Hello!
I am fairly new to monitors (but an old hand at colubrids and boas) and have been looking into buying them for a while now. However, all the information out there seems jumbled. I've heard people suggest Savs, Yellows, and Timors as beginner monitors. I have to be honest, I know people who own Savs and I am personally not attracted to them. Not only that, but while some people say those above lizards are easy to handle and great to interact with, I've also heard otherwise. Even when it comes to the Niles I've heard different stories (ranging from ones about dog-like behaviour to ones about nasty bitting machines) and I just need some opinions to help clarify what might be the best beginner monitor for me.
Housing is flexible. I live in a nice duplex with a good amount of room availible to even the larger specimens. I have a good job and though I would prefer not to pay hundreds of dollars for a monitor, I would. Even better, I live twenty minutes from a pet store that's very good in supplying reptile food. I feel that I am ready, I just need some guidance.
Which species are suggest for beginners? I would prefer and animal that I can interact with on a fairly daily basis. Perhaps I'm just spoiled and used to my lap corns, but I would like a monitor that will not flee from me or claw me everytime I try to handle it. Please give me some tips and opinions.
