Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just got back from the Cincinnati Zoo and it was GREAT! I got to see their komodo dragon having a "snack". It was an amazing creature! Also they had a croc monitor, I have never seen one
other than in a few pictures posted on the forum. Very beautiful animal as well. I personally own nile monitor that is a little over 2 feet and to hear the people at the zoo cracked me up. The croc monitor was about 6 feet and everyone around my fiance and I were like,"OH MY GOODNESS THAT THING IS HUGE!!!"--We just laughed, quite a few of the animals in the Lizard House were
readily available in the pet industry.--Croc monitors, Burmese Pythons, Leopard geckos, golden geckos, a black throat monitor...
It's amusing as to what some people refer to as "wild exotics" and what us reptile folks call "our pets". --Marie--

Man, was I disappointed at the Cincy zoo when I was there last week. The Komodo looked fat and happy, but the facilites at the reptile house were not so great. The white throat in there was real cramped and had a small layer of aquarium gravel for a substrate. The reptile house is literally the oldest zoo building in the US. I emailed them last December about my disappointment and they said they had a new one in their plans for the future. Really hope so. Also, they had about 8 Chinese alligators stuffed in the little croc rotunda. Looked cramped. You can't beef with their endangered species breeding record. The Sumatran rhino is more significant than any media friendly panda birth, but smetimes the less cuddly critters get short changed.

Yeah, the Reptile House seemed a bit crammed. The gators were all still there--I guess the albino one has died, I didn't see it in there. The 7' croc monitor couldn't turn without smacking the glass of the exhibit. The WT monitor was still on reg. aquarium gravel as well. They really need an expansion, I just wonder where the anaconda went and a few of the other lizards...
The komodo seemed well cared for and wasn't extremely lively...I think the exhibit is a bit small for him as well, don't komodos travel several hundred miles a day? Plus he didn't really have many hides or anything to "hunt", he was just thrown food and not really able to hunt. I think that zoo is beyond needing remodelling, the animals just didn't look very "happy" in my opinion. Also with the "meet the keeper booths" the ones they did have set up, the keepers weren't friendly and willing to discuss the keeping regiments for the animals. That disappointed me as well. Maybe if more people complained about the Reptile House and Komodo Dragon exhibits they would re-think the exhibits and maybe even their keepers...Just my opinion though.
And as for those of you who don't consider your monitors as pets, thats pretty sad. My nile Jefferson is definitely a pet, just like any other animal in my house hold he too is a part of my family --Marie--

monitors are not our "pets" dogs and cats are "pets"
no reptiles are "pets" but i do understand what your getting at