Good Monitor

[bonez]

Hi, im new to the monitors, have snakes and gecko, but i love reptiles and cant get enough so ive been thinking of getting a monitor, ive been reading but havnt found good sizes which ones get, or which are more tame. I want something that will get big, but not hugh, 6, 5, maybe 4 might be to big, 5, 6 def. big but hey, if thats what they get, mom will fall inlove before it gets that big lol. I seen a video of one i think is really cool and a good size, even if it gets a little bigger its cool. Anyone know what this is?
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=44465
What would be a good beggining decent size monitor, must be atleast the size of a small dog you know? i dont want another reptile the size of my hand you know?

[Shelby]

Well, how much room do you have for a monitor?

A great beginner species is varanus acanthurus (ackie monitor) it's a dwarf monitor species from Australia. CBB babies are readily available and they're not terribly expensive ($200 or therabouts) they tame down easily, and grow from 2-3'. They can also live communally. A 30 gallon tank is adequate for one ackie.

Savannah monitors are the most common in the pet trade.. most are wild caught or farm raised and will need to be treated for parasites. Many tame down, but some don't.. a bite from a 4' monitor is not to be taken lightly. You'll need at least a 6' long cage when it's full grown.. monitors also need deep cages because they like to dig and burrow in the dirt.

I would NOT reccomend a water monitor.. they get HUGE and need a lot of room.. not to mention are very expensive to feed.

[bonez]

I have room, i have a 30galon tank for a snake, but that doesnt seem big enough for something that grows to 3feet. but that sounds like a monitor for me. I plan on makeing some big tankes with plexyglass. Would a petstore like petco or something have these or would i have to find a breeder?

[Shelby]

Ackies are a lot of tail so even a big one would be ok in a 30 gallon tank.. though if you can use something bigger, that's always better with monitors.

I have never seen an ackie in a pet store.. a breeder is going to be a better choice anyways. You can check around on the reptile classifieds sites (kingsnake.com and faunaclassifieds.com) there are usually several ackie listings.

Pro Exotics are known for having very nice monitors.. they breed ackies, but since they're such nice lizards and a good company, they sell out quick.. you could shoot them an e-mail and see what they anticipate having: http://www.proexotics.com/ca_monitors.html/

Ah.. I just re-read their info on ackies - they generally stay at around 2'.. not 3'. Though I have heard of 2.5' ackies.

[daniel1983]

Monitor lizards should not be kept in tanks. Even dwarf monitors need at least 12 inches of soil to burrow into. I would suggest getting a cattle watering trough or building a custom enclosure.

I use a trough for my ackies with 12-14 in. of soil in the bottom. Here is a picture:

Ackie size also depends on what kind of ackie you buy. Red ackies are generally the biggest and can easily hit the 3' mark. This guy is close to 3' TL but as it was mentioned...most is tail.

Yellow ackies are a little smaller usually toping out at 18"-20". There are also alot of hybrid red/yellows around that usually fall in between the size range.

The price of reds varies from around $350-$250 depending on color and breeder. Yellows and hybrids are sold for around $200 each.

They are wonderful monitors to keep and definately 'better' than alot of other CH/WC monitors that are sold in the pet trade.

Research as much as possible before making your purchase. For starters, the pro-exotics site has some great info so I would sugggest reading it though once or twice.

[mr~python]

for first monitor you can't beat ackies. 30 gallons would be too small. i dont remember what size aquarium is good for ackies but i know its 4x2x2. thats a 60 gallon breeder right? remember if you do use an aquarium you'll need to cover all but a few square inches of it to retain heat and humidity.

for a great breeder check out Frank Retes. you know what you're getting (he wont give you a hybrid) and he'll sell them to you for cheap. i got my red from him for $230 shipped.

P.S. whats goin on April and Daniel! i havent been on in a while!

[Shelby]

Hm I must have read a bad caresheet somewhere then that said 30 gallons. I thought it sounded small, but I didn't have an ackie so I figured I just didn't know.. glad you monitor owners chimed in.

Nice to see you here Marshall. Have any new pics of your ackie?

[mr~python]

no, havent been taking pics lately. i kinda drifted out of the hobby a little when i started skateboarding. im back in now dont worry bout me guys, lol. i didnt sell any of my animals or anything.

ill try to get pics soon. maybe some of me skateboarding too if you guys want.

[daniel1983]

Great to see you around Marshall!!.....get some pictures up

Got any herping trips planned yet?

[mr~python]

not anything special yet. i wanna make it down to the mojave again this spring instead of the middle of summer. i wanna see moree then a few chuckwallas and collared lizards. i will be heading to our property in the foothills every couple weekends so ill probably have pics of rattlesnakes and gopher snakes up later this season. howabout you? are we gonna see any gator pics again? those were cool.