can someone help me...im 13!

[reptile171]

Hi everyone, listen please be considerate of what im about to say. Im 13 years old and have a nile monitor thats about 1ft long right now in a 29 gallon gallon tank....im very expirienced for my age and i would just like to know if you know the best way to tame them and take the best care for them..what do you all think?

[Emily-Fisher]

Yay! Another young'n on the site!

I just turned 12 in October.. not that it matters really :P I would say that the best way to tame ANY animal down is by handling it on a regular basis.

[reptile171]

i know someone in my town named email fisher and sounds like you...did ya get my PM.

[Dozer]

hmmm, bad choice for a starter animal... i' not no monitor pro... but you do know that these guys grow to over 5 feet right?

mike

[reptile171]

i know how big they get, and imnot startin so far i have 1 ball python, 3 RES,1 musk turtle, 1 savannah monitor and the nile...i do my research!!lol

[reptile171]

+they normaly grow 7ft.... :)

[V.hb]

7+ is a monster. you can't base everything on what you read on the net.... The average niles ive seen are 5 feet, there are some giants, but 7ft average? i doubt it try 5.5 maybe 6. And I seriously doubt you will ever grow it that large. No offence, but not many 13 year olds can afford food for such a large predator. Take it back and get something smaller, like an Ackie.

[SHvar]

At 13 you were allowed to buy any of these animals by your parents. They obviously didnt research any of those animals and / or they expect them to live a year or less in your care then you will outgrow this "faize".
A nile monitor averages between 4-6 ft as an adult, with some individuals reaching 7 ft or more (how many do you know of?) Thats because 90% die in captivity (in 6months to a year)even under the care of adults who have spent alot of time and money setting them up and feeding them as well as they can. The problem is the animals were bought for a small amount on impulse, so their relative care by the average owner is in relation to their initial cost.
The 3 animals you gave are at the top of the list of the "impulse buyers top ten most abused".
Ask yourself can you afford or offer the caging or food for even the bosc monitor you have? A proper cage as an adult (one years time) will be around 4x4x8 feet, with a foot or so of dirt and a 130+ degree basking area running 24/7. The first years food alone for it cost a couple hundred dollars. Can you afford a vet bill of a few hundred or so dollars when it is needed? I know from experience my first monitor (savannah) was over 40 inches at around a year old yet on occaision (once a year) he went to a vet with even no serious problems until after 5 years old, cost me a few hundred for removing a treating some foot abcesses, panacur treatment twice, tail injury that caused necrosis at the tip a for a few inches, and a few other visits.
Ive been raising monitors almost as long as you have been alive but I still had to pay a vet bill with one that was a few hundred last year.
The other problem is if you get hurt by any of those animals which requires professional medical attention it looks bad on your parents, but most of all it becomes worse on those of us who are adults and really care abou these animals and wish to keep them legal so that when you are old enough and responsible, you can legally own them.

[Steeve B]

I totaly agree with the good advice given to you here!

also I will add, your nil may or may not be tame when adult, from experience I can tell you it most likely whont be! in this case how will you handle even a 5 footer, you dont have a clue how powerfull they are!
in Africa natives says the only way to catch an adult nil is to kill it. they are not the easyest monitor to handle, plus even if your blessed to have a very tolerent of you monitor, trusting him and beliving he will never bite whod be very foolish.
in any case your situation is tipycal as theres 100.000s nil's sold every year in the pet trade, only 2-3% of these survive to be adults, and even a fewer numbers are in competent hands, hopefully these forums will help you become one of those very rare keepers.

[JeffT]

Well I dont know how experienced you think you are for 13 but anyways good luck with the Nile, right now you have the best knowledgeable Varanid keepers telling you whats best for the animal. Can you meet its needs, can you provide an enclosure half the size of your bedroom? Can you support their huge appetite? Ask yourself these questions before taking on an animal like this.

