First Monitor Advice

[dakski]

I've had crested and leopard geckos for a few years and I've very recently (within the past few months) gotten sand boas and a hognose. I'm willing to put some time into them (maybe like 15-30 min a day), I'm relatively patient and willing to spend some time working with them. If I got ackies I would definitely want to handle them relatively frequently.

15-30 minutes of interaction several times a week, once trust is built, is probably good. However, a lot of monitor interaction is in the tank. Feeding off tongs, letting them climb on you and enjoy your company, etc. Not necessarily handling. Most monitors will climb around on you, but that's not always a good thing - i.e. they are fast and can take off. Additionally, many monitors don't like being handled/held, certainly for a prolonged period, and that can actually hurt trust. These are animals that you need to build trust with, but also keep trust. Additionally, very sharp nails aren't really conducive to handling, and if they get scared, wasting, biting, and tail whipping, are all options.

If you want a lizard to handle, I wouldn't be looking at a monitor. That's me.

Your experiences do help a lot, I've done reading and watched videos on these, but nobody has really gone into detail about some of the challenges with them. Do you think the age of the monitor would make a difference? Like, getting a younger one would help get it used to you compared to an older one.

​50/50. Younger you can build trust with, but they can flighty and you can hurt trust easily too. Older and used to people can be good, but only if treated correctly and your continue what was successful before.

I'm not super interested in other lizards, overall they are a lot of work and money compared to snakes, so I'm not planning on getting any more except if they really interest me and I think they will be rewarding to keep. For some reason, blue tongued skinks and other large lizards (except monitors, they have always seemed super interesting to me) have never been appealing to keep.

Monitors are a lot of work. They eat a lot, waste a lot, are diurnal (so you need to spend time with them during the day), and need continued work. It's not like you can spend time when they are young and then ignore them and they will be fine. Repetition is important. My BP for example. When she fasts in the winter, I leave her alone for weeks at a time. She doesn't care and is fine when I go to pick her up, whenever I decide to or need to. Monitors, not as much.

Some people find that appealing, but they are a long-term commitment. Life can change, and if it does, and you cannot spend the time or energy with them, feed them regularly and a lot, etc. they are not an ideal reptile to keep.

I'm pretty sure that I'll wait on kimberley rock monitors at least until i have some experience with ackies (if I end up getting them), and from there I can make a better decision.

See answers above in BLUE.

I definitely would wait on a Kimberley Rock Monitor until you are very comfortable with ackies. Even then, I'd probably advise against it unless you are very experienced and willing to put in a lot more time and effort on top of the ackies.

Ackies can be awesome in their own right, but I'd rather something I can handle, interact with easily, and not have to interact with regularly. I have 9 reptiles and health issues. For me, the time and effort wasn't worth the reward. It probably wouldn't have been even if my monitor had calmed down.

I recently re-homed my two rhacodactylus lizards because they were a ton of work compared to my other reptiles. In fact, they took about 50% of my reptile time in terms of feeding, cleaning, etc. They are easy compared to monitors.

I should also point the cost of feeding, the frequency of feeding (again), the diversity in diet, the heat requirements (very hot basking spot and huge temp variance - cooler at night and a low cool spot comparatively), the need for clean and fresh wood/rocks to climb on and keep the nails in good shape, etc.

Again, it's your choice and I am not trying to project. However, it's a big commitment, and frankly, your current collection likely will not have prepared you for monitors. Not sure what would, but that's another story.