wanting to be first time moniter owner?

[pinkeye714]

Okay, honestly this is not for me. My boyfriend really wants a Monitor or Tagus.
He has never owned one before. I am going to be making the cage. and i do not wan him to get an M or T that will get to big, due to the fact that he has never owned one. he keeps looking at Northern Caiman Lizards and i know nothing about them ahah maybe i am even in the wrong sections too. but without him knowing a good first time small M/T then he cannot take time to researching them because he keeps bouncing back and fourth. i want to help him pick one to research on, but honestly, i do not know myself what will be good for him.

a gentlemen at a reptile shop suggested him a Mangrove.
what do you think?

also, if you can tell me when you suggest, or if you suggest one, can you tell me the size cage i would need to make him?

[Ga_herps]

I don't think a mangrove would be the best first monitor since it does get a bit longer. A timor or ackie would be a bit better, and if you look through previous threads you can find good info on them. If he wants to hold it occasionally I would go with a ackie. Timors on the other hand are a bit secretive, and don't expect to see them that much in the cage. Now caging will still have to be around 3 x 2 feet for one adult of either monitor. Now you also mentioned tegus which my experience with them is limited to 3 that I had back when I was younger. All of which made very good pets, but they do need good size caging due to the size they reach. All of mine were black and whites. Keep us posted and please do plenty of research before buying any.

[pinkeye714]

hmm okay. i will mention those to him and see what he thinks. i was thinking if he wanted to start with one, he should start with a Bearded dragon and then a monitor. but obviously i cant make him pick a lizard over something he wanted...

thank you.

[Muddyredneck]

Congrats on trying to help your boyfriend choose a reptile he will like I am however gonna bring up 2 points and then ill answer your question, both monitors and tegus are expensive and need pretty decent caging and I'm worried he's not doing the research himself I have a girlfriend who wants a gekobwho can't have one unless she herself does the reading

One last thing is please don't try to get a starter reptile.. they in my experience only get neglected after the owner has "learned all they need" and its a pitty..

Now for some info

Tegus, = are amazing lizards but do require slightly larger caging an adult tegu could need a minimum of 8x4x3. Tegus can get large to, however that's not a bad thing because as they become older they mellow out and will just relax and are not that hard to handle. They can also be housed with another tegu of similar size If you both wanted to get your own, however the caging size would need to be increased. The diet depending on the species really arnt that difficult and most are carnivores. For a first tegu id reccommend an argennteen black and white simply because they do get to a cool size and have a relaxed attitude.

Monitors, = my knowledge on ackies and timors are limited I'm more into the black throats niles and argus, and really wouldent reccommend these because of the high cost of keeping and space needed. These really should be left to those who own a house and have the funds and space to have one. I am dieing to have a nile or blackthroat but simply don't have the funds or space.

My monitor info is just an overview I have no idea of your financial situation and if u can afford it then by all means there's a lot of good info out there on them and if u choose a bigger one I could give you more info if u need it

If your looking for a hands on lizard id go with the tegu simply because they actually do bond with you and will be a hands on lizard as opposed to monitors who can be "tamed" but should never be fully trusted.

So to sum it up id reccommend a tegu, don't let the size intimidate u because if raised correctly they can be easily handled and make great pets

[pinkeye714]

Congrats on trying to help your boyfriend choose a reptile he will like I am however gonna bring up 2 points and then ill answer your question, both monitors and tegus are expensive and need pretty decent caging and I'm worried he's not doing the research himself I have a girlfriend who wants a gekobwho can't have one unless she herself does the reading

One last thing is please don't try to get a starter reptile.. they in my experience only get neglected after the owner has "learned all they need" and its a pitty..

Now for some info

Tegus, = are amazing lizards but do require slightly larger caging an adult tegu could need a minimum of 8x4x3. Tegus can get large to, however that's not a bad thing because as they become older they mellow out and will just relax and are not that hard to handle. They can also be housed with another tegu of similar size If you both wanted to get your own, however the caging size would need to be increased. The diet depending on the species really arnt that difficult and most are carnivores. For a first tegu id reccommend an argennteen black and white simply because they do get to a cool size and have a relaxed attitude.