Jeff

[BoidKeeper]

Great post Steve. Lots of solid facts and positive constructive critisim. Good on ya. I hope members follow your good example.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Yanis]

I don't advice nile monitor for beginning because they need very big setup when they become adult and are very agressive and the bite of an adult monitor can hurt.I advice you a nice lizard for beginning like leopard gecko

[burmer]

First off you need to think about putting it in something bigger than a 29 gallon. Thats too small for him now and he will grow fast. Just from my own experience they are tough to handle. Mine is about 30 inches now and he just barely tolerates handling now. I have been handling him for about 15 minutes a day for the last six months. Just when you think they are calming down they go crazy. If your going to keep him just be patient and get a pair of good thick gloves. Good luck.

[reptile171]

dont worry i understnad, the 29 in for now. i should be gettin a 100 in about a weeks or two. I know how big these get and yes i can care for them. Im expirienced for my age...trust me!

[mbayless]

Hi Mr. teenager,

Like the other posts have said, you are in for a challenge, and then there will be girls, football, soccer, cars, pizza and so on in your next few years - will you have time for it next week? next month? next year??

These are living beings that need daily basic and some not so basic husbandry needs....you're taking on quite a project here. I hope you are not going to want to tame it so you can walk around the house with it, show it off to your friends? That is what I did with my tegu's and alligator 30 years ago when I was 13. Don't do that...

Your lizard will tame down when if learns it has nothing to fear from you, and it is on ITS TERMS, not yours - it will relax when IT feels you are no threat, and this can take years! Are you preapared for that?

Also food wise, this animals eats alot, craps a whole lot more and will from say 1 foot to 4.5 feet at least try to bite you every time you pick it up, approach it ect ---- and wait! Then when it hits puberty like you are doing now, it may charge you, going right for your eyes!

Are you still there? If so, good. Put newspaper around all the 3 sides of your 29 gal aqauria, and half of the front too, to give it some security and less exposure. It needs hot temps, maybe 105F and high high humidity (moisture in the air) and clean water every day - lots of food of all kinds, live or dead is fine but avoid canned foods and cheese.

Go get Robert Faust's book, "Nile Monitors" and if your serious, Daniel Bennett and Ravid Thakoordahl book, "Savanna monitor" too....if you cannot find them, let me know and I will give a local pet shops name and tel. no. that has them for sale...

good luck,
markb

[mbayless]

Hi Mr. teenager,

Like the other posts have said, you are in for a challenge, and then there will be girls, football, soccer, cars, pizza and so on in your next few years - will you have time for it next week? next month? next year??

These are living beings that need daily basic and some not so basic husbandry needs....you're taking on quite a project here. I hope you are not going to want to tame it so you can walk around the house with it, show it off to your friends? That is what I did with my tegu's and alligator 30 years ago when I was 13. Don't do that...

Your lizard will tame down when if learns it has nothing to fear from you, and it is on ITS TERMS, not yours - it will relax when IT feels you are no threat, and this can take years! Are you preapared for that?

Also food wise, this animals eats alot, craps a whole lot more and will from say 1 foot to 4.5 feet at least try to bite you every time you pick it up, approach it ect ---- and wait! Then when it hits puberty like you are doing now, it may charge you, going right for your eyes!

Are you still there? If so, good. Put newspaper around all the 3 sides of your 29 gal aqauria, and half of the front too, to give it some security and less exposure. It needs hot temps, maybe 105F and high high humidity (moisture in the air) and clean water every day - lots of food of all kinds, live or dead is fine but avoid canned foods and cheese.

Go get Robert Faust's book, "Nile Monitors" and if your serious, Daniel Bennett and Ravid Thakoordahl book, "Savanna monitor" too....if you cannot find them, let me know and I will give a local pet shops name and tel. no. that has them for sale...

good luck,
markb

[burmer]

Go get Robert Faust's book, "Nile Monitors" and if your serious

Great suggestion and great book. It's a must for nile keepers.

[reptile171]

I am serious about this and yes im prepared, i have a girl and she like herps too. I dont like much sports...my life is reptiles....i prpared for this and so far im raising my own mice and im prepared to feed him meat, i have a first aid kit also...i am prepared for this!

[reptile171]

and is there any chance of a nile and sav. in the same enclosure? Probal not huh?

[skinheaddave]

You should have no problems keeping the Nile and the Sav together in the short term. Its a damn expensive meal for the Nile, though.

