Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My boyfriend wants to get a nile monitor, its a pretty small one anyways..what does it require? How big of a tank, what kind of heating and lighting, what does it it? How much attention does it need to be tame? He works alot and gets home at 9 at night and he can hold it a little then but otherwise he works and his days off he could hold it.. does it need more attention then that to have it tame???? help please we know nothing anything you could tell us would be great..thanks in advance

Educate yourself first. Get a book, like Barron's "Nile Monitors" by Robert Faust, and read it front to back.
It's the cheapest thing you will ever buy if you get hooked on monitor lizards. Be aware that it is a significant
commitment, and that cute little baby can grow to 6 feet or more and live 20 years, if you do it right.

Get that book, I have it and it is very good. Now, along with that, search the internet with a search engine for "varanus niloticus". They are not an "easy" monitor, quite difficult actually, so you must put a lot of thought and research into the purchase. They need a huge cage, tons of food, vet checks, a large water dish to poop in, and a good substrate that will hold a burrow, and humidity. That will cost mucho dinero and mucho time. Please learn EVERYTHING about the animal BEFORE you buy.

Truth

I have owned two Ornate Nile monitors (V. niloticus ornatus) and raised them successfully. Both my Ornates were dog tame and though you should always use precaution with Niles, my last ornate I owned used to sleep under my pillow. Now i just purchased a hatchling common Nile (V. niloticus niloticus). I will give the monitor a week or so to acclimate to the new environment. It is eating and is not showing any severe signs of stress. My hatchling is in a 20 gallon aquarium with a Full Spectrum bulb and a 75 watt bulb on top. To keep diurnal and noctornal activties normal, I put the lights on a timer so that the day is 14 hours and thus there are 10 hour of darkness. Once my Nile acclimated to his/her new tank, I will hold the monitor about 2 or 3 times a day for about 15 minutes. But b4 i go to holding it, i put my hand in the tank so it gets used to it. Then once I have it in my hands, I carefully let it walk from one hand to another. Do not bring a baby monitor outside, They are fast and easily slide out of your hands. I feed my baby about 10 medium size crickets a day, vitaminized. I also make sure to gut load the crickets with vegies. If you have any other questions regarding nile monitors, you may email me at hredder1@aol.com