Monitor lizards - Who is right for them?

[Slicercrush]

A monitor in an apartment.



If she keeps it I foresee an eviction and a very large bill for cleaning and repairs to the apartment afterward.

Situations like this one are why landlords have no-pet policies.

I had the same reaction.

When I was young (like, 7), and said I wanted a lizard as a pet, my dad said no because at the time im sure he knew I wasn't old enough to take care of one on my own, and I was mostly ok with that. Well, my moms boyfriend at the time wasn't, and of course wanting to be impressive, bought a Savannah Monitor.

Sounds like an AMAZING idea, amiright? Pretty sure at the time I was hoping for a beardie.

The thing was a baby when he bought it, of course. "It wont get that big, dont worry about it". It lived in a glass tank, actually decently well set up when I think back on it. Needless to say, though, it wasn't a good purchase. It was aggressive as all hell (had to keep one finger out of the glove so it had something to grab when he needed to be moved), I always felt guilty about feeding it live, and as all monitors do, it grew. Of course, none of this was the lizards fault, I have no doubt that the man kept it in not so great conditions, probably was rough when handling it, and im sure the lie feedings didnt help at all with the aggression. My mom eventually got too scared of the animal eating her cat, and forced him to give it away.

Eventually, 2 years ago, I found out the second owners improperly cared for it and it died. Poor thing...

Needless to say, monitor lizards are NOT meant for confined space, or at least one that wont take up a decent portion, if not permanent portion, of your room. As stated above, most are free roam for this reason.

Would I keep a monitor again? I would LOVE to. But being 18 currently, with no house of my own, I don't plan to until well in the future, if ever. The way that this girl is keeping them currently is extremely irresponsible, and yes, it could be extremely dangerous to other animals. They are extremely intelligent, and though it may have bonded with her, they are veracious hunters, and will honestly use that intelligence to grab any animal they find to be to their liking.

Amazing animals, but not for someone to just randomly grab and place in their home without research. Sadly, I had to witness that myself.