Posted by:
SHvar
at Mon May 29 10:54:59 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by SHvar ]
Monitors..
They are expensive to keep, period, no such thing as an inexpensive monitor.
What this means, as anyone who has kept even a single monitor of any species properly for even 6 months can tell you, its expensive.
The buying price of a monitor is the lowest expense you will have, Anyone who in fact is worried about what a monitor cost should find lower maintance captives.
The cost of a proper cage for even a small species will run you from $50-$100 for the box alone, this doesnt account for lights, substrate, furniture, etc.
A medium sized monitor will cost you a few cages starting small and going up to something that cost you around $250-$400 for the box alone, not accounting other costs.
Large species will go through several cages until adult, this takes 1-2 years and I mean big cage, how about $1000 plus to build a cage for an adult.
Feeding this can be very expensive, personally I get crickets for my dwarfs, and raise roaches, the crickets are not too bad at $29 for 2000 delivered, every 2 weeks.
With medium and large species you need rodents, birds, etc, this can get expensive, but if you have a large freezer it is easier. I spend a few hundred dollars a year on frozen thawed feeders, now consider that all of my monitors are adults (except 2 ackies), they eat alot less than subadults, and younger.
Vet bills, these can range from $50 visits to $1000s in bills for something more complicated, and a vet that is qualified to do anything for a monitor is rare to find sometimes.
That initial buying cost will be completely overshadowed by one of the othewr categories in a few months, eclipsed by all in 1-2 months easily.
Something to consider, as mentioned by someone else, if your worried about buying cost, you may want to find a less expensive captive.
There is no such thing as a beginner monitor, but the closest to it will be ackies, at the tune of $150-$350 each. Most who try to tell you that monitors arent expensive, after all they are keeping 1 or so and havent spent much to get or keep them, arent going to be keeping them long, so their advice will reflect from their experience with these creatures, short.
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Some advice about keeping.. - SHvar, Mon May 29 10:54:59 2006