Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have done research and read almost every post that FR has responded to here (as well as others...). I am making room among my kings, corns and pits for a monitor set up. My wife has done some research on the Argus Monitors and seems to favor getting a pair of them.

From what I've read it seems best to get a pair as young as possible so that they can "bond" for lack of a better word.

One question I have is can their sex be determined by popping or probing the same way as with colubrids?

Second question: What are some of the more common "newbie mistakes"? Basically I will keep the cage simple at first and add to it (or delete from it) based on the monitors behavior.

The reading I've done leads me to believe that the Argus monitors are not that difficult. Any advice or info on where I can learn more about them will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Ralph

Welcome to the Wonderful World Of Monitors!

Sexing via Probe? No, dont do it- you can damage the animal far more easily than you can with a snake.

Newbie Mistakes:

-never use fishtanks if you can avoid it

-never place overhead heat lights on a metal screen; creates a heat sink, which dehydrates the HELL outta your captives

-build for adulthood; by which I mean, if you are going to build a setup, build it as if they were adults.

-choose carefully: you folks have decided on Argus's; thats your decision, but I would definitely think twice if this is your first animal; if only due to the fact that these animals CAN grow relatively large and are some of the most active of the monitors (ie, they need room to run, climb, dig, etc.)

-be sure your enclosure is escape proof; therse nothing less fun than coming home and looking for your animal, only to find it is MIA

-when the animal has reached the size for rodents, get your animal on F/T prey asap, as this can be a real pain if they have a preference for livelier fare

Im a newb, no questions there, but I try to pay attention and absorb what I can.

Best wishes.

Thanks for the response.

I do have a custom made cage, 72Lx24Wx36T. The front is swinging doors with rubber coated wire. I was thinking this would be an appropriate size for a small pair. I designed the cage so that I could add to it later (length wise) if needed.

Hello,

You may want to post a pic of the cage here for feedback because just by the description, it does not sound suited to house monitors of any species. There are many reasons but a photo would clarify and permit more of the "whys" to be corrective criticism than speculation. Best to you- Mike

Sounds like a wire cage. That is not good for monitors. You want to trap the heat and humidity in a good monitor enclosure. Argus will need at least 8 ft of cage length as your male will get to 4' easily. Also, you want a couple feet of earth under the lizards for digging into. A wire door will = a big pile of dry, dusty dirt at the door daily.

Argus are very difficult, if not impossible, to sex when they are under 6 mo's of age. You can't pop them or probe them with any certainty. Avoid that stuff. Just get two and raise them together with a lot of room and a lot of food. Argus eat anything. They take f/t rodents just as they take live ones (almost taking your fingertips off!). They are a fun, active, tough monitor species. I've kept and bred them since 03.

Hello Jburokas,

Thanks, I was thinking the same myself but wasn't sure. Well said. Best to you- Mike

Ok. AN 8 ft cage with a few feet of dirt for digging. I'm guessing that I would need a fairly strong floor to support that much weight. Thanks for that ensight. I can feel my next project starting to form in my head.

Thanks, and I'll seek your advice when I have my cages plans on paper to see what you think.

Thanks again,
Ralph Mills

the cage does sound like a significant problem, definitely look into that. any wire aspects of the cage would be completely inappropriate.

as for Argus, they look really cool in pictures, some folks tell great stories about them. any pet store would rave about them (to make a sale).

we have kept plenty of them, and sold lots of them (but not for many years now).

and i can't stand them. not in a "that's a horrible species" kind of way, just in a personal experience and opinion, "i don't like that whole Flavi group" kind of way.

monitor choice is very personal. Argus are on the LARGE side of the medium monitors, they take a large cage, and they are a REAL HANDFUL. they have very strong personalities, and they are not a real interactive monitor.

if you already know all this, great. if you don't, i would HIGHLY suggest you find someone else's Argus monitors (adults!) to spend some time with first hand, to get an actual gauge on whether you will enjoy the experience.

if you spend hundreds on a cage, setup, and some captive hatched babies, and end up hating them, you won't be the first, nor last.

choosing a monitor species, especially a FIRST species, can be challenging. choose wisely.
-----
robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

No offense Robyn (and yes there is personal bias in all of us), but you sell lots of water monitors and blackthroats to the gen. pop. and feel Argus are a poor choice vs those (if i'm reading you correctly)? I just find that a little odd. I do 100% agree that Ackies and other Odatriad make better 'first' monitors, but not those above named species (especially salvators) vs. Argus. Although Argus have vicious feeding responses that warrant respect, they are generally a tough, outgoing and fun captive that can take lots of keeper error w/o dying. They do not hide and vomit from stress. I could not honestly tell someone that about V. salvator. But I've been keeping and breeding multiple Argus for 5 years. Gotta stick up for my favorite here!

Peace and respect.