Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am interested in getting an argus monitor. I just have a few questions about them. How big do they get and is there any big size difference between males and females? Do they tame down easily? Is there any other info anyone could give me on them?
Thanx alot for any replies.

argus monitors are sexually dimorphic, that is there is a difference in size between males and females. the males are significanly larger than the females and more bulky appearing.

if you want info on care you can see my site's info on argus and read the "caresheet" which is more of a faq on monitors, not a all inclusive care guide, as there is no such thing to date.

argus are fun, active, inquisitive, and great feeders. if you have never had a monitor before, start with an ackie or croc monitor (damnit andrew, don't listen to that last part

andrew
-----
VARANUS CREATIONS

Breeders and Hobbyists of Pilbara Rock Monitors, Kimberly Rock Monitors, Red Ackies, Argus, Argus x Flavi crosses, Gouldi x Flavi crosses, Argus x Gouldi x Flavi crosses, Jungle Carpet Pythons, Bredl's Pythons, Dunn's Pythons, Western Hognose Snakes, South American Boas, Atheris Squamiger, Leopard Geckos and rare Spiders.

I bought a 3 1/2' Argus about 4 weeks ago. I liked him so much that I bought a 2 1/2' and two 1 1/2' monitors two weeks later. Im not an expert about these, but Ill tell you what I know.

First of all, they love to climb and dig. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy 300-400 lbs of top soil.
Second, they love the heat. I built a cage that is 4'x4'x4'. I have a 250 watt red bulb heat lamp and a 250 watt infrared heat lamp. I also put a large heat rock in the cage. The cage isn't really the ideal size, but it'll do. I put a shelf in it to give them more space to run around.

I put the 2 1/2' monitor in the cage on a Thursday. That Sunday I put the 3 1/2' monitor in the cage (and crossed my fingers that they wouldn't kill each other). The larger monitor was breeding the smaller in about 2 hours. Now I have to figure out how to deal with the whole egg situation.

Anyways, I would highly recommed these monitors to EXPERIENCED keepers. They are not "tame." My monitors are fine once out of the cage, but they put on one heck of a display to threaten me. Also, its really cool when the stand on their hind legs and look around.

Argus monitors are high strung, but mine is realativly tame. She gives a little hiss, but has never tried to whip or bite. I'm going to guess that your pair wasn't worked with that much prior to you getting them. As for your cage, you said that it was less than ideal. You need to get the length to about 8' at a minimum. Here's a link that I will be ususing as a guide when I build my argus her adult cage. http://www.pizards.com/hbd/tricks.html
I do plan to aquire a male and start breading, and this cage should be a suitable size. It's based around a stock tank to give a good deep substrate.

Male argus monitors get about 10 kilos (20 to 25 pounds). Females are more like 3 kilos (6 to 7 pounds). I have never known an argus that would not put on a threat display when approached by a human, although this is mostly just show and they are reluctant to bite in self defense (don't get too comfortable, they readily bite people that they mistake for food). They never seem comfortable with handling, being squirmy and hissy. I have more of my thoughts about argus monitors on
http://pizards.com
particularly check out the link on "an argus keeper's tricks".

Best of luck,

Luke

I used your site a lot before buying my argus. Great site! In fact I've recommened that a few people go check it out when they want some info on argus monitors. Just wanted to let you know that your work and is appreciated. Also your mailto.jpeg is broke, just fyi.
I hope to get a similar site up one of these days similar to yours detailing all the lessons learned, especially the ones learned the hard way.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your information and put into a great site.

Glad you liked it. I've been meaning to put up my email for a while now, but have not gotten around to it. I look forward to seeing your web page on these critters.

Luke