Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was thinking of maybe getting my first water monitor and have a few questions. How tame are these animals. If I get a baby water monitor and raise it, will it be friendly if I work with them, or can they just be outright mean. Where can I get some good monitor info. Like growth rate, ect.. Also whats the pros and cons of getting a male vs female. I understand they can be alot of work. I usually only work with boas and burmese pythons. Thanks

I'd check out proexotics.com for water info. There's no difference between males and females(unless you keep more than one in the same enclosure). You'd probably be getting a young animal and they're pretty hard to sex until they're larger. I purchased one very recently from Ben Siegal and it's a fantastic quality animal, good price too. I'd definatly start out small. You don't want to take on someone elses problem. The larger the animal is the harder it's going to be to get into the swing of handling it. I don't know if you've ever seen a large agressive monitor, but it's no joke. Anyhow, post back and let us know what you decide.

No monitor is tame. Monitors are not domesticated nor can they be domesticated.

IF you want somebody to tell you "Yes, they can be tame. Basically another dog but in a Lizards body" you won't find that here.

These are wild monitor lizards and Water monitors are the biggest of them all (not counting the Komodo). Water monitors are hit and miss. You NEVER buy a monitor (much less a WATER monitor) with the expectation of it becoming tame or even tractable (look that one up too). We're talking about a 7foot lizard (possibly 70-100 lbs) that will require his own big room with a bigger electricity bill and an even bigger food bill.

Ever seen a big Rottweiler go poop? Thats NOTHING compared to a Water monitor pile.

>>I was thinking of maybe getting my first water monitor and
>>have a few questions. How tame are these animals. If I get a
>>baby water monitor and raise it, will it be friendly if I
>>work with them, or can they just be outright mean.

Yes to both.

Water monitors have a tendency to become more trusting and tolerant than many other species of monitors, but there is no guarantee. There is a very real chance you will end up with an 8 foot, extremely muscular, fast, and athletic lizard with razor sharp teeth and huge claws that is terrified of you and will do whatever it can to defend itself from your perceived aggression.

>>Where can I get some good monitor info. Like growth rate,
>>ect..

The Pro Exotics web site is a good place to start. If properly cared for, a water monitor can reach its full adult size within two years, and a reproductive size within a year. Most people do not care for them properly, though, and if you haven't had monitors before chances are you will make a number of mistakes with this animal before you figure out the tricks of keeping them. I hope you can learn quickly, and we (or at least I) here on this forum are happy to help you learn, let you know the tricks of the trade, and share our own mistakes so you will not have to repeat them.

>>Also whats the pros and cons of getting a male vs female.

It doesn't matter, since juveniles cannot be sexed at better than chance in any event. It will the the luck of the draw. If you want an animal that is most likely to end up being tolerant of your presence and interactions, start with a hatchling.

Having said that, males tend to be larger, more muscular, more trusting, bolder, and more aggressive. Females will be shyer, smaller, more slender, and more defensive. Either can make a good pet. Either can make a poor pet. Either can send you to the hospital in the blink of an eye if you make a mistake, possibly with permanently crippling damage.

>>I understand they can be alot of work. I usually only work
>>with boas and burmese pythons. Thanks

Monitors are very different from boas and pythons. Forget everything you think you know about reptiles that you learned from keeping snakes. It will not help. start with an open mind and learn how to keep monitors. If you apply husbandry appropriate for snakes to monitors, your monitor will languish for perhaps a few years before dying.

Having said that, one of the smartest and most tolerant and trusting monitors I've ever had was the one water monitor I cared for. That critter was scary-smart. He was also quite docile and a pleasure to work with. Sadly, water monitors just get too frikkin' big for me - there's no way I can give them the space they need (an adult will need at least a standard size bedroom converted into its enclosure).

Good luck,

Luke

Thanks for the reply.. I decieded that a water monitor is not for me.. Though I respect ppl who keep them. They are impressive to say the laest.. I guess il stick with my boas and python

You may want to start with a smaller type of monitor like Ackies. They are very very fun and its hard to not fall in love with them. They will be a great tool in preparing you for keeping larger species.

Cheers,
Mike.

I was recently browsing the Boas forums and saw some of your posts. I don't know if monitors are what you are looking for at all to be honest. Ackies are great starters but...they are still monitors.

Cheers,
Mike.

Kudos on your choice. You are a much wiser person than a lot of people that come here inquiring about waters. I've kept waters for almost 20yrs. They require room size enclosures with a decent sized pool. the largest of those things you find at home depot would be the minimum size you would need and you need to think about drainage among many other things. The first water monitor I ever got was a very "tame" adult. It had been improperly kept and I had it for about 3 or 4 months before it died alot of which was due to my lack of experience at the time.
If they are kept properly, while they have a much better temperament than a lot of other monitors they can still be quite nasty. I have two that will quite literally chase you down for food if you are not careful. To give you a comparison you can relate to, somebody once gave my wife a 10ft. burmese/ceylonese python cross (give is a key word here.) that was (shall we say) a bit fiesty even at the 14 ft (we stopped measuring it hurt too much.) it got to it was still child's play compared to one of those 2 monitors as well as a 5ft one I had that passed on during the storms in 2004.
As I see you have chosen not to work with monitors this is moot for now but as others have stated you may want to start with something small like an ackie or perhaps a timor if you decide to get into monitors.
Cheers

No shame at all in passing on the largest lizard species you can buy. It is a huge commitment, and it is indeed refreshing to see a keeper make an educated choice instead of diving in head first with a "I'll figure it out later" attitude.

Monitors can be incredibly rewarding to keep though, so don't necessarily pass on all of them. In the large lizard category, I think the Blackthroats make the best choice, while Ackies are the best small species choice, and best overall. Check out both of those species, for sure.

More info on all at our site, but nothing available for sale at this time.
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