Cheers,
Dave

[mbayless]

Agree - my V. albigularis walked over to my V. niloticus, crushed its head and walked away - they never done anything like that before or since, and my albigularis and exanthematicus never interacted, except maybe walking on one another now and then...but at that time I had 22 albigularis and exanthematicus! Boy when they crapped at the same time = look out!!! wheeewww.

cheers,
markb

[JeffT]

Oh Whats the matter? Wont have the room for a 6' enclosure and an 8' enclosure. Yeap..really prepared

[reptile171]

I fyou dont know about my future enclosure i suggest you dont talk about it. We do have an extra room that is being remodled for the monitors, and its a large room to add. I pu the too togeher and there doing great, my sav has improved his color and hes eating more...there doing great for now,i still watch them for a few hours a day to make sure nothing bad happeds to either one of them. I just tried to feed them a mouse yeaterday (dead) but they refused it.

[reptile171]

plus its alot larger than 8x6.... dont take it in the wrong way, i hope i dont sound mad... :)

[reptile171]

Im usin my school computer til my intrnets fixed,there alone at home right now...i hope there getting along,there probaly sleepin now.:2yellow:

[skinheaddave]

I've tried not to critisize up to this point because it is my opinion that people should definitely be allowed to show what they're made of, regardless of age or background.

But if you're not going to even consider what people say, why are you bothering to post? You asked whether housing them together was a good idea. You got two responses saying no. You did it anyways. This type of experimentation can be done, of course, but it has to be recognized as that -- experimentation. Honestly, don't be surprised if one makes a snack of the other.

Cheers,
Dave

[reptile171]

i have taken in all advice given, some even said to such as:
You should have no problems keeping the Nile and the Sav together in the short term. Its a damn expensive meal for the Nile, though.

Cheers,
Dave
im watching them!

[Soul_Reaper]

Originally posted by reptile171
i have taken in all advice given, some even said to such as:
You should have no problems keeping the Nile and the Sav together in the short term. Its a damn expensive meal for the Nile, though.

Cheers,
Dave
im watching them!

Maybe you didn't get it, but i am pretty sure that what skinheaddave meant was NO, there's a mighty big chance that the Sav will get unlucky...read it a couple of times over again and you might notice a little sarcasm there...

I would suggest you to listen very carefully to what these people have to say. They know a lot better than you do.

Either way, good luck.

[JeffT]

Yeah its called being sarcastic buddy, he didnt actually mean to put them together. Notice how he said " Its a damn expensive meal for the Nile", Well hes inferring that the NILE will tear your other to shredds. You asked for an opinion on if they should go together or not and a few people said NO, but you did it anyways.

I dont know how big these moniters are currently but its not a good idea. I mean, they dont even have the same care requirements for starters, it slike your trying to combine two environments into one. One animal can get sick from the others feces because they can contain things that are harmful to the other.

Not to mention just last week (or the week before) you said your savannah was quite sick, do you want your nile to get the same thing? You should keep a sick animal in quarentine for a while after you've noticed somethings wrong.

[skinheaddave]

Perhaps I should have emphasized short term ... as in, there will be no problems until your nile kills your sav. I think the others here got what I was getting at.

Cheers,
Dave

[V.hb]

Theres no reason to keep the two together, Both are incredibly powerful predators that will eat at their own will, be it eachother or what you feed them. These animals will bite eachother out of territorial behaviour, are you prepared to treat a wounded animal? Keep in mind that a wounded monitor (espeacially a wound dealt from another monitor) would be incredibly serious if not fatal? Both of the listed monitors have incredibly powerful jaws, I know first hand as my hand has been in the mouth of both species at one point or another!! All i can say is be careful with what you decide to do.

[reptile171]

Uh oh, real sorry guys i didnt get that i was in a hurry and didnt read it all the way, once again im sorry and im seperating the two soon....

[varanuskomodoen]

I'm fairly new to monitors, but they seem to fascinate kids. What is the best type to get (my preference is cheap and good for handling) :).

[reptile171]

uuuum......none....lol, im just kidding you need to be expirienced with them and do your research, i would say your should buy a hatchling savannah monitor there about $29.99 and there about 6 inches at the time, they grow to about 5ft in a few years.With my expirience there quite tame....... How old are you?

heres a good site for care information: http://www.anapsid.org/savannah.html

I would not say to get a nile monitor ....good luck!

[Jeff_Favelle]

i would say your should buy a hatchling savannah monitor there about $29.99 and there about 6 inches at the time, they grow to about 5ft in a few years

WRONG! In a few years??? A properly-kept monitor will reach adult size within a year! Even still a 5-foot Savannah is HUGE! I've never seen one. Maybe one with a reaaaal long tail.

[Bartman]

yea id say the average for a a sav is like 3.5 feet..prob tops 4..i odnt know bout the female and male difference

[mbayless]

I have seen and held 3 such large savanna monitors 5 feet and more!! They're out there - the largest was 5'5" (= same height was JohnA. over at cybersalvator = hahaha) some years ago; A friend of his, Gregg M. had a 4.0 footer named "Mongo", alos very large....you do not see large ones much for in Africa they end up in a pot for soup! Same with V. albigularis who can reach 8 feet or more and V. niloticus who reach maybe 9...Soup-de-suer anyone?

cheers,
markb

[V.hb]

My female albigularus went from 9 inches to 51 inches in 12 months. Ive had savannahs go from hatchlings to 35-36 in under a year! 9-10 months!

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

So far, with all the advice given to you(reptile171), i have to agree with all the posts giving you advice. Ive got a savannah(only 10 inches right now)and i am taking care of three at a pet store and they sure as hell have dif care requirements as the nile. Like stated, if you said your sav was sick it should be quarentined for at least 30 DAYS!!! Have you got the money, a job, can you pay for their care? An average vet visit for me(one of my snakes or lizards)can cost me an average of $30. A check-up at least yearly should be done. Food, probably the MOST EXPENSIVE part of keeping an animal, besides setting up a HUGE tank for these lizards. I now breed my own mice and rabbits because it was costing too much to buy feeders for my animals all the time. I get crikets for my scorpions, frogs, and sav by about 100 and mealworms, superworms, and waxworms too. Its alot of money and you have too be caring for them properly. Hey, im a couple months from 14, but ive done my reasearch(too much, i am the computer hog). But no matter how much reasearch i do, i am always asking people, backing my reasearch up with facts, and checking if i can provide proper care. Good luck and i HIGHLY sudgest that you take the advise of all the others on this forum. By the way, a savannah will RARELY grow to 5 feet if not 4. The bigest one i am working with is just under 3.5 feet. Good luck.

Chris

[SHvar]

My first bosc monitor was 6 inches long when I bought him, he grew to 40 inches that year, then topped out at 4 ft 6 inches at 2-3 years and stayed there until he died at 5 or so.
My current large BT/WT cross was 16 inches long at 2 months old when I got her, she grew to 60 inches at a year old, shes now 2 and 6 ft 1/2 inch long.
My red ackie is a year old at 22 inches or so.
My timor (now my friends wifes monitor) is 4.5 -5 years old and 29+ inches.
They can grow very very fast and you dont realize it.
Right now my one friends baby BT is between 2-3 months old and hes already 17 inches.
Another bosc I had tripled in size in 8 weeks time from when I got him.
The cages are the most expensive part followed by food then vet bills, the animal itself is the least expensive part.
Expensive hobby, but then I make good money so it helps alot. I know before I was 20-21 I could barely afford to keep more than 1-2 monitors and sometimes other bills and myself went without so they could get fed, my husbandry suffered then as so did the monitors because I couldnt do any more for them. At that time I was also working full time and taking night classes. I had already been out of the army before this yet.
Some things to think about before getting one.

[varanuskomodoen]

like I said, I'm new to monitors. A crocodile monitor wouldn't be my first choice, and I would keep it well away from a savannah or any other small monitors.

[Reptiles Galore]

Hi kid

If your nile is a spaz and is hissing and trying to bite you, then you should try taking a small towel about the size of him, and then put it over his body ( mostly his head so he cant see whats going on) then just hold him, and he should start getting commor, and then just move the towel down from his head so he can see and just hold him.

Aaron

[varanuskomodoen]

Hold him so that he (or she) won't get away and do NOT hold him for the first time standing up. Sit down because if it does struggle free of your arms, it won't fall a great distance, and less harm will be done!:D Good luck!!