Yes, I built ponds for several species, one mertens, which are truely water monitors, and for V.s.cumingi. The golden phillipine water monitor. Plus I built ponds for elephants, manatees, crocs, primates, and much much more. Oh, bears too. Oh and seals, hmmmmmmmmm I have to think, Tigers and lions, leopards, bears,



The reality is, the pond becomes a full time job. As you have already experienced. You become a pond keeper, with reptiles on the side.



Monitors are enough work, plenty of work, so to add something thats more work then the monitor itself seems a little silly.



And its most likely a main reason, people do not keep them once they are adults. At least not for long.



Your analogy about people sometimes wanting to swim, does not work with animals. Their lifes is not about want. Or not about like either.



Salvators have no real adaptions for water, they "know" how to secure prey around/in water, and they know how to escape from predators using water. Everything else is done out of water.



They can live long productice healthy lives without swimming water. And in fact, in most cases a much healthier life. The reason is, its not very healthy to swim in crap water, which is most commonly the case in captivity.



My advice would be, find a species that does great without swimming water, you and the captive will be much happier.

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