Monitors, = my knowledge on ackies and timors are limited I'm more into the black throats niles and argus, and really wouldent reccommend these because of the high cost of keeping and space needed. These really should be left to those who own a house and have the funds and space to have one. I am dieing to have a nile or blackthroat but simply don't have the funds or space.

My monitor info is just an overview I have no idea of your financial situation and if u can afford it then by all means there's a lot of good info out there on them and if u choose a bigger one I could give you more info if u need it

If your looking for a hands on lizard id go with the tegu simply because they actually do bond with you and will be a hands on lizard as opposed to monitors who can be "tamed" but should never be fully trusted.

So to sum it up id reccommend a tegu, don't let the size intimidate u because if raised correctly they can be easily handled and make great pets

to bad i cant just let him roam my room and have like a dog house for him to come in and out of when he is done sucking up the sun light.

and yeah i am not going to do the reading for him, i am asking people ideas on which one he should read on. We do not know which ones are out there that are good. so if we both do not know names, then we cannot read. but, i told him if he really wants one then he will read and buy and feed and i will build ahah

thank you!

i honestly think he just wants a lizard he can have with him. i still think a beardie would be perfect due to the size. but he is intimidated by the type of food they need and how many crickets a day he will eat ahah

[Muddyredneck]

to bad i cant just let him roam my room and have like a dog house for him to come in and out of when he is done sucking up the sun light.

and yeah i am not going to do the reading for him, i am asking people ideas on which one he should read on. We do not know which ones are out there that are good. so if we both do not know names, then we cannot read. but, i told him if he really wants one then he will read and buy and feed and i will build ahah

thank you!

i honestly think he just wants a lizard he can have with him. i still think a beardie would be perfect due to the size. but he is intimidated by the type of food they need and how many crickets a day he will eat ahah

whats he intimidated by? because if hes scared of the food bill/crickets i would def think twice because well your playing tee ball in the price range on beardys and when ur talking about monitors it can get into the major leagues very easily. and on the note of letting them roam you will get mixed beliefs on this matter but mine are as follows
-- fre roaming in my oppinion is good for both monitors and tegus and pretty much all reptiles because if done properly can allow smaller caging and exersise. tegus in particular iv read various accounts of depending where u live just putting the cage in a tegu proof room and leaving the door open to allow the tegu to get to the enclosure. i would reccomend smaller periods out for monitors only because they need the ambient temp of 80-90 (for most) and accsess to the high basking temp.

i understand all that tho, im thinking about getting my girl a beardy as opposed to the gecko simply because well there cooler lol..

there are a few great sites which im sure other members can chime in on, if your interested in tegus however, www.tegutalk.com and www.tegu.com i believe are two great sites with quite a few long term keepers.

i know this is off subject and this talk can be taken to the beardy side but if you do decide to go witha beardy id deff look into getting into breeding your own roaches, im not sure whats best and not but i know they are easy to breed and better then crickets

from the few posts iv read however id try to steer your boyfriend tword something other then monitors

[slayer]

Tell your boyfriend to get a Bearded Dragon
Hes gotta learn to crawl before running a marathon

[mumps]

Tell your boyfriend to bugger off. He's too lazy to even ask for opinions for himself he is in no way ready to properly care for an animal of any type.

He wants a monitor or tegu, yet doesn't want a beardie 'cause he doesn't like crickets? Both baby monitors and tegus eat crickets while they're tiny (not for long, lol), and they'll chomp down way more than any beardie will...

Here's a perspective for you, cost wise. My Ornate monitor ate in the first two years of his life, the same amount of rats a pair of ball pythons would eat in 14 years, if they ate weekly and never missed a meal. Something to consider...

Chris