Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I've been fascinated with monitors for a long time now, and have decided to dedicate the better part of my basement for a monitor. It's 9'X9' and I can make it 3X as big if I want. Anyhow, I am confused about what type of monitor to get, I don't want a huge monitor, anything over 6 feetis too big for me. Here are some species I've considered : niles, yellow spotted timors, savanahs, mangrove monitors, and maybe a black throat. I think the niles grow to be over 6 so they may not be for me. Can someone please give me the average adult sizes for the monitors listed above? I have read a lot about monitor care and stuff so please no lectures on how big they get and housing and stuff please.

Also, I am not saying I want to get one, but would Cb Komodo Dragons who would never eat carrion in their entire lives still develop all that deadly bacteria in their mouths? Just wondering, thanks in advance.

???

Well, if you've done a lot of research, why are you asking for sizes? Even the bad literature out there gives fairly accurate sizes...

Niles can get over 6 feet. Scroll down a few posts and you can see a picture of a large ornate (nile) monitor. Timors stay small 2-3 feet. Savannahs tend to stay around 3-4 feet, but can get larger than that. Mangroves have the potential to get large too, as do blackthroats. Again, get a book and look at the sizes it lists.

You are unlikely to find legal komodos.
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I personally like savannahs but I'm still having no luck finding a UK breeder. It seems the ones in the pet shops are all wild cought or captive hatched (gravid female taken from the wild and dumped again when she has laid) and I'm not willing to encourage that by buying one.
Interesting question about komodos. I read that the bacteria in their saliva comes from eating rotting carrion so it seems fair to assume that they would not have it if they never ate carrion but I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. As far as I know you can't get them in the UK. Not legally anyway. I don't know about in the US but I'd be surprised if they were available as pets.

by regular flossing and brushing your V. Komodoensis teeth. If you begin as hatchlings, they will readily tame to handeling, and not mind the daily toothbrushings. It is much harder with adult WC animals. I reccomend wearing gloves for this task.

As far as the Incidus, niloticus, Timorensis, and Exanthematicus...well, they are all very ill suited for captivity and have been known to be potentially lifethreatening to many mammals.

Your best bet would to save up some more money and buy a nice pair of Acanthurus.
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"My favorite thing about the internet is that you get to go into the private world of real creeps and you dont have to smell them."
Penn Jillette (1955-present), in a compuserve chat

Is there a reptile mouthwash available? I'm sure tht would help too. And make sure not to give it too much candy.

You have a lot of homework to do before getting your monitor. Size isn't the only thing to consider. You also have to consider temperment. Niles are better left to those who know what they are doing, even though pet stores will sell them cheap and to any idiot with about $45 bucks. The more research you do before getting the monitor the better both you and the monitor will be. Good luck to you.