thinking of getting a water monitor

I use to have a Savannah and miss monitors. I've been doing research on water dragons and want one now. Lol. My question is I heard they can be really dosile. Plus they get huge which is a plus. Lol. Anyone here have one.? I could really use some input on how they are around kids and do they bite a lot or are they good pets?

I can promise you at least a portion of bites come from "puppy dog tame" monitors. Mood swings are real, accidents can happen. I personally think it's a horrible idea to mix children and something that can cause horrendous damage in the blink of an eye.

https://www.google.com/search?q=moni...bites&tbm=isch


I think you should build the adult enclosure first if you decide to get one. If you provide for it right you'll be needing that enclosure sooner than you probably think anyway.

I cannot think of a monitor that I would want to trust around children. Period. As much as I love my monitors, I would never ever allow kids around them.

I would allow kids around some tegu lizards, depending on the lizard and the kid, maybe.

I find Vital Exotics care sheet to be a pretty crucial read for getting into large monitors. http://www.vitalexotics.com/water-mo...on-care-sheet/

I also wouldn't trust my boy around kids without head and tail restrained. I do the same with my pythons though, always control the head around small kids. The animals might be completely fine with you but one incorrect or misplaced move that isn't apart of their normal registry of "safe" can land a defensive bite. Also, if your monitors aren't tong trained it's very likely that moving fingers look like food to them. My boy really only feels safe with me and he gets very defensive whenever we do a tour of the animals for friends and family. They seem like such hardcore animals but they are really sensitive to unfamiliar sounds and movements.

There is a difference between having kids and responsibly owning a monitor or any large reptile for that matter and letting your kids just free handle it. I wouldn't let any large lizard free roam around my son, that doesn't mean he can't safely interact with it though. You as the parent need to make sure the safety checks are all in place. I am even catious with guarding the head of my Blueys when my son holds them (bites are incredibly rare, but they have some power in their jaws and he is only 6), the same will go for my Tegu when she gets some size on her and we really start to handle her. The only animal I don't block the head when my son is holding him is my childrens python, because lets be honest a tag from that lil worm won't do any damage. My son loves to hold every reptile we see, but I always go into it knowing that I have to be ready to take a bite from whatever it is.

I was thinking of the kid issue after I posted. I have a three year old that loves reptiles but let's face it isn't that gentle sometimes. Lol. My bps are great with her but a monitor I won't chance till she's older. It's not fair for the monitor or the child.

I would really check out vital exotics care sheet as mentioned earlier. They get huge and to me anything less then a small room sized enclosure would be unacceptable. But if you read that care sheet and think you have enough room, time and money then go ahead. Only though if you can give them an appropriate size enclosure with proper heat. Afford to feed them (they eat like monsters) and enough time to interact with them and clean the enclosure almost daily. Then do it. I do want one myself when I can in the future. Good luck!