what monitor?

[camb]

which one should i get?

and could either of the three live in a 8x4x4

[camb]

ive narrowed it down to either the sav or the argus.

[Jerhart]

If you are looking for an animal you can handle, I would go Sav. They tend to calm down with handling while argus are a flighty species and require a lot of room as they are very active. Your enclosure sounds perfect for a sav! Make sure you do your research and keep us posted with what you decide upon! Goodluck buddy!

[daniel1983]

Why is the decision to only those three species?

[camb]

thanx i'm leaning towards the sav. and it was only between those 3 monitors becuase those were the three i was considering, but if wanna suggest something else that can live in an 8x4x3 cage.

[daniel1983]

if wanna suggest something else that can live in an 8x4x3 cage.

....Blackheaded monitors, Kimberley Rock Monitors, Yellow or Red Ackies, Sand Goannas....

...just to name a few. There are alot better captives than all three of the species you listed ...in my opinion.

[camb]

im looking for something a little bit larger than the first 3 lizards you listed, but thanx for the input.

[camb]

i think im gonna go with a savannah monitor. unless i find something that i like even more, but from the monitors i've seen and have the means to properly take care of savs look like the best option. but if any one thinks otherwise id love to hear more suggestions.

[Jerhart]

....Blackheaded monitors, Kimberley Rock Monitors, Yellow or Red Ackies, Sand Goannas....

...just to name a few. There are alot better captives than all three of the species you listed ...in my opinion.

....most of those monitors are on the pricey side...he will be able to find a nice sav for under $100....and sav are not as active and dont require the ample space many of the above monitors require. You could get away with a 1.2 colony of red or yellow ackies and they arent as pricey as the others....in the end, I still say sav.

[daniel1983]

....most of those monitors are on the pricey side...he will be able to find a nice sav for under $100....:

You will be able to find a 'nice' sav for under $100; however, if he manages to keep the sav living for longer than a year.......the purchase price + feeding costs would equal out in a few years. You may get off cheap when buying an argus or sav, but an animal that can put down over a half dozen adult mice a week can be somewhat pricy in the long run.

....and sav are not as active and dont require the ample space many of the above monitors require.

How do you figure? An adult sav will not be able to change directions in that enclosure without hitting a side of the cage. I have NEVER seen any field surveys that say savs have smaller ranges than the small Aussie dwarfs. But does that even matter? Maybe I am not up to date on my sav husbandry, but as far as I remember they require just as much space as any other similar sized species......thing is that most people don't even provide them a small fraction of the space they could utilize in captivity....maybe that makes some people misjudge the size of cage they actually need.

....You could get away with a 1.2 colony of red or yellow ackies and they arent as pricey as the others....in the end, I still say sav. :gj

A 1.3 colony of quality red ackies will cost around $800+. Even individually they are comparable in price to blackheads. If he is just interested in one monitor, purchacing a group of ackies would that be any different than buying an adult male kimberley for $400, or a Blackheaded monitor for $250.....

but he does't want something small....

....I would recommend searching around for some Sand Monitors (Varanus flavirufus).