Some questions needs to be answered asap....helP!

[wil_son]

Hi all I am new to this forum and I am a big fan of large size reptiles in Vancouver. As my milk snake escaped and gone for 2 months. I have decided to get a medium size lizard and I have made my mind on either a Savannah Monitor or a Argentini Black and White Tegu. However, this is my first time keeping lizard at this size so I have a few beginner's questions to ask and hopefully you guys can answer them. First, is there anywhere that I can get a reasonably cheap price in Vancouver? Second, can anyone teach me how to build a box with a side open glass door? Like what kinds of material will i need and how much money do i need to build that? I really hope someone can answer my questions cuz i know they sounds kinda stupid...lol....


thanks

[kriminaal]

Looking into a Sav monitor I wouldn't exactly call it a medium sized lizard. I guess if you compare it to a Perentie or Komodo.
For a medium sized monitor I would look at the Peachthroat. You won't find them as cheap as a t-shirt though like the Savannah.
Keep in mind a full-grown Sav needs a very large enclosure like 10 ft long.

[twiztidjuggalo]

get a nile monitor

[crocdoc]

for a first time biggish lizard, I wouldn't recommend a savannah, peachthroat or Nile. Your original idea of an Argentine black and white tegu is the best one. They're captive bred, they're omnivorous and they become relatively calm adults.

[cedwards]

Well they all are good because you have to tame it just get it young and some of them will get on the large size. I was lucky with my Nile because she was not handled in 1 year 6months then I got her. It took me 6 months 1 hour a day in my store with her alone talking to her petting her treating her like a pet and gain her trust. Well now I can take her out handle her just need to now there sign when to back off they can still bite just like anything ells. I've got pic's on here. Good luck with your search.
Cheers
Chuck

[crocdoc]

Do NOT get a Nile monitor as your first monitor. They don't often calm down, they are all wild caught and they get huge.

[cedwards]

Do NOT get a Nile monitor as your first monitor. They don't often calm down, they are all wild caught and they get huge.

You can't very well tell someone not to get a Nile they don't often calm
down ,do you own one? Mine is 12 years old when I got her and she was my first Nile and there are captive breed Niles out there you just need to look. Just do your research and make sure you have the room for what ever you get and spend a lot of time with it. Good luck and have fun with it.
Cheers
Chuck

[kriminaal]

Say CrocDOC. You don't recommend Peachthroats for beginners? Are they a more difficult species to keep?

[crocdoc]

No peachthroats aren't a good first monitor.

Cedwards,

1. name a single Nile breeder in Canada.
2. the vast majority of Niles do not make calm captives

[wil_son]

Thx all for all the replies and advices. I really appreciate that.
However, I don't think a nile monitor would fit me just cuz I don't think i will have enough space for it. Right now I am just looking for a Argentine Black and White Tegu or maybe a Red Tegu. Does anyone know how to any way to get one within a lower price? cuz a retail Red tegu over here in Vancouver is like 400+. Once again, Thx all for the help everyone.

[cedwards]

It dose not have to be here in Canada. My Nile was wild caught and she is fine with me she went a year and a half not being handled. In 3 to 6 months I am holding her kissing her. Show them trust take really good care of them just know when to back off from them. Any monitor wild or not will make a good pet some will take more time to calm down then others.
Cheers
Chuck

[crocdoc]

Chuck, my concerns about whether or not an animal is wild caught has nothing to do with whether or not you can cuddle or kiss it. It has to do with an animal being removed from the wild, kept in appalling conditions, shipped across the world in appalling conditions and then ending up in a pet store, usually where it is kept in appalling conditions. For every animal that makes it alive many die on the way.

As for captive bred animals, yes it does matter whether or not the breeder is in Canada because the original poster of this thread is in Canada.

Niles still are not the best monitor to get if one is after a monitor they can interact with. Your experiences are based on a single animal that you've had for less than six months, Chuck.

By the way, do you have photos of its current enclosure? In another thread on another forum you said that it is twelve years old and has been kept in a 6x2x2 enclosure for the past two years. That's way too small for a monitor that size, but that animal is also way too small for a twelve year old animal. I'd say that it hasn't been kept in ideal conditions for much of its life.

[cedwards]

[quote=crocdoc;540076]Chuck, my concerns about whether or not an animal is wild caught has nothing to do with whether or not you can cuddle or kiss it. It has to do with an animal being removed from the wild, kept in appalling conditions, shipped across the world in appalling conditions and then ending up in a pet store, usually where it is kept in appalling conditions. For every animal that makes it alive many die on the way.

As for captive bred animals, yes it does matter whether or not the breeder is in Canada because the original poster of this thread is in Canada.

Niles still are not the best monitor to get if one is after a monitor they can interact with. Your experiences are based on a single animal that you've had for less than six months, Chuck.

By the way, do you have photos of its current enclosure? In another thread on another forum you said that it is twelve years old and has been kept in a 6x2x2 enclosure for the past two years. That's way too small for a monitor that size, but that animal is also way too small for a twelve year old animal. I'd say that it hasn't been kept in ideal conditions for much of its life.[/quote



I also said in that post you are talking about that she was a rescue. Niles will range from 4 feet to 7 feet so I think she is not small she is also missing part of her tail. She was in the pet store when I bought it(Bighill Pets)and I was working there before that so all in all I have been with that Nile for 1 year 6 months of it was hands on with her. Before that She was with Marty for 8 years who rescued her when she was around 2 years old. I also said in that post that her enclosure was to small but I was told that it was big enough. I am in the proses of building her a new and better enclosure Nelly is not my first monitor I had a water monitor ,Tagus ,Savannas then I sold them over the years. My very first was a water monitor and it was a lot meaner then my Nile. I was 16 years old when my parents got me my water monitor. I had it for two years before I had to sell it because I got into some bad stuff. If Nelly would have been younger I would look for a mate for her to try and make captive breed Niles.
Cheers
Chuck

[crocdoc]

I also said in that post you are talking about that she was a rescue. Niles will range from 4 feet to 7 feet so I think she is not small she is also missing part of her tail.
She was a rescue 10 years ago, that isn't going to account for her small size today, for she should have had 10 years of good care in the interim. When I said she was small, I wasn't referring to her length but her body size.

I also said in that post that her enclosure was to small but I was told that it was big enough.
Don't believe everything you read on the internet. I'm guessing the person that told you that hasn't had any experience with large monitors. A 2 foot wide enclosure would mean your monitor has to bend itself to turn around in the enclosure. That's way too small for an active lizard like a monitor. At only 2 feet high and six feet long there's not going to be much room for substrate or a temperature gradient, either, so clearly that enclosure is way too small. Especially as the monitor has been in there for two years and was already ten years old (and presumably of similar size) two years ago.

Do you have any photos of her current setup? What sort of basking temperature do you have it set up with at the moment?

INelly is not my first monitor I had a water monitor ,Tagus ,Savannas then I sold them over the years.
I didn't say anything about your level of experience, but now that you've mentioned it I'm afraid you can't really count buying and selling monitors over the years as experience if you hadn't kept any of them for an extended period of time.

[Bosc08]

Hi. If you want to build that type of enclosure you should go on How to build enclosures for reptiles - custom snake cages - arboreal snake cages - snake keeping cage info - homemade reptile cages (http://www.reptilecageplans.com), they sell ebooks, one book is just what you need and comes with nine free bonuses. It even shows you haw to build your own enclosure for less money. With my ebook I'm going to build a cage for my savannah monitor, the dimensions are going to be 7ft long x 2ft wide x 4ft high.

You will save money and be happy of you creation, and it is good for people who never built any wooden enclosures in there life.

[kriminaal]

I'd be kind of leery of info like those books. Enclosures are unique for all reptiles individual requirements. I'm not knocking your purchase but I'd still research specific enclosure requirements with knowledgeable herpers.

[Bosc08]

Don't worry its OK I also researched a lot about my savannah monitor, mabey you might fing more intresting things.

[aferland66]

I'd be kind of leery of info like those books. Enclosures are unique for all reptiles individual requirements. I'm not knocking your purchase but I'd still research specific enclosure requirements with knowledgeable herpers.

Those books are good to give you ideas and show you how to build the enclosure, and then you research your specific species, and can modify the plans as needed.

You can also look on Forums for posts on enclosures. You'll see some very nice designs.