Is it legal to sell monitor lizards in pet stores?

ok so this may sound like a stupid question. But is it illegal to sell certain moniters in pet stores?

Cause i cant believe what i saw today. I think it was a moniter of some kind..and it was MASSIVE. Probably about the size of my 50lb dog and of course very long..
The cage didnt say what it was either..which made me kinda suspicious. Not to mention the fact that it was going nuts in the "cage" and then there was a sign that said for serious buyers only..as far as them taking it out of the cage. I wish i had taken a picture because it was unbelievable. Does that sound like some kind of moniter?

and when i say my dog, i mean height wise. it had to be at least 8 feet long

That would probably depend on which State and County you lived in. There are different limitations and laws depending on where you live. :gj:

Most places it is legal to sell monitor lizards.. but of course not all species are legal. I'm pretty sure that komodo dragons are highly regulated, while things like savana monitors are pretty easy to get a hold of.

I bought a Savannah from a petstore when I was 15.

So you could actually get a komodo?!?!? O.O who the hell would want to do that? Someone with a death wish? lol

komodos in captivity are pretty tame towards their regular keepers, they most certainly can recognize different people and are more wary of strangers. I don't know of anyone in the US who owns one in a personal collection, I only know of them in zoos. The regulations on komodos are not based on possible danger, but because of conservation issues. Galapagos tortoises, for example, are pretty much the most impossible-to-get reptiles in the world because of conservation issues.

People in the US, depending on location, can legally own gators and caimans and other large, dangerous reptiles. Heck check out the Hots forum here on ball-pythons.net for people "with a deathwish" :D

The monitor you saw was probably a Water Monitor. They are one of the largest species.

Komodos are CITES restricted, so you will only see those in zoos.

However, monitors are great animals.....just because you can't imagine keeping a lizard as large as a dog.... it does not make those that keep them 'wish for death'.

They are no more dangerous than a large python as a pet....they just require more space to house and a responsible keeper.

I bet it was a nile they are much more common than waters(thow both are pretty common)and going crazy in the cage sounds like a typical nile

It could have been a 'store pet'. The store I go to regularly now has a Black Throat at least 50lbs, and a Rhino Iggy! Yes, he has the permit/license for that last guy, and he was rescued off the internet. Pretty boy, too. :)