Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So everyday I check out the monitor forum to see if anyone has posted any pics or whatever and everyday i want a monitor more and more..So I have decided for my birthday I will get one I havent decided which to get Im trying to decide between ackies, argus, peachthroat,sand monitor or mix. the large monitors like blackthroats ,waters etc. Id rather have a lot more expeirience with monitors before aquiring one of those.

Im not wanting to try and "tame" it or anything but when it does have to be handled are argus, peahthroat "easy" to handle haha, I know monitors will hide most of the time but I hear about ackies and argus being quite active, is this true.From what ive read argus dont get bigger than 5ft which I could easily house.

I Know ackies are a good choice for a monitor, what about argus and peachthroats.
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

If I were you I would go for ackies. They are so much fun and are very easy to keep, but even then they require more work then most reptiles. If you really want a mid-large size monitor, I would get a gouldi complex monitor, except an argus. The gouldi complex are very forgiving and they are all captive bred. They usually do not bite and are very general. This makes them and ackies good species to learn with. Peachthroats are not for beginners. They are not forgiving of keeper errors. They will not hesitate to bite, scratch, and void if picked up. They are also all wild caught and a difficult to acclimate. Tyler.

Thanks for the info, im looking at the flaviXargus cross and like i said ackies are on the top of the list i have had reptiles for almost 14 years now mostly beardies,savannahs,and snakes i had to give away my whole collection when i got deployed to iraq in 06 i cant be deployed again so i really would love to have a couple monitors again.
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

While Jobiensis are not for beginers, they are a GREAT Monitor!
Work with a more forgiving species for a bit then move to Jobiensis.
Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

From my experiece and what I have read the peachthoat is not very fun to have to hold. My bluetail, (which is very close to a peach thoat) just as I have read, lunges so fast for food sometimes you have to be quick feeding, and if you ever need to handle it for any reason it will leave scratch marks you and occationally try to bite. They have pretty high needs compared to a couple of the other you listed. I've been doing a lot of reading lately on differnt monitors and ackies deffinitely seems to be the best of your choices with the argus behind that.

i don't recommend Ackies because we breed and sell them, we breed and sell Ackies because they are such a terrific monitor and so easy to recommend.

we have worked with many species, and the Ackies are just the best possible choice for a captive monitor project. really rewarding and fun to work with, you won't be disappointed starting with babies : )

i don't care for Argus at all, other than visually they are cool looking. as a captive monitor, i can't stand them. if they turn you on visually, go with something else in that family, the Flavis, Flavi crosses, Goulds. they get progressively smaller and less ridiculous than the Argus, and make for a better experience.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Aww.

I have an adult pair of Argus, and they've really managed to become my favorite Varanids yet.

True, they can be a handful at times, but I wouldn't trade Kharnak and Mudd for anything in the world.

To each their own, I guess. :]
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1.1 Ornate Uromastyx [Re and Wadjet]
1.0 Savannah Monitor [Zephyrus]
1.0 Quince Monitor [Poe]
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles [Zoink and Abel]
1.0 Sulcata Tortoise [Littlefoot]
0.1 Pink-Toe Tarantula [Athena]
1.1 Argus Monitors [Kharnak and Mudd]
1.0 Eastern Kingsnake [Duke]
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python [Whistler]

...And more rats than I can count anymore.

{Hi, I'm Harmony, and I'm a Varanophile...}

Thank all of you guys very much the info has been great ackies or a flavi cross are on the list right now we will see what i end up with I was planning on waiting for the ackies and seeing if proexotics sends me an email when they have some eggs, im sure that list is pretty long though ..haha
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

If you can get hold of some ProExotics babies, you won't be dissapointed.

If you go with Ackies period, you won't be dissapointed. :]

But after you've got a couple years experience under your belt, look into the Argus or one of their close cousins again. They're really rewarding lizards if you've got the patience for 'em. I solved the "OMG, FOODRUSH!" problem on all my monitors by installing smaller doors I can open for feedings. Now whenever they're hungry, my Argus sit and stare at that door. But everyone ignores the main door when I open it for something.

Smart little buggers.
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1.1 Ornate Uromastyx [Re and Wadjet]
1.0 Savannah Monitor [Zephyrus]
1.0 Quince Monitor [Poe]
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles [Zoink and Abel]
1.0 Sulcata Tortoise [Littlefoot]
0.1 Pink-Toe Tarantula [Athena]
1.1 Argus Monitors [Kharnak and Mudd]
1.0 Eastern Kingsnake [Duke]
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python [Whistler]

...And more rats than I can count anymore.

{Hi, I'm Harmony, and I'm a Varanophile...}

we have a couple of clutches cooking now, more on the way.

the email list isn't a waiting queue, there is no order to it, just a notification list, so once they are available, it is first come first served, everyone has an equal shot : )
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

ooooh you just made my day.. I realizd i have a lot more room than I originally thought I did.. soo maybe Ill just get both..hahaha
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

I raised up several Argus babies in the past and really enjoyed the experience, however they are not for beginners for sure. Once they start to reach adult size it becomes increasingly hard to perform cage maintenance such as cleaning out feces, changing water tubs and the like due to their highly energetic feeding responses. Both of mine thought it was feeding time every time you opened the enclosure, lunging forward. (and yes they were feed appropriately)

This really did not bother me as it is a healthy normal Argus behavior, but some keepers end up getting turned off from them at that point. I do admit it made keeping them a bit difficult at times, however they are an extremely rewarding species for the right keeper.

There are ways to deal with this for the motivated keeper (as my Argus were easy to work with once they realize that there is no food at that time). For instance, one can gently place a towel over the monitor's head just until you pick it up (then remove the towel), and at that point handling or cage maintenance was easy.

All and all I do miss having them. It can be noted that I did not see the same behavior with a pair of Flavis that I used to have, however I can note that the male started to get a bit nippy as he got older and the female did not. I cannot be stated enough that every monitor is an individual.

Back to the topic, Ackies would be a great choice.

Good luck and regards,
Lou

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dragonbreeders.com

get solid babies from good breeders and I personally put them at the top of all my reptile experiences.

they have all that makes monitors enjoyable with none of the downsides you get with other species (size, temperment, etc),period.

the only particular problem I routinely see in them is that they are unforgiving when they are young when it comes to proper humidity and moisture levels in the substrate. I rarely see ackies in pet shops(i know), private collections, or shows that have ALL of their toes, nails and tail tips.