I know against some peoples wishes my minds made up

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Good luck Trey!! I hope you are prepared and get your next one wormed. Maybe starting to breed rats and large non climbing roaches now and getting stocked up on food would be a good idea. I would love to see pics of what ever you get and We all will support you in your choice.

[recycling goddess]

i hope no one minds me stepping into this thread for a moment and then i'll leave as i know NOTHING at all about these critters or whether or not your choice is "good, bad or ugly"

but i would like to comment on the "are you a teen" comment...

i have a teenage son. he wanted a couple of leopard geckos so we bought him two for his birthday. he wanted a crayfish (as i breed them) so we set up a tank in his room. he wanted a bearded dragon... so we picked him up one from a local breeder...

now... i have rehomed or taken on the responsibility of ALL these critters. his interests have changed and he no longer wants to be bothered caring for them. that's what happens sometimes with kids.

also... teenagers eventually move out. they leave home. moving into an apartment doesn't always work with all their 'pets. when my daughter moved out last fall i ended up with all her pets except one 10 gallon tank which she took with her. she didn't want to have to care for them. so now i have her cat, two firebelly toads and a 29 gallon tank - she took her crayfish and a few danios with her.

so ya... teens often get pets which they really want to commit to... but then things change and they can't.

i think it was a fair question... asking how old he is before making a decision about getting a pet which is going to get very large and by the sounds of it... need a very large enclosure.

i'd like to add... i know adults who get and get rid of pets like crazy too so this isn't just a 'kid' trait.

marshall, you are definitely a very unique and special young man... no one here would ever disagree with that statement i'm sure!

[Shaun J]

I also hate when people say teens aren't ready for a reptile. Some of us like Marshall are very commited to reptiles.

^^ To Recycling Goddess

That means more fun for you!!! Lol.

[recycling goddess]

well i suppose we can look at it that way... personally i see it as now i have pets which i really didn't want for myself but now i get to care for them... supplying their food and mtce etc.

but, i love critters... since i live in a zoo... so i can't complain!

[Shaun J]

Yeah, but they would be better off with you then giving them away to someone you don't even know.

Now I'm done with hijacking this thread.

I hope you do good with your new monitor Trey. Get pics when you get him.

[recycling goddess]

one last comment:

my daughter JUST called me and told me she doesn't want her crayfish anymore and wants me to take it home tomorrow night LOL - ah kids... gotta love them (now do i put an ! or a ? at the end of that statement LOL)

[Shaun J]

LMAO, I guess we spoke too soon.

[recycling goddess]

well, she is being very supportive of my point LOL

[Razaiel]

First off to Trey - good luck with this - I've never had anything to do with water monitors so can't really comment - apart from they're BIG. Good that you're getting a vet check immediately too.

As for teens and their critters - well I've got a Sav because my 18 year old daughter wanted one then left college and got a job with really long hours so decided she needed to "get rid of it". Well with the mainly crap knowledge many people here in the UK have of monitors (like keep it in a 4x2 with newspaper or sand substrate) there was no way I could let our little boy go God knows where to be subjected to God knows what - so he stayed and he costs me a fortune.

That said - I would say that as far as being a responsible critter keeper is concerned - my 15 year old is by far the more caring and diligent than my 19 year old.

And again - best of luck with your decision, Trey - I hope it all works out for you.

[fish21]

well, she is being very supportive of my point LOL

exactly.