Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just a quick background, Housed nile, savanna, and mangrove monitor. Caiman and a 7.5 foot gator.

Wanted opinions between a water and a black throat. Yes I know each get big, but what have you found in your years of keeping them. Stories such as messy ness, destructiveness, etc....

Due plan as this monitor grows to have "free run" of the house. Is one more inclined to climb and tear things apart, whatever you can provide will be of great assitance.

Have no knee jerk plan on purchasing one until I hear more about there behaviors as adults.

Thanks for the time.

Hi, just a short answer, ALL the varanids can be destructive/messy around the house, especially the larger species, so very similar to what you`ve had! Can I ask how long you kept the others you mention, and do you still have them, if so, any photos?

Yes I do have some old pics scattered around... The two savs I had about 7 years, one then died suddenly. Mangrove had about five, then gave to a breeder. The nile was my fav of all the monitors. Main interaction only came with cleanings. I never was able to get him use to me like I had hoped. I felt so bad for him, he seemed to get to a stress level that was dangerous for his own health.

My absolute favs were my two caimen and alligator. Caimans tank was built into a wall, they would follow me and allow for interaction without probs. Brownie the gator was my version of a lap dog. Had full run of the house. One bad thing though was when I would fall asleep, he had the habit of laying on my face.

Some years back I turned pro, "golf", and had not the time to give to my pets. Still really miss my crocs but I realize that I was lucky they tolerated me as they did, so I do not wish to get another. Plus with being married and with in a few years possibly having kids, just not a smart risk.

>>Due plan as this monitor grows to have "free run" of the
>>house. Is one more inclined to climb and tear things
>>apart, whatever you can provide will be of great assitance.

I have found, from direct personal experience, that free run monitors are a disaster, both for the house and for the monitor. These are very powerful animals that can get just about everywhere and will cause a surprising amount of destruction. They can, for example, dig holes in your drywall, and will take to creatively re-arranging your living space in ways you never intended (by, for example, taking shelter behind a bookshelf, casually flexing a bit, and knocking over the shelves and everything on them). They are not toilet-trainable. And, in my experience, monitors of all types have a strange predilection for attacking toes and bare feet (don't ask me why, I've just experienced it on a number of occasions).

Further, conditions optimal for human habitability are not optimal for a thriving monitor - too dry and too cold. Keeping your house under conditions that will keep your monitors happy will rot your house out. Really, I've had it happen to me. Further, human houses do not provide the necessary requirements for a proper burrow.

So, for both your own sake and that of your animals - keep them in an appropriate enclosure.

I have made a number of mistakes in the past with regards to keeping monitors. This is your chance to learn from my mistakes, rather than repeating them yourself. Save yourself the trouble, heartache, and expense and don't have free roaming monitor lizards in your house.

Luke

Let them freerun your backyard, but not inside the house. Then you'll have no problems.

A friend has a Nile, with some Iguanas outside and also a dog. They all get along nicely.

I can't help but to reply to this... But you're just being facetious, right?

I'm not sure what the original poster meant by allowing "free run of the house." If he meant to allow the lizard supervised free-range in a suitable, safe environment for the purpose of stretching his legs a bit, great. If he meant allowing total free-range as a substitute for a proper enclosure, not great. That is a bad, bad, (BAD, BAD, BAD) idea.

As Iwcamp mentioned, the animal cannot thrive in your everyday household environment. They require a wide range of temperatures to properly thermoregulate. Please, for the sake of the animal, do more research.

In no means would I let a monitor have 100% run of the house. I did this with my gator but when not around he had his own bedroom so as not to damage the house without supervision. What I mean by free run is allowing the monitor extended time outside his habitat while supervised.

I have a friend that said a Throat is more inclined to be lazy where as his water is all over the house, but with age he calmed down.

Sorry for the confusion

Thank you for clarifying, but I have to come back to the same conclusion. Your monitor will need to thermoregulate, which is only possible if a wide variety of temps are available. Sure, allowing a bit of supervised free range is nice, but when it impedes with his ability to control his body temperature, your monitor will not do very well at all. Sure, he'll eat. But unlike other species, even a dying monitor will take food.

I hate to be critical, but it seems you've had at least six large lizards in the past. Each easily capable of reaching ten plus years under proper conditions... Yet you don't have any of them currently. These animals are a long term commitment. Are you seriously ready for that now, especially when you predict children in the future? Is your wife okay with it? Will you provide a large enough enclosure for the monitor to spend the majority of its time, especially after you have kids and can no longer allow a great deal of free range?

I try not to judge people too harshly, and everyone knows mistakes made in the past can be corrected. So, this time around, you should really start asking the more experienced monitor keepers how to set up a proper enclosure for your monitor, that should be your primary concern. Then you should ask about a proper diet. Then you should ask about which species you can best provide for. Maybe you know it all, but maybe you don't. It's best to get a second opinion to ensure your knowledge is up to date.

And maybe, after all that research, you can think about allowing an hour or so of heavily supervised free range in a safe environment. My small Sav does a tremendous amount of damage to my bare hands just by having her climb up my arm... I can't imagine what a large BT or Nile's nails would do to hardwood floors, or a couch, or a carpet... That said, I do allow her a small opportunity to explore every day. My room is completely "lizard-proofed" and she can choose at any time to climb back into her enclosure (which she does after only ten minutes or so). Make sure your lizard has that option since I doubt your couch has a surface temperature of 150 degrees.

First off, I thank all for there comments and what I say is not just aimed at you, but to all. As I have read many posts on this site, it seems like everyone is a know it all and that anyone wishing to purchase these animals is an idiot because they arent capable of such care. They just know nothing....

It has been many years since i have been on this forum. i started out like many of you years back, with very little knowledge, as I am sure almost all have done. And through people and time so many experiences and mistake can now be avoided. When I started my "collection", there weren't many books nor was there the information on the internet like there is now. Past experiences of all will help lead success to the future care these animals recieve from there new owners.

As far as myself, I did have a savanna monitor die while in my care. He was at least 7 years old, though not a baby when I recieved him. I cant tell you why he died, I monitored temps, cleaned cleaned cleaned, and fed him what was thought to be appropiate. The rest of my lizards went to a friend when I turned pro. I knew I had not the time at that junction to adaquelty take care of my animalls.

I did give my crocs and gator more free time outside cages. All the monitors if left loose in the house had that little funny leash on them, but the sav was slower and less of a climber so Id let him roam more. I had beautfull monitors and crocs, attentive, nice thick tails and except for the Nile, tolerant of interaction. I see no way in which I failed.(I did fail when I choose to give them up to persue a dream)

So guys, get off that high horse and stop looking to bash in peoples hopes, instead give them knowledge to get off on the right foot. Dont scare them away like a bully, invilte them in like family.

I never claimed to be an expert. In fact, I've only had my Sav for less than a year. However, I do have common sense. I am simply calling it as I see it, based on the information you provided. I know people on the forum can be a bit harsh, but imagine how many times they've seen the same old story?

I know your post wasn't directed solely at me, but I found my post to be quite constructive rather than offensive. I only wish to provoke thought. I don't wish to discourage you from getting another monitor, but I do want to make sure that you make sure your monitor will be a priority in your life. And as a priority, you should do everything you can to ensure he is properly taken care of. You said yourself, it's been quite some time since you've had your lizards, why not start by asking the right questions? I did a ton of research and still felt the need to ask the same questions. Monitor enclosures are unlike any enclosure I've ever heard of.

Either way, I wish you and especially your lizard-to-be the best.

I think the world`s full of "experts"; people with a couple of three years experience with something who seem to think they have all the answers, most of them are just repeating what another so called "expert" told them, it just goes on like that "parrot fashion", no real knowledge/deep understanding of the subject/s The "real" experts ARE out there, just very difficult to find at times. (That`s where real experience comes in handy, when sorting the "wheat from the chaff".
One thing I don`t quite understand; if you kept those monitors for a few years, they were adults (and quite large), why do you need to ask how another species would behave, it will behave much the same as the others; if left unsupervised around the house, VERY destructive (quite unintentionally), and a medium/large monitor, VERY messy, too! But don`t ever stop asking questions, and questioning answers...
And at least you came and asked the questions first, so credit to you for that.

To "basinboa": Are you suggesting building an enclosure that could house iguanas, monitors and a dog??
No, these animals do NOT get along together in the overwhelming majority of cases.
I have to ask, if it`s snakes you keep, what other animals do you house with them if you`re doing as your friend does?

So you couldn't keep a Savannah alive longer than 7 years, stressed a Nile monitor out to the brink of death (and didn't explain what happened to it thereafter) and owned a Caiman and an Alligator.

Typical irresponsible keeper that bites off more than he can possibly chew at the animals expense.

If you were at all a responsible keeper, you would KNOW you can't just let a monitor have free roam of a house. Asking questions like that just goes to show you have zero understanding of husbandry and support for a monitor.

Monitors need proper husbandry and support. Please do some research before purchasing animals you know nothing about. The fact that monitors are destructive has LITTLE to NOTHING to do with why a monitor shouldn't have free roam of a house.

Savannahmonitor.org, go read.

I am with WRC1228.

you need to do some major homework. Neither would survive for long and could do some serious damage to themselves or others.