of enclosure as a water monitor

[infernalis]

Short term expenses....

Large cage + lots of soil = roughly $1000

Long term expenses...

Electricity - Keeping that large cage well heated at all times will cost quite a bit in energy costs.

food - Monitors are the exact opposite of snakes with food consumption, they eat and eat and eat some more. Where a snake will eat a rat and be "happy" for many days, even weeks, a monitor will eat the rat, it's parents, the babies and go hunting for more.

Expect to dish out 1K or more per year over and over for just one medium size monitor lizard.

[boosh96]

Would anyone care to share how much it costs to house and care for a big monitor?

[formica]

heres a rough breakdown, for my sub-adult monitor:


enclosure (grow on, not recomended, go straight to full size)
£50 OSB and Pine
£10 front face including glass
£50 Pond Sealant
£20 Silicone-type Sealant
£20 UVB/A
£10 Light fittings
£20 Polycarbonate twinwall
£10 Varnish
£35 Top Soil and Sand
£25 6 month supply of heat lamps

Sub Total £250 (~$410)

bare in mind this is not a full size enclosure, i've already spent more than that on materials for his/her full size enclosure, and I estimate it will cost about £460-480 once complete - not including soil, which is about £80 per ton, so £560 (~$920), probably more

food, sub-adult, 3-4 inches under 2ft long (and only 9months old)

200-250 crickets per week £7
50-100 locusts (or dubia) per week £15
4-5 small adult mice £4.50
1-3 small fish £0.50

£1404 per year (~$2450)