First Monitor Advice

[dakski]

This gives me a lot to consider. I'm going to do a lot of research for a while and try to figure out if they would be a good choice or not.

Good that you are thinking on it. Again, it's a decision only you can make. I've been keeping reptiles for over 30 years and having a monitor was a lot.

I would also recommend going to a reptile pet store (not sure where you live or what's near you) and seeing some in action. Alternatively, there are reptile zoos and shops/zoos who bring animals to homes and businesses, etc. to show people and educated. I'd look around and see if you can see some Ackies, maybe hold one, feed one, etc. That could help, although keep in mind that keepers who bring them to homes etc. probably have worked with them a lot.

Ask around. Also, see if there are some good books out there. I haven't looked in a while, but specifically on keeping dwarf monitors, might make sense.

Finally, speak with some breeders. See if they give you an honest idea of what they are like. If they say, "oh, they are easy." They probably want to sell a monitor. If they go into how to work with them though, that could be helpful.