introduction

[jpsteele80]

Hi everyone, new here obviously, came here as I'm getting back into reptiles and had a few questions that I'll ask once my account gets fully approved. I feel that I'm pretty much qualified to own anything as I have owned an array of reptiles.

A few reptiles I've owned ( just a few off the top of my head)

Red tail boa
Columbian rainbow boa
Jungle carpet python
Dumerals boa
Burmese python
Reticulated python
Leopard geckos
Asian water monitor (way harder to take care of than any snake)

Been keeping Reptiles a long time and hopefully I'll be able to give some good info.

[alessia55]

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[drumcrush]

Hey, welcome!

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes.

[Pirarucu]

Welcome aboard!

[sharthun]

Hey and welcome!

[Mikoh4792]

Hi and welcome.

What was your husbandry like for the monitor?(cage size, substrate..etc)

[jpsteele80]

Hi and welcome.

What was your husbandry like for the monitor?(cage size, substrate..etc)

Monitors demand a lot more of your attention than snakes do by far, you need a fully sealed enclosure with little ventilation to keep humidity up high, I had a 6x3x6 enclosure for mine and at full size that would have been to small and I would have needed more like a 8x4x4 minimum for a full grown water monitor, also you need at least 2 feet of dirt that will hold a burrow so you end up up with a very large cage that weighs a ton (literally). Also depending on the type of monitor a large tub for them to soak in (mine loved to do his business in there so be prepared to clean it daily, they love to make a mess, they dig around, get in the water, get out and dig some more, get back in it again lol) If your thinking of getting a monitor I recommend ackie monitors, there a fun little monitor with lots of energy, plus they don't require the same amount of space as a large monitor and there a lot more forgiving as far as being a new owner and not getting things exactly right (doesn't mean you can stick them in a open screen top cage and think it will be fine either), a 4 or 5x2x4 would probably bee good for a trio of ackeis, also you need a basking spot of like 120° minimum the can get to, there metabolism rate is way higher then a snakes so they need more heat for the digestion, some people even go as high as 160° for adults. Also any ackie you get in the US will be CBB so you don't have to worry about a sick import. Hope this helped a little or answered your question :)

[jpsteele80]

Also you have to build trust with a monitor, there not like snakes they are far more intelligent, if you have a monitor that you can just go in and pick up every day from a baby it's probably a scared monitor or your husbandry is way off, it was almost 3 months before I got my little guy to climb up on me. At best a monitor will tolerate you, they don't like being held or confined, if you ever hear puppy dog tame something is wrong, a properly kept monitor is a very alert very intelligent animal that Demands respect. And nothing drives me more crazy than to see some idiot with them on a leash walking them saying how they like it, you want to put a leash on something then get a dog lol.

[Mikoh4792]

Thanks for answering the question. I'm mainly a snake guy(carpet pythons) but I was just curious what it's like to own them. I am always fascinated by their intellect compared to other reptiles.

However for those that are thinking about owning a monitor, wouldn't it be impractical to get ackies just to get "starter" experience? What if the monitor they are really interested in needs lots of space and they can't afford to own both ackies and the monitor of their particular interest?

[jpsteele80]

Not with monitor's is not impractical, monitors will go downhill fast if you don't have your husbandry right on, I see it all the time. I had an argus monitor once for about 4 months, I got it from a guy that couldn't take care of it anymore (also very common) and this thing had an unparalleled feeding response to anything I've ever seen, ever time you opened the door this thing thought it was time to eat and if your not prepared for that you may end up getting hurt. People think it's cool that there going to have a 6 foot lizard to show off, what most people don't realize is that unlike snakes if you get bit by a 6 foot burmese or 6 foot reticulated python you going to be bleeding a bit and have a bad day, if you get tagged by a 6 foot Nile monitor that doesn't want to let go and decides to take you for a little ride, your going in for surgery for torn tendons and leguimens (I know bad spelling) and your having a real bad day. Keeping monitors is super rewarding if your doing it right. Also a monitor will out eat a snake 10:1, A growing Baby monitor will eat every day, a full grown monitor (bigger species) will pound 3 Large rats Monday and be ready to do it again Wednesday, there eating machines.

[Trent]

hi and welcome!