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  1. #1
    Registered User tegu's Avatar
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    The horror of the monitor industry

    This is something that has become more and more frustrating to me. Big lizards are beautiful animals, and for some people, are rewarding pets. But I have to ask, why is it so impossible for people to care for them correctly? Why is it that people want to keep a lizard roaming around their house like a dog? It is a LIZARD, not a mammal. So many of these lizards are taken in and die before they make it to their first year, and then rarely make it past 5 years. Maybe it has to do with vendors trying to sell animals to people by putting the wrong ideas in their head. But even then, I have seen plenty of people move away from correct information even when it's clear they are wrong. Basically what I'm trying to say is, a large but of people caring for large lizards, take in an something that they are not prepared to care for, and the animal pays the price for it. The truth is, they want a big lizard, but they don't want a big enclosure, big food bill, or big responsibility that comes with it.

    All in all, this can happen with any animal. However, I see a enormous amount of it specifically when it comes to big lizards. Many monitors are taken out of the wild just to die prematurely in captivity.

    One last note, I'm not claiming to be an expert on monitors or monitor care, I'm stating what I've seen through experience with rescues and common sense.


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  2. #2
    BPnet Senior Member artgecko's Avatar
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    As the difficulty of an animal increases and the price point decreases, so will you see an increase in deaths / abuse / abandonments. Just look at green iguanas. Hard to care for, large, aggressive (potentially), and cheap... Many of them die as a result of this combo.

    Monitors are / can be even more dangerous and have just as high a standard of care (if not higher) needed for them to thrive than iguanas do.

    People get them on impulse buys a lot... They see a tiny baby and think it looks "cool" and purchase with no info or the incorrect info the store told them to sell the animal.

    Sadly, there is not much we can do about it other than educate potential owners. I talked with a coworker considering getting his daughter a green iguana as "her first reptile". I'm sure he had only ever seen the tiny green babies. When I told him they get 5-6' and can tail whip you (and be aggressive when they reach sexual maturity). He changed his mind real fast. I think it takes info like this, presented in the right way (and to a receptive person) to make a difference.

    There are people that won't be swayed by any input you have though.... the type of people that buy a burmese or retic just to watch it "kill stuff". They won't care about the fate of the animal they purchase.

    When I read the title of your post, I thought it would be about the physical mutilation of tegus and monitors going on in Asia now (to make them look like a different species to sell). That is some hard-core messed up stuff.

    I'd like to see tegus, monitors, and the giant snakes sold in a more controlled manner (and not WC animals). I think there is an even greater burden of responsibility on the breeder when selling an animal with that complicated a care regime, expensive needs, and potential to be a physical danger to humans. They are great animals and can be great pets, but only for the right, educated, home that is in it for the long haul.
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  4. #3
    Registered User tegu's Avatar
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    I agree with everything said. I love NERD, and even though the price tag of their animals helps reduce most impulses purchases, it does not eliminate it.

    As for green iguanas, yeah it's just as bad with them as the monitors. I don't even want an adult male iguana much less the impulse purchaser lmao.

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  5. #4
    BPnet Veteran MD_Pythons's Avatar
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    I feel like iguanas catch it worse, as they are cheaper and more commonly available. At least from what I've seen. This is one of the reasons I have mixed feelings about Reptile Shows, anyone can just show up and buy something on impulse that they don't know how to take care of. artgecko really described it better than I can.

  6. #5
    BPnet Veteran dylan815's Avatar
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    A local pet shop has a green iguana for sale for $15.... I asked about it and they said i could purchase their 40L breeder for it to live in for ever......
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  7. #6
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    Quote Originally Posted by MD_Pythons View Post
    This is one of the reasons I have mixed feelings about Reptile Shows, anyone can just show up and buy something on impulse that they don't know how to take care of.
    But at reptile shows, the seller can have more responsibility to find out if the buyer is ready to care for the reptile.

    Though, admittedly, I've only ever bought one thing from a breeder at a reptile show, and it was a ball python. So I don't have much experience with that. But, from reading around this forum, most of the breeders here have mentioned that they try to make sure their reptiles are going to a home that can care for them. You'd think that that sort of attitude would amplify when you're a breeder of a species that's harder to take care of--such as monitors, tegus, iguanas, and large snakes.

  8. #7
    Registered User tegu's Avatar
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    Quote Originally Posted by dylan815 View Post
    A local pet shop has a green iguana for sale for $15.... I asked about it and they said i could purchase their 40L breeder for it to live in for ever......
    Was this at a big chain store? I believe they are not allowed to sell iguanas anymore.

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  9. #8
    BPnet Veteran dylan815's Avatar
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    Quote Originally Posted by tegu View Post
    Was this at a big chain store? I believe they are not allowed to sell iguanas anymore.

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    no, this is a local outfit. I'm not so sure about them not being allowed to sell iguanas anymore. Our petco here has Green iguanas as well as blue and red ones. They are very cheap though ($30 or so).
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  10. #9
    BPnet Veteran dylan815's Avatar
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    Quote Originally Posted by tegu View Post
    I agree with everything said. I love NERD, and even though the price tag of their animals helps reduce most impulses purchases, it does not eliminate it.

    As for green iguanas, yeah it's just as bad with them as the monitors. I don't even want an adult male iguana much less the impulse purchaser lmao.

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    I don't know, I feel like there is a very small number of individuals who would "impulse buy" a $1000+ monitor lizard.... I mean, Iv'e wanted a tegu for as long as i can remember and have been seaching and reading on them for years before i got my little guy.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by tegu View Post
    I agree with everything said. I love NERD, and even though the price tag of their animals helps reduce most impulses purchases, it does not eliminate it.

    As for green iguanas, yeah it's just as bad with them as the monitors. I don't even want an adult male iguana much less the impulse purchaser lmao.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
    I don't know, I feel like there is a very small number of individuals who would "impulse buy" a $1000+ monitor lizard.... I mean, Iv'e wanted a tegu for as long as i can remember and have been seaching and reading on them for years before i got my little guy.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by tegu View Post
    I agree with everything said. I love NERD, and even though the price tag of their animals helps reduce most impulses purchases, it does not eliminate it.

    As for green iguanas, yeah it's just as bad with them as the monitors. I don't even want an adult male iguana much less the impulse purchaser lmao.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
    I don't know, I feel like there is a very small number of individuals who would "impulse buy" a $1000+ monitor lizard.... I mean, Iv'e wanted a tegu for as long as i can remember and have been seaching and reading on them for years before i got my little guy.
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  11. #10
    Registered User tegu's Avatar
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    Re: The horror of the monitor industry

    Quote Originally Posted by dylan815 View Post
    no, this is a local outfit. I'm not so sure about them not being allowed to sell iguanas anymore. Our petco here has Green iguanas as well as blue and red ones. They are very cheap though ($30 or so).
    Wow. That's not the kind of stuff I like to see.